Found another positive from last night the new HD screens are brilliant, they even showed the Olympics up until kick-off and Mo Farah run at half-time.
Maybe I'm on my own here, but I actually think Rodriguez has looked decent on the wing. He has the pace, skill and finishing to work as a wide forward and can play a bit too when he needs to. He's not the problem. Lallana has picked up some bad habits playing on the wing, drifting out of games. I do hope that he doesn't do that when it matters. I was surprised we didn't take him off at half time and replace him with Davis or Chaplow who offer less flair, but wouldn't let the game pass them by. Lallana can play that role and if he gets the message that he can't afford to go missing, I think he can be very good at it.
I wonder if Lallana has become complacent as one of the best players in our team...perhaps he needs to up his game and achieve his full potential. This coming season could be the time to do it.
Would be good if he does play to his potential. Clyne has looked excellent so far and could prove to be one of our best buys.
This is going to be slightly controversial, but I don't think Lallana was that brilliant last season. He started off great, but in the middle lost his form and gained it back towards the end. He used to be the focal point of our attack, a lot of our goals were set up by him or even scored by him. Under our new formation our full backs tend to be the ones crossing the balls in with Lambert on the end of them, so it's not really his fault but he still can be better than he currently is if he's played to his strengths.
Lallana started very well - goals and assists aplenty, but as the season progress he did not and, to be fair, could not sustain that level. After Christmas - by far our best midfielder was Spiderman; I actually believe he will be better than Lallana in the EPL.
Lallana was scoring because he found himself in behind a lot. If someone is getting in those positions, I'd rather it were Rodriguez who is more likely to convert the chances. Lallana's strengths are finding space, close control and linking up with others. He also has 2 good feet, so the illusive "3rd man" role should suit him. He's well capable of doing it, but he does need a bit of time in the role to realise what he can and can't do and that he'll have to stay alert all the time. Can we afford to give it time, but can we equally afford not to give it time?
