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He missed two big ones from what I saw. Pedri's early on was the biggest though.

For 60 minutes or so he was our only creative outlet, literally. The elite part is keeping at his game for 90 minutes without reward. Many would lose confidence or composure. Yamal keeps his head cold and his feet thinking. End product is where he could improve, yes.

Obviously useless when he receives it in those advanced pockets. Hardly Messi in tight areas. Has a lot of value when tying things together in later stages. Defensive liability when isolated.

He was really useless. Didn't catch a single constructive action from him.

I think he has a creative intelligence and decent technique but it's not really coming together in a working package on the pitch. Lack of consistent minutes is a factor of course but imo there is something about his physical constitution that keeps him a step behind the game. The sort of...

The lack of defensive effort from him in the final moments was criminal. This was right after he missed that chance. Been on the pitch for 10 minutes: https://streamff.com/v/d56f2af7

I think he looks very raw still. His touch and and decision pretty unreliable. Far from the level of focus needed at the first team. Think it'll be at least a few years at least. But very interesting still.

So our entire system relies on nonstop high intensity pressing for 90 minutes and if it falters even a second then the whole thing collapses and the opponent gets a free chance to score. Great tactics yes.

Anyone else feel this new sense of pointlessness watching us lately? Like, even if we play well and score goals, it feels empty to me. The same feeling as in chess when you're bored of the game and start throwing your pieces against their king. They might blunder or slip up but it's not really a...

Fourth division yes but this guy definitely looks better than Casado and Bernal right now.

Ah fuck we're doing this revolting shit too now? Regional handball tournament vibes.

The point is not that you have to feel sorry for the players. It's that this level of stress is abnormal and bound to impact how the team performs in a negative way. Mental stress is also stored in the body, affecting movement, increasing the risk of injury.

I think it's inaccurate to describe it as a loss of motivation, what happens after a succesful season. The pressure is just different when you go into the season as title defenders. The mental burden of always having to live up to something, of measuring yourself against last season's succes...

Flick seems stubbornly loyal to his starters. Has he ever benched someone for underperforming? Only for tardiness I think. By merit Eric should 100% start over Kounde on the RB but doubt we'll see it.

Given that people identify Flick's current style with how he set up his Bayern team, it surprises me that that team is not on this list. Didn't really watch them play. Is what we're seeing now a further radicalized version of what he tried there? Ballsy move to double down on the approach that...

I find it endlessly annoying how Flick has convinced himself (and some fans along with him) that our high line is what allows us to score many goals. Theoretically it is understandable the thought that it allows us to win the ball high and launch a quick direct counter with a few passes. But...

Far from a perfect performance but compare it to our previous run of games and there are a lot of things to appreciate in my opinion. Much more aggression and hopeful dynamism, which is what I've been calling for. Didn't really click together but created a lot and should have scored 2-3 more...

Two goals and an assist for U19. Great goal the second one here after he was switched to midfield. https://x.com/ArsenKveFCB/status/1984666836240085418

Of this season's injuries, Ferran, Raphinha, Balde, Lewy and now Pedri's have all been hamstring injuries. Maybe time we pay a little more attention to this in our strength and conditioning work?

Right now it's just a lot of risky defending with none of the advantages you would expect from it.