132 Comments
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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Our discussion around the Salah penalty shows how important both passing the ball into the box and finding space within the box to receive a pass are. Either the defense has to defend you less aggressively and give you more space to make a pass/dribble/shoot or they can play up on you, mistime a tackle, and give up a penalty.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Shaqiri is gonna win another Fall-on d'Or. What a ball!

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Eddie G's avatar

Echoes of the pass to TAA mid-week. Good for him! Been out of favor for awhile.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

FT stats, via Stats Perform:

-Shots (on target): Liverpool 9 (5), West Ham 4 (3)

-xG: Liverpool 1.66 (pen: 0.79), West Ham 0.25

-Share of final third passes: Liverpool 76, West Ham 24

-Penalty-area passes: Liverpool 18, West Ham 3

Deserved win in the end for LFC. It really does seem like all the European games are taking an extra toll on teams compared to the typical attrition we'd see in a normal season. WH defended reasonably well, but you can only hold out for so long, especially when the other team doesn't have to respect your counter-attack at all (see: three passes into the box over 90 minutes). Liverpool haven't been the Liverpool of the past couple seasons yet, but their depth is better than it's ever been. VVD, Thiago, Keita, Matip, Fabinho, Ox were all out, and yet they were still able to bring on Milner, Shaq, and Diogo J to flip the game. Thanks, as always, for joining in today. One of these days we'll get another fun game to watch ... right?

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Next week will be tasty

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I have no idea what is happening or what will happen.

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James Milner's Peloton's avatar

Just wait, it will all make sense when Lanzini comes on in the 88th.

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James Milner's Peloton's avatar

Like I said!

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Melvin's avatar

Not sure it really effected the play, but it does feel like you shouldn't be able to go studs up into the keeper's chest

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

Neither do the announcers

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Scott Dangler's avatar

I have to assume the keeper contact? Not sure what he's supposed to do there I guess

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Francis's avatar

Pretty sure Mane fouled BOth people lol

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

They sub off Haller and Liverpool scores soon after. Haller is playing 90 minutes every match going forward and Moyes will never use subs ever again

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Somehow this is now true again

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Dan's avatar

I do know they will somehow manage to screw it up

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Good reminder of why we should stop doing these fucking chats during Liverpool matches ...

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Per the (very good) Qs from Emmanuel earlier, that move is why you don't shoot from 25 yards out.

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Sam's avatar

i was still calling for hendo to rip one over the crossbar

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Pouring one out for our boy Scott Dangler ...

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Scott Dangler's avatar

That's clumsy...and a very bad dive

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Matthew's avatar

I’m biased but I actually think Salah should get more benefit of the doubt when he goes down in the box because he’s shown he is absolute shit at diving realistically

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Scott Dangler's avatar

I don't watch enough Liverpool to know what to expect from Salah in that scenario

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Scott Dangler's avatar

I disagree with the decision but it's well within the norms for that to be given

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Twenty-plus minutes in, and not a single shot from Liverpool. Gonna be tough to make the comeback if that continues.

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

[insert "pathetic" gif here]

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Sam's avatar

let the nat phillips era begin

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Scott Dangler's avatar

I wish Diogo Jota played for my team

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seph's avatar

Just when you think they are getting too dainty trying to pass it into the net they daintily pass it into the net

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Sam's avatar

is sep van den berg alive?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

As far as Klopp is concerned, no he is not.

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Sam's avatar

give the worlds best 16 yo ginger cb since tim ream some respect!

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

He's dead, Sam. RIP.

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

And with that pass he can happily go into hibernation until fall

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Perisic, a Ryan favorite, with a clutch game tying finish. Will Haller follow suit?

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James Milner's Peloton's avatar

Game needs more Milner.

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Francis's avatar

Game needs something

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Scott Dangler's avatar

The opposite of David Moyes

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Are we gonna have to ban Liverpool and West Ham from future chats now, too? Will there ever be another fun Premier League game?

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Scott Dangler's avatar

And no chance for subs to help West Ham bc Moyes doesn't know that you can make them

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Scott Dangler's avatar

Maybe Yarmo on at 89'

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Scott Dangler's avatar

West Ham only fun when they go down 3

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Leeds Aston Villa, the Bamford breakout game. Any game with those two teams will be fun.

