tornandfrayed
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2010
- Messages
- 502
I'd love to see you sit down with Pep and explain all this to him. I'm sure he'd be very grateful for your insight - once he'd stopped laughing that is.Hopefully you will.
I will gladly be proved wrong but at the moment he is part of the bigger problem...its not down to effort on his part that much is obvious. But he aint a ball carrying midfielder, he aint strong enough to be the number 6 (press resistent he is o but physically going into challenges he is weak - there is no hiding from this). once the play is past him he cannt get back...I watched him struggle week in week out in this element.
he is great in small spaces but one out of them he isnt creative at present, has limited goal threat (he gets in positions Ill give him that) but often he also gets in the way.
one big problem is he is too easily turned midfield.....He needs to learn the dark arts thats for sure - ths is where we are seeing oppostiion players get a free run at our centre havles...
positionally he is obviously doing what he is told but often he seems way off defensively and gives the wide forward way to much space.
As a fullback he is too slow when players go outside him....he also doesnt close down quick enough (though that seems to be a problem right the way through the team at present as Gvardiol is also very guilty of this along with others).
his passing is good and movement off the ball into space is decent (bit slow at times but thats the whole team again at present and I dont think that is necessarily down to him).
His awareness on crosses aint great..the goal vs Everton is one example..he should be expecting that to come to him, I know Akanji also misses it but he should be ready and he is nowhere near the guy that puts it in eventually. (Kyle walker is historcally bad at this for both us and England).