Pre the Spurs game, Puncheon was comfortably my player of the season so far. But yes, as I say, he did have a shocker in that one.
Every time I've been to St Mary's this season (United, Villa, Fulham games) I have been constantly impressed with Puncheon and constantly displeased that he got taken off.
I think all of our main attackers have been pretty good (including Puncheon). The problem lies within the back five where individuals keep making simple mistakes.
Been to 7 of the 9 games that we have played thus far this season and imo Puncheon has played well in most of them, and i have been really surprised when he has been subbed a couple of times just when he + the team were playing well and putting pressure on the opposition. He has linked up very well with Clyne in a couple of games. Agree that the Spurs hame wasnt his best and we were much better when Mayuka came on - but most of the team had a bad one that day so unfair to single out Punch. He wont perform well in every game as not even the elite players do that, but he has been a pleasant surprise to me and quite a few others so far - he has even had some standing ovations when leaving the pitch !
I agree, he was impressive at first but has gone off the boil a bit. Maybe he's getting too sure of his place, time to get him training with the kids again
I think Puncheon might become the new Guly! Personally I'm fairly mixed on him. I'm very glad he has come back in from the cold, and to use the old cliche 'is like a whole new signing', but I just don't feel he offers enough a lot of the time. All the key qualities of a winger, first touch, dribbling and crossing are very inconsitent in him and too often (To use a great quote from Gary Neville I heard him use to describe Ryan Babel) he looks like he is arguing with the ball. I've said it a million times but his left-footedness just makes him so easy to read from a defender's point of view, he constantly wants to be cutting inside and the defender knows that. Whenever a game is closed off and tight he just never seems like doing anything, there's no guile or creativity or skill or pace to open up the opposition most of the time, just a few jinks backwards and forwards and then back to the full-back. And when the game is open he is too often indecisive, there was one key moment for me which no-one really picked up on in the West Ham game, where in the first half we'd actually managed to catch West Ham on the break for probably the only time in the game, we outnumbered them 5 on 3 'Red Arrows' style just inside their half, Puncheon found the ball at his feet with several options that would split West Ham in two and bar a howler give us the lead, and he got the ball trapped under his feet whilst staring downwards, dribbled a few metres and then lost it, just sums a lot of his play up for me. When Mayuka came on against Spurs he showed the exact opposite, real desire and direct play, every time the ball hit his feet he was flying and trying to create something, no thought, no nonsense, just BANG, and he's off, which is why I now would without doubt take him over Puncheon. I think he's had a decent season with a few good moments and games, but I think the fact that he has come back from being an outcast and considered a liability who we should get rid and get any money we can for, has lead to some people overrating him and his contributions somewhat. I think in the United and Villa games he was good, against Fulham he had a strong defensive display and bailed out Yoshida a lot but going forward was poor, and in all his over games he has provided almost nothing.
Puncheon is the original Guly before Guly even appeared, and there is always the potential with him that he could become the new Guly too...
Yeah I'd go along with most of that, Mikey. As I said a couple of weeks ago he always hangs onto the ball a little bit too long; compared with the quick passing by our other midfielders he looks quite out of place and often seems to spoil counter-attacks because of this tendency.
No wonder we are always on TV, theres been one goal in the 3pm Prem kick-offs, we'd have treble that already......& probably not at the right end!
Blimey we will have our own Punch n Guly show with neither producing more than effort if we aren't too careful. When we bought Mayuka we were told that he is a speedy winger who can score so why haven't we seen more of him?
Before the Leeds game, and Ramirez's return from injury, I was expecting to finally see Mayuka start from the off against WBA. His sub performance vs Spurs really impressed me. But I now wonder if that Leeds game has done him more harm than good, in terms of starting on Monday, even if ultimately that performance was hardly his fault. And if Ramirez is fit enough to start, then I can't see how we could fit Mayuka into the starting XI too.
It is an interesting debate, however, clearly we have options in attack. Personally, I think Mayuka is a player who can change a game and I am surprised he is yet to start a league game. It would be good to see him on the right wing role in place of Punch I think for this one.
I've thought Mayuka should be on the teamsheet from the second he arrived at the club, his limited performances off the bench particularly against Villa and Spurs have done nothing but strengthen that belief. He's direct, lightning fast, shifty and a good finisher. That we all knew before he got here, but against Spurs he produced a few moments that really impressed me chiefly when he delivered a peach of a near post cross to Lambert, and then tracked back and tracked back at a full spring and tackled Bale brilliantly. Two things that I wasn't aware were in his locker, and they might have been one-offs, but they're good signs considering I would assume the two mains things stopping him from starting out wide for us would be lack of crossing or defensive ability since he is obviously a converted striker rather than an out-and-out wideman.