Agree with all that. We looked much better last 20 mins but didn't really deserve anything today.
Sorry for the delay, but this is my go to and has been for a while. You have to fight through the pops but then it's really decent.
Think he wants to play a three to balance out Danilo and Anderson as the midfield two. But you need mobile central defenders on both sides and I don’t think Morato on the right really works. Might be worth considering Ola in that role but I guess in the short term we’ll go back to 4231.
Morato and Danilo don't look at the level of the rest of the team for me.
Danilo doesn't look like a Premier level player, he loses the ball too often by making bad choices with what he tries to do. Today there wasn't even the occasional good thing that came off to begin to balance things out
I think he played the three because CHO wasn't able to play 90 and he doesn't trust Jota / Sosa / Moreira as starters.
He played a couple of excellent incisive passes but I agree that the bad comfortably outweighed the good today.
I was watching a slightly dodgy feed. Did Sangare look a bit more on it when he came on?
He's coming back from a very bad injury. Progress is bound to be patchy. Same for Sangare.
Wasn't really noticeable. Didn't do much that stood out, good or bad.
Looked a bit off the pace to me.
Fulham were better than us today. Silva used his midfield to good effect. We took too long to make the adjustment and the Cottagers had late runners coming into the box from crosses. Very effective.
We were incredibly average with nice passing but nothing incisive. Wood's goal was brilliantly taken but we really didn't threaten at all.
On the plus side our goal difference is better than Newcastle's now so that is helpful.
The next few weeks will define our season. If we come through the next three games relatively unscathed then I think top four is ours for the taking.
Just a blah day at the office today. It happens.
Chicago: A little underwhelmed.
MOM: Sels by a mile.
Agree with all of this. Most of us would probably have gone with a back 3 today but it was clear immediately that the formation wasn’t matching up against them. And Morato on the right is a problem - he’s totally left footed and that got us into trouble a few times.
Not sure where the weakness defending the back post came from but Fulham are a big strong team so the advantage of 3 CBs was negated. We never got control of the match although did improve going to 4 with CHO. But all in all comprehensively out tacticed and out battled, with the added frustration of a ref who let them run down the clock pretty blatantly for the last 10 mins - not that we ever really looked likely to score.
Hopefully a lot of it was fatigue after Tuesday and Danilo/Sangaré still feeling their way back. Needs righting before next weekend.
Not just fatigue, they've done a ton of traveling the last couple of weeks when you factor in Dubai as well. I realise it's a vacation but combined with Exeter and then London it's a lot of time spent away from home.
Morato.
Aina was at least as guilty for the first goal.
