Is there a worse team than Newcastle at the moment? Absolutely awful. No fight. The attack is pitiful and the defence almost non existent. Arsenal are cutting through them at will. 3-0 atm and probably finish 5-0. is this the team we drew against?
No particular reason to. We've let very few goals in recently, it's the goals for that have mysteriously dried up.
Could that the team is worried about the CB pairing and doesnt want to give the ball away cheaply or charge around closing down as it might expose the defence. So everything slows down, less risks are taken and the opposition is able to crowd us out and keep us at arms length. Also Bobbys touch has been god awful since Palace
It's true the entire balance of the team has been upset by having to play midfielders in defence. I'm just pointing out that we aren't conceding a huge amount of goals, so the main worry for me is our inability to score them. Bobby's touch has been off for a while. I thought he'd regained it with the Palace game but it's gone awol again. I don't know what's wrong with him.
Our whole style and system is compromised which certainly does not help us attack. With that said, the front 3 and Trent are all going through their worst form since joining the club / being regulars, and it's happening at the same time. The front 3 are massively underperforming but there is a clear lack of creativity at the moment.
I think it's likely that the lack of crowds, and the still uncertain subtle long-term effects of Covid are probably responsible - in part at least. The whole league is lacklustre compared to recent times.
True. Could be tiredness as well - they've been playing non stop for 3-4 years with little break. Not just this league but all leagues are in the same boat. Bayern aren't as strong, Barca and Real are really struggling as well. It's a funny ol' season ...
we know how Anfield has been difficult for the opposition in the past. Most of that advantage was our loud supportive crowd. This is the same for many other teams. No wonder many if not most teams have better results away. I have no doubt in my mind we would have played better and got that win on Sunday had we had a crowd allowed in.
No doubt, but the PL is the only one I watch a lot of, and it's obviously below par at the moment. I mean, Utd are top ffs.
I'm surprised clubs haven't opted for the virtual fan's approach like they've done on some TV shows or, if you prefer a bigger sporting event as an example, in wrestling. Not the same as fans being there still but better than nothing; faces in the "crowd" and true interaction / reactions / support too. Plus, people would have to pay access them so the club gets money too (I know you can watch it on TV anyway but people will still already, see the wrestling example for evidence)