Gomis was dubbed the Panther in France, so it most likely is tounge-in-cheek when he does it. If he was nicknamed the Ninja you'd know what to expect, so it's no surprise he embraces his nickname and has a recognisable celebration which sets him apart. Routledge was rightly hooked from the field in my opinion. He didn't do too much wrong, as he quite often kept possession with a simple pass which is okay, but for me, he doesn't do his number 1 job as a winger - and that's take on the man directly in front of him. When Montero is on the pitch, he's constantly attacking his full-back and when he doesn't glide past them, he's winning corners, attacking throw-ins and free-kicks - all attacking platforms that we are able to build chances from. Routledge's first thought upon receiving the ball yesterday was, "I need to offload it". He looked for impossible first time passes inside, and mostly played a simple pass backwards to a defensive midfielder or defender. We lost a lot of field position and had countless less attacking set plays as a result of Routledge playing in Montero's absence. Those attacking set-plays not only help pin the opposition deeper, but they also give us a better foothold in the game from a psychological perspective too. We have to find a way to get Routledge as confident and relentless as Montero, and if we can't then we need to find someone who can, as it was clear that we severely missed Montero on the left side today. The formation change was completely forced as a result of Routledge not offering any attacking threat down the left for me.
For those that missed it http://www.timesoccer.com/video/004/17-manchester-city-vs-manchester-united-live-highlights.html
Absalutely! Routledge has got no attributes of a winger anymore, and it was so obvious that he wanted to offload the ball like it was a hot potato, with no thought of attacking their right back, he has got to get his game back, or he will just drop down the pecking order, I would have preferred Dyer to have started on the right, and Ayew on the left, but as it was Monk took him off and made the right call eventually, with Ki coming on for a change to the midfield Diamond, which gave us so much more control of the midfield and supply to our forward line. Routledge has been on the decline for a few seasons now, and needs to regain his form before it's too late, he's not getting any younger, I'm surprised Monk started him over Dyer?........
Routledge played his usual neat, skillful, link up play yesterday and was OK but, was never a threat. What showed up yesterday, more than the attributes he does have, were the ones he doesn't. Shelvey, Cork, Ki, Siggy, Montero and now Ayew, can all cut open a defense with one killer pass also each is a goal threat as they have descent shots. Routledge, unfortunately, doesn't have either and is fast becoming surplus to requirements. Dyer too falls into the category of 'not good enough anymore' and I fear that this is the last season either midfielder will be with us. Any one know how long Barrow's loan deal is? If he's back after Christmas then he starts ahead of both Routledge and Dyer imo. Gorre too is the future and both can do the job Routledge and Dyer can do now, so its time to get them up and running in the first team imo.
Top post BigK - I said yesterday we sorely missed Montero. Routledge is definitely not a classic get-to-the-byline-winger but does score the occasional goal. If Montero can add that to his game his value would skyrocket. I also think Barrow is worth persevering with, Stumpy. He always has a real go at defenders and even when it doesn't come off keeps going. I like him.
There are some very wicked people on this forum. Hilarious stuff. The very best of 606,gentle piss taking. No rough diamonds here,only real gems. Thanks Louis. This one could run longer than "The Mousetrap".
A good read on how well Ayew played by epl index. Stats Ayew obviously got his goal and his assist, but he showed his fantastic defensive work rate throughout the game. He made 10 ball recoveries including six in his own half with three of them coming in his defensive third. He won two of his four attempted tackles as well as an interception. He completed 23 of his 32 attempted passes and created three chances. Tactical Impact Ayew’s positioning in the match was a very important point. He started the match in his normal wide right position. The way Swansea have been setting up this year has been with Ayew on the right and a more traditional winger on the left. The winger on the left providing width allows the Ghanaian to tuck inside and at times get along side striker Bafetimbi Gomis. After going 1-0 down in the second half, Gary Monk made a change to the team. He subbed Wayne Routledge off for Ki Sung Young and changed the formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-1-2. Ki went into the midfield three with Shelvey and Jack Cork, while Ayew was told to go up as a second striker next to Gomis. The change worked like magic. After making the sub in the 58th minute being 1-0 down, the Swans were 2-1 up by the 66th minute with both goals involving Ayew. In his post-match interview, Monk cited the switch as a turning point in the match. Flashpoint While the first Swansea goal was important, the second was the knockout punch. After conceding only five minutes earlier, United were on their heels and Swansea pounced. The move started in Swansea’s defensive third where Ki picked up the ball. He played a square ball to Jonjo Shelvey who played a beautiful line splitting pass to Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Icelandic international laid it off to Ayew, who had pulled off to the right. Ayew then played one of the passes if the season so far. He hit the ball with the outside of his foot to bend the pass around Chris Smalling. This allowed Gomis to run off of Daley Blind, latch onto the ball, and slot under Sergio Romero to give Swansea a deserved 2-1 lead. Andre Ayew has already made his mark on the Premier League. The former African Footballer of the Year has so far lived up to his billing. With three goals in four games, he has been vital to Swansea’s good start and will attempt help lead them up the table this season.
