This is an article about three teams contending on who delivers more jokes than the other.
So while the top three contenders were busy slugging it out in the FA cup, the following pack of jokers were doing what they know best how to do, 'bamboozle us with catastrophic displays'.
Okay let's start with the most expensive of the three jokers, THE RED DEVILS. On paper this was supposed to be a story of one heavyweight with heavy artilleries walking all over a minnow. I mean, this is a team with the greatest goalscorer of all time (arguably though), the most expensive defender in the world, a world cup winning and one of the most expensive midfielders in the world, and a host of other expensively assembled members that make up the team, going up against a team that just got promoted to the EPL and are the bottom boys of the pile. That shouldn't be something to dread about right?? Naaah! You have to dread because for every advantage you have with CR7, there's the disadvantage of HM5. I mean the dude was so bad he even had to injure his teammate.
As much as we can point to the fact that the coach started this match with three central midfielders with absolutely no idea on how to defend not less protect their defence, you just can't help but notice how HM5 was completely caught out of position for the first goal and he and his left back went conspicuously missing for the second. This is just simply a team that doesn't know how to play with each other and it makes you wonder if they train at all.
Piece of advice though, cos I heard the new coach is planning to get rid of CR7, I'd tell him to ask himself "Where would this team be without this dude?" My answer?? "Nowhere".
Now let's move on to what happened to the GUNNERS' armoury. Take nothing away from this match, it was a Fraser Forster show. But considering the last three matches and this team's performance in those matches, one is tempted to ask "was letting Auba go really a good idea?" I mean they had 76% ball possession, 34 crosses, 8 corners but 12 shots off target. Well that shouldn't be too surprising when you realize that they started with Nketiah as their centre forward, and the closest thing they had to a genuine attacking threat from the bench was Pepe. Arteta has done a fantastic job with this team but with every passing week there appears to be more evidence that their January business might just end up being this team's achilles heels.
This team just looks like a bunch of beautiful babies who work way too hard to not let their mom down, but then they're just babies and there's so much they can do.
My advice? Get some spine into this team and create some depth while finding better ways to manage egos instead of always throwing defaulting babies away with the bathing water.
Now we're at SPURS who seemed to lack the right motivation to spur them on. Yes their North London arch rivals also lost, but then they showed signs that on another day, they might've easily won. But Spurs? Pffffftt.. the only thing worse than their performance I think was their manager's English in trying to explain the cause for such an eye sore (no pun intended). Brighton completely outsmarted a Tottenham side coached by one of the toughest and most demanding managers of this era. They had more possession (51), more shots on target (5) and even more shots off target (6). To better put things in perspective, Spurs finished 90minutes of football without a single shot on target and only 3 shots off target. That's not a stat for a team that have dreams of not just qualifying for the UCL next season, but of doing well in it (which I don't think is possible considering their coach's history in cup competitions).
The only thing going for them now is the fact that they have the initiative as the occupants of the promised land, and the others have to play catch up.
This team is still a team in progress with a proven world class coach at the helm. They have a blistering forward line that can terrorize any defense in the world. A little bit of investment in their defense and midfield, and they'd be clearly ahead of the other two jokers.
N/B: Image was edited by me using PixelLab
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