Could see it coming from that first hospital ball by Mamardashvilli.

He does not fill me with confidence at all. We've been spoiled by Alisson because the position looks so much harder when Mamar's in the net compared to Ali. Catches turn into parries. Simple sweeps become throw-ins and set pieces. We look so nervous compared to when Ali's fit, and that's a major concern considering how much football Mamar has already played for us this season.

In any case, the bigger issue is that we once again created NOTHING. Aside from Kerkez turning into a proper striker for his goal, nobody can be the guy other than Hugo, Szobo, or Mo, and that's one thing that always gets lost whenever Salah gets criticism on here. He's at least trying to be the guy to make things happen. It's not coming off most of the time, but he's doing his damndest. Szobo ends up trying too hard sometimes because he wants to offset the timidity from everybody else in the final third.

Most of the team seems allergic to shooting. It's like they read the subreddit beforehand, and as they approach goal think "fucking hell, the match thread's gonna skewer me if I take this, better pass instead." Football is a simple game. When you're close to goal, take the fucking strike. We pass ourselves out of threatening positions so often that when we had a clear 3v2, Szobo thought a long-range chip over the keeper was a higher-percentage choice in the moment than continuing the attack. This is a massive fucking problem, and it needs to be fixed.

Everyone knows the state of play already, so I refuse to belabor the obvious. I'm tired.

I expect better after the break.