Relive every moment of every first team game since the beginning of the 2005/06 season. Our archive of matchday threads originally posted in the General Discussion Forum.
Don’t like to leave Rice out, but plenty of time for him to show what he can do. One thing Sanchez has is experience and it’s something we probably need in the DCM position. And with Sanchez and Obiang in there I think we can afford to have Masuaku at left back as they would provide better than what we’re used too in terms of cover.
Awooga_Iron wrote:I'd like to see Anderson central. And I think, while he worked his socks off wide, he got a bit isolated, and he looks like he's got all the skills to play at 10.
Agree.
I fear he'll get the same problem as Arnie had first half of last season. With Lanzini out, we need that creative mind in the middle, where he'll see more of the ball.
EastleighHammer16 wrote:If everyone is fit, it'll be the same starting 11 i would think. Only change i could see him making is Yarmolenko in for Antonio. We shouldn't start making whole sale changes after a defeat an Anfield.
Are you saying that
A - we are paying 7m a year for a manager to just pick the same 11 every week
B - The manager doesn't believe in changing or tinkering tactics & personnel for specific games?
If that's the case we wouldn't need much of a squad
Nobody is suggesting wholesale changes. For the most part the majority on here have expressed concern over Masuaku and the central midfield area. Nobody is saying have a new back 4
mumbles87 wrote:
Noble can’t be carried any longer
Noble certainly can't be carried by Rice in CM.
Likewise, Noble can't carry others at the same time as playing his own game to the best of his ability. We are asking and expecting far too much of him.
He hasn't had a decent partner in the middle sing Song, and that was arguably one of his best seasons for us.
Lets get back to basics in defence, I was surprised Pellegrini started with so many changes, particularly at the back.
We needed the experience and work ethic of Zabaleta on Sunday, Cresswell is an actual LB and I'm not sure what Adrian has done wrong to be dropped yet again.
Midfield is less clear, Wilshere plus any two from Noble, Rice, Obiang and Sanchez, it's all a bit Hobson's choice there!
Our lack of quality options at full back and centre mid are really quite glaring.
The front three pick themselves, if Yarmo isn't fully fit, start with Perez.
Adrian
Zabaleta Balbuena Ogbonna Cresswell
Noble Obiang
Wilshere
Yarmo Anderson
Arnie
get obiang back in, for the love of god just dont pair noble and rice again, it was horrific at newcastle away last season it was equally as bad on sunday, experiment over.
Bournemouth will also have runners from midfield namely ryan fraser so we will need people with the ability to track.
What amazes me most about our fans, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular (might even be slightly off topic), is how loyal they are to some players who've under performed over the past couple of seasons, yet so quick to throw others under the bus so quickly.
Anyway, as for Bournemouth it's "In Pellegrini We Trust".. but I can't see how he'll make wholesale changes, and hope he doesn't. This is the team I think he'll go with.
Only player Id swap is Antonio for Yarmalenko, purely because pretty much every time he got the ball he lost it.
See him as an impact sub now when we need power and directness against tiring defenders.
Rice looked our best midfielder in pre season and deserves another chance. The combination with him Noble and Wilshere moved the ball best in pre season too.
Masuaku I thought defended very well using his pace and also didnt overplay and got his body between ball and man well. Fredericks struggled much more.
We need to give the side time and not tear up the script after the hardest game of the season (which it will be since theyve been demolishing teams all pre season and we're still trying to learn a new way of playing).
smuts wrote:To be honest I would probably put Zab in over Fredericks who was all over the place on Sunday.
So dropping him on the basis of coming up against one of the best forward lines in the PL, in his first game? Come on now... Same goes for people calling for Balbuena, Ogbonna and/or Masuaku to be dropped. Literally nonsensical. Let's try and build a successful back 4, and stick at it. But let's judge against opposition we "should" beat at least, before making a million changes. Continuity.
In my team guess, I drop Rice for the more experienced Obiang and bring in Yarmolenko who impressed me when coming on for Antonio. No knicker wetting or pulling the trigger too early for me.