I don't follow pre season anymore, as in watching games etc but even without watching a second, you know from the line up that our passing and creativity would be extremely poor for the level we want to reach, someone has to step up to the plate this season and be our central creative midfielder. All the top teams have someone who can keep the ball, pass it and start moves, so if AVB isn't happy with any of our current options (yes that includes you Tom, I have tried to back you, but it seems you will have to show more patience).......Its obviously great we have a physically strong midfield and tons of pace yet what is being done about the creativity?
So happy to see Daws leading the team out, and then Kaboul and Sandro back, fantastic. I feel wayyyyy better about the season now.
A very strong, combative team but not pretty on the eye. Sadly that old chestnut creativity is missing. Being Bale less next season could mean doors will be shut regularly next season. Still not convinced Dembele offers much for 15 million , Siggy at best a reserve. Lennon is more miss than hit. Rose , Naughton look Championship players. Please , Please add some flair.
I certainly think Dembele needs to step up his game a little more. Last season he looked good, but seemed to be held back by fitness/injury issues. We need more goals and/or assists from him. As SF has said we're looking short on creativity. When Bale plays, that's not so important, because he can often find a goal or an assist to make the difference. If Siggy is to be a regular, he has to do a lot of that. He won't match Bale of course, but he has to do more. Just as important as extra creativity is stopping goals from set pieces, it's embarrassing how many we concede. My mind goes back to Wigan away, we soooooo needed 3 points, we get a dream start. Then, bollocks, we concede from a corner, and our CL dream dies a little more.
Am I the only one who thought dembele looked good? Leaner and sharper than last year, still impossible to get off the ball, had 3 (admittedly fairly tame) attempts at goal. When he first signed I struggled watching him (frustrating/stressful) but I get him now. Does a surprising amount defensively and is usually 2nd on the ball after we re-gain possession
This was his 4th game in 4 days. He played at Cambridge on Wednesday, he played in the training ground game against Enfield on Thursday, he played in the under 21 match on Friday and he got minutes for the first team yesterday.
The coaching staff seem to rate him pretty highly. Wonder if he'll go out on loan this season or maybe even end up as back-up to Walker, if Naughton leaves?
Totally. Thought he was excellent. I think people have expectations of dembele which aren't natural to his game, just because he came in to "replace" modric and VDV. He's not a creative player. He's a ball winner and a possession retainer, with a bit of class about him. But he doesn't create much and never has. He's more like Sandro if anything! Danny Rose is too much of a risk at LB. I don't know what Sunderland fans see in him. He's good enough cover, but if Benny is being forced out, we need a new LB. Although the midfield looked good in certain ways, without bale we were "toothless". We need another creative player, even if he stays. If he goes we're going to need more than 1. Otherwise Tom Carroll needs up be let loose. The club need to decide soon though, or we're going to find ourselves having the same creative problems. Sig is also going to have to do a lot more if he's taking that role he played yesterday. Technically that's Bale's Role isn't it? Well, we need much more than sig offered.
Am I alone in thinking Siggy looked pretty good yesterday. I like him as backup/rotation with Bale/New Player?
Sigurdsson's decision making was a little off but he was fouled so many times that the opposition would've been in serious trouble in a competitive game. The foul given against him by Marriner when he was sandwiched was pretty hard to believe, too.
He was certainly better than beginning if last year and I saw a side to his game I hadn't really seen before, but lots didn't come off. Sometimes it just doesn't though
Sig always puts a shift in and he's much more settled now. But I am comparing him to bale in that position. He just doesn't offer enough, IMO. Ask yourselves, if bale goes, would you be comfortable with Sig taking over? - That's why i might seem harsh on him.
And that's just it - the decision making. He's not quick enough in the ideas he wants to execute, meaning we can't catch the opposition out at the right time. He doesn't get himself in the spaces that the likes of VDV, Modric and even Tom Carroll do.
Rodgers as much as I think he's a twat , was right when he said siggy wasn't worth the extra wages and pulled out of the deal, plus Rodgers knew the player from Swansea.
Mmm, I saw a few different things. No goals or hardly any real clear cut chances in open play, both keepers kits looked fairly clean at the end. After a bright start, I thought we gave the ball away too much when it got to the final third with misplaced passes. A lot of good work by Soldado, working the channels, sadly no-one capable of giving him that service. I found Dembele frustrating at times, jinking clear and turning into space, then going sideways. If only he'd drive forward more, the players he's just escaped from are out of the game, he then has the rest of his opponents in front of him on their toes and thinking about back-pedalling, and this is what our forwards want, defences on the turn going back toward their own goal...anyone think his shooting has improved? Some harsh comments on Rose, ok he had a couple of lapses, name one player that didn't! he was credited in commentary with some excellent pieces of defending, shepherding players where he wanted away from danger. He got forward well and whipped in some decent crosses that weren't attacked, I recall a peach of a deep one 2nd half dropping into massive space on the 6yd line (sound familiar!), had Bale done it everyone would be clapping. The last hour looked like the majority of games last year, where teams parked their bus and we just faff around in the build up till we get to this invisible moat around 18yd box! Different names, same end product. I'm not sure I share the same level of optimism here yet, I can't get rid of the notion that we saw a lot of posters wanted, 3/4 signings without Bale. With all respect Espanyol aren't exactly La Liga's best, much work to do from where I'm sitting. Friendly excuses aside, just saying how i perceived elements of the game, regardless of its importance.
fans still remember the dembele from one half half against utd away but he's never going to consistently be that player, so it's a case of allowing his inconsistent spells to be ignored with the hope he produces a great display, as he's clearly first choice and won't be dropped even if he under performs. dembele has to put together a run of 5-10 games where he's on top form to start shaking off the inconsistent tag, yet as notso mentions, he's scared to push forward which restricts us as a team, unless he just gives the ball to Bale.
