ajax lookin really good shoud be a good test next week. celtic keeper made one or two howlers think saints were in for Foster not so long ago maybe good that weve got gazza (sorry godders)instead
Cove, while you're here, want to give us some Dutch insight on Jeremain Lens, who we've been strongly linked with these last few days?
Sure, very versatile player. Can play on the right flank, can throw in a decent cross but don't expect too much from it. Great striker or CF. Very fast and agile player. Give him space in the box and he can be very lethal. Very big and strong guy, great stamina and endurance. He's not the game changing type and he needs games to get in form. If he is benched and subsititued from time to time he's ****, seen that happen in the 2010-2011 season. Mentally he is a bit weak. When behind he is not the guy who can take a team to new heights and turn around a defeat. He has shown some temper last season and he can be complacent. But overall he is a great striker and if you can get him, you should. Price tag estimate: 6-7,5 million pounds
Great, thanks for your input I think the general impression us Saints fans have picked up is that we're getting him as a right winger, do you not think he's as effective there?
No, he can play on that position, but he is a natural striker. If you put him on the RW position he's more the Robben type. He makes a move to get into the box and shoots on target rather then chosing to head to the corner flag and throw in a cross from there. Like i said, his crossing on par level, nothing extraordinary. He is someone who can play on the counter attack. Within that tactic he can play perfectly on RW position because he is really fast. But he is more like a Sturridge type of player.
I think a lot of abuse needs to be directed at the celtic board if we do better against ajax. re: the Hooper tiny club comments
Duly noted. I'm in the mood to dish out a bit of barbed over-their-heads mickey taking. I'll see if I can prolong it to last a week.
We must remember that Anderlecht (admittedly ahead of us in preseason) gave us problems, so we can expect Ajax to be a huge test. However, there is no point in playing teams that you can roll over. The next few games will allow NA to try some different formations, though the team that starts against Ajax will presumably be the players he sees as the first team. Puncheon in the interview on Player said that this season we will be trying more different formations than we have previously.
Ajax still misses half of his squad though, Theo Janssen, Christian Eriksen, Van der Wiel, Boerrigter, Vermeer are still not in the team. Celtic played against a youth squad combined with some first team players, i expect the same will happen against Southampton.
These first 11 players are still on vacation and are to return to the squad this week. It will take at least one or two weeks for them to get them in shape. Frank de Boer will field half a youth team again against the saints, he is not going to risk any injuries with the Johan Cruijff trophy match coming up against PSV Eindhoven.
