Is It An Overreaction?

[miller0863]

To say our best chance of playing Champions League football next season, is to finish third in our group and win the Europa?

Premier League looks too fast and furious for our Dad’s army.

What a fall from grace, 6 goals conceded in our last two and we have already spent more time losing in matches than the whole of last season.

[Kev0909]

Thing is I don't think arsenal was even that good today

when teams improve year on year and we do little as possible it's going to catch up eventually now it has.

[miller0863]

Well and truly caught up Kev. Ox and Keita should have been moved on long ago for a start.

[Kev0909]

Well and truly caught up Kev. Ox and Keita should have been moved on long ago for a start.

thing is if they did spend a little bit more over the last few years, it would have been cheaper in the long run.

now you're looking at 3-4 quality players needed

[Insidious]

Interesting question miller.

I look at our record in the second-half of seasons under Klopp and the second half of his last Dortmund season and cross my fingers, though confidence is definitely just now.

The World Cup will offer a chance for a reset. Some teams will welcome the break, others will hate the disruption to their (positive) momentum.

We need to concede less. That's the first thing. I would be much more troubled if we couldn't get the ball in the back of the opposition net, but we can. It's the ones we're conceding right now....horror show!

[ianlfc]

Only Allison and Diaz have had a good start to the season. You could upgrade on everyone else based on this seasons performances.

[miller0863]

We desperately need a 6, a proper 6 at least as much as Bellingham… but we need both in all honesty.

[CCTV]

To say our best chance of playing Champions League football next season, is to finish third in our group and win the Europa?

Premier League looks too fast and furious for our Dad’s army.

What a fall from grace, 6 goals conceded in our last two and we have already spent more time losing in matches than the whole of last season.

Yeah, think we'll finish second in our group Napoli look likely group toppers.

Klopps finally attending to an issue that was apparent for a near year now, as I see it.
As painful as its been, the game at city, the CL final, there are some signs of improvement from a team way off form.

442/4411 for me now, we're not well enough organised for my liking to play 4231.

Right and left side of midfield roles to join attack, double pivot in the middle and a front 2.

The gameplay was there to win today, the shape was off.

[miller0863]

Over all play was better but defensively we are not getting any better at all.
We need a couple of Premier League clean sheets, sharpish

[Crimson Dynasty]

To say our best chance of playing Champions League football next season, is to finish third in our group and win the Europa?

Premier League looks too fast and furious for our Dad’s army.

What a fall from grace, 6 goals conceded in our last two and we have already spent more time losing in matches than the whole of last season.

Not entirely accurate, but not that far off either.

We've lost twice in the league this season - same as we lost in the league in the entire season last year.

We've also lost once in the Champions League - again, compared to twice in total (including group stages and the final itself) last season in the same competition.

People tend to forget that we were freakishly good last season and but for a nicked in goal against Spurs at home and perhaps not conceding on the only chance on target that Real had in the final, we might truly have won that quadruple.

So the fall from grace is sharp and hard.

Having said all that, we have drawn 4 games - most of which we should have won, and already conceded 12 goals - which is the truly telling statistic from last season as we're simply not as good defensively as we were last season.

A lot of teams have worked out the way to beat us which is the same way in most cases and which basically just involves pressing us high and early.
And we've had no response to this.

When we used to be in our stride, we'd just play through their press and find and exploit the holes that those presses exposed at their back (typically on the wings), but for whatever reason or any number of reasons (Mane's exit; Mo's slow start; Nunez not clicking yet; midfield issues....) we simply haven't been able to do the same this season.
Plus we're just generally more sloppy all over the field.
From the defense to the midfield all the way to not always clicking upfront.

Ironically, despite the goals conceded, the goalkeeping positions is the one position where we're still getting steady performance as without Allisson's standout performances in some games this season we'd shockingly be even farther behind.