Least confident I've been about a game since City away. Brentford play the exact sort of style we have the most problems with. We won't be able to build out from the back, can't go long to Rashford or Weghorst and Bruno is knackered and desperately out of form so we can't rely on a hollywood ball from him like we did under Ole. Hopefully Martial plays so the ball stays up front a bit more, he was a brief breath of fresh air the other day. Massive upgrade on Weghorst if he fancies it.
Might take a change of shape and we've had two sessions to prepare. Still think we could scrape a result because they have some championship standard players in defence but if we go a couple down, I can't see a comeback in us at the moment.
Yeah I'm not looking forward to this either. Brentford are rocking and we're falling apart.
Also the pressure is on now to get top 4. The income from the CL is necessary to stand still / improve the team and still be within FFP. If we don't get top 4 it's going to be really hard to progress - even if the Qataris come in.
And when this lot are under pressure, they can crumble. Brentford will know this and come at us.
I get the anxiety but I actually think we'll be bang at it tonight. I think the players will be stung by criticism from the manner of the Newcastle defeat, any lingering complacency over a top 4 spot will have gone and a few home truths will have been laid bare in training.
Put it this way, if we don't see a properly spirited performance, we're fucked, because it'll show that either we're spent or maybe the Liverpool game has broken us - only 1 point from 9 since.
No 2 ways, we need 6 points from this and Everton. Of we get that, with Casemiro and Eriksen coming back, we'll kick on. But this is a massive game in terms of how the remaining part of the season plays out
Brentford are sitting deep which is weird. I thought they'd press us higher up the pitch after battering us 4-0. I wonder if it's Rashford's pace down the middle that has caused them to sit deep.