So impressed with Garcia and Harwood-Bellis. They didn't have a huge amount of defending to do but they competed really well. Garcia was caught out a little on the odd occasion which he should learn from, but they both looked so comfortable and composed on the ball. Some of Garcia's passing to break the lines was fantastic and both showed a great deal of bravery to carry the ball forward in the right moments.
It's been a really good week for Angeliño after that terrible pre-season. It made sense to give Mendy some more minutes but Angeliño contributed loads of great crosses and was unfortunate to be taken off.
The match seemed to bypass Foden a fair bit and he had a mixed game. A few wonderfully weighted passes and bits of neat footwork that show he clearly belongs at this level but he didn't always make the right decisions. You'd forgive him a bit of rustiness given his recent illness and general lack of game time though. He'll learn plenty from games like that.
Liked Cancelo. Looks like it might take a while yet before he's on quite on the same wavelength as his team-mates but some of his forward play was really inventive and i thought he was surprisingly tenacious in the tackle given what i'd heard about his defensive abilities. I'd have no worries about rotating him and Walker from now on, with Cancelo given starts in the more straightforward-looking fixtures while he continues to bed in.
Every time Bernabé features in the first team he looks the part. I'm not sure what his best position really is or what his pathway would be exactly, but when he's given opportunities it feels like he always does one or two really impressive things that leave a mark, which is not something i feel i could say about Poveda or most other youngsters that have been thrown into these kind of games over the years. Definitely worth another look in the next round.
What a really positive night!
It's been a really good week for Angeliño after that terrible pre-season. It made sense to give Mendy some more minutes but Angeliño contributed loads of great crosses and was unfortunate to be taken off.
The match seemed to bypass Foden a fair bit and he had a mixed game. A few wonderfully weighted passes and bits of neat footwork that show he clearly belongs at this level but he didn't always make the right decisions. You'd forgive him a bit of rustiness given his recent illness and general lack of game time though. He'll learn plenty from games like that.
Liked Cancelo. Looks like it might take a while yet before he's on quite on the same wavelength as his team-mates but some of his forward play was really inventive and i thought he was surprisingly tenacious in the tackle given what i'd heard about his defensive abilities. I'd have no worries about rotating him and Walker from now on, with Cancelo given starts in the more straightforward-looking fixtures while he continues to bed in.
Every time Bernabé features in the first team he looks the part. I'm not sure what his best position really is or what his pathway would be exactly, but when he's given opportunities it feels like he always does one or two really impressive things that leave a mark, which is not something i feel i could say about Poveda or most other youngsters that have been thrown into these kind of games over the years. Definitely worth another look in the next round.
What a really positive night!