Match Thread: Crystal Palace v Liverpool

[Kev0909]

Knowing Palace’s physicality having played them 3 times, I did wonder about starting with two out of form midgets in MacAllister and Wirtz.

Keep saying it and will continue to do so, we need a wide forward, a 6 and a CB. We have no options to replace injured, out of form or over played players.

Yep...... I'm sure isak and wirtz will end up being top players for us..

But can't help think that 200m+ Could've been spent better, wide forward that can play up top, and a 6 and CB as you say.

even though we've spent loads we're still short in key areas, midfield is a big one for me, Jones and endo.... just not good enough to play often, need a top midfielder to rotate with maca/grav, same with Gomez at CB same with Rio at lw he's still a baby

We've played poor and concede too often all season, this result didn't surprise me, was going to happen eventually, even if we got the 5 wins we've scraped them and not looked good.

I think we've ballsed the recruitment personally, could've had a really good complete squad, now we've left with probably needing 2 CB's next summer, a no 6 still and a wide forward.. and salah & VVD won't be around much longer, so we'll need 2 wide-forwards in the near future.

Surely we're going to be limited to what we can spend next few years too, due to the rules and FFP ?

[justme]

Find it rather amusing in a way.. we have probably had a better start than last season and we are over analyzing everything.. lets just beat Chelsea in the next league game and go into the next international break in a good position..

[Kev0909]

Find it rather amusing in a way.. we have probably had a better start than last season and we are over analyzing everything.. lets just beat Chelsea in the next league game and go into the next international break in a good position..

True and we've got to give the new boys a chance to setle.. even the players that was already here, need to learn to play with the new lads, we've made so litle changes for a while- so it's going to be tough, they're use to playing with the same players, I.E Trent/Salah Robbo/Diaz and now we've got isak we've got a new forward to adjust too and learn how he opeartes and play to his strengths.

Not surprised we seem to be struggling on the wings, it's completely changed, and we do miss trent and diaz but what can we do, people don't want to believe that especially about trent.... but he made chances he was very good at creating things, that's meant to be wirtz but yeah, looks like a shadow of how he can play at the moment.

Not judging bradley too harshly either but I did think people overhyped him at first after some good games, I don't think he's all that, still young mind but shouldn't be starting for a premier league winning side- Like endo and jones,gomez should'nt be playing much but they're going to have to as we have noone else, but that's just my opinion

[Kev0909]

just watching MotD not only did salah seem to do nothing, did his best to stop others scoring ?

[Martyboy]

Gonna be brutally honest,this time last year once we got past the defeat at home to Forest and got back on track I was sure we'd win the title(I'm a pessimist at heart)...This year I've got major doubts we will,we're too easy to get at....Things aren't altogether tickety boo,the Wirtz dilemna and Konate's form really concern me....

[Steveo]

That’s right because we want to EVOLVE not REVOLVE

You’ve been paying attention miller

I still don’t think Tony is ready to throw in the towel and just say - Ok Alan…. ‘Inner City Sumo’s a goer’

[Steveo]

Find it rather amusing in a way.. we have probably had a better start than last season and we are over analyzing everything.. lets just beat Chelsea in the next league game and go into the next international break in a good position..

There was no expectation last season…

[justme]

There was no expectation last season…

we are still a good team

[Red October]

You’ve been paying attention miller

I still don’t think Tony is ready to throw in the towel and just say - Ok Alan…. ‘Inner City Sumo’s a goer’

Right now it feels like we're going nowhere. Quite literally we're on the ring road.

[Steveo]

we are still a good team

I know…. I was just suggesting why people are over analysing at this stage of this season vs last season. This time last season most of us would have bitten your arm off for a top 4 finish.

[trueandred]

I think we really miss Arnold on the right, and Salah does too. His passing range was second to none; he could, with one pass, open up any defence.

[Steveo]

Defo - many of us lambasted his defending, myself as much as anyone (it was shocking at times tbf) - but his creativity is something you notice when it's absent. Always was expected we would miss that.

Real aren't too keen as yet but it's a new league for him to get used to.

Bradley is either regressing under Slot OR was dependent on Klopp's management. Slot is a coach remember.. More Rafa like then Jurgen. As for Frimpong.. again - new league - new club - with many new players learning at the same time. I expect him to get better in time.

I think Salah is suffering most from a lack of quality on the left. He was double marked again on Saturday.. He is 33!

[jimmyliver]

Defo - many of us lambasted his defending, myself as much as anyone (it was shocking at times tbf) - but his creativity is something you notice when it's absent. Always was expected we would miss that.

Real aren't too keen as yet but it's a new league for him to get used to.

Bradley is either regressing under Slot OR was dependent on Klopp's management. Slot is a coach remember.. More Rafa like then Jurgen. As for Frimpong.. again - new league - new club - with many new players learning at the same time. I expect him to get better in time.

I think Salah is suffering most from a lack of quality on the left. He was double marked again on Saturday.. He is 33!

I posted this on another thread I think , I think Bradley has regressed as a go forward full back , the first half of his first season he offered a lot going forward , that seems to have vanished and then I think it puts more pressure on Salah .

[faridtoxteth]

I think Szoboslai can offer the forward passing range we had from trent at right back, and defensively way more solid too, but then we miss his engine in other parts of the pitch.
I think the players we have brought in, while I like them all, there seems to be a mystery about where we are supposed to play them. Frimpong..? not really an orthodox full back in any way. Ekitike and Isak? How are we supposed to fit them in together? And then the enigma that is Wirtz. Plenty of non-robust great technical footballers have done really well in the premier league..David Silva, Philip Coutinho, even going back to Zola.
I think our players are mostly very good. I think the problem is the system. That's on Arne. He is tactically extremely astute and I think he will figure it out. Let's give him time.
It will be interesting to see how we play without Mo during Afcon.

[Red October]

I think Szoboslai can offer the forward passing range we had from trent at right back, and defensively way more solid too, but then we miss his engine in other parts of the pitch.
I think the players we have brought in, while I like them all, there seems to be a mystery about where we are supposed to play them. Frimpong..? not really an orthodox full back in any way. Ekitike and Isak? How are we supposed to fit them in together? And then the enigma that is Wirtz. Plenty of non-robust great technical footballers have done really well in the premier league..David Silva, Philip Coutinho, even going back to Zola.
I think our players are mostly very good. I think the problem is the system. That's on Arne. He is tactically extremely astute and I think he will figure it out. Let's give him time.
It will be interesting to see how we play without Mo during Afcon.

Good post. Yeah it's true we've seen lightweight players do well. We need the system to be built around the new players maybe. Might be tricky as we transition. As you say we've bought quality. I seem to remember some of the old boys always saying that the secret to success is better players. Well we've gone and got some.