OK. I thought at first that the ball was close to his hand but didn't hit it. But yeah, on replay, it does seem like it slightly changed trajectory, so, OK, it was a PK.
Subs coming in now. So the A squad portion of this experiment is basically over, and we were outclassed. Yes, first half was good at times, but we don’t advance on good vibes. Gotta have goals to show for it.
We needed to do something about doku, we didn't, and there you go. We have not been the better team, I don't know what people are talking about.
I never had a problem with Ream. It's just a matter of recognizing what his level is. The issue is that when Robinson got injured in 2021/22 (along with another CB whose name escapes me), Ream was pulled off the national team sofa and performed OK. That "OK" turned into him being the greatest thing in history by the fanbase. Everyone conveniently forgot that he had mostly been a liability for us before that between 2017 qualification and 2021. Apparently, our coaches have fallen into the same type of trap. We are going to get roasted with Ream anchoring the backline. We should all just accept that right now.
Switch out Ream for Richards and keep Johnny instead of Roldan and this team looks much, much better. Obviously a fit Adams would lift this team as well. But Ream and Roldan just don’t have the quality. Nothing to be done about keeper, though.
One could argue that being more clinical is a textbook definition of being outclassed. I can concede the GK point, but none of it matters if we can’t score or do anything in the final third.
Belgium is better than us. Not breaking news. But when your coach handicaps the team with his selections, it’s quite frustrating.