Quote Originally Posted by IBK View Post
Best post on this thread. Always expecting a loss to Citeh - and let's face it they would beat any team in the league just now. What was frustrating I agree is that we were caught in two minds with how to approach this game, and the team set up was all wrong. Why put Pepe back on the right when he has been so good on the left and Saka has made the RW his own when we have played well? Why start with Auba when ESR was not on the pitch and therefore service to him was never going to be great (he is no hold up player). Why no Martinelli when he is such a good option to inject some pace and movement into what looked like a fairly pedestian starting 11?

Yesterday's team would have been a better bet against Benfica on Thursday (yes I know Tierney may not have been available), given that they wanted to play sloooow.

...and WTF is it with our slow switched off starts - although this is not helped by swithching central defenders in and out of games.

As so often - frustration rather than despondency is the post match feeling for me.
i'm finding watching our games (Leeds excepted) quite broing at the moment

the optimism from bringing in ESR has now faded as Arteta is simply flogging him into the ground while insisting on playing Xhaka and Willian (apart from yesterday) in every game.

meanwhile Laca's really picked up form but is now left out in the cold because of one Auba hatter against one of the most porous sides in the PL

i'd rather Auba hadn't got those goals if it means he starts every time and Laca gets frozen out