I'm sorry but people calling for Lage's head are just embarrassing. He was basically forced to play a back five last year because we didn't have the personnel to play in a back four, and yet he still had us pushing top six by Christmas with basically the same group of players that looked like relegation fodder in Nuno's final season.
This year he finally gets a decent CB in to pair with Kilman, we've played TWO league games and conceded TWICE, yes it should have been three, but all through fault of one player. Very fixable. Kilman and Collins, for two young centre backs, look assured and commanding, and dominated Mitrovic today, and I felt dealt with Leeds full press in the first half fairly comfortably last week.
The main problem right now, is how wasteful we've been in possession, largely in that final third. It's the same problems we had last season, except now, we have an extra man going forward, but through no fault of Lage's, he has no centre forward to play as the focal point in this system. The ball isn't sticking with Hwang, Podence or Guedes playing with their back to goal.
We dominated possession against both Leeds and Fulham, and we actually look fairly comfortable in this system, even when we're being pressed (RAN aside, who hasn't adjusted yet, but he's still only just turned 21, so let's be realistic). When we have a fit Jimenez (and sign another to compete with him), we'll have any three of Guedes, Neto, MGW, Podence, Hwang, Traore playing behind him. Those are some serious, and very varied options to have.
When it clicks in an attacking sense, we'll be a match for any team in this league. I know it's a minority spouting this rubbish, but it just baffles me that people don't have the foresight to see what difference a proper centre forward, and hopefully another midfielder, will make to this team.