21 | Rayan Ait-Nouri - 2025/26

Berti No Show said:
Change your opinion like the weather.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's called not being a brainless rube and adapting to the current situation. If a player has a good game i'll say they were good, if they followed it up by a bad game i'll say they were bad. sorry that this offends you
 
WallyA said:
Was inverted basically the whole game.

Why not let him play wide to his strength?

Doku (and Savinho) clearly showed quality playing in the centre, Pep reverted to our old system.
Click to expand...

The tactical aspects adopted appear to be the cause of a lot of the angst among the forum.

Hard to understand when you know just how innovative Pep is .
 
My only slight concern is that with such an attack minded left back, does that leave our defence even more exposed?
 
Cheadle_hulmeBlue said:
My only slight concern is that with such an attack minded left back, does that leave our defence even more exposed?
Click to expand...
I think it undoubtedly does. Which makes it even more important we sign a really good right back who’s a natural defensively. Tino Livramento please!
 
Cheadle_hulmeBlue said:
My only slight concern is that with such an attack minded left back, does that leave our defence even more exposed?
Click to expand...

Its the system set up and not the player most of the time in our current issues. Look at the high line we play but dont have the CB pace when it goes wrong? That needs to change to be more solid and allow the midfield and forward players to do the damage rather than leaving ourselves wide open when we lose possession.
 
richards30 said:
Its the system set up and not the player most of the time in our current issues. Look at the high line we play but dont have the CB pace when it goes wrong? That needs to change to be more solid and allow the midfield and forward players to do the damage rather than leaving ourselves wide open when we lose possession.
Click to expand...
I guess so. I think we’d need a midfielder to step into the left back area when he attacks further forward.

We seem to get done on the counter attack quite a bit now. With nunes as well, it kind of feels like we have two wingers playing at full back
 
richards30 said:
Its the system set up and not the player most of the time in our current issues. Look at the high line we play but dont have the CB pace when it goes wrong? That needs to change to be more solid and allow the midfield and forward players to do the damage rather than leaving ourselves wide open when we lose possession.
Click to expand...
Are you kidding me?

The first goal scored by Al Hilal is mostly the fault of Ait-Nouri. He screwed up a tackle, his man beat him, he lacked pace to catch up, took a bad angle, and then when he was finally in position to defend, he ends up in the box right next to Gvardiol... a position already covered by our LB... and then fails to charge forward in an attempt to prevent a cross. An unopposed cross into our box ensues, Ederson makes a mistake by parrying the resulting shot on goal centrally - and ultimately a goal is scored.

For the second goal by Al Hilal - 100% on Ait-Nouri.
We're taking a corner kick and rightly so - Gvardiol is in the box. Ait-Nouri is our deepest defender.
The cross comes in, we don't score, and a long ball is hit towards an attacker.

Ait-Nouri is ball-watching - watch replays of this - he's 100% looking at the attacker with the ball. Meanwhile, he's our last man, and someone is sprinting past him.

Ultimately Al Hilal scores a goal.

100% on Ait-Nouri.

Look - I think that Ait-Nouri is a great attacking option - but when played - Pep must recognize that he offers zero at defense. As the last man providing defense when we take a corner kick - he's not fit for purpose.
===
TL/DR
I think that AIt-Nouri is a net benefit to our side - if we play him wide to complement our left-winger and if we don't rely on him for defense.

The first two goals scored by Al Hilal illustrate Ait-Nouri's total lack of suitability when we need our LB to defend.
 
Cheadle_hulmeBlue said:
My only slight concern is that with such an attack minded left back, does that leave our defence even more exposed?
Click to expand...

Yes, which is why we need a right back who can defend and for whoever pairs with Gvardiol to play a damn sight better than Dias has been doing for over a year.

This guy is a fucking fantastic signing but our defence needs to get sorted asap or we're not going to play to his strengths.
 
Tugay One Cup said:
Yes, which is why we need a right back who can defend and for whoever pairs with Gvardiol to play a damn sight better than Dias has been doing for over a year.

