I was pleased when I say the line up.
Unfortunately Zaha and Schlupp didn’t turn up and Benteke was either isolated or dominated by their 3 strong centre backs.
Kouyate has a number of attributes, but being a playmaker from defensive midfield is not one of them. He lost possession in dangerous positions on a number of occasions in the first half.
With the current players available McArthur may be a better option for the deeper role as at least he’s more tidy on the ball.
I was encouraged by the performances of the new players but dismayed to observe Zaha’s tirade towards Vieira just before half time.
For those old enough to remember , Brian Clough would have hauled him off.
Yes, the game has changed in terms of how egocentric players are managed, but it shows a lack of respect for a new manager and can’t be good for the all important team spirit.
I’m one of Wilf’s biggest fans but it’s a shame to observe some of his behaviour.
I wonder if it’s partly attributable to frustration at his own performances as he has seemed to struggle to get past players in recent times.

The guy on loan is by far our best player. That's not great. We must have been asleep for the last few years. Several signings are required if we want to compete. We don't know Olisse or Ferguson, we can't expect much from Eze and Wilf seems to have suffered some kind of collapse in form. Benteke up to his usual trick of signing a contract and then giving up. At least, we are likely to improve, because it's almost impossible to get worse.

Red and Blue Army!

I didn't see the game today, so please excuse me if I'm seeing things wrongly.

To all those who think that Wilf is a liability; he is not. He is a cancer.

It is absolutely unforgivable for conflict with the manager, and neither is it any kind of benefit for the team. The solution is very, very simple - he needs to be exiled. Starting with Watford.

To those who think he is our talisman, he has been and still could be. But he no longer is. Fact.

I will only be happy when he's gone. And that is the saddest post I have ever made.

Edited by Harpo (21 Aug 2021 8.59pm)

Guaita: what’s with all the punching? Catch it man.
Ward: not good enough at this level.
Andersen: what a quality operator. Lovely range of passing and so composed.
Guehi: hit the byline in the first few minutes, which was great to see, and had a really sound game. We are in good shape as far as CBs go.
Mitchell: not one of his best days but that’s okay.
Zaha: awful display. His excellent pre-season is a distant memory after two rancid efforts. Feeble petulance a worry.
Kouyate: loads of energy but not much to show for it. Clumsy at times.
Macca: nice work skip.
Schlupp: appalling again and simply not good enough. Had the cheek to look angry when he was hooked. We must avoid using him.
Gallagher: lovely player, unlucky not to score and a rare bright spot in a generally gloomy day.
Benteke: didn’t really happen for him today.

Agree with this well said. I can understand why people had the hump with him today but some of the language on the back of one game is a joke.

It was great to be back and see so many friends and faces.

I don't think either of the full backs are good enough to adopt the tactics the manager has and that Mitchell in particular seemed to be targeted in possession.

Both Schlupp and Zaha were played too close to the touch line leaving Benteke very isolated in a front three.

Gallagher was really good first half and brought intensity to the midfield we've not seen for a while but faded badly second half.

MacArthur was our best player but the central defenders were both excellent.

Ayew cant be considered as a wide player. Perhaps still ok as a cf,

Generally the players currently available lack intensity and quality and allowing for the fact that there will always be injuries we need four or five players. Two full backs, a wide forward and a centre forward, Ideally a rounded midfield player.

Agree with this ^^^

Wilf had a very poor game (again) and has lost his turn of speed, something we have been saying for well over a year now. He couldn’t even out pace the huge lump who was their No. 20 (Kristoffer Ajer) and that was without the ball! His petulance and attitude was also shocking for the first home game of a new season. If anything it was worse than last year and I lost count of the amount of times he was out of position (and out of the game) because he wanted to just moan at the ref whilst the game carried on without him.
Some have commented, “Who would we play if we dropped Wilf?” Well, for all that he gave us today we couldn’t have got any less from Banks or Rak-Sakyi!

Kouyate was caught in possession a number of times, as was Mitchell and both players gave the ball away needlessly in dangerous areas.
We desperately need upgrades on both Mitchell & Ward as neither are good enough for the Premier League, as much as Ward has been absolutely fantastic for us he just cannot cut it any more and Mitchell is simply not up to it.

The three new signings looked great today and having Andersen and Guehi as our first choice centre back pairing vastly improves us in that position compared to recent seasons.

Whilst the return of Eze and Olise is of great importance to us I’m hoping we can also add a few more pieces of the jigsaw before the transfer window closes.

If you look at when Wilf is most effective it is when there is a second offensive outlet. This happened years ago when we were much more effective once we signed Yannick. Teams have to double or even treble up on Wilf. This draws players to him but frees up space on the pitch for others to exploit. It happened years ago with Yannick and at times last season with Eze. Problem at the moment is we have no other outlet.

So you are saying that the new players are the dogs and those that kept us in the PL for the last 5 years are crap?

Happy happy JOY, JOY!

How the ref did not hand out (at least) one yellow for their time-wasting is beyond me. Schlupp and Ayew again not up to it, Koyuate not aware enough and losing the ball in dangerous positions, some of our passing diabolical and placing both central defenders behind our Spanish goalie when playing out from the back. We just invite the opposition to attack us.
On the bright side, captain MacArthur, Gallagher (esp. first half), and Andersen/Guehi.