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Emanuel's avatar

I feel like instead of getting a few crazy fun games sprinkled in throughout the season, we got all the fun games in the first 5 weeks.

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

You have only to wait until Monday morning. That'll be a cracker

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I was just thinking to myself that Nat Phillips has looked really good in the air defensively, but I think that Fornals just showed his limitations. Just not quick enough to both block the path for the deep cross but also step out to eliminate the cut back.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

*that Fornals CHANCE

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

HT Stats, per Stats Perform:

Shots (on target): Liverpool 4 (1), West Ham 1 (1)

xG: Liverpool 0.99 (0.79 for pen), West Ham 0.06

Share of final-third passes: Liverpool 77 percent, West Ham, 23 percent

Penalty-area passes: Liverpool 9, West Ham 2

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Cresswell broke up a near-1v1 with Mane and then broke up a potential shot from Firmino from about 10 yards out -- all in the span of, like, five seconds.

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Scott Dangler's avatar

He's been amazingly competent at LCB

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

There are four players in Liverpool's starting lineup wearing a number below 12. The u-11 team I coached in New Mexico would be proud.

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

RB Albuquerque?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Ajax Santa Fe

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JohnMark Fisher's avatar

I'm fully convinced DJ needs to start. He's looking great, but I also think he shakes things up with M-F-S up front who are quite frankly looking... stale =\

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Helps to come on against tired legs, as opposed to playing from the start. But he's hit the ground running. Frankly, he's been even better than I expected.

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

You and the crew need to do a "Do you rate him?" Joe Gomez edition

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

smfh you're right

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Despair, Repair's avatar

BIG BAD SHAQ!

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Rick B.'s avatar

The single best play of the match was that marvelous pass from Shaqiri for the winning goal. Actually, that's one of the best Liverpool moments of the season.

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JohnMark Fisher's avatar

Salah's pass to Mane right there with DJ the obvious choice on his left looked very much like a "you'll get your shot later, kid" to me

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I thought the same thing ... and then hated myself for thinking it.

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JohnMark Fisher's avatar

Me too =(

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Sam's avatar

who needs thiago when you have shaqiri!

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Sam's avatar

J!

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Sam's avatar

shaqiri should do curls pre cap like vernon davis

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Scott Dangler's avatar

Competent West Ham is the strangest West Ham

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

Unrelated question - does Messi still leave Barca in the summer since Bartomeu and the board resigned?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Doubt it now, but depends on how the season goes and who becomes president, I think.

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Liverpool's schedule from now till the Fulham game is must watch

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Atalanta, m.a.a.n city, foxes, atalanta again, brighton, ajax, wolves and then danish liverpool

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JohnMark Fisher's avatar

Every time I look at the schedule my hands start sweating

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Do we think Chompers gets slowly phased out over the course of this season before he turns up at PSG and scores 3 a game?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Too many games to phase anyone out. Also, his xG+xA numbers are the same as they've always been.

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

He seems to underperform his xG and xA numbers year over year but this year I think the numbers have actually dipped, granted it's a 10 game sample size so it might just be a slight slump

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Don't think he has a long enough history of over/underperforming to say anything confident about his finishing ability. Last year he was way behind his xG but that doesn't mean it'll keep happening. From what I've seen, his numbers are pretty much exactly the same, if not slightly up. I think there's an argument to be made that his role might not be as important on a consistent basis given the new distribution of talent in the squad, but don't think LFC are gonna see his performances as any kind of decline.

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

I saw his Xg+Xa per 90 typically hovers around 0.7 and he's underperformed his Xg and Xa numbers for the last 2 plus seasons, and in the 10 game sample size this year it's under .5, comparable more to his 2015-16 days. It is a small sample size, but if the slump continues, with the reinforcements they have in tow and as he fades out of his prime, maybe he's no longer the core going forward as they try to build a younger team to make a dynasty

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Sam's avatar

at least play him at CB

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James Milner's Peloton's avatar

Nice of Jota to pay tribute to James Milner with that celebration.

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Francis's avatar

Thats a foul? on the keeper?

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Francis's avatar

I feel like Antonio is built for these minutes... Haller is a bit gassed

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Despair, Repair's avatar

So who's the first Liverpool sub? Jota? Minamino? Milner?

