As good as Koscielny has been for the team he always has had these kinds of mistakes in his game. It’s a shame that it’s likely cost us a place in the final but what are you gonna do?
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If we’d scored three we’d care less. He shouldn’t have fucked up but it equally shouldn’t have mattered. No point in pinning the blame on him, it’s shared.
That’s fair but at the time he decided to try and be Franco Baresi, the reality is that we were only 1-0 up and in a pretty precarious position.
It’s the fault of the attackers for bottling so many chances (and he missed a chance himself as well) but at that point in the game, he should have just played it safe. It is his fault for consciously taking an unnecessary risk which would have led to a 1v1 with the keeper. His reprehensible decision making ability cost us a goal.
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IDK about that. I don’t necessarily believe the captaincy is some sacred thing like a lot of older British pundits however as the captain, he should have some decent in-game awareness. It was a repeat of the Monaco round of 16 game.
As a CB in that situation he should be playing it safe, not diving in, not going nuts. The tie is 180 minutes and the match had ended 1-0 we’d be in a pretty great position to go away from home, maybe lose 2-1 and still go through. Instead we have to win by two goals away … and our away form is terrible.
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Shambolic piece of defending, but is anyone really surprised ?
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I’ve seen people argue that he’s a world class defender. He’s a good defender but these types of brain farts are the types of things that keep him from being world class.
Ppl used to argue that like 3 years ago, he’s been pretty mediocre for us the last couple years at least.
That attempted clearance is just complete and utter madness. Kick it to the left, kick it to the right, kick it out behind the goal, anything but that ffs.
No we don’t. Any win puts us through.
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Or a 2 - 2 draw, or pens…lots of ways to skin this cat.
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Indeed. Although, just to be clear, actually skinning a cat will not put us through.
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I hope that when he got home his kid told him he is fucking shit.
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Another player, like Cech, that has been kept in the first team for too long and who should have been replaced.
The negligence towards this area of the team means that, whoever the new manager is, he will have a very busy transfer window to sort out the problems and lack of quality and leadership in our flimsy defence.
Missed the game but man you guys are fucking brutal with poor Kos 
Obviously not the same player he was a few years ago and hasn’t been for a bit but no need to be so fucking brutal to a guy who has been a top servant to the club and was once a really top player for us. No need for revisionist history, he can have had a good career for us and have been a world class defender for a couple yrs with us and also have committed two massive errors, they are compatible.
Did you write this after watching the 2 Korean leaders this morning. Written in the spirit of peace and harmony.
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Daddy, why did you kick it in your own face
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The only reason I think that Koscielny cleared like that, was due the fact he was approaching the penalty area and was shoulder to shoulder with Griezmann; let’s not forget athletico Madrid’s were looking for fouls all game long, so rather than risk a potential penalty he tried to clear it.
I died.
Koscielny has always had big mistakes in him. Probably a consequence of how we are set up and the occasional brain fart. Like Cuellar says he has been a very good servant for us, but he’ll be 33 in september. It’s time too phase him out of the starting eleven.
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Some dickish comments in here.
Awful mistake, but a fine servant to the club who deserves more than the reactionary bollocks I’ve read in this thread.
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Systemic mistake. And I’m not talking systemic in just this game/team. Systemic as in the shit your pants defending that has stained this club for nearly a decade.
Maybe shit has changed but in that situation my first thought as a defender would have been to delay and that would have been drilled in to me during training over and over and over.
Delay…find some space to recover…then either wait for help or turn that 50/50 situation in to something more in your favor by slowing the play down.
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I actually regret my dickish comments now. Hopefully him and his son don’t read them, wouldn’t want to offend them.
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