JoeQuince

Hot fucking garbage. Why does it look like we're hungover to start every away game?

What a sloppy match

The fuck is Stekelenberg doing out there?

I think he's been solid. For an 18-year-old, he's been superb. His movement is excellent, in addition to all the other positives you guys have been pointing out. My only qualms with his play are things likely to be ironed out with age and maturity (mental and physical). He can be a bit lightweight and lacking in awareness with the ball sometimes, so he loses possession a bit too often (or, at least, I notice it). He can also be a bit erratic out there. He needs to slow it down sometimes for the sake of his teammates. But, the good thing is that his downsides are mostly a product of him working hard and caring. Once he fills out and figures out how to measure his game a bit, he's going to be a very good player.

Agreed. But, I think the author treats Koeman as if he's being coy or clever here. I'm pretty sure Koeman doesn't have that kind of orientation. He seems to be "too honest" in a sense. Journalists might be looking beneath the surface for the "truth" when that truth has already been plainly stated on the surface.

Last I checked, women don't belong to anyone. Nobody knows what happened with Barkley and the aforementioned girl just yet. But, she can make her own decisions. It's not Ross's fault that he talked to someone who somebody else claims ownership of. Now, if he was friends with the guy, this is perhaps a different story (violating friendship norms). But, what it looks like is that some assclowns were up in arms over the fact that one of "their birds" was taken with Barkley and one of them took it out on him. Either way, this should, first, be cause for a conversation between the two partners and, second, an occasion for the guy claiming possession to look inward and see what a pud he is.

Jags, no question. Goal, assist, headed everything away, made a goal line clearance and was always there when the team needed him. It's nice to see him play with confidence again.

This game is absurd. I like seeing us play with some fire though. Schneiderlin's effect on our play is massive. Gives so much freedom to Gana and Davies and is always there to take the ball off defense. Keeps us calm and collected in the center of the park.

Barkley. He was class tonight. His distribution and control gave us much needed breathing space. Ran the show in midfield. Barry and Jags were also excellent. And, Robles made some excellent saves.

Well, we are blowing hot and cold tonight. Seems only a matter of time before we get punished for sitting too deep though. Rom and Kev need to play a bit a bit more under control in attack, keep their heads up and make the smart pass. We're doing a lot of defending, so spells of possession, while they might not put the dagger in, will be important in us conserving our energy and killing off this game. I'm not saying sit back. But, we can't defend for long spells and keep having two or three players trying to counter alone.

I'm okay with this.

Thought he was pretty poor myself. Did a lot of running around, but was also out of control with the ball and without. Played some bad passes, made some bad attempts at tackles. I think (like Ross) that a lot of this had to do with our general lack of organization and poor tactics. But, he contributed to it too.

Exactly. ???

Everything Barkley fucked up today looked to be the product of a player trying too hard to be the match winner. He had blinders on. He was too emotionally invested in the game. As a fan, you want the players to be invested. But, he played entirely without composure, just like in the derby at Goodison. Koeman or someone out there needs to make sure he's calmed down. Barkley was abysmal today, but it wasn't for lack of skill or lack of trying. I think we all remember playing with that one person who played like they had a point to prove some days and were the worse for it. You want that kind of arrogance, but you don't want it at the expense of the team. For me, it's a coaching/leadership issue. You need to recognize the problem and get them out of their own head and back to playing football.

If you put a gun to my head, I'd say Holgate. But, he was just the best of a bad bunch.

Barkley has Ben abysmal. I'm either blaming Gareth Southgate for not playing him or Ross for overplaying in the derby as always.

Agreed. Though he isn't a wingback. Could've played in Pennigton's spot and thrown Davies or Kenny in that spot. But, Holgate is definitely a player who can hack it.

It was clear after the first goal that we needed to change our shape. Koeman put us in and kept us in a rough spot.

Once again, Koeman either too slow or stubborn to react when we needed a change. Williams has been doing some dirtbag shit lately. Never like seeing dirty play. Clearly intended to hurt Can there.

Oooooooooo Mane's ankle. Not good. Not a player I dislike.

If Pennington stays on any longer, Coutinho might just back him all the way into our goal.

We either need Barry in midfield or Mirallas/Lookman up top. But we need more outlets and runners if we're to keep the ball away from them and stop them from going directly to our back line.

Pennington too slow laterally again. He can't keep up with these quick guys

PENNINGTON! YOU CAN START EVERY GAME, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!!!

Hahaha no he didn't. But, he got Barkley pretty good! Once again, it's a mental thing in the derby for us. Just can't calm down and play.