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Can't lie, I was extremely worried about us when Hugo got injured, and also very sceptical of Gazza. But, he is amazing, and I don't think that Hugo will be our first choice keeper when he comes back. Also, his no-nonsense approach when it comes to kicking the ball away and not try to take on attackers is so refreshing to see.
I read an article where José explained the differences of a leader and a captain. Hugo is a captain, he is very respected by all of the players (I remember the video of him and Harry Kane inspecting the stadium when it was being built and Harry telling him that he should see it first as the captain), but he is not our leader. Hugo won't shout at players when things go wrong, that is clear to see. The people who have done that in the past 3 years have been Harry, Jan and Toby. Hugo will be very respected when he comes back, and I'm pretty sure that he will respect the decision if it is that Gazza will be the number one keeper. Apart from that driving incident, Hugo has shown that he is a model professional. Anyway, back to Gazza, we're so blessed to have him. Most of us didn't even know what gem we had before this year.Yeh Hugo's kicking is more of a concern now than it was under Poch as he was only really called upon to feed the CBs.
Fascinating to see how much stock is put in Hugo having been a stalwart and captain when he returns.
Agreed. Hugo has served us very well but at nearly 33 years of age, there's not much chance he's going to get any better. If he's happy to rotate with Gaz as No.1 then I'd be very happy with him as No.2.Our number one as far as I'm concerned, made some big saves already and his distribution is 100x better then Lloris. And I feel his organisation is better also and he's good under the high ball.
Think Lloris might be one of the heads on the chopping block soon anyway hasn't justified being our captain or second highest earner for a long time IMO.
Been a great player over the years but not aging well. So for me give Gazza the number one jersey and being in Onana or someone as young to compete with him
Agreed. Hugo has served us very well but at nearly 33 years of age, there's not much chance he's going to get any better. If he's happy to rotate with Gaz as No.1 then I'd be very happy with him as No.2.
As far as Hugo's captaincy is concerned. I hope he never gets it back. Having lost two close friends to drink driving, I have zero time for anyone who does it. Everyone makes mistakes and should be allowed to move on, but having a drink driver as our captain does not set a good example to youngsters out there.
Hugo WILL be No.1 when fit.
The only things Gazza is better at is distribution and bollocking the defenders but with JM getting rid of that bollocks of playing it to the CBs who are 5 yards away it won't be a problem.
Less brain farts yes, I agree but if his instructions is to lump it, it shouldn't be a problem.See I disagree with that it's more imperative we have a keeper who can ping 60 yard passes we play it longer now. Playing it out from the back covers Hugo's weakness in that regards it would only be highlighted now.
I would also say Gazza is better under the high ball the Hugo not as good a shot stopper no doubt but he also seems to have less brain farts then Hugo.
I'm all for selling Hugo, I think his time is up.Less brain farts yes, I agree but if his instructions is to lump it, it shouldn't be a problem.
Where I disagree is that Hugo is way better under the high ball, I've noticed a couple of times (before Hugo got injured and Gazza hadn't had a run of games) that Gazza hesitates when the high ball comes in and is a poor decision maker.
That doesn't mean that he can't improve on that, see De Gea at Utd he was a real vampire when he first came to the PL but has improved immensely.
As an old cunt I prefer 'keepers to be better at shot stopping than passing. IMO Gazza is a very, very good No.2 but not quite good enough to be a No.1
That being said I agree with bringing in a younger 'keeper, of course that would mean either Gazza or Hugo goes.
I think Hugo will move on in the summer. But not because of Paulo. Hugo was one of the players that really tied himself to Poch so I can see him using Poch not being here as motivation/reason to say that it is time to move on as well.
Paulo has stepped up and even if he doesn't end up becoming the long term number 1 he has earned the right to be our trusted number 2.
Hugo kept defenders on their toes, will miss his distribution to marked players.Our number one as far as I'm concerned, made some big saves already and his distribution is 100x better then Lloris. And I feel his organisation is better also and he's good under the high ball.
Think Lloris might be one of the heads on the chopping block soon anyway hasn't justified being our captain or second highest earner for a long time IMO.
Been a great player over the years but not aging well. So for me give Gazza the number one jersey and bring in Onana or someone as young to compete with him
Not to derail the Gazza thread too much but Hugo has made it clear that he is interested in a move to the MLS in the future.Where would be a curiosity. If not a PSG swansong, I could only imagine a step down. In which case, his current wage could be prohibitive.
Contracted til Jun 2022..... Could Levy break the habit of a lifetime and actually subsidise an exit?