I haven't looked thro' all the posts but am I the only one who thought Aluko had a very poor game, his penalty miss apart, and is probably getting worse every game?
Your not alone. I thought as soon as Sagbo and Aluko went off we played a lot better . I was gonna post something similar but probably get told to f off or something.
I wouldn't say poor - but he does look like he's trying to make up for lost time, and in the process trying too many fancy things/trying to take a whole team on and getting caught in possession, rather than concentrating on just getting back to doing the basics for now. He needs to work off the rust, get match sharp - then the tricks will start to come off again.
I didnt get playing Aluko up front and Sagbo wide. If Aluko is going to get in the first team again its surely as a wide man, no way is Brucey going to drop Jelavic or Long. This was a game to get him back into playing out wide.
It doesn't help Sagbo's performance either to play him out wide ,he needs to be central to show his worth .Let Aluko play wide if he is in the line up and let Fryatt do the channel running with Sagbo a nuisance for the central defender. I think from the bench is the best for Aluko at present.Boyd is quite capable of putting in a shift out wide left.
Yep and Sagbo looks totally ineffective out wide whereas up front he holds it up quite well. In the first half yesterday we really struggled to hold onto the ball high up the pitch. Aluko just kept falling over and Sagbo was too deep and wide to help us keep the ball up there. It seemed to be crying out for those two to be swapped. Brucie obviously knows something we don't but god knows what it is.
He wasn't great on Sunday. His problem is he isn't getting enough minutes to get his match sharpness back.
I understand why some people might be knocking Aluko, but I think you're being harsh. His ability to turn defenders and leave them floundering with his trickery draws other defenders out of position and creates space for others. It also draws fouls, as with his penalty win (even though he ****ed up from the spot kick). He needs time to get back to his best, but I'm sure he will. He could make hay on the vast expanses of Wembley
On current form I'd say Boyd is our most effective LW in a 4-4-2. He covers a huge amount of ground and like Elmo on RW he's willing to run at and beat his defender and get crosses in from the byline as we saw several times on Sunday. When Bruce scouted Sagbo in France he apparently played deep at LW and looked good....hence why he keeps sticking him out there. I think he's much more effective as a hold-up man up front and he has excellent ball control skills. Aluko is better coming in from a deep position so LW is better for him but I'd still start Boyd and bring Aluko on as sub until he's back to his best. He just looks short on confidence right now. On a different subject I thought Figueroa had his best game in quite a while. Surprising I thought he'd be tired after turning out for Honduras in mid-week. Also Meyler should be pushing Jake for that second CMF spot after Sunday's performance.
I agree with this. We see it time and time again when players come back from a long injury. Maybe he is still playing through some discomfort too (Like Brady did). I don't think he was that poor, some flashes of what he can do. Hopefully he will be up to speed in a few weeks once we start getting down to the run in and need someone like him. Hopefully we will be well safe by then.
Yes I agree. I thought Boyd was excellent when he came on he helped to change the game for us, it started to flow with purpose instead of being held up when Aluko got it.
Bruce never plays Aluko out wide, and hasn't since the day he arrived. He absolutely loves Sone, and I think he sees playing him wide a bit of a waste. I think it's clear as day that Aluko isn't especially sharp at the minute, which is natural for someone who has been injured a while.
I think he's just trying too hard at the moment, he should just keep it simple until he's match sharp again.
agreed, he got a rebound from a corner (I think) and tried to beat 4 men twice on the edge if the Sunlan box, got caught and they broke away. He's a massively talented lad but needs to ease himself back in when it comes to his tricks/skills.
We can all see Aluko's quality and as you say he is not at his best (no where near) and we are still prepared to "give him a break" but he has been overplaying his talent and not been effective as a team player. Starting him at less than his best is a risk and it is likely to be more productive and beneficial to bring him on as an impact player to give him the time to get up to speed and to utilise his talents to their best potential.With 3 or 4 more appearances under his belt we yet see him strut his stuff at Wembley.
I thought he was decent in the first half. He just looked knackered in the second and needed to be subbed.
