I fear our Xmas will be a disaster

[Baloo]

...if the reason behind last xmas' 4 defeats was them being jaded..how come they started a great run after that?

I don’t know. I think teams sometimes go off the boil for a spell and then revive? Why do you think it happened as we had injuries to deal with throughout the season and had lost just 3 of the previous 22?

I’m just curious if there are any parallels really between our recent form and the same period last year. Might be completely different reasons.

[Carl Dale's Mole]

Only an idiot would drop Paterson. He actually wins the ball because he knows how to track it in the air.
Someone else has to make way. 🤔

I guess I'm an idiot then. Paterson's work rate has been amazing but seeing 20 mins of Zohore was enough to remind me what a real striker is supposed to look like. I am praying that we start Ken against Palace.

And I wouldn't play Paterson anywhere else on the pitch because we'll quickly be reminded of how easy it is to run past him. He's not a right back anymore, that's for sure.

[Der Kaiser]

Etheridge

Manga
Bamba
Cunningham

Arter
Gunnarsson
Ralls

Camasara

Madine
Paterson
Zohore

[Der Kaiser]

Etheridge

Manga
Bamba
Cunningham

Arter
Gunnarsson
Ralls

Camasara

Madine
Paterson
Zohore

yolo

[NYCBlue]

Distribution? He boots the ball high into the opposition half. It spends several seconds up in the air and essentially becomes a 50/50 which invariably the players facing the kick win. How can you blame him for that?

[Steve the Tea]

Time for Smithies to be given his chance? Etheridge must be feeling punch drunk, was part to blame for the first goal and his distribution is still poor.

Nonsense. The first two goals were deflected and Etheridge has been in excellent form.

StT.
<><

[Wolff]

Nonsense. The first two goals were deflected and Etheridge has been in excellent form.

StT.
<><

Hmm. First goal he moved and didn’t trust the wall he set up. That is pretty basic. Second goal he couldn’t be blamed. And also, he made a beautiful save on that Pogba shot. But anyway you look at it, Etheridge is not the problem.

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Etheridge

Manga
Bamba
Cunningham

Arter
Gunnarsson
Ralls

Camasara

Madine
Paterson
Zohore

That team would get annihilated, it would offer us no width whatsoever.

[City123]

Etheridge

Manga
Bamba
Cunningham

Arter
Gunnarsson
Ralls

Camasara

Madine
Paterson
Zohore

Oh Christ. 3-3-1-3 without any width?