N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
First time in our history we've lost first five games of a season.
Farke setting records all over the place.
Farke setting records all over the place.
- Status
Fenway Frank
Well-Known Member
It’s going to be a looong season
OldRobert
Well-Known Member
Can't go on.
G
gerryinromania
Well-Known Member
Really don't know what to say about that
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Urgh
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
Can you please tell us how Normann and Kabak looked ?
Obviously, not much training and game time with the team but what were your impressions?
Thanks
Din
Well-Known Member
Been a while since I posted on here (been a hectic few months) so hello again everyone!
Don't wanna be one of those people that conveniently returns to a forum when we're doing crap, but I am gonna have a moan.
Too early in the season obviously to call this an absolute must-win, but considering our start to the season this was a big game, and in many ways an ideal opportunity to finally get our first points on the board. With that in mind our showing was really disappointing.
I honestly didn't think Watford were particularly good. They were there for the taking today, as shown by how easy it was for Pukki to score the equaliser. I imagine they'll be in and around the bottom 3, as their tactic, like last season, literally seems to be give the ball to Sarr and hope he does something. It felt like if we were on it and able to go up through the gears then the 3 points would be ours, but at no point did we look capable of that.
I have to say I don't really understand this new system at all, it feels like we've lost our identity a bit. I know Farke obviously wants to make us more resilient and hard-to-beat, but so far we haven't been that yet we've sacrificed all the exciting attacking play that was our trademark last season. Last season, even when we didn't play well, you'd know what we were doing and how we were going to play, so far this year I don't really have a clue what we're trying to do. Today, instead of two wingers and a striker we seemed to be playing with Sargent, Pukki and Rashica as 3, relatively interchangeable forwards, but none of them, particularly Rashica, had a clue what they were doing defensively. The flat midfield 3 just offers us nothing defensively or offensively. It was a bit better today with Normann in that holding role, and hopefully the more he plays the more solid he'll be. But the two either side of him, McLean and Gilmour in today's game, are just passengers most of the time. We were honestly all over the place, nobody seemed to actually be sure where they were supposed to be at any given moment. The 2nd goal was a perfect example of that, the defending for that goal was genuinely disgraceful. Brandon Williams was brilliant against Arsenal, and made a couple of good challenges early on, but he also didn't really look as if he knew where he should be. In general I'm not really a fan of right-footed players playing at left back, I feel Giannoulis gives us a much better balance and is also probably more effective going forwards than Williams is. I find it a bit odd that after a really good performance on the opening day, Giannoulis has just been dropped completely after a bad first half against Manchester City.
As I said, I thought Normann played well, and I was enjoying Sargent's performance in the first half, so why were those two taken off, arguably our two best players? I can only assume it's down to a lack of match fitness, but that double substitution sealed our fate today. How Rashica managed to stay on the pitch though despite offering next to nothing is a mystery to me, though I do feel a bit for him because I feel he would be better suited to playing on the right, where he can get to the byline and pull the ball back, yet Farke insists on sticking him on the left. Same with Tzolis when he came on as well. But yeah the substitutions confused me. The moment we switched to McLean and Gilmour in the two holding roles we fell apart. So far I'm struggling a little bit to see what Gilmour offers. Very tidy in possession and has a nice range of passing, but he doesn't seem to have a lot else. Still very young obviously and has a lot of potential but that isn't much consolation to us as he's only on loan.
Normann definitely showed some promising signs though, certainly adds a lot more bite to our midfield and he broke up the play really nicely a couple of times. Lovely assist for Pukki too. Kabak also looked a good player as well I thought. Really good on the ball and strong in the air as well, albeit he should've done better for the first goal. I'd definitely like to see those two given a run in the side. Pleased for Pukki to get his first goal from open play, hopefully that gives his confidence a boost and he can notch a few more. I quite liked the way him and Sargent complimented each other, with Sargent often dropping in between the Watford defence and midfield and then looking to thread the ball in behind. I'd quite like to see Pukki up front with Sargent, Cantwell and Tzolis in behind him, but Farke seems intent on going 4-3-3.
Last time we were in the Prem it felt like we just didn't have the quality in the squad to stay up, this time it feels like we have all the components, Farke just isn't sure who to put in or where to put them. I know obviously the disrupted pre-season and the fact a couple of our signings didn't come in til very late in the window didn't help, but he clearly doesn't know what his best centre-back partnership is, he clearly doesn't know his best midfield 3, and he clearly doesn't know which 2 players to play on the wings. He needs to address it and fast. If by the time the next international break rolls round next month we still don't have any points on the board then we're in a lot of trouble. I know we're still very early on but it's hard not to be a bit worried right now.
Don't wanna be one of those people that conveniently returns to a forum when we're doing crap, but I am gonna have a moan.
Too early in the season obviously to call this an absolute must-win, but considering our start to the season this was a big game, and in many ways an ideal opportunity to finally get our first points on the board. With that in mind our showing was really disappointing.
I honestly didn't think Watford were particularly good. They were there for the taking today, as shown by how easy it was for Pukki to score the equaliser. I imagine they'll be in and around the bottom 3, as their tactic, like last season, literally seems to be give the ball to Sarr and hope he does something. It felt like if we were on it and able to go up through the gears then the 3 points would be ours, but at no point did we look capable of that.
