Semi Final v Arse

[Neil Mcnab]

Walker, Mendy and Gundog were poor. Louis made up for his shocker last time with an all action performance. They wanted it more than us, point to prove. I would play Cancelao instead of Walker. Walker and Mendy are flat track bullies. Its piss poor to see the opposition racing towards our goal and the full backs having given up running back and jogging somewhere in midfield. 
Lofting the ball into the box is unlikely to bring frequent goals for us, though Dzeko is available for a return.
Pep will need to conjure up something for when we play Los Blancos, because they will have a similar mindset to Arsenal.
We could do with a vocal leader on the field. Leading by example is great when things are going well.

[lee]

Mendy always looks in two minds when on the ball , or maybe its just me

You are right Stephen. He's not comfortable with it or looks like he's about to trip over

[Paddy]

PPP all round

[Swiss]

Hands up to shoot me down.  I'm not a fan of Gundog.

Hes got the occasional brilliance in him and there's nothing wholly wrong with him. But i just find him pedestrian which leads to a lack of dynamism in central midfield. Hes got great pass completion, but thats mostly 5 yard recycling.

Rodrigo is the better option for us, better pass completion, more goals and assists. Also, we've got a cracking potential in claudio gomes, though hes only 19 and spent a season in the Netherlands playing for Jong PSV (Eindhovens reserves).  Pep is a fan and is one signing we can attribute to him, not Txiki.

Yes, the defence looked shocking, but I think the midfield centre lost us the match in the first half. Funny to see Arsenal parking the bus though.

Dzeko. Loved him, especially against spurs. Problem is he can't play football. Needs too much space around him and running onto a ball (or cross and head). I found him frustrating. When transitioning defence to attack, he'd often slow down play rather than quick passing. And (I don't have the stats) I seem to remember, most of his shots would be blocked by defenders. Anyway, good striker of the ball, loved what he did for the club, but i don't think we match hla style that suits his game.

[gavin]

I was surprised Gundog started. He is too prone to mistakes in passing out. I prefer him further forward.