andym

We have a big, big issue with keeping the ball this season. According to fbref we have an overall 75% pass completion rate, 4th worst in the league. We've only gotten above 80% in one game. Only 7 players are over 80% individually (one is Carney who's played 1 game) and only 1 over 90%, which compares very unfavourably to other sides. McGinn's individual stat is 69%! Its not good enough, and i'll be getting concerned if Smith doesn't seek to fix it and carries on as we are. Its probably not helping that he appears to be chanelling tony pulis at the moment, with 5 defenders, 3 workhorse midfielders, and relying on set pieces.

Needs to stop the obsession with shoe horning players in everygame, and i dont mean the 2 up top. For me, the issue is forcing the extra centre back in and then trying to rely on targett and cash getting forward as the creative outlets. They are simply not good enough at this. We need our actual talented attackers to be doing that. We just end up with 5 defenders sitting deep, midfielders not too much further infront, then the forwards just getting outnumbered. We had a good result at Man U admittedly, but the Everton game was as much as the impact of Bailey as formation. However we've shipped 3 against Chelsea and Wolves, and 2 at an out of form Spurs, resulting in 0 points from those 3 games, so we havent exactly been defensively sound with that formation. There's still ways to get Ings and Watkins in, while playing 4 at the back. Maybe actually supporting them properly would turn their partnership around.

Funny, the Premier League stats website shows Brighton have played the 2nd most long balls this season (Burnley unsurprisingly are 1st) Potters a very good coach, but lets not make out he's like Pep at Barca running over teams with tiki taka

Do you? They put 4 past Leicester and Newcastle, but then twice blew a lead at home to Palace, and a few weeks later lost at home to newly promoted Brentford. You slated Smith for our draw against Brentford (despite our weakened side), so losing to them is surely a disasterous performance by Moyes?

Strange that you are quoting 'pressures by forwards' stats from 'Statsbomb via fbref' to make your point then. I also bet there is another post of yours somewhere saying something like 'i don't care how hard he works for the rest of the team, he doesn't score enough'.

Fully deserved as well

Villareal being very wasteful in front of goal

PSG finally avoid messing up a counter attack Superb finish

Pre-match they were saying McCarthy had started with a back 5, all centre backs, and 2 holding midfielders There's setting up to keep things tight, and then there's a completely cowardly approach to a game... Only took West Brom 5 minutes to score, so McCarthy got everything he deserved

That goal was all due to Kane

Quality 1-2 between Aubameyang and Smith-Rowe

Smith Rowe 8 yards out, middle of the goal, and no Spurs players anywhere near Just awful defending

Liverpool equalised already, helped by Van Djik getting away with completely cleaning out Toney about 10 seconds earlier

Ha, Brentford score from a freekick routine very similar to the one Ings nearly scored from last week

Crazy pace to this game, fun to watch