“I thought his tackles for us were usually exquisitely timed btw, often fully committed but rarely dirty”. I think, in his early days, his timing and judgement was quite poor and he picked up a few cards, but over time he seemed to think more about when to stand off and when to tackle. Certainly, as you say, his timing was pretty much spot on, by the time he left us. I think, like the best defensive midfielders, he read the game so well that he didn’t need to make too many tackles, as he would often get to the ball before it reached it’s intended target.
Morgan made 228 first team appearances for us, but has made less than 100 in total for Man Utd and Everton. Neither has he been selected for France since 2014. That tells a massive story to me. He’s now 28, and in what should be the peak of his career as a DM, but his decision to go for glory at Man Utd was his downfall.
So, my unpopular opinions: 1. Long’s best role is a sub after we’re already a couple of goals up. That way he can keep the opposition occupied, and his goal drought wouldn’t be such an issue. 2. Transfer rumours gossip is often about new strikers, but if funds are limited I’d rather keep Gabi and Carrillo and reinforce defence.
