lionsden

No. only first half of the season form counts

And that was in the first half of the season. How was his form in the second half of the same season?

As usual throw out the stats without perspective. Everyone that followed Athletico that season will attest to the fact that He was completely outplayed by Costa in the second half of his last season there and he even hit a 4 months or so stretch where he couldn't score at all from open play as virtually all of his goals during that stretch came from penalties. I guess Di maria also had a great season seeing as statistically, he ranks amongst the best playmakers in the league. His first 4 months aside, He was poor from late December till the end of that season.

It's the hope that kills. A player that has been damaged due to constant injuries and subpar for close to 3 seasons (he was poor in his last season at Atleti before joining monaco) Will somehow marginally turn it around at Chelsea. And the disturbing part is, some people are actually getting excited about the prospect of a washed up player who our rival couldn't wait to get rid of signing for us. You can't make this up.

Interesting. Praet was definitely the most highly rated Belgian youth prospect at one point in time. Whether the hype was justified is another matter entirely. Where do you see Musonda's future. is it in AM or as a winger.

I thought Praet and tielemans were more highly rated than him in Belgium?.

I can't remember the last time we had a second choice striker or any striker for that matter who inspired confidence. if Costa misses an important game, there's actually no need to panic as long as remy is fully fit and available. which wasn't the case in the past. To think just 2 seasons ago, Torres was our first choice striker. we have come a long way for sure.

I see 3 issues here. First off, condemning your player (especially young players, who most likely lack the mental toughness to deal with such "tough love" like some describe it, is unneccesary and often does more harm than good. Jose could have laid into him and said the exact same thing privately. Secondly,it was a meaningless Post season friendly and it's absolutely normal and common practice for players to play such matches with the level of intensity that reflects its importance. He should have been cut some slacks, not because laziness is an attractive trait to be tolerated but because it's unrealistic to expect Players to take end of the season, meaningless friendlies, seriously. Thirdly, rlc has never been a high work rate player. Even in the youth and reserve team, he's never been the type to run tirelessly off the ball. Jose surely must have recognised this and should have chosen more tactically aware and industrious players from the academy instead if that's what he demands. Haven't said that as a young player or professional footballer for that matter, you are paid to do a job and the least that is required of him is effort and commitment. He is at the stage where he should be trying to impress the manager and justify the fate he's shown in you. Both parties are at fault here.

I feel his versatility could help his case of making it Here. He can cover at cm as well as at lb, even at CB although he's a bit undersized for that position.

But youth competitions are still the only realistic way of following youth football since youth leagues in most countries are not even televised and we will never really know who the best youth player in Europe is, technically speaking.

He coild be basing his opinion on what he's seen from following the uefa youth cup which isn't a bad benchmark tbf.

And why are Monaco desperate to offload him and at such a huge loss when they aren't broke?. Man utd weren't exactly too keen on retaining his services beyond last season either. That along with his form and performance over the past 2 seasons should be a strong indication that we are better looking elsewhere for a third choice striker. We can't be basing player recruitment decision on falasies, hope and what if. Any risk assessment analyst will tell you, he's more likely to flop than to turn it around at this point. For the money being qioted, he's simply not worth the risk.

Marca are an agenda driven news outlet. I thought that was common knowledge by now.

I think musonda just about shades him but not by much. We are lucky to have both in our ranks. I just hope the club hierarchy realise and appreciate the potential of these group of players

out of all the young players in our ranks He's the one player that doesn't really need a loan. he's very polished and has the looks of an established pro already imo.

What it boils down to for me is that his move to City wasn't worth it in the end and to begin with. Even if he had help City win the league last season, it still wouldn't have been worth tarnishing his previously untainted reputation (Even rival fans condemned his decision to join City). He's won every possible trophy at club level and if money was his motivation for joining them then he could have easily made much more abroad in places like UAE, China etc.

A youth player that shows initiative and plays with confidence and lack of fear is always an encouraging sign. His display of tactical awareness against thailand was very impressive and he's done that all season. We better not mess this one up.

I agree with that assessment. Nainggolan and Moutinho fit the mould perfectly and are realistic targets.

Dare I say he's better than pre avb josh. Vision and passing range are similar but colkett is way better tactically/defensively. I dont see any shortness or major weakness in his game. He has great vision, passing range, intelligence, tactical awareness and good at setpieces I have high hopes for him and musonda. His size is the only thing that could hold him back but that shouldn't be an issue really as fabregas and Oscar aren't exactly heavyweights.

He should learn to control the ball first

Never heard of him. I can't be the only one who's frustrated about the tendency of YouTube compilation to only focus on the offensive aspect of a defender. I'm trying to get a picture of his defensive skills and it's nothing but his assists and goals

Whatever you think of Avram grant, his performance definitely didn't warrant a dismissal. He reached the UCL final, which we were unlucky not to win and pushed united right down the wire for the title. His contract wasn't renewed because he lacked the personality, aura and appeal of a top manager more than anything imo. But from a purely objective standpoint, he should have been kept on as manager.

He only needs a couple of clean sheet to break the EPL record. From a purely selfish standpoint, I want him to stay in england to complete the mission. But then again, his addition will definitely strenghten our rivals andvmay come back to haunt us.so i dont really know.

Thats true but He's being crap for atleast 2 seasons in a row and has being in sharp decline ever since, why take such risk in the first place. It's not like we are short of players who are good enough to slot in as 3rd choice attacker either. Also Way better and younger players earn far less than 100k a week which is the fee being quoted and would jump at the opportunity to play for that wage.

What sort of grown man walks/runs away over hostility from complete strangers and keyboard warriors over the internet. Life is way harder and harsher than that in the real world. That's such a pussy talk. Moreover if I cared about being "accepted" I would just follow the crowd and kiss a lot of asses but that's not my style. Someone who's vying for acceptance or cared about the hostility would have changed his posting style a longtime ago. Expect more brutal honesty and unadulterated posts from me in the future.