After looking back at the performance and result I don't think either were that bad and it's comforting to see people being uber critical of manager and team when we'd play equally as s.hite last season and come away with nothing. Or even if we'd won last season it was a gritty performance and result by a team out of form - that's the sign of a good team ya know, rhetoric.
I do agree with the majority that we sit way too deep and simply invite pressue on, infact I saw an almost Houllier esq tactic last night from Roy, soak up pressure and hit them on the counter. Something I don't think this mob of players are really acustomed too and I am not keen on it personally.
When we are in possesion and I had to agree with Nigel Winterburn who was part of my streams commentary that we'd have possesion mostly in our own half and just play side ways and back wards passes. We went know where and to be honest I think this is a problem that we had when Rafa was here and isn't entirely 'Woy's fault'. The midfielders like Merieles, Lucas and Maxi seem to recieve a pass a lot of the time and play it first time back to a CB, where the CB would play it forwards, on the deck to another midfielder who'd knock it back to the defence again. It was void of any confidence and our midfield when time is ample on the ball don't control it, turn and look forward. The movement from the rest of the midfielf doesn't usually offer the man in possesion an opportunity to play a forward pass. They are two static leaving only Gerrard or Torres as targets to recieve the ball 15 yards up the field and it's quite easy to intercept or mark the two forward players when they seem to be the only 'targets' ahead of play and again this isn't necessarily a Roy fault we were equally static and void of forward movement (in general) under Benitez.
I don't think that yesterday Torres was isolated as much as he has been in recent games, it's just yesterday in the first half the lad looked as though he felt sorry for himself IMO and looked to have his mind elsewhere - low on confidence. In the second half he livened up and 'had a go' which was encouraging.
My MotM has to go to the Grock again, our '1.5M player' was our main man again yestrday, he kept that horrible, dirty diving kunt Daves relatively quiet and won the aerial battle there - which isn't that easy to do a t Bolton as Davies bullys and wears down his opposition with his 'battering ram' game. The Grock also looked a genuine threat at set pieces and generally had an alround good game.
I agree with everyone else about our supporters yesteray - they were fantastic.
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