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Even when Modric broke his leg the guys that held down the fort ... Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios ... were probably ahead of any combination of 3 we can put out today to be honest.
Huddlestone was so bad he was first choice DM in a season we cracked top 4 for the first time.
His issues were exaggerated. He was positionally sound and was brilliant off both feet
Huddlestone& Modric in a midfield 2. No need for a Palhinha in sight.
Okay he shagged your Ma and missus, we get it
You do know that Leao is a massive cunt and uber lazy & selfish?
Both (very) injury-prone, what's the point?
Stiller, yes...but injury record a slight concern.
Kid was exciting 4 years ago. He's done very little since to warrant a move to Spurs. I don't even think he's at Tel’s level right now. A definite no, even more so when you factor in his horrible injury record.
Or...my curveball...
Yes. Him. I know, I know...he's ancient (34yo), been playing in the shitty Saudi league in front of fake fans/paid actors, and obviously yeah, he's ex-Chelsea. But the man is still a top player, still got a great engine on him, can still make runs & pick passes our current CMs can only dream of. God knows I don't like Deschamps much, but I trust his judgement and he's recalled Kante for the NT and very likely he'll make their WC squad, probably even start.
If we can't sign a Locatelli or similar caliber in January, Kante (who wants to come back to Europe) on a short-term deal would be the next best thing imho. Get him to come in for 6 months, do his thing, mentor the kids like Archie, Berg & Pape...that's a proper elite role model for them, unlike JP & the racist cunt. You know the man would give 110% each and every game, each & every practice session...that's just what he does, who he is. Then if he still wants to go back to France to join Paris FC in the summer, let him go and sign a Locatelli type.
Excellent work. I find it funny that there are a handful of people on the forum who fully understand the game they are watching. There's a bunch that dont but as one of the former group are you not dismayed by how obvious some of the teams issues are and how blind the coaching and recruitment staff seem to it.For a pass to make sense, it's not sufficient for it to be available is it?
It must also be offering the potential recipient a clear option in the form of a shot, a pass, a cross or whatever. Otherwise it's pointless at best, detrimental at worst.
What I mean will become more clear soon hopefully.
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There's a pass here, but what's the point? Palhinha is looking straight at VDV, and doesn't seem like he has any intention other than passing it straight back in case he gets it.
Bentancur knows too: See his left arm pointing at Romero's direction.
I don't think the pass to Bentancur, illustrated with red dotted arrow, is on.
The pass to Palhinha is on obviously; but again, what's the point? He's already pointing at VDV as an indication of his intentions in case he gets the ball.
The pass is on to both players here, but they're both being watched closely. And they're hardly the type that will receive the ball in a tight area, pull a sharp half turn to shake off the defender(s) before creating himself the opening to burst forward with the ball or make a forward pass .That's where the inadequate player profile becomes a serious hindrance.
To make matters worse, since spacing is so bad, as soon as one gets the ball the two Brentford players could double team him without worrying about the other guy. Recipe for disaster knowing the said player profile.
Even the commentator felt compelled to mention how ridiculously close they were standing.
I deliberately widened the screenshot to the fullest to make a few points here:
-Look at all that space. Illustrates the essentiality of having a good ball carrier / passer that can get his team out of these high press situations on a regular basis. We don't need 10 signings to sort this mess out: Even a progressive passer or two would do a world of difference.
-The pass to Bentancur that was there momentarily is no longer on. Brentford's #27 has anticipated it. Besides, what I said above regarding the rubbish spacing indicates that Bentancur would've most likely gotten blindsided by Brentford's #6 even if it was on.
-The pass to Palhinha is on, but #6 is also in a good spot to harrass him in case the former gets the ball. Would you fancy Palhinha in such a battle against any midfielder in the league where he had to be the creator instead of the disruptor? I wouldn't.
Pass the ball in these situations to a player with Palhinha's skillset, and watch it go back to the keeper in no time in the outlined fashion. That's what Porro eventually decided to do himself.
----------My takeaways:
Trying to be realistic... we dont eat at the top table
If you think simply better than player X or Y is the only answer to building football teams im not sure the world you inhabit is any more real. I recall how well he played against city in the cup its about balance.
Sorry teacher. They were indeed too close together though.
The idea that Donley is anywhere near Mason or Bentaleb is absolutely hilarious and putting Ajayi in the conversation with them is insulting. What are we doing here? A 19 year old Bentaleb turned up in the PL and was at home straight away. These takes are appalling honestly. The only academy players we currently have anywhere near being PL level talents, that’s talents, not ready are LWB and Moore. The rest aren’t anywhere near it.
Bentaleb was a deeply average player who long term may be no better than Donnely.Mason likewise do they have the same amount of International caps? I tell you what we are not doing here or anywhere else is the idiotic binary of "better" than. You can be far more imaginative than that.
Bentaleb did alright when sherwood was in charge. Poch tried him out for a season but realised didnt have a future. I quite liked bentaleb tbh. Cultured player.
Bentaleb was average for PL level, something Donley will never achieve, let alone at 19/20. I’ve nothing against Donley I just don’t rate him and have always found the idea he could play for our first team absolute nonsense. We saw a far better young player in Gray not get anywhere near opponents in the last 2 matches, what exactly would Donley achieve?
Angelo Stiller now thats a proper footballer face give him some beard and a mullet haircut and he could be the modern day ivanov