I have to say I don't really understand this new system at all, it feels like we've lost our identity a bit. I know Farke obviously wants to make us more resilient and hard-to-beat, but so far we haven't been that yet we've sacrificed all the exciting attacking play that was our trademark last season. Last season, even when we didn't play well, you'd know what we were doing and how we were going to play, so far this year I don't really have a clue what we're trying to do. Today, instead of two wingers and a striker we seemed to be playing with Sargent, Pukki and Rashica as 3, relatively interchangeable forwards, but none of them, particularly Rashica, had a clue what they were doing defensively. The flat midfield 3 just offers us nothing defensively or offensively. It was a bit better today with Normann in that holding role, and hopefully the more he plays the more solid he'll be. But the two either side of him, McLean and Gilmour in today's game, are just passengers most of the time. We were honestly all over the place, nobody seemed to actually be sure where they were supposed to be at any given moment. The 2nd goal was a perfect example of that, the defending for that goal was genuinely disgraceful. Brandon Williams was brilliant against Arsenal, and made a couple of good challenges early on, but he also didn't really look as if he knew where he should be. In general I'm not really a fan of right-footed players playing at left back, I feel Giannoulis gives us a much better balance and is also probably more effective going forwards than Williams is. I find it a bit odd that after a really good performance on the opening day, Giannoulis has just been dropped completely after a bad first half against Manchester City.
As I said, I thought Normann played well, and I was enjoying Sargent's performance in the first half, so why were those two taken off, arguably our two best players? I can only assume it's down to a lack of match fitness, but that double substitution sealed our fate today. How Rashica managed to stay on the pitch though despite offering next to nothing is a mystery to me, though I do feel a bit for him because I feel he would be better suited to playing on the right, where he can get to the byline and pull the ball back, yet Farke insists on sticking him on the left. Same with Tzolis when he came on as well. But yeah the substitutions confused me. The moment we switched to McLean and Gilmour in the two holding roles we fell apart. So far I'm struggling a little bit to see what Gilmour offers. Very tidy in possession and has a nice range of passing, but he doesn't seem to have a lot else. Still very young obviously and has a lot of potential but that isn't much consolation to us as he's only on loan.
Normann definitely showed some promising signs though, certainly adds a lot more bite to our midfield and he broke up the play really nicely a couple of times. Lovely assist for Pukki too. Kabak also looked a good player as well I thought. Really good on the ball and strong in the air as well, albeit he should've done better for the first goal. I'd definitely like to see those two given a run in the side. Pleased for Pukki to get his first goal from open play, hopefully that gives his confidence a boost and he can notch a few more. I quite liked the way him and Sargent complimented each other, with Sargent often dropping in between the Watford defence and midfield and then looking to thread the ball in behind. I'd quite like to see Pukki up front with Sargent, Cantwell and Tzolis in behind him, but Farke seems intent on going 4-3-3.
Last time we were in the Prem it felt like we just didn't have the quality in the squad to stay up, this time it feels like we have all the components, Farke just isn't sure who to put in or where to put them. I know obviously the disrupted pre-season and the fact a couple of our signings didn't come in til very late in the window didn't help, but he clearly doesn't know what his best centre-back partnership is, he clearly doesn't know his best midfield 3, and he clearly doesn't know which 2 players to play on the wings. He needs to address it and fast. If by the time the next international break rolls round next month we still don't have any points on the board then we're in a lot of trouble. I know we're still very early on but it's hard not to be a bit worried right now.
Last edited:
morty
Moderator
Staff member
This one is on Farke, for me. 4-3-3 was brutally exposed yesterday, it was almost too easy for Watford.
To my shame I left early yesterday, first time since we got beaten 7-1 by Colchester. Getting to the bar for another pint seemed more important.
To my shame I left early yesterday, first time since we got beaten 7-1 by Colchester. Getting to the bar for another pint seemed more important.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Not bothering to watch this till maybe later... Oh looks like Youtube has disabled embedding. Click on it to watch on Youtube then. Or don't...
G
gerryinromania
Well-Known Member
Not likr you Morty, you must have been really p'd off. Had it on the telly box here, they zoomed in on Farke at the end and boos were definitely ongoing. After his moan about fans on Friday, and now the snakepit giving him some welly, do you think he's skating on thin ice? I know he has a long contract, but his boss hasn't
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
It's a different dynamic to our last season in the Prem.
There were no fans in the stadium then, now it can get a bit vocal and more than a bit uncomfortable for the decision makers.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
I doubt very much they will sack Farke.
G
gerryinromania
Well-Known Member
Thanks Morty, watching the tellybox 3.000 kms away not same as in the ground, there you have the life and vibes live
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Fans were not happy. Many, like me, probably wrote those first four games off and saw yesterday as the beginning of our season proper. Farke very much built the game up as that, and people were very hyped for it. I have seen the odd grumble about Farke, but as I say, I find it extremely unlikely they would sack him. But we really need that first win, or even first point, that zero next to Norwich City in the league table will hang heavier and heavier round our necks the longer it stays that way.
But really I think that Webber has given Farke what he needs regarding players in different positions, that give him a tactical flexibility. So he really can't use that as an excuse.
Fenway Frank
Well-Known Member
Strange thing about the premier league is if we were to pull one result out of the bag we could go up a few places or even be out of the bottom three. Wishful thinking I know but a good result would make such a difference
morty
Moderator
Staff member
I think we'll be okay, but we need to get our act together soon, once you get too adrift and start saying we just need two or three wins, then you're struggling.
I'm hoping Pukki's goal has done him good.
OldRobert
Well-Known Member
Too expensive apart from anything else, but he's going to have to pull his finger out.
G
gerryinromania
Well-Known Member
Thought that the goal and Normanns pass was superb, almost as though they had been together on the pitch for months, not minutes. Sergent certainly taking some of the pressure from Pukki. I like the look of Rashica, sure he's got a bit about him. With Normann in the midfield, who partners him in a mid two. Who partners the new centre half. Where does this leave Cantwell
- Status