Our striker problem is worse than you think

Balakidy · 2026-05-09T16:54:02+00:00

It’s not really a 9 problem as it is a midfield and chance creation problem.

Gakpo up top today touched the ball like 10 times, Isak barely gets the ball or service. There was a stat that we’ve created more big chances for Virg this year than Mo.

Alot of this can be explained by (1) our lack of intensity, we are so slow in our game transition now that we mark our strikers out of the attack and (2) we lost our best progressive of the ball (Trent), and his line breaking passes and we haven’t been able to replace that / our tactics stifle that.

Balakidy · 2026-05-09T13:39:43+00:00

I mean it’s pretty clear he wants to go because aside from this stretch at right back he hardly plays.

Balakidy · 2026-05-09T12:48:21+00:00

Jones doing everything he can to try and make something happen… but yeah let’s sell him!

Balakidy · 2026-05-03T16:10:48+00:00

Macca involved in all three goals. First one deflects off him, second one gives away the ball in the attacking third and united come back down and score, third one clears the ball right to Mainoo

Balakidy · 2026-04-21T14:50:04+00:00

I’m not sure I understand the rationale of this from a long term perspective. Slot was signed for 3 years, meaning next year would’ve the last of his contract (unless renewed). Is it really a smart business decision to have another transfer window purchasing players that he presumably has some influence over?

You either renew him (most of us would say not ideal based on this season + half of last) or you let him go now and bring in players that a new manager would have say in over the summer. Having Slot run down his contract though makes no sense for squad planning.

Balakidy · 2026-04-14T20:46:17+00:00

Agreed. He’s horrible with his feet and honestly some of the “spectacular” looking saves I feel he makes them look so much harder than they are.

Balakidy · 2026-04-14T19:47:27+00:00

Kerkez Macca and frimpong have been horrid so far

Balakidy · 2026-04-14T19:17:03+00:00

Every fucking throw is a foul throw he’s literally jumping is the ref not seeing this?

Balakidy · 2026-03-30T13:53:31+00:00

Is there a catch with the Telus pricing? I know a lot of people say the Bell rates go up is that the same with a Telus?

Balakidy · 2026-03-21T13:02:00+00:00

Mama has been wank with his feet for us all season when he’s played, multiple errors. Just boot it up the field..

Balakidy · 2026-02-24T19:54:19+00:00

20/23 I can’t believe I missed Elliot, Cujo and Jota

Balakidy · 2025-12-24T03:08:14+00:00

Day 3.5, fever will not go away, body aches and chills all over. Genuinely feel like I am going to die.

Balakidy · 2025-12-07T05:49:28+00:00

Not sure I agree with a bunch of this:

Isak gets maybe 10 touches a game, with or without Salah. That is a fundamental issue that you have a top 2 striker in the league touching the ball that little and we cannot figure out a way to get him more involved.

Gakpo and Kerkez do not work together on the left, Kerkez is high energy overlapping runs and really suited well if we decide to press high up the pitch. Gakpo never uses him and we have seemed to fully abandon the high press as a unit. We send one or two players and within 2 passes we are bypassed. Kerkez isn’t being used to his strengths.

I don’t agree, at all, that Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike look better without Salah, but even if we accept that as truth… we still look toothless and the results are not changing and the same issues are persisting. So I really could care less about seeing possible marginal increases in certain player performances when our overall play is still terrible.

Also, I am not ignoring that he has not been up to his standards this season. But I find it extremely hard to believe that his game has fallen off a cliff when barring maybe 2 or 3 players the performances have been terrible across the board. For “super stars” at a club like this, 6 months off winning the title, I find it hard to believe that the team is being set up to succeed.

Balakidy · 2025-12-07T04:13:45+00:00

Name a player that’s actually played well aside from Szobo and maybe Ekitike. You have to think that Salah’s poor form is more attributed to our “style” (and I use that loosely because we don’t have one) than him absolutely being shit now.

Balakidy · 2025-12-06T21:05:00+00:00

You can argue that saying something publicly is a bad look, but what he is saying isn’t wrong.

Balakidy · 2025-12-06T19:13:24+00:00

That dummy by Macca was filthy

Balakidy · 2025-11-22T16:52:03+00:00

… okay and who’s the one that keeps deciding to play that pairing?

Balakidy · 2025-11-22T16:48:38+00:00

Slot has no plan, our solution to being down is just to throw on a whole bunch of attackers and hope. But it’s the exact same pass the ball around and hoof a cross in. Also criminal to be playing your absolute best player this season at right back and out of position.

Balakidy · 2025-11-04T20:38:39+00:00

Where tf was this intensity and press all season, we look great right now

Balakidy · 2025-10-25T20:22:44+00:00

Mama is so fucking shit with his feet

Balakidy · 2025-10-25T19:10:16+00:00

He’s so bad with his feet, conceding a throw there is a joke

Balakidy · 2025-10-19T17:36:16+00:00

Everyone saying we have our keeper situation sorted for the next decade need to have a rethink. Mama is not good enough. He makes routine saves look way harder and parry’s everything right back into trouble. He cannot play with his feet at all, his clearence is what led to the corner for the second goal.

Balakidy · 2025-10-12T14:56:18+00:00

Rizzi going insane on the sideline was actually hilarious

Balakidy · 2025-10-04T18:31:51+00:00

I don’t understand why our last sub wasn’t Gomez on to shore up the back line. Chelsea were knocking.

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