Overall this was a much needed result. The fact that this win alone put us back into a European position and only puts us a game behind Real and Atleti is huge. That first half was easily one of the best halves I have seen us play in the last three years, no
That said, there were definitive positives and negatives that I hope defines decisions for Koeman moving forward:
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* Griezmanns inconsistency is a lingering problem. I have just posted in detail in his thread if you want to see specifically what leads me to this conclusion, but I am not convinced he should be starting once Ansu and Ousmane are healthy again
* Trincao is struggling. He looks low on confidence and he badly needs a goal to get the debut goal monkey off his back but I am concerned with his performances as of late. He looks to come inside way, way too much. His wing play needs some serious improvement. He needs to utilize his pace out wide more, hold his runs and look to utilize the space near the touchline more (an understanding that much to his credit, Dembele has massively improved on this season as he had similar problems when he first got here too). Right now, he is way too predictable and I am hoping he starts showing signs of improvement soon. I want to bring this back to a player of a similar profile: Malcom. We gave up on him way too quickly, especially when he did not get the same consistency in the type of minutes he got under Valverde that Trincao has gotten under Koeman. Everything that I just said Trincao is missing in his game is exactly what Malcom provided and crucially, he provided an end product with some big goals for us. It was really frustrating to see how that transpired which is why us fans need to be more patient and look more at the bigger picture when evaluating players here
* The loss of control and structure we had when Busi came off is another concern of mine and this for me is emblematic of the problem we are having with Frenkie. I think we in general and Koeman specifically are asking way too much out of Frenkie. When Busi is on, we are expecting him to push forward and be a goal-threat inside of the box when that is not his natural game. I thought he overall played great last night and all things considered, I think he is doing the best he can given the situation he is in. Long term, I see him as a pivot, organizing our attacks from deep and being the main man to transition us from defense to attack. When Busi came off yesterday, he was supposed to take that over yet he was struggling and I think it is really hard to ask a player to make that sort of an adjustment in the middle of a match. Right now, we are expecting him to shield and protect the back line, start our attacks and then rush up and join the attack, get into the box and produce goals/assists. All of this simultaneously, while expecting him to control the tempo of the match. I do not care how good a player is, you cannot expect one single player to do all of that at once. Basically, I think we need to stop forcing Frenkie into being a more offensive, interior-like midfielder and give him more experience playing deep without Busi next to him. I think with some continuity in the role, he will have a much better opportunity to master the nuances of that position. That will in turn result in more control throughout the entirety of the match for the team in general and relinquish some of the reliance we have on Busi, who clearly does not have the legs to live with the pace of the game these days for 90 minutes
* Lastly, Martin is not a winger. Unless he is going to be in the box, occupying the back line with his runs as a 9, he is not dynamic enough on the ball to be starting. Homie just is not a winger. Alena looked nervous and needs some continuity so we can really see what he can provide and yet again, the Puig saga continues
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* I am really, really happy to see Koeman flip the triangle in midfield and be willing to move away from his preferred formation for the better of the team. It is no coincidence that we looked much sharper on the ball and with our press playing in the 433 than the 4231 and I hope Koeman recognizes how much more cohesive we were in a shape that suits more of our players than the 4231. Not saying there will not be situations where the double p?vot is the better solution but at the very least, I think this game proved that we need to be using the 433 more than he has used it up until this point in time
* Pedri, Pedri, Pedri. I was one of the few people on here who were signing his praises last year with the performances he was having with Las Palmas. I hope you all see why now. I had a feeling he would do well here but even I did not expect him to look this good, this soon! An undisputed starter in my book with his attitude alone on the pitch. Take away the obvious positives he is showing, the thing I really want to highlight is his desire. The tackle he made before he came off last night encapsulates this: he was determined to do whatever he needed to do to keep that ball out of our net, he imposed his will to do what it took to help his team win and that is something we have been desperately lacking in recent years. That sort of willpower and character shows up in other aspects of his game, particularly when holding off the opponent when he is on the ball (a concern I had before he arrived here). I genuinely think he will be one of the top 5 midfielders in the world in a year or two with the trajectory he is on and it is very exciting to see a player with his genuine quality, poise and mentality. Do not be surprised if Lucho calls him up for Spain very soon, this kid has earned it
* The defensive line. Quite simply: Araujo and Mingueza are surpassing Pique-Lenglet. I think we need to get a good look at Big Sam under Koeman but right now, I think this is our most solid CB pairing. I am not sure what is going on with Lenglet but he clearly lacks the leadership required without Pique. I think he lacks grit, a fighting spirit and that attitude is precisely what I see from Mingueza and is what I like in his game. We have lacked aggression in the back line for a while now and overall, I really like what I see from Mingueza. He brings a no-nonsense, in-your-face approach to defending (similar yet more disciplined than Ramos) that we have been lacking and I think he is someone we should seriously consider for the future. Especially in the 2nd half, the defense was put under some serious pressure and everyone in the back line (Alba & Dest included) did what needed to be done to get the three points and they deserve credit for that
* To briefly comment on Messi, I thought he looked much more interested and committed last night than in previous matches. Not just his pressing, it was seeing him rally the players that was refreshing and I hope this is a sign that he is slowly starting to resolve his doubts here. He just seemed more up for it than he has in the last few games and that gives me a little hope moving forward
Long post but I think this game really showed us a lot last night. For me, our recent struggles have been roughly 75% mental attitude, 25% getting the tactics and squad right and so much of what I have highlighted has to do with the attitude certain players are either demonstrating or not demonstrating. Koeman has to start playing the players who are performing and benching the players who are not. These big names like Coutinho, Lenglet, Pique, Busi and Greizmann simply should not be receiving the lions share of the playing time when other players of a lesser stature are outperforming them. I really want to give credit to Koeman for not being overly stubborn and changing our shape for the better of the team. He deserves real praise for that and I hope he continues to make decisions for what is best for the team and not what is best for his or other star players egos.
