The under investment in the squad over the years means that when we have a few injuries to our first 11 players then the cracks in the squad show immediately. As I said on the other thread, Hayden is a big miss and with no Merino or Lascelles in the team it removes the spine of our team. Shelvey is a potent weapon when he´s on song but defending isn´t his strong point - he misses Hatden (or, if not, Merino next to him).
I agree, Ritchie needs to get his finger out - he´s much better than that but I expect us to be more competitive again when these players are back.