We're playing like a bunch of strangers under pressure. We dare not lose, yet dare not try to win. The pressure that Brendan is under is conveyed to the players and they play safety first, which seems to be to keep possession at all costs (which we can't) and go backwards (because there's space = safety), which leads to Simon in goal. He's nervy, and his distribution is indecisive and hesitant. Unless he has time, in which case he kicks long, looking to Benteke to win it and hold it up. We are not set up to play this way, yet we do it every time. It's safety first football, and it reflects a total lack of two things:
a) confidence
b) leadership
I'm inclined to err on the side of positivity but today has drained my resolve. We need a better manager, and we need a HUGE character to lead these lads, because they're lost in the fog on the edge of the cliff right now, and they've no idea which way is up or down. Only when all was lost did we play; when there was nothing to lose by trying. That says it all. We need to play every game like there's nothing to lose by trying, but fear is killing that.
Logged