robsblubot

Yeah there is no magic needed to play better, but more work, a better manager, and better attitude -- Kai used to play a lot better himself! Strikers miss a lot of chances (1 in 3 is not uncommon), now if you are going to pick from the handful in-form strikers of the month, then yes they would likely score from these half chances we've been producing against weak opposition. I don't think Kai missed any sitter tbf and the assist from mount (which was the best chance today) was slightly deflected by the defender. however, my original point wasn't Kai vs a [better striker], but Kai vs a 20yo who has shown little more than impetus and physicality in the few minutes he played.

Best chance was definitely Kai hitting the post, but that's besides the point. It's not my fault the only option as a striker is a disinterested Kai. Just pointing out that a 20yo striker has to be a genius to play at this level, and despite showing quality, Fofana looks far from one. Expecting him to do what the more senior players have not been able to do is what I call "magical thinking." I will point out the obvious: we are playing like shit. Strikers will struggle no matter who plays.

Fofana looked completely out of his depth -- holding to the ball way too much and missing the clear pass. Overplaying him at this time could be not only risky for us, but to him as well. We all like a world beater youngster, but you could count in one hand the ones who actually deliver the goods this young.

yeah I thought he did OK in the first half considering how poor we were, but his second half was concerning. It might have been that his confidence was shot, but still, the demeanor just wasn't right. Don't think he deserved to be on the pith for all 90 mins.

Not all terrible news... the young/new players all look good/decent/promising except Mudryk unfortunately -- looked completely lost. To be perfectly clear: I like what I see from Badiashile... just mentioned what he lacks to play at this level. Plenty of time to work on that and he seems to have the tools for that. Kepa looks good today and not "ready to produce a blunder" like other times.

Other times in the first half he was all alone and still hoofed it up. Once again, it's completely normal considering his age, but at this level we need more (I sure hope he can do better with his weaker foot in the future). We can't praise Thiago silva and then say the simpler play is enough... bit contradictory. Big teams have different standards taking Willian as a very obvious example: guy could no longer warm up at the bridge. BTW, we are playing Fulham, not City or United today. ---- On Gallagher I think he's actually pretty smart considering how unskillful he is. Some of the stuff he tries to do somehow works. eh

once again Badiashile is in the right place at the right time for the interception but instead of a quick side pass he hoofs it up front producing a 50/50. Nothing wrong with that considering his age, but it does affect our play.

not a foul but mount needs to cool off all the same

he is passing from the back and keeping possession is part of "playing well" at this level... see Thiago Silva.

heh Mount has been the better player of the team and not even close. Team is disjointed because of the number of changes: passes are played to the feet or to the obvious empty space, rarely a clever quick pass because they'd not know how atm. This slows down the play and makes use easier to handle. Badiashile is having a poor game for these standards. He's been good defensively, but really poor on the ball. It's natural given his young age, but at this level he needs to better keep possession once we retake the ball.

Pretty predictable outcome for when you toss a bunch of new players into the team. Team looks disjointed and can't press high. Still, a few good moves by Mount, Ziyech and Kai who was unlucky on those two chances. I know folks will disagree, but I think Kai is having a good game, but our volume of play isn't there for a game at home esp.

I will just leave my 2 copper pieces here for posterity. Evidently, it's a great signing and a player who's sought after by a number of clubs. IMO, he shows enough potential to warrant the faith put in him, but it's also a bit of a gamble like almost all signing are, especially at this level. The sample we have is from the World Cup, which despite being very competitive and physical in most single-elimination matches, is also its own thing. Sometimes what we see in the World Cup does not translate well at club level... while other times it does (Kante for ex). The Portuguese league is also a notch or two easier than the PL, so it's also something to be taken with a grain of salt. With that out of the way, and once again, it's still a very exciting signing by the club!

Hate to be the critical one, but questionable technique on the flying kick. 😅 Welcome Enzo!

Was just reminded that City paid 100m for Grealish, which makes Enzo a freaking bargain. 😆

Thanks! That's Portugal though, so time on the ball would be working in his favor--still shows amazing vision and technique when striking the football tho. For that reason, I will assume what I saw in last tight games at the WC is what he deliver at this level, at least immediately, but this is reassuring that he can grow and become a key player indeed.

Interesting. I have to confess I haven't seen that much skill on the ball so far, nor the passing quality needed for a possession game, but I haven't seen enough of him. If that's the case, then he'd be an even better signing than I anticipated. 🤤

Dunno if right, but I see Enzo as a clear long-term replacement for Kante, not Jorginho, not in terms of quality, but in characteristics esp.

Jorginho is one of these odd players who managed the feat of being both overrated and underrated at the same time. For me, he's a good player with very specific characteristics, which means he'll excel in specific systems and struggle (mediocre) in others. unfortunately, I think he will thrive under Arteta's, which makes Arsenal a disappointing destination in my book. All in all, I think he had his moments for us, so thank you and (some) good luck! 😉

The Enzo deal will happen. There are a lot of ppl making money out of this, so they will all push through. Player would become extremely unsettled if it does not happen, which would be terrible for Benfica too. Regarding Endrik, I'll be the first to say it: he looks a bit too heavy/bulky for his age.

Vasco and Cruzeiro have been in Serie B for a bit, which was odd. Gremio (team I support in BR) dropped last year and came back alongside Vasco and Cruzeiro. For context, all these Brazilian sides are managed by amateurs -- as in the elected president selects the people he/she wants at the club. This invariably leads to quacks (I mean really incompetent almost in a funny way) people managing millions and millions of dollars worth. The result is that 3 years before Gremio was playing Real Madrid in the WCC and last year was in Serie B. Some of these clubs, like Cruzeiro (Ronaldo #9 owns it), now have owners, so they will prob get better organized. Vasco changed too, but dunno about how the ownership works there. With that out of the way, this was indeed a very odd signing. While everyone sees quality in him, he was yet to play Serie A! in Brazil. And Serie A is the league where washouts like Hulk become the leading goal scorers. Very likely Luis Suarez will score tons for Gremio. So, having done well in Brazil Serie B does not really mean a whole lot. Oh well, let's hope someone read his potential just right despite the weak opposition.

You are being nice. 🙂 We played like shit against Palace, but luckily they are shit and have been for years, so we found a goal, or rather Kai found a goal for us (it wasn't much of a chance).

the main problem here is that the parents aren't liable for the obvious negligence they are culpable of.

blasphemy! Harry Kane is the more competent diver IMHO 😆

Often the main, and perhaps only, quality of a rich person is the money they have.

Agreed. He's young and has interesting qualities for an attacker. I don't particularly like him when he's employed in the wings and think the best position for him is really center FW even if he's allowed (even encouraged) to move about the pitch. He's 23 and no striker/CF can deliver without the team clicking. It's just not going to happen... he will botch the very few chances he will get and lose confidence as a result joining the rest in their struggle. Yes, someone can make the point that Haaland would likely do more, but those aren't available out there and it's a very difficult position to sign players for. It's time to be calm when analyzing individuals as this is a team sport and we don't currently have one (a team).