82 | Rico Lewis - 2024/25

[WallyA]

What do you not get about causing us to concede a needless goal?

What do you not get about the WHOLE TEAM caused us to concede that goal.

If your gonna say giviing a corner away is enough to blame someone for us conceding a goal, then you can go back so many more steps and make nonsense claims for other players.

 

[mattcity5]

The matter that should be debated is whether it’s prudent to keep picking a player on the basis that he’ll “do alright” 95% of the time or if it’s the 5% that the focus should be on. You pick Rico Lewis, you know that at some point he’ll get isolated deep in our half, turn over the ball under pressure and it’ll then end up in our net. You have him in the team, it’s like starting on minus 1. Same goes for Gundogan for different reasons.
It isn’t a hate fest or anything even remotely similar, just an acknowledgment of something that happens nearly every time he plays. Not as bad a footballer as some may make out, but his lack of physicality makes him a consistent liability. I sigh every time I see his name on the team sheet

If this is true, and every time he turns the ball over deep in our half it ends up in our net, then he's not the only player to ask questions of.

 

[Beanhead]

Tell me what Dias, Ake or Nico did well today? They did fuck all also.

Like I already said, I do want us to buy a RB, but blaming Rico for that loss is utter nonsense.

The entire back 5 (barring Khusanov), were woeful in dealing with the corner or transitions.

I’m not blaming him entirely for the loss, but it stemmed from him and his mistake. The others clearly have ability. He does not. Week in week out he offers nothing positive only negative. That is not sustainable. Others are off colour but have moments. He has moments but they are all bad ones.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

One of his better inverted performances today, I thought. His defending still leaves much to be desired, but wasn’t horrible. He has “Gundo disease” and needs curing quickly…when he gets the ball underfoot, he goes head down and tries to swivel and turn his way out of trouble. Much as with Gundo, this only causes him more problems and he loses the ball in bad positions. Row Z is not a failure, it’s a choice…and sometimes the best one to help reset.

 

[WallyA]

I’m not blaming him entirely for the loss, but it stemmed from him and his mistake. The others clearly have ability. He does not. Week in week out he offers nothing positive only negative. That is not sustainable. Others are off colour but have moments. He has moments but they are all bad ones.

Okay, I agree with you a little more on this.

I will say the reason he gets picked is because Pep doesn't think Nunes is good enough as an inverted RB, and Rico is good at keeping things neat and getting things ticking on. He also does win some ground duels and tackles, he is a little fighter.

But when the others look bad (Kova bad pass to Rico against Real), it can make Rico look worse.

He looks better when the system works better, with that said, I still want an upgrade on this position.

 

[Chak19]

One of his better inverted performances today, I thought. His defending still leaves much to be desired, but wasn’t horrible. He has “Gundo disease” and needs curing quickly…when he gets the ball underfoot, he goes head down and tries to swivel and turn his way out of trouble. Much as with Gundo, this only causes him more problems and he loses the ball in bad positions. Row Z is not a failure, it’s a choice…and sometimes the best one to help reset.

"One of his better inverted performances today", that's like being the nicest guy in prison mate.

 

[chris85mcfc]

If we'd bought him from another club, and allowed him to play 100 games for the club, there would be no one in here defending him

People give those coming through the academy a different level of expectation, similar to what they do with Foden, and those getting excited by O Reilly and McAtee

The fact is out academy just doesn't produce players good enough to play at the top level of football

You can even name all those that have moved on, none of them have gone onto a higher level than we are playing at

 

[Beanhead]

Okay, I agree with you a little more on this.

I will say the reason he gets picked is because Pep doesn't think Nunes is good enough as an inverted RB, and Rico is good at keeping things neat and getting things ticking on. He also does win some ground duels and tackles, he is a little fighter.

But when the others look bad (Kova bad pass to Rico against Real), it can make Rico look worse.

He looks better when the system works better, with that said, I still want an upgrade on this position.

Fair enough, I still prefer Nunes in that position and I think our performances have been stronger when he gets the nod.

But yes, we certainly need a RB, our entire possession based high up the pitch play style relied on one of the most athletic footballers of all time to bail us out. That ain’t Rico.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

"One of his better inverted performances today", that's like being the nicest guy in prison mate.

