Lush Vlad

Isak was guilty of it twice, Barnes, I think Gordon too, Longstaff when he decided to flop instead. I think Bruno, as well. But him shooting on his left foot would have been ugly

Yep. The few times we managed to go in behind last night. We looked dangerous. I know they didn't play as high as City at SJP, Spurs or Villa twice. But they did almost leave a wide 3 on 3 a lot of the time. We have seen the damage we can do against better teams when that is the tactic that we pursue and when it is on. Yet last night, we insisted on trying to get limited players to work our way round a press, on a tight, zippy pitch in an old school ground. All against a team full of confidence, who seemed far more athletic than the team we had out. All against the backdrop of a lively, pumped up home crowd. I don't think Howe gets out-coached much or despite me moaning about other things he does. I rarely think he is the most to blame because of how we set up and the players we have had unavailable have been a fair excuse most of the time. But I thought he got it so wrong last night, it is untrue and out of character for him. He'll be more fucked off than anyone and he'll learn from that and we'll be better because of it. I think/hope.

This is my issue with him. He feels a bit positionless. Not fast enough out wide, where I feel he is best. But sometimes gets a bit lost and bogged down in the middle on the ball. Really like him and his attitude. Hope he kicks on between now and the end of the season.

Yeah. Howe said as much last night post-match. Shame. I think/hope we revert back to the 4-3-3. Hall in for Murphy the only change I’m expecting and the only one we can realistically make. Unless we decided to play Hall, Gordon or even White in place of Longstaff. But I can’t see him being dropped/rested. Even though he could do with coming out the team.

What’s your point? Didn’t everyone on here say that wasn’t a pen?

Harsh to say the penalty IMO. But the second v Bournemouth he should have saved. He can’t dive to his right.

I know other teams manage it with so called lesser players. But I feel like a team with only Schar and Bruno being comfortable on the ball deep or in our first two thirds of the pitch. Is always going to struggle. Anderson tried, but it was not his night at all. Couldn’t get to grips with pace of it and seemed unsure about where he was supposed to be playing. I found the insistence to try and pass round the press mind blowingly stupid. So much of last night felt self-inflicted. It gave them something to build on, it put the weaker players in our team under pressure from the first minute and it got their crowd right up for it. In some ways, very similar to what we do to teams at SJP when they continually try and play out.

I feel like it happened last season. We all thought a break or back to one game a week would do us a favour. As Howe is supposedly so good on the training pitch. But we often looked flat and disjointed. Might be imagining that, mind. From an injuries point of view. The break came at a good time. But not for momentum. Palace looked so confident and up for it last night. We were a shell or our usual selves. Reminded me of all the dreadful performances in December and January in one way or another.

I hope he’s sold and have said so plenty of times. He won’t be, as Howe likes him and what he brings. Plus if we get to Europe, I’m assuming we need him for the home grown quota. But injuries or not. I think he’s always been at it with the flopping instead of making a meaningful, positive decision. I think it was levelled against him last season. I feel like whenever he is in our midfield. He half shows for the ball as a bit of a token gesture. Then passes it straight back from where it come from. Or just seems to get in the way and the likes of Schar and Bruno sometimes ignore giving him the ball and seeing him as a genuine option. Got to be aiming higher than him if we want to evolve and progress as a team. He’s a dreadful ‘footballer’ for this level. Grateful for what he did last season and fair play for playing through injuries. But it almost feels like a blindspot from Howe (yes I know he knows more than us). I genuinely couldn’t envisage Hall or even Gordon doing a worse job in CM right now. Plus earlier in the season. We did have the odd rare occasion where we had options. Yet he always started or played the full 90. Maybe the weekend will be the perfect tonic for him and he can chip in with a goal. As he is still good at hitting the box.

I can see that angle with slow mo a lot of the time. But slow mo actually shows he doesn’t get massively off balanced and he delays throwing himself to the floor in a very unconvincing manner. He does it all the time and is painfully shit at it. So rarely wins the foul. If that was Gordon or Bruno, they sell it and win the pen. As ridiculous as that sounds typing it out Not all contact is a penalty, as much as it was clumsy and a stupid decision from Hughes.

I guess the way we play away from home means people are hardly confident of getting a result there.

Bruno the only one trying to force the issue, as always. But was below his usual standard. Isak looked good the 5-6 times we got him the ball

As great as Eze was/is. He’d have actually frustrated me tonight as a Palace fan. Lost count of the times he beat Krafth or one of our defenders 1 on 1. Then decided to have 5 more touches and not cross or shoot. Then the attack coming to nothing. ASM levels of overplaying and trying to skin our entire team

Got it wrong tonight. Not helped by some cowardly performances. I know it’s very basic analysis. But the amount of times they were flying into challenges and we pretty much pulled out. The shithousing from them. They genuinely seemed a yard quicker to every loose ball. That was us last season. But our tactics seemed well off. As did the effort from most of the players.

Deserved fuck all. Got fuck all. Howe takes most the blame tonight. The same way he gets the plaudits when we win. Formation not working and quite a few changes we ignored. Abject as fuck and about as bad as some of the December/January games. Oh well. Onto the next one. 7th it is