Coombs I mean, if you didn't think Havertz was playing badly then that's a different case entirely, in which we wouldn't have sacrificed anything by having him there. I think that for a long time we played worse with him there than with Xhaka, and I think plenty of other midfielders would've done better. It's not his fault, but it really doesn't seem like the 'Havertz as a midfielder' project worked.
I also think that if we did indeed lose points earlier this season due to 'periodization' and end up not winning anything, that strategy can't be called a success. It's not about being the best team in the last round, it's about getting the most points. I can just about take City beating us since they're massive cheats, but Liverpool in a transition period beating the best team we've had in ish twenty years would break me. If we're unlucky with squad fitness, I'm not sure if there's a word for what they are.
