Finnegan

I love the way Postecoglou uses the word "mate" as both a full stop and a comma. Proper Aussie.

He's honestly starting to take the piss to be honest. Getting sick of it.

I really like that statement: "You can't try to copy Pep, you have to learn [from him.]"

Am I being thick? Have we had the press conference?

I'm not entirely convinced a run out against Namibia in a hundred point win is doing a massive amount to prepare him for a world cup quarter final it I'm entirely honest.

To lose Ntamack and Dupont for their own world cup is horrific luck. But wtf is he even doing playing against Namibia.

Cannon hasn't been signed as a 10 either, his game is similar to Vardy's. He'll be expected to get in behind as well and any dropping in will be largely to lay off as Vardy is doing now. There aren't a lot of forwards out there like Iheanacho, he's a bit of a unique case which is why a string of managers have all been a bit baffled about how to use him. I dont think he's been shit this season though. He had a howler against Norwich there's no escaping that. But he's got a goal or assist every 0.5 90s in the league so far. It's a bit mediocre and across a tiny sample size but we know he can do it. Putting up goals and assists has never been his problem, it's what he contributes when we don't have the ball (ie fvck all) that is.

But Vardy hasn't really been "dropping in" in the sense of being a 10 / False 9 has he? He's come deep to receive a vertical pass and lay the ball off but that's something a bit different and that's my point. That's a key part of our ball progression and Vardy has picked it up really well. It's a three man combination, one of the main ball progressers (progressors? Is it even a word?) pings a quick, hard ball vertically up through the lines and instead of trying to trap it or turn, the receiver with his back to goal lays it off first time to the third man who is facing forward ready to go instantly forward (often Stephy or KDH.) This sort of lay off or round the corner tap has always been in Vardy's game it's just now being refined in to an established pattern of play that we use to move the ball up the field. Tifo did a really good video recently on Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso using the same move to progress. But this is all about beating the press and playing vertically through a team with a higher line. This isn't about breaking down a side that's parking the bus. Again, that's very much where Iheanacho is going to come in to his own. Is he the second coming of Messi or even David Silva? No he isn't but he is still comfortably the best of our strikers at coming in to the number 10 role and functioning as an additional playmaker in slower paced games where we need to take our time and break a team down. He was the right man to start against Huddersfield, for example.

It depends what the opposition are going to do, doesn't it. If they're going to drop off in a low block and be stubborn then the way we play favours Iheanacho. He can drop in and he contributes more to the build up, if we're being pressed less then his hilarious first touch isn't a problem and his vision and creativity is better than Daka and Vards picking out overlapping runs. Norwich was a great example of his redundancy if we're going to be pressed high up the pitch though. We were screaming out for a someone to make runs behind their centre backs and he was dreadful trying to get the ball under control under pressure, where as Vards is far more willing to just immediately lay the ball off to a team mate with his first touch. The way we invite people to come and press us, if they actually do so, despite being set up to retain possession, we almost because a counter attacking side off our own possession. The idea is to draw them forward, beat the press and trigger an attack behind. If teams are going to do that as Southampton, Norwich and Cov at times were willing to do then we'd be much better having Vards or Daka play. I suspect this vision is why we signed Cannon. Everyone is obsessed with a striker getting involved in the build up because they think that's what possession teams do but I think that's a slightly two dimensional view of our game plan.

Pearson is a pragmatist, not an idealist. He's not going to stick stubbornly to one idea if its a poor one. Pressing us on the front foot with a high line is a risky game, just because it's what you "normally" do it doesn't mean it's what you'll do against us. We actively want you to come up the pitch and try and win the ball off Hermansen, Vestergaard and Winks, that's precisely when we can draw you out, beat the press and set our forwards away. We've by far and away struggled the most this season when teams have sat in a stubborn low block and forced us to unpick them. We might have better players than most of the league we still aren't ACTUALLY Man City, we don't have genius creative players all across the final third who are going to rip you apart in your box. We're still quite reliant on turning teams over with our pace. Wouldn't be at all surprised if Pearson has your line of engagement much lower on Saturday and if your average positions per player are much deeper.

Everything about this gives me flash backs

We did the double on AEK!

Yeah true but he represents the opposite of literally everything that Rodgers was bad at, which is still fresh in our minds. Rodgers has strengths that are Pearsons weaknesses, no doubt about that. But Rodgers couldn't inspire, couldn't build confidence, turned on his players, actively recruited flawed or damaged characters and frequently favoured passive and cowardly football. Pearson near exclusively hired warriors and battlers, hard workers. His team, to a man, would have walked through walls for him and was nearly always geared up to do so even if they were sometimes lacking a bit of a plan. The were far, far easier to like and so was he. I guess what we're all hoping and seeing so far is that Enzo might just be the best of both of them combined.

If you ever wanted confirmation that the problem was Brendan not Rennie, the fact that Pearson has him back at Bristol is probably all the endorsement you ever need. Whatever Rodgers and Pearson's respective strengths and weaknesses there's absolutely no question that Nige is an infinitely better judge of talent and character in both players and staff.

And he's a right footed centre mid

McAteer > McAtee

In my own defence, tbf I had calmed down and warmed to Winks even before he signed. I just had images of us selling Madders for well under his value and then just immediately trying to replace him with Winks for crazy money and all to fvcking Tottenham's benefit at that. This was obviously long before we knew what system Maresca was going to play and how Winks would feature. As the penny dropped it looked like really smart business even before we wrapped the deal up.

Replace ready salted with salt and vinegar, put the crisps in the sandwich and that's a cracking meal ngl.

I still get Vietnam flashbacks of Iain Hume missing a penalty that basically relegated us.

No. Soumaré is a ball carrier. He was meant to give us a different option to ball progression by dribbling the ball through the middle of the park. To that end he was a completely redundant bit of recruitment because we had KDH coming through who has exactly the same skill set and was ready to be integrated in to the first team. Winks was signed to do exactly what he has been doing, to sit at the base and keep the ball moving. To that end, I'd actually say he's probably an upgrade on Tielemans despite us getting relegated. He's more mobile, more agile and probably has a better first touch, all of which helps keep him in good positions to receive the ball and beat the press. Essentially, we signed Soumaré without needing him. We signed Winks because he was EXACTLY what we needed.

Respect the ambition from KDH saying he's working hard to be the best player in the league. But he's probably not even going to manage to be the best centre mid on his own team. Winks is a cheat code to be fair. My knee jerk reaction when we were first linked was one of disappointment, it struck me as so underwhelming. But he's just such a vital component of how Enzo wants to play. I'm genuinely terrified of him getting suspended or injured. The trio of Hermansen, Vestergaard and Winks is so vital to our ability to play out from the back and all three of them are far, far, far too good on the ball for teams at this level to deal with. What really impresses me the most with Winks is his agility and touch, he can just receive the ball and turn to beat his man so quickly he's a one man press beating machine. He isn't incredibly showy, he does play a very simple game but christ is it effective.

Probably true to a point but I'm confident Enzo is intelligent enough to judge his all round game more than simply if he scores. If he puts a shift in, his link up play is what Maresca wants and his pressing is effective that'll probably be enough to get him more chances.