Furlong looked decent Leif and Philogene partnership looked like it might just be starting to click Same goes for matusiwa and Jens, altho i was impressed with Nuñez Much much better, as expected, it was gonna take a bit of time and we may still have the odd dodgy game for a few weeks but eventually it will click permanently!!
Now that's more like it! Jaden and Leif on fire down the left, Greaves seeing any patch of grass in front of him and striding forward into the space created by our two left players. Akpom was all over the place in the first half and Furlong looks like the kind of RB we've been looking for. Matusiwa was really good, his tackling skills are excellent, and Cajuste had some classy moments. Really liked the contribution from the subs, they brought new energy and kept the intensity up. Nunez looks class, Azon is a handful and Walle Egeli wasn't overawed. Definitely some players that will get left behind now, Johnson, Harry Clarke and Taylor won't be seeing many minutes this season unless injuries or suspension come into play. This was a good step in the right direction. There was an identity emerging and some well connected play at times. This squad is an upgrade on the previous one, and if this group get into stride as well as the promotion lads did, then we'll be absolutely fine. Sheffield weren't terrible, they have some great players and made some good build up play but it just never fell for them and they got drained as we racked up the goals. Just one game, but a good one to watch, hopefully more like that to follow.
Credit where credit is deserved, I thought that was about as dominating a Town performance I’ve seen since the League One promotion campaign. A bit of a nervy, slow start from us which a better team might have taken advantage of and maximised their chances. However, Sheffield United couldn’t do that and we ran away with the game. Philogene has looked like he’s got a performance like that in him from the early games - possibly our best attacking player so far this season before the match. He really stepped up here with some brilliant strikes. Hutchinson-esque! Defence was mostly solid with Furlong in particular looking impressive and Davis finally getting free to ping in crosses. Midfield base grew into the game and Nunez came off the bench and showed some good touches. Glad Jack Clarke got another goal for confidence. Hirst had a good game too and took his goal well (although shocking goalkeeping). Egeli and Azon looked promising off the bench too. Great performance, with signs and scope for improvement against the better teams, and an emphatic result. If we can cut out the slow start and minor mistakes and be this lethal going forwards, then promotion is ours to lose.
Lets not forget that was our 2nd win this year! I for one am full of admiration what KM has managed to do with virtually a new squad in such a short time. One bright feature is to see so many internationals on the pitch. A truly multi-racial team. The joy & togetherness of the players we have not seen for months. We are enjoying our footie again.
Decent performance & fantastic result. Hopefully, the experiment playing Leif as an inverted full back is over. Looked some much better and happier in his traditional role of running up and down the touchline. As debuts go, Furlong’s couldn’t have been much better. I know the strength of the opposition but he seemed to do everything simply and well. Matusiwa just gets better with every game - looks a superb signing. Have to eat a bit (or a lot) of humble pie. I haven’t rated Philogene since he joined but he was fantastic last night. Looks threatening every time he got the ball. On a different but not unrelated issue, what has happened to Ben Godfrey? I remember him as a decent defender - he was awful for us against spurs last season and equally again last night. With the comfortable lead, nice to get some more minutes into the new signings - very happy trip home last night