Bailey

All depends on the starting 11 and if Koeman picks a proper team and not a square pegs in round hole team.

I don't think it's lost on anyone. I think people accept that and work towards creating that space for him. I thought his movement was fine, seen some chirp up about it in the Swansea game, but there was plenty of times he was offering himself either back to goal, or a round the corner ball for him to roll the defender. He isn't Suarez and some people need to accept that he is extremely good at what he does and not necessarily what people want him to be. I'm sure Morata will be a good signing for Chelsea but he has missed 2 chances from 6 yards out. If that was Lukaku you would have slaughtered him. We all know Lukaku will go through a quiet spell and people will jump on him again but he will come out the other side scoring for fun afterwards. Thats just him.

I think you're right with that. Seems plausible ?

Surely you would expect a striker to find it tougher against better sides? Against Swansea he did exactly what he was bought for. He was tightly marked for 70 mins, didn't necessarily do much but also didn't do much wrong either. When Swansea tried to open up and get a goal bacame he gets himself in space and kills the game and then plays a nice layoff for the 4th goal as well. Last year, even with Ibra, they couldn't kill games off and they bought Lukaku for that reason. In contrast at Chelsea, Morata has missed 2 big chances in important games, real sitters. I think he looks more of a handful generally but you need someone to put the ball in the back of the net.

Without doubt you would want Welbeck. Maybe he is slightly more injury prone but he is a far better footballer and in the position we need.

Couldn't find the Geri thread but he got 2 assists last night.

De Gea is the best shot stopper, kicking is up there but command of his area is average at best and I'm not convinced by his general communication either. Lloris is a superb sweeper keeper but he misses one every now and then. Not an error of judgment just a complete basic fuck up. From what I have seen of Pickford, he could be the best keeper in the league by the end of the season.

Galloway has looked poor IMO. Caught out of position too many times.

Unless he improves a lot this season, I wouldn't want to have to rely on him to play any meaningful part of our season.

I don't see it myself. Maybe lower level Prem but not top 4 chasing level.

I don't see why Rudiger is so highly rated. Watched him half a dozen times and he gets caught out a lot.

The difference between them at the back this season compared to last is huge, and midfield. Kompany is back, Zabeleta has gone (no idea why he was in midfield last season), two big upgrades at full back and they are playing a system which keeps Aguero and Jesus on the pitch with De Bruyne behind. Without doubt we will be playing on the counter but we don't have any pace. Safe to say this will be a big test.

The lad is class, absolute class.

It was a lovely turn before the through ball. Huge space to play the ball between defenders so nothing special about the ball itself but the bit before it was very good.

So pressure from the press improved Ross? And that would motivate Ross more than a 1 to 1 conversation in private. I'm not debating whether or not Ross needed the gaffer to have a word because I don't know him, I'm debating the method of that word.

I had 6 teams and only 1 winner :I surrender:

Your basically proving my point but you are generalising more. You treat people differently because of who they are and as a manager its part of your job to adapt like you have. Its incredibly unlikely that in any group of people you are going to have players that respond and react the same way. Its the nature of human beings and is why we aren't robots. I dont think Koeman was necessarily trying to either, in his mind and in his personality, answering these questions as he has is the "norm". However, that doesnt make it right for everyone and there will be people in that dressing room, and I can guarentee that its not just Barkley, that will have heard what Koeman said and will think it was unnecessary when it could have quite easily have been said behind closed doors. Again, I ask, who benefits from Koeman speaking in public? Other than the papers and probably agents!

I think Swansea could do ok. They were pretty solid defensively today until that 2nd goal went in and then they fell apart. They appear to have played two form sides so far. They just need to find a way to threaten themselves.

Yeh I get that its all an experiment but if Koeman brought him in for his attacking qualities then you would expect him to play in the games where the team is set up to maximise that attacking threat. The fact that he has brought Martina in and played him in the games he has suggests to me that he has brought him in for defensive reasons as well as attacking. He must just prefer him as a RB over Holgate / Kenny.

You completely miss the boat Pete. The point is, yes the person should be disciplined by management but they shouldn't be called out in front of the office, most of which dont have anything to do with the role. In footballing terms, the team issues shouldn't be called out in public. They can be compared, because human beings in an office are human beings in a football team. You get the same characters, the shy and quiet, the load mouthed BS'ers and everything in between but one just gets paid a lot more than the others. No one has yet to give me a benefit of calling someone out in public as opposed to doing it in private either 1 to1 or in the dressing room because you cant. Its unnecessary and it can only be a negative compared to a non-public scenario.

This can be the only explanation. I would understand it more if he was played as a wing back when we play with 5 at the back but its more of a surprise in a 4 where defending is required. It also confuses me even more when DCL was picked at RWB and Davies ahead of Martina. None of it makes sense.

But again, why does that need to be said in the public domain? Good or bad. If a player has a stinker, you say something like "wasnt at his best, but as a team we didnt perform" and then when he plays well you do the opposite "he was good today but the whole group did their job". Then when you get back to the changing room you rip them a new one. Imagine if this type of think happened in your own workplace? I saw a very similar thing in mine a couple of weeks ago, where someone was castigated in front of the whole office and shit kicked off leading to a resignation.

If we dont have anyone who can show more at RB than Martina then we have a big problem! I just really dont understand why Koeman would bring him in a player he knows really well, that is as bang average as Martina is. I suppose the warning signs were there with Stek!

Is that a good or bad thing!?

Spot on.