Legend14
Established Member
Saka was MOM. There is no way he plays LB given we need to score goals.He is simply an ego maniac. All of the data and research about Slavia beforehand showed that they play a high line and they lack quality to play from the back. So the correct thing to do would be to play a high press and with lots of pace in behind.
It's not even hindsight. Everyone knew what the line up should have been before the game. Yet he decided to play Willian and Lacazette where immobile and then ESR who has just come back from injury.
Having watched Saka get in behind and have nobody to square it to because Willian and Lacazette simply couldn't keep up with him why didn't he change it? Klopp took 40 minutes to make a change when he realised he got it wrong vs Madrid. That's Madrid ffs. Arteta is too proud and literally waited as long as he could for both Laca and Willian to contribute something. That trait is terrible in a manager. It means he cares about himself more than the team.
Martinelli---------Auba--------Pepe
------------------------ESR
------------Xhaka--------Partey
Saka-----Gabriel-Holding-Cedric
-----------------------Leno
That should be the line up for the next game.
Martinelli and Saka know how to play together on the left.
Xhaka can drop into the left back space to build up and Cedric has linked with Pepe the best out of our 10 right backs.
Press them high, play fast football and we will rip them about. That team would end the tie in the first 30 mins.
However, if he goes there with a conservative attitude, being scared to press or play from the back then there is literally no point in getting to the final.
Pepe will start on the left.