Tommok

Yeah I'd probably take that right now, assuming Barcola is signed obviously. The midfield is currently looking like being the same problem it was last season, albeit with a more tactically astute manager. But the pessimistic side of me could also see Gakpo go and no midfielder come in..

Yeah I think it's likely that he'll still leave. Maybe he simply fancies a move, maybe the club just want his big wage off the bill and to help pay the massive fee for Barcola. Probably a bit of both. It'd be madness to let him go now tho. We have no other cover for Isak and only really (a not quite ready) Rio as back up to Barcola - assuming we finally sign him - on the left. As said previously, Gakpo as backup to Isak is far from ideal but not having Gakpo or anyone else as backup is disastrous.

Yeah he's perfect for a squad player to be rotated with a Diaz/Barcola. Not sure Gakpo will be happy with that now tho. At a push, in the absence of other options (and we currently have none) he can also cover Isak - very smart finish from the 9 position yesterday - but I'd like other cover for Isak ideally.

I don't think it helps that Gakpo likes to cut inside and all our central midfielders like to play high up the pitch, carry the ball up the pitch - it gets a bit congested and Isak sometimes doesn't have space to move much. I mean his movement has been a bit lacking in of itself at times too of course. Be nice to see some more early balls pinged for Isak to run on to - like we did for Mo and Nunez. Unlike the latter, Isak will have the nous to remain onside more often than not.

Yeah Nyoni is certainly not a destroyer/bruiser type of a midfielder but does look like he can read the game and pass the ball. In theory at least, Endo could provide a bit of protection/battling in the middle but doesn't seem like he's going to feature much for us anymore.

Yeah he's always been slight but he looks really weak and nervous at the moment as if he's scared of getting injured or something. Him and Wirtz being the focal point of the attack is a pretty fragile pairing. At Newcastle he had a midfield of thugs battering people out of the way and creating space and then through balls/passes over the top for him to run onto. He's generally excellent one on one with the keeper. Also he had wide players pinging in crosses for him - he's decent at heading the ball. He hasn't really had any of that here yet.

I know our transfer guys are obsessed with "getting value late in the window" but surely when you're bringing in a new manager, you get business done early in the window so the new boss has as much time as possible to work with the new signings and integrate them. Iraola has inherited such a wonky, disjointed squad and new signings (other than Munoz) whoever they are will mainly be arriving after the start of the season (or in the case of Minteh it'll be bloody November) - it's just made Andoni's job so much harder.

Very harsh on Sturridge that - to lump him in with Lee Dixon - Sturridge is a bright lad and generally always speaks a lot of sense. Yesterday after the game he and even Micah bloomin Richards were spot on about the need for a defensive midfielder, the balance in midfield being wrong and Dom being better as a 10 than in CM. They also both spoke about how it was questionable to focus so much of the budget on the left (Barcola), with Gakpo and Rio able to play there, but Salah hadn't been replaced. It was almost like they'd been reading this forum.

The just running alongside an attacker as they make their way up the pitch and into the box and not putting a foot in - is doing my head in. Both VVD and Konate were doing that way too much last season and VVD did it twice today with one time leading to their goal. If he was being out paced then fair enough but when he's comfortably keeping up with the attacker and running next to them but doing nothing, hoping they make a mistake themselves - I find it hard to fathom.

Yeah it's baffling. It's hard to know what's most confusing - why we haven't replaced Salah - why we haven't bought a Caicedo/Lavia or Zubimendi style midfielder after chasing and then missing out on them a while back or - what the heck has happened to the Isak that regularly destroyed us when he was at Newcastle. Oh and that very simple but wildly over hit cross from Kerkez when Isak was completely unmarked in the six yard box is still frying my brain.

Surely everyone can now see we need a big defensively capable CM?

Munoz was quite lively. Think he'll cause a few defenders a bit of trouble.

An all timer of a s*** performance. That he wasn't replaced says almost as much about our transfer dealings as needing to bring on Koumas to try and win it. Very lucky to get away with a point there. And a draw isn't a good result.

Errmm Araujo has looked OK. Munoz can run a bit. Jacquet looked OK. But yeah slim pickings. Even Virgil has been poor.

Passing it around pointlessly. We're losing lads and there's 5 mins to go - bit more urgency maybe eh?

Yeah, generally. But that piece was actually pretty concise.

I see Arsenal are linked with Alvarez - he'd be a decent signing for us if he's available

I thought I was being ballsy predicting Hull would draw with Utd

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I would be much happier if Minteh wasn't injured until around November Still not ruling out someone else swooping in for Barcola too but hopefully that's just my normal pessimism

No. Prepare the cacti.

He gets a few games and as Sky seemingly have 1500 live games this season they're going to have to have all hands on deck. Warnock often does the show with a PL referee where they go through all the terrible decisions from the weekend and Warnock gets it all wrong and the PL referee just defends the decisions. Yeah he's my least favourite of all of them - probably even worse than Gary f***ing Neville!

Well I suppose the other point being that not many of our players can actually reach the top of his head anyway

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PL referees' hands will be constantly hovering over (and in) their pocket with the cards in if he keeps that up