The massive disappointment at getting turned over by the smug twats never gets easier to deal with. Our record over there in the last couple of years is pretty dreadful and frustrating, it feels like we’re being continually shafted by a conman despite the fact that we know what the trick is. The emotional involvement makes it hard to do much cold analysis but this time it appears our undoing was partly of our own making, and that’s even before one takes into account the inexplicable piece of decision-making from Rose that will have Benny lol-ing his way into the transfer window.
Winning at Old Trafford and then south London’s largest toilet in the space of a week was always going be a manful task; Sherwood’s decision to ask a boy to do the job and help combat the midfield and main strength of the Premier League leaders was a great signal of his confidence in Bentaleb but showed a worrying naivety. Every preview of the game pointed out the pressure our midfield would be under, to believe that the inclusion of a promising teenager and asking Eriksen to tuck inside more would suffice…well. All that assumes that Kapowee wasn’t injured of course and even if he was, playing the boy from the start in an outnumbered midfield wasn’t the only option available, Chadli could’ve come in on the left with only one up front and Eriksen in the middle for one.
And talking of the Dane, his attempt to finish when one on one with Flappyhandski compared to Cazorla’s thunderbolt for the first goal encapsulates what was ultimately the game-changing factor. The home team was quicker and more surefooted when there was a chance to get in on goal. Only Lennon and Walker showed the explosive qualities generally needed to cause problems. Soldado should’ve done much better with his half chances and with his efforts to hold the ball up. Adebayor looked a bit knackered but generally did ok.
Despite the feelings of oily superiority the home fans returned to Maidstone, Guildford and Crawley with, we were still well in the game until the last few minutes. We know we have problems in front of goal and this is what let us down again. Eriksen should’ve scored to put us ahead early on and that would’ve given us the confidence to go on I’m sure, the same way it did them. Adebayor’s off balance swing on the turn was our best chance to equalise, both could and perhaps should have been taken and then who knows?
Ah well, never mind.
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