robsblubot

Regarding Alonso, isn't it a bit obvious that *several* managers see something in his game that folks here may not be seeing? Myself, and a few others here, do as well, even if I'm not crazy when he's playing LB.

Good game so far. We are slowing down play and keeping possession nicely. Just need to take care of the sloppiness at the back - sometimes you do have to kick it upfield. Atletico will come back with more intent, so need to get more focused. Maybe we can find that elusive final pass in the second half.

You are absolutely right. Besides, we've had 60+ trump lawsuits all tossed immediately for the complete lack of any evidence. Many of these judges are conservatives and appointed by trump himself! You hear the most absurd and stupid things as "evidence" from these people, like based on projections (from a different election with a diff turnout) or based on rally sizes! They recounted Georgia votes 3 times--manually too! To Mitt Romney's point, nothing will convince these fanatics. BTW, didn't Georgia senate vote just show that the results align? Nothing will convince them.

This was all so very surprising........... NOT! I wonder someone scrolling back a few pages might think that some of us were exaggerating. The thing is, I've seen it before and trump is very much an authoritarian 3rd world president and they all try to do similar things. The goal is to desperately cling to power - no matter what. Silver lining is Georgia senate double win, which reestablishes some representation for the vast majority of the population, which is democrat. Now I wonder what his next move is, because he definitely needs a pardon for himself (you know being the criminal he is) and a self-pardon is questionable. So, resigning and getting one from Pence makes sense esp with dems taking the senate. He will still be fucked by state lawsuits, but much more manageable.

I'm not dismissing the criticism on werner as he's been very poor lately, but again, it's his first season in the PL and he's not the finished product. Even his first touch has been better... he just seems a bit off atm imo. Way too soon to give up on him.

Heh fair enough, but that’s a problem of the system, not the player. abraham is also not that great in the air, which would make giroud our only option in that system. a lot of top teams (most of them including City) play with mobile CFs just like Werner.

@OneMoSalah Giroud was signed as a competent sub, which is exactly his role in the squad - doing very well at that. Abraham is clearly not good enough at this level - every top club in the PL have better options there (some WAY better). That leaves Werner who is the prospect, in his first season in the PL strangely playing most games as a winger. If Werner isn't it, then fine, we will go find someone else, but it's silly not to give him a fair shot as a striker. If he's in a bad patch, sit him and play either Giroud or Tammy, it's OK, but then only play him centralized. Odoi can cover the wings, and so can mount. Players do what they train to do in both practice sessions and games. In my experience, moving players around in different positions always has a cost. Some players are naturally more versatile than others, but it's never too easy to change things up esp in a game like football where much of it comes from intuition.

The danger here is that he enjoys a free role at villa, which no player has in a top club. We already have a problem of too much of a good thing, and Grealish would just add to that.

I know... just a jest and a bit of personal preference in terms of characteristics: think KDB is the rarer commodity. Belgium will suffer when he's gone. Big fooballing countries go decades without that type of player.

Match(sic) against city showcased all my concerns with Zouma's passing. He's a good defender, but the game nowadays demands a bit more than that in a CB. I don't feel as strongly as I once did that the others in the squad should be playing instead of him, but an upgrade here would help us reach the next level esp against strongest opposition. Thinking someone like Soyuncu depending how well he recovers from his injury (though he's young enough for that).

just sold the wrong Belgian at the time - honest mistake.

Some responsibility lies with the manager. Even though Werner was supposed to play striker today against city, he played very much like he always plays: as a winger but more central. did not make enough runs to catch crosses and passes. Players don’t do what they are told, but what they are used to doing in practice and games.

not inflation-adjusted though. He did not spend that much in today's market esp considering we did not spend in the previous summer window. We also went for younger players with lots of potential. That's what most on here wanted.

that's what've been saying! Give Alonso the #9 and it's all good!

heheh fair enough, but like I said, just a silver lining as he was't even doing that in the past few games. That's the thing with young(er) players tho. We seem to be forgetting what we asked not long ago.

