It may be time for Rice to step in for Diop
In my match report I declared that it’s a mystery working out how David Moyes can do anything with this appalling defensive problem which is causing us to draw and lose games we should be winning!
But maybe the answer is no mystery at all and we have the solution right under our noses.
With Tomas Soucek making an impressive start in midfield could the solution be – for games against Man City and Liverpool, Chelsea and maybe Arsenal at least – to restore Declan Rice to a back four which this afternoon looked as though it hadn’t been been introduced to each other.
It’s where he started life and it’s where many good judges believe he is at his best!
Issa Diop looked a spent force today at the tender age of 22 and Fabian Balbuena is horribly inconsistent and, at at times, entirely irresponsible.
Moyes is fully aware of Declan’s defensive abilities and although it is not being put forward as a permanent solution I believe it would be bordering on criminal to go in with the likes of Diop in his present form against the upcoming top opposition.
Hope is dwindling fast and it is hardly a case of fortune favouring the brave for Moyes . The Czech boy looked a proper player in there today and alongside Noble with Rice at the back alongside Ogbonna looks a possible solution to me.
Moyes must drop haller for bowen
Defence needs a kick up the ar#e coach like when Moyes had Pearce? Some one in charge needs to swallow their pride and get Pearce back on board? Or someone better to shake that ram shackle of a defence??? No point in scoring goals if you can’t defend them???
The situation is to take Noble out of our midfield. When he is in there our opponents simply cut through us like a knife through butter. He is not big, strong or quick enough to stop anyone. In a 4-2-3-1 system the two HAS to be Rice and Soucek. Once Moyes took the 24 year old Soucek off and left the 32 year old Noble (who played 90 minutes against Liverpool 3 days previously) on – they swarmed all over us. Diop, like Masuaku has too any moments where he switches off or has a massive brain fart. It is frustrating but, remember, Diop is just 22 years of age. He will improve. Masuaku will never improve and Noble is past it. Fredericks is positionally awful. We need two new full backs. Trouble is this is all too late and we will be figuring this out in the Championship next season
Masuku & Noble if permanetly ommited would resolve most of our perpetual defensive problems.
Diop has made a few mistakes but will prove to be our best defender in the short to medium term.
Rice & Soucek in central midfield is the way ahead without the ineefective Noble.
Masuaku must never been selected again ( even as sub) because his mistakes cost us points in every match he plays.
Bad management and silly errors cost us the game. Fabianski made an error, so did Masuaku and Diop/Ogbonna. I honestly don’t know what the answer is for this team, defending is shambolic. Moyes needs to pick a system and stick with it though, it changes every week and it’s not good for the players. For me, this team keeps us up.
Fabianski
Fredericks Diop Ogbonna Cresswell
Rice
Bowen Snodgrass Soucek Anderson
Antonio
For the next four games i would play for purely damage limltation, Haller hasnt got a goal in him and his work ethic is shocking, so drop the guy & take him out of the firing line, hopefully Bowen will hit the ground running so play to his strengths & try to hit teams on the counter attack, Lanzini has totally lost all confidence & is not even worth a subs spot at present. I honestly dont know how Massuaku gets a shirt as he is as bad as Sanchez & is also not worthy of a shirt. I travel from Grimsby on a regular basis to watch the team i love but i do fear the worst this season, by the the time the next 5 fixtures have gone we could well be well adrift of safety, & if we do go down , god forbid, then i see us suffering the same fate as the likes of Leeds / Sunderland, & with the current owners in charge things will only get worst.
No way yes granted he would probably slightly improve the back line but then that means we are stuck with a very aging and inconsistent mark noble starting every game which he even now admits he cant do! So for me that ain’t the answer right now, yes granted diop has been awful and balbuena has been shocking aswell, but moving our best central defensive midfielder in to the back line would massively weaken us in the middle. It will be how it’s been most of the season for rice in there on his own for soucek, they have had all season long and all Jan to look for another CB and they ain’t!
Playing rice ther would be a good shout if we had more quality in the middle but we dont so we cant. It’s hard to find the answer but again I think weve left ourselves short after the window in no recruiting another CB or even a other central midfielder. Jan is hard I understand that it didnt recruit well in the summer either.
Why didn’t there play J Ngakaia as he was one of the best players on Wednesday against Liverpool.
The manager is also a problem ‘
For the next 4 games put rice in between the two central defenders so when the Fallbecks go forward the 3 move sideways Rice would be a very good sweeper similar to The great Bobby Moore
Agree Hugh, for me Declan doesn’t do enough in midfield and I’ve always thought his best position was centre back. We need to get it sorted fast because every time we lead we self destruct. And we have to get Antonio to be a 90 minute player not just 60. Our deterioration whenever he goes off is shocking. Lanzini and Fornals invisible men. Soucek made a good debut. Wish he’d stayed on. And I hope Bowen can come in soon and hit the ground running because, for me, Haller is possibly the league’s s worst striker. Has the movement of a shop window mannequin, spends more time on the grass than a Wimbledon groundsman and has body language that screams ” I don’t want to be here”. Feeling’s mutual mate. Awful player. I keep hearing he was great in Germany up top in a two. We should have bought the other bloke! And apparently Fornals had a “hot spell”. I must have blinked and missed it. Out of his depth in this league. Massive problems after today’s result. I’m resigned to the drop.
Joe Harvey – “Rice doesn’t do enough in midfield” ? Are you kidding me? He does EVERYTHING in midfield as he has to cover Noble and the wide players who don’t track back. Having Soucek in the middle will allow Rice to become the midfielder he could be
Bad management cost us 3 points today, not defence.
Rice is hopeless at cb. Where he is playing is his best position.
Taking off our 3 best players on the day, leaving on Haller ( needs bench time and a rocket up his lazy arse) , Noble, ( too slow and no clue today) and having no out option up front after Antonio was stupid.
Also, what is our fascination with passing back to the keeper, when he is only going to lump it upfield.
That’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. We lose Rice in Midfield and we are back to square one. Unless you think Bowen plays CM.
err no. There’s a CZECH FELLA
Moyes must drop haller for bowen
Moyes must drop haller for bowen
yes i think that is a great call. i think the club were trying to sell Diop with the Tottenham and Man United links. Sadly Diop hasn’t progressed he is a poor man’s Rio Ferdinand.
The solution could be to move rice back but sorry I don’t agree with Noble, no longer should be starting. We have a number of problems at the back. Lets start at RB, how anyone can see that Fredericks is a PL defender is imo a sackable offense. He needs to be taken out of the team as his limited ability is affecting the performance of the rest of the team. Secondly we have to play 3 at the back. We need a leader in there and I believe that leader is Reid. I would play Reid in between Diop and Ogbonna. Then play Masa as a wing back. I would keep Rice in midfield with Soucek. Then play 3 of the following 6 up top, Haller, Antonio, Anderson, Lanzini, Bowen or Fornals. Moyes’s negative approach and his loyalty to players like Noble and Snodgrass will send us down. I was totally against his appointment and now I am totally convinced I was right. He has cost us at least 5 points and possibly 9 points with his terrible decisions.
Reid?The guy hasn’t played for ages and although i used to like him, his last season at the LS wasn’t very good.
Masuaka ?He is an accident waiting to happen every time he steps on the pitch.His first touch today led to brightons second goal.