by Valentino's fast feet » Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:14 pm
Rafa was certainly a defensive manager, but I personally can't see how Bruce's style was any better. Benitez at least had some nous to change things, even just a tweak here and there. The knowledge and wherewithal to use different formations, personel or styles depending on who you played was a big difference between him and Bruce as well. I don't think the 4-0 at Arsenal was as bad as the scoreline indicates, but to use the same side in a very winnable game against Palace, the only team to score less than us in the league, is indefensible to me.
Bruce is an incredibly limited manager who should never have been hired again at this level really, which is not his fault. We've had a few paper over the cracks lucky results here and there but we are a very poor team. If we didn't have Dubravka between the sticks (and I know he has made a few high profile mistakes) we would be well in the s*** right now. For me it's not over exaggerating to say that he's in the top half of premier league goalkeepers, and realistically I'd put him higher than that.
Rafa was certainly a defensive manager, but I personally can't see how Bruce's style was any better. Benitez at least had some nous to change things, even just a tweak here and there. The knowledge and wherewithal to use different formations, personel or styles depending on who you played was a big difference between him and Bruce as well. I don't think the 4-0 at Arsenal was as bad as the scoreline indicates, but to use the same side in a very winnable game against Palace, the only team to score less than us in the league, is indefensible to me.
Bruce is an incredibly limited manager who should never have been hired again at this level really, which is not his fault. We've had a few paper over the cracks lucky results here and there but we are a very poor team. If we didn't have Dubravka between the sticks (and I know he has made a few high profile mistakes) we would be well in the s*** right now. For me it's not over exaggerating to say that he's in the top half of premier league goalkeepers, and realistically I'd put him higher than that.