Maybe it says more about me becoming a bit of a bore, but Grimes has fast become my one of my favourite players, completely dictates the game, and doesn't make me nervous like a lot of the rest of the team do in possession. Da Silva has been the suprise for me this pre season, all of a sudden I'm not worried about the left back decision as both left full backs (excluding Bidwell) are solid options.
I think we play better with one up top, BTA on his own up top seemed alright, if you give those chances to a clinical striker that game is a comfortable win for us today. BTAs best quality is his tireless chasing of the ball, it actually worked a lot today, if Haji just added that a bit more to his game, I'd be more than comfortable having Haji play up top alone as he's a much better finisher. Final note... Simms' goal papered over the cracks, his awkward attempt at trying to hold the ball up put us under pressure and immediately a goal, I actually feel sorry for him, just as he gets some confidence, he immediately finds a way to undo it
All in all, I feel similar to how I did against Betis, I'm happy with the patterns in play, the midfield looks strong, wingers and fullbacks cause problems but our defending and uncertainty on our strikers is why I think well struggle to push on from last season..as always, hope I'm wrong.
We are a week fitter and a week sharper, which helps bridge the gap in quality.
