- May 17, 2005
- 3,815
- 5,631
Our league record this season looks like this.
WLDWDWWWWLWLDLDWWL
For whatever reason, after we beat Liverpool with a rampaging 4-1 for four wins on the bounce, we inexplicably lost to West Ham in the league cup, and then lost to Man United (underlined). That couple of games not only broke our winning streak, it seemed to derail us. The Champions League campaign seems like chalk & cheese with the league.
Since then, I don't think we've gotten a performance that's anywhere like ourselves in 4th or 5th gear, even in the thrashing of Stoke. If ever there was a week for a re-invigoration of the mentality and approach, it's this one. We don't play one of the top sides again until Man United on Jan 31st. Until then, it's Burnley, Southampton twice, Swansea, West Ham, & Everton. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, we really have to try to maximize this run of games, and it's not like 2 or 3 of these sides are mugs or haven't come out of their own terrible form recently.
We need a smart management strategy to keep players fresh and we need to stop playing so safely in possession as though we're terrified of losing the ball and rolling it around in treacle. It's a great test of our credentials at Turf Moor this weekend and I hope we're back at it and looking upwards rather than behind us over this next 6-game run.
WLDWDWWWWLWLDLDWWL
For whatever reason, after we beat Liverpool with a rampaging 4-1 for four wins on the bounce, we inexplicably lost to West Ham in the league cup, and then lost to Man United (underlined). That couple of games not only broke our winning streak, it seemed to derail us. The Champions League campaign seems like chalk & cheese with the league.
Since then, I don't think we've gotten a performance that's anywhere like ourselves in 4th or 5th gear, even in the thrashing of Stoke. If ever there was a week for a re-invigoration of the mentality and approach, it's this one. We don't play one of the top sides again until Man United on Jan 31st. Until then, it's Burnley, Southampton twice, Swansea, West Ham, & Everton. Regardless of what everyone else is doing, we really have to try to maximize this run of games, and it's not like 2 or 3 of these sides are mugs or haven't come out of their own terrible form recently.
We need a smart management strategy to keep players fresh and we need to stop playing so safely in possession as though we're terrified of losing the ball and rolling it around in treacle. It's a great test of our credentials at Turf Moor this weekend and I hope we're back at it and looking upwards rather than behind us over this next 6-game run.