Europa Conference League 2023/4
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tarzansbrother
Vital Football Hero
I would say he was managing Torres work load - remember his fitness hasn’t been great since his original injury
Fulford
Vital Football Legend
Yes, but I would have still played him in such an important game.
Old Trinity Villan
Vital 1st Team Regular
For our future development as a side. Sunday v Brighton is as much or more important due to CL finances.
tarzansbrother
Vital Football Hero
Yes a massive game - they all are now. I just have a feeling Torres injury has to be game managed. Emery has obviously chosen the Sunday game for him to play .
sirdennis
Alert Team
Crushing blow. Too many poor performances and like Chelsea we gave the ball away too often and they punished us for it dearly.
Having said that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong and wasn't helped by a bizarre refereeing display. Dear god I've just seen the penalty shout on Bailey in the first half and how that isn't a pen I'll never know.
Felt Doug would miss the pen as well , he had the original nightmare and someone else should have got the ball off him during that ridiculous delay.
Can't see us going through now, we'll concede next week because we can't keep clean sheets no matter who plays in goal and if they score next week then it's goodnight.
Mind you they did celebrate like Ipswich did in 1981 and nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing that cockiness rammed down their cheating little throats.
Having said that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong and wasn't helped by a bizarre refereeing display. Dear god I've just seen the penalty shout on Bailey in the first half and how that isn't a pen I'll never know.
Felt Doug would miss the pen as well , he had the original nightmare and someone else should have got the ball off him during that ridiculous delay.
Can't see us going through now, we'll concede next week because we can't keep clean sheets no matter who plays in goal and if they score next week then it's goodnight.
Mind you they did celebrate like Ipswich did in 1981 and nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing that cockiness rammed down their cheating little throats.
southend_villan
Vital Reserves Team
That was really disappointing. I still fancy us to win by 2 goals over there with Martinez and Torres back in the side though
James06
Vital Football Legend
I've seen some poor refereeing performances in my time but tonight was the first time I genuinely believe that one was paid off. He must've been. He made so many massive errors, you could take your pick. Just one of them would see him demoted from the premier league if he did that in a league game.
UEFA should be able to sub the ref at half time if they are as bad s that!
UEFA should be able to sub the ref at half time if they are as bad s that!
Tomy-Flemba
Vital Squad Member
The only ray of light is, at 2 goals down, the atmosphere in Athens will be far less intimidating for the players than if we were holding on to a 2 goal advantage. We just have to go for it next week, score at least one in the first half, and make sure Emi and Pau are starting.
sirdennis
Alert Team
I have never seen that when we were clear down the right in the first half and he stopped play just to have a word with their player. Didn't even book him or anything.
Just total ineptitude.
Fulford
Vital Football Legend
Or like James said, paid off.
VillaTomB38
Vital Football Hero
Balmy evening, I’m usually quite composed when others around me are shouting, swearing etc but I got I caught up with it. The 4th goal killed me and I reverted to calm, I accepted it was over at that point. Cant see us coming back next week, really needed that penalty to roll in to make a game of it, it’ll be some atmosphere in Athens I’m sure of that. 3 goals, I can’t see it. 2 maybe, just as well there’s no away goals, at least keeps a small chance.
Referee and his accomplices were horrific, there was something in the second half for example where the linesman flagged one way but the ref rightly gave it our way, the numerous foul throws and so on. Just a load of bollocks decisions. It’s easy to say when your team loses but he was an awful ref, eventually gave us a penalty when he absolutely no choice not to.
Referee and his accomplices were horrific, there was something in the second half for example where the linesman flagged one way but the ref rightly gave it our way, the numerous foul throws and so on. Just a load of bollocks decisions. It’s easy to say when your team loses but he was an awful ref, eventually gave us a penalty when he absolutely no choice not to.
Disagree completely tbh. We’re running on empty physically and mentally. It was obvious against Chelsea and again tonight.That leads to poor performances. They were quicker and sharper throughout. It’s been a long season, the squad is stretched and it’s gradually catching up with us.
I’ve just watched the penalty shout for the first time on tv, difficult to tell from the Holte, definite penalty…so that’s another cock up from the prat with the whistle! And what the hell is VAR doing?!
CDX_EIRE
Vital Football Legend
Maybe its different being at the game, assuming you were, you usually are.
From the comfort of my living room I didn't think they were particularly special or that they worked harder than us. I think select players may have been tired i.e. Konsa, Digne, Dougie and McGinn, and maybe Ollie. Counterintuitively the two in the middle have had a couple of weeks rest.
Rogers was good, Bailey was good, the backline should have been okay with Cash and Lenglet barely playing recently. Diaby too though he doesn't seem to believe in himself.
I dunno, I don't blame the lads too much because IMO "luck", "randomness", "chaos" or whatever you want to call it. That played far more of a role in our defeat than anything else. I am not mad about the game, it truly was one of those utterly bizarre nights but I think we'll go to Greece and win.
Olympiakos are a far poorer team than Lille and that lad upfront has had the game of his life and he'll never ever have a better one.
danvilla2
I’m not an expert
I’ve just googled the Olympiakos owner, his name is
Evangelos Marinakis
Apparently he is in the shipping trade. When you even see just what he looks like, he is definitely suspicious of match fixing with the referee.That was a disgraceful performance from the ref, he influenced that result massively.
Stephen Jay Hawkings
Vital Football Legend
They did lose 1-4 at home to Macabbi Tel Aviv before winning the second leg 6-1.
We'll need an Arsenal away type peformance though, not a Lille away one.
david-avfc
Vital Football Hero
Emery got it completely wrong tonight, especially in midfield, 4-2-4 formation meant we were completely overrun across the centre of the park, both in possession and out of it, McGinn and Luiz were haplessly chasing and rushing their play and being forced into making mistakes, both individually as well as collectively put in shambolic performances tonight. Yes we are missing Kamara and Tielemans but the solution to that problem can't be to just ignore it and pretend we aren't missing a midfielder, it's like starting the game with 10-men. Bailey, Rogers and Diaby are just never going to defend, that's just not their natural game soleaving just two players to cover the entire midfield area defensively, in transition and supporting in attack.. it's just nonsensical, no wonder we were battered by such a poor team. You can point to lack of options but it's needs-must, Tim Iroegbunam or even shoe-horning a defensive player into midfield as an emergency, surely better than only playing half a midfield and watching the team get completely overrun and pummelled for 80+ minutes.
Unfortunately I can't see us turning it around, based on how we've played in the last week or so. We can't keep clean sheets so we're already talking about a minimum of 3 goals scored just to level, maybe 4, no way are we winning 4-1 or 5-2 to win the tie in normal time, and I can't see us winning the lottery of the shoot-out twice. It's over in my eyes - the best opportunity to win a trophy for decades, the first European semi final in decades... and we play like that...
Unfortunately I can't see us turning it around, based on how we've played in the last week or so. We can't keep clean sheets so we're already talking about a minimum of 3 goals scored just to level, maybe 4, no way are we winning 4-1 or 5-2 to win the tie in normal time, and I can't see us winning the lottery of the shoot-out twice. It's over in my eyes - the best opportunity to win a trophy for decades, the first European semi final in decades... and we play like that...
