Part of the problem is that Emi, Stiepi/Vrancic and Cantwell

would all drop back at different times and help kickstart attacks (and help defend), providing a link between the thirds.

None of our alleged number 10s does that now and, if they do on occasion, they invariably give the ball away.

Kvist, Crnac and Diallo have all given up possession cheaply in our half. They may all be decent players in their correct positions in the correct set up, but they aren't the players you need if you want to play a possession-based game and build up through the pitch. And as much as we berate Manning, that's surely an error of recruitment.

Posted By: jamesward, Sep 22, 14:02:43