Those final 20 minutes or so were perfect for Giroud... :/ The officiating was atrocious today; he also let Villa run down the clock at their own leisure... One silver lining to me was Kai's performance today. While not world beating level, it was vastly improved from his recent appearances.

their stat output isn't that similar actually, esp the one that bothers me the most about Abraham: unsuccessful touches: 2.95 – 1.43 from https://www.football365.com/news/comparing-giroud-abraham-stats-chelsea-lampard Another thing not mentioned is the difference in body mass: while they are roughly the same height, Giroud adds 10kg as the far more powerful player. The stat dump above does not go into the importance of each goal, but I feel Giroud leads there too (against who and at which point in the game). The thing is that the player @Killer describes above is not good enough to lead the line for Chelsea, and yet Abraham starts all the time. On the other hand, Giroud is playing the exact same role he was signed for: a strong sub. So, I don't think Abraham is unfairly judged, but rather he's been overexposed by his current role in the team. At this point, I'm also not sure all the trust the club, and manager, are putting in Abraham is warranted. Now, if he were to accept a smaller role, rotation/backup, then maybe, given that he improves his heading (as @killer said above), he might become a good and useful player.

Insipid performance made the game very very easy for arsenal. big fan of Reece but what a fucking stupid penalty to give.

Speaking of which, aside from the endgame tap-in, when the game was already lost, Abraham was very poor against Arsenal. Tbf several players were below their usual selves, but just worried about abrahams pattern against tougher opposition.

I think both are valid excuses: out of position and new to the league esp the latter as he gets less time on the ball and time to adjust before he can apply the finish. Running a diagonal from the wing (plus some defensive tasks) is VERY different from staying positioned in the center of the pitch. Winger is a far more tasking position that involves far more energy and dedication than a positioned, or even a false 9, striker.

I wouldn't downplay werner's ability to often get himself into the right positions (behind the opposition's defense line), creating open chances for him and his teammates. This will be very important in big games where his energy, pace, and skill can help us unlock tight defenses. Besides, it is his first season in the PL, isn't it? Hardly fair to compare him to players who were either born in the PL, or have played forever in it.

Agreed, but it's not like he can't get into the right places to score. His finishing is just lacking atm and I also think that his current role in the team won't help his confidence either.

Would Laporte be available, maybe? He sat on the bench for Ake (no more than a decent player for me), so I'm wondering if Guardiola could let him go for the right amount of money. This guy has the potential to replace Silva, imo. No he hasn't reached that level yet, but he won't be available once, and if, he does.

Been watching my hometown team (Gremio) play libertadores and there is a 22-year old player catching the eyes of everybody. Brazil legend tostao wrote an article praising him and asking Tite to not only call him up, but also make him the center of the team. (Matheus Henrique and Pepe are also good young players from Gremio). https://www.transfermarkt.us/jean-pyerre/profil/spieler/351903 He's been a little too injury-prone for my taste and missed last game against santos-Gremio tied 1x1 at home which makes them now the underdog (they have the deeper squad but santos were the better side). The return leg will be mid next week in Santos (1h from sao paulo). Jean Pyerre is expected to play. Characteristics wise, he reminds me of Pogba in the way he moves, but he's way more creative, more like KDB now. Scores quite a bit from afar too - really good with freekicks. Bunch of youtube videos if you are interested. Anyway... one to keep an eye on.

hmm his injuries are totally tied to fitness... muscle injuries (hamstring esp) are less likely to happen with fitter athletes. Hamstring is notoriously known as the "coming back" injury. Isn't the simplest explanation the most likely one? He just isn’t there with the greats-never was and never will be. He's just not built that way. if you can get a full translation, this is a pretty good read from Arthur who was at barca and now is at Juve (in BR portuguese): https://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/futebol-internacional/noticia/da-influencia-de-pirlo-na-juventus-a-saida-do-barcelona-arthur-abre-jogo-sobre-nova-fase-da-carreira.ghtml Having played with both CR and Messi, Arthur opens up about what he saw in them: "Realmente, agora convivendo com os dois, eu entendo o sucesso, a mentalidade que esses caras têm é algo incrível. Não se contentam com pouco. Sempre querem mais, fazem o segundo e querem o terceiro. A cabeça dos dois é a maior virtude deles. O pensamento, a força mental deles é incrível." Roughly translated, "really, now having spent time with both, I understand their success. Their mentality is something else. it's never enough for them and they always want more: if they score 2 they'll want the third. Their head is what makes them special; the strong mentality, their determination, is just incredible and their main virtue."