Tough crowd!

I thought he did well in the middle of the park and his distribution was generally good and positive with Savinho on his wing.

I look at Gundo, or even Kova, in the middle and I think he more than held his own against either one today.

 

[WallyA]

Fair enough, I still prefer Nunes in that position and I think our performances have been stronger when he gets the nod.

But yes, we certainly need a RB, our entire possession based high up the pitch play style relied on one of the most athletic footballers of all time to bail us out. That ain’t Rico.

I actually prefer our games when Nunes and Gvardiol bomb down the flanks, and both wingers have freedom to be wide or drift centre.

I think Doku and Savio would have loved that as an option, but Pep stopped doing this for some reason.

 

[Chak19]

Tough crowd!

I thought he did well in the middle of the park and his distribution was generally good and positive with Savinho on his wing.

I look at Gundo, or even Kova, in the middle and I think he more than held his own against either one today.

Meh I thought it was just the usual safe performance, we already have Nico for that job, an inverted FB needs to be creative like Cancelo was and Lewis has absolutely no creativity, but that's on Pep not him for insisting on it when it's obviously not working.

 

[Trojan1962]

He’s become our new pointy man.

 

[lefty goldblatt]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

If he was playing in a rag shirt, we'd be HOWLING WITH LAUGHTER.

I want him to do well, but it's mistake, after mistake, after mistake.

Pep's too loyal to him. He's not a kid anymore.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

If this is true, and every time he turns the ball over deep in our half it ends up in our net, then he's not the only player to ask questions of.

Very obviously it doesn’t happen “every” time, but it is a recurrent problem and, given that its nature is rooted in physicality, rather than say lack of concentration, not one that I can readily see an answer to. You’re right that he’s not the only one with a gaffe in him (Akanji, Gvardiol and Dias have also been repeat offenders this season), but in Lewis’ case, it’s the same flaw manifesting itself (and costing us) again and again. He gets isolated, tries to turn out of trouble, gets the ball caught under his feet and ultimately then finds himself levered out of possession in dangerous areas

 

[bert38]

Very obviously it doesn’t happen “every” time, but it is a recurrent problem and, given that its nature is rooted in physicality, rather than say lack of concentration, not one that I can readily see an answer to. You’re right that he’s not the only one with a gaffe in him (Akanji, Gvardiol and Dias have also been repeat offenders this season), but in Lewis’ case, it’s the same flaw manifesting itself (and costing us) again and again. He gets isolated, tries to turn out of trouble, gets the ball caught under his feet and ultimately then finds himself levered out of possession in dangerous areas

Instead of passing the ball in those situations he puts all of his effort into backing his ass into the opponent…

 

[mattcity5]

Very obviously it doesn’t happen “every” time, but it is a recurrent problem and, given that its nature is rooted in physicality, rather than say lack of concentration, not one that I can readily see an answer to. You’re right that he’s not the only one with a gaffe in him (Akanji, Gvardiol and Dias have also been repeat offenders this season), but in Lewis’ case, it’s the same flaw manifesting itself (and costing us) again and again. He gets isolated, tries to turn out of trouble, gets the ball caught under his feet and ultimately then finds himself levered out of possession in dangerous areas

Not saying it isn't a problem, but I'm guessing in Pep's eyes the issue would be that he shouldn't be getting isolated - where is the support for him?

 

[kunaguero10]

I need to watch the highlights again to get a better view of things, but it's clear as day we won't get back to being a top team with Rico being a regular member of our starting XI

 

[Jonas.shaffer]

Oh so he gave a corner away?

That happens in all games, all the fucking time.

That's not enough to berate a player just cause they give a corner, my god.

Stop giving the other players a pass.

I've literally seen multiple people this season blame a goal we concede on our wingers losing the ball in the opposition half. It's ridiculus.

 

[kippaxchris]

I thought he actually did alright today but even when he does alright he costs us a goal, it's getting embarrassing.

 

[skillman]

Aside from the fuck up on the first goal and his everlasting reluctance to pass forward (but still point at others to do it?!) - I thought he was alright.