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

Power cube. It's still October

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James Milner's Peloton's avatar

There can only be one.

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Emanuel's avatar

I know creating better chances is always better, but at what point is it more beneficial to start taking shots from outside the box? Surely that has to be about the same xG as a standard cross would produce?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

The average cross leads to a goal something like 1 percent of the time. A shot from 25 yards out is at least double that likelihood.

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Emanuel's avatar

Then shouldn't Liverpool try peppering the goal with shots? Especially in a game like this where they have only 6 through 67 minutes.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I don't hate the idea, especially since defelctions, the new handball rule, etc. But they're betting on a couple of the more sustained possessions leading to bigger chances.

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

Liverpool needs a Lee Cattermole, West Ham already have two of them: Mark Noble and ol' Snodgrass

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

His name is Nat Phillips.

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Avi Tyagi's avatar

are we sure he's a Cattermole and not a new Lovren?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Is there any difference?

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Scott Dangler's avatar

Lovren was actually very good midweek for Zenit

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

In unrelated news...gervinho still plays?!

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Yes! And he's still kinda decent!

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

Tearing up inter apparently. Wild

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Sam's avatar

the headband is out of control

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Despair, Repair's avatar

In some games, Firmino looks so dang slow on the ball. I know he isn't slow or lollygagging, but he is a weird one to watch sometimes.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Fun when it comes off, frustrating when it doesn't.

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Despair, Repair's avatar

Yup. I get so annoyed when there's a burst forward and he just does one of those careless-looking passes off the outside of his foot to somebody who is no longer moving forward. And then it jumbles up.

But other times his passing is marvelous.

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Scott Dangler's avatar

That's a pretty great pass from Jones

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Thomas's avatar

Appreciate the honesty of not protesting the decision.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

And yet the announcer is having a meltdown over Salah diving ...

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Thomas's avatar

The best thing to root out diving (maybe) would be if refs would actually award penalties based on fouls where the contact wasn't enough to bring someone down, which it seems like they almost never do.

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Francis's avatar

Its called the penalty box... Hands behind your back and dont fuck around... Say what you will, its consistent and is critical to the flow of the game.

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Matthew's avatar

This feels like exactly the kind of game we hoped to keep Thiago fit for

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Agreed, but it's also the exact kind of game that Liverpool have had no problem with over the past two seasons.

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Despair, Repair's avatar

Liverpool fans, however...these are the heartburn games to deal with

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Despair, Repair's avatar

Has TAA been average/bad by the stats this year?

He's felt a step or two off all year from just watching.

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

His shot-creation is down a decent amount, but he's been more involved in ball progression than ever before. He hasn't been as dangerous in the final-third, but there's not really any world where what he does can be described as "average". Still a one-out-of-one player.

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Matthew's avatar

I think the lack of preseason hurt him a bit but by all accounts he was very good midweek

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Despair, Repair's avatar

That was the first time I was impressed this season. But it was against Midtjylland

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Francis's avatar

West Hams Defense is VERY prepared today. I think around 80 we'll start to see the jelly legs

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

They look good, although it helps to score early and then defending with no fewer than six men at all times.

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El Pibe's avatar

Get xherdan in this game...maybe get a shot on goal before the end of the first half...

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Matthew's avatar

Obviously early but something I’ve been thinking about. If you were going to replace Firmino with Jota in the front 3 & keep the same shape, who plays through the middle?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

I imagine it might be a slightly more fluid formation, but Salah seems like one who'd be in the center.

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Matthew's avatar

I agree. I like Jota better on the left but probably play him on the right to keep the Mane-Robertson partnership

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Philby's avatar

Flappyhandski is going to win this for Liverpool.

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Calvin's avatar

Can someone explain to me what Joe Gomez does?

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

He's a pretty good passer, and I think he's a good go-and-get-it CB when paired with someone who'll cover for him. But he, uh, is not at his best when defending in his own third.

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Scott Dangler's avatar

I'm probably the only West Ham fan here, so apologies in advance for my Arthur Masuaku hot takes

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Ryan O'Hanlon's avatar

Don't apologize. We welcome them!

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Scott Dangler's avatar

He's...kinda good?

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YerAJediFrodo's avatar

The hottest of hot takes

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