This guy is a fucking fantastic signing but our defence needs to get sorted asap or we're not going to play to his strengths.
Click to expand...
I tentatively disagree.

Why?

Because our system is about ball control - high press - win the ball back quickly as our main means of defense.

From what I've seen of Ait-Nouri, he's great attacking on the touchline and when he plays there, he releases Doku to attack centrally which greatly enhances Doku's strengths.

But from what I've seen so far, Ait-Nouri is incapable of providing adequate defensive cover. At all.

Even if we sign a world class RB defender - it may relieve some of the pressure on Ait-Nouri to defend - but as a high press side, win the ball back quickly, there's little slack for defensive weakness And our very high line means that we're in trouble when the ball turns over - if our press fails to win the ball - or at the very least delay the attack - we're in trouble. We need pacey players in all positions (or if our side is super excellent perhaps we can carry an average or subaverage defender or two such as Haaland) able to recognize this situation and adapt.

With Ait-Nouri playing - the opposition has an easy outlet - play the ball over the top to their right. Ait-Nouri won't get there and we're in trouble whatever happens near our box.
 
Last edited:
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Are you kidding me?
Click to expand...
He's still young, just in the door, making a step-up (or two) in quality and expectations and coming into a completely different, more defensively exposed system.

I'm not disagreeing with your analysis, but the conclusion that he just can't defend feels premature. I'm sure he can and will improve on it given a bit of time.
 
pee dubya said:
He's still young, just in the door, making a step-up (or two) in quality and expectations and coming into a completely different, more defensively exposed system.

I'm not disagreeing with your analysis, but the conclusion that he just can't defend feels premature. I'm sure he can and will improve on it given a bit of time.
Click to expand...
Cheers.

Disagree 100% though - Ait-Nouri has been playing football all his life. Yes he may make some unexpected breakthrough - but bottom line - he's awesome on offense, awesome playing wide, but he'll never, ever, ever, be a great defender.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
I tentatively disagree.

Why?

Because our system is about ball control - high press - win the ball back quickly as our main means of defense.

From what I've seen of Ait-Nouri, he's great attacking on the touchline and when he plays there, he releases Doku to attack centrally which greatly enhances Doku's strengths.

But from what I've seen so far, Ait-Nouri is incapable of providing adequate defensive cover. At all.

Even if we sign a world class RB defender - it may relieve some of the pressure on Ait-Nouri to defend - but as a high press side, win the ball back quickly... sometimes we fail to win the ball back quickly. And our very high line means that we're in trouble in such circumstances.

With Ait-Nouri playing - the opposition has an easy outlet - play the ball over the top to their right. Ait-Nouri won't get there and we're in trouble whatever happens near our box.
Click to expand...

I'll be honest, I'm not sure what part you're disagreeing with or what you're actually suggesting.

We have pretty much always played with a back three in possession and, personally, I think the back two we've been experimenting with needs to be shelved until one of the two doesn't get outpaced by literally anything with at least one working leg.
 
Tugay One Cup said:
I'll be honest, I'm not sure what part you're disagreeing with or what you're actually suggesting.

We have pretty much always played with a back three in possession and, personally, I think the back two we've been experimenting with needs to be shelved until one of the two doesn't get outpaced by literally anything with at least one working leg.
Click to expand...

Tugay One Cup said:
Yes, which is why we need a right back who can defend and for whoever pairs with Gvardiol to play a damn sight better than Dias has been doing for over a year.

This guy is a fucking fantastic signing but our defence needs to get sorted asap or we're not going to play to his strengths.
Click to expand...
>> I'll be honest, I'm not sure what part you're disagreeing with or what you're actually suggesting.
See below for clarification.

>> Yes, which is why we need a right back who can defend and for whoever pairs with Gvardiol to play a damn sight better than Dias has been doing for over a year.

I fail to see why a right back who can defend makes our left back who can't defend suitable for our system - high press, high line, win the ball back quickly, and if that fails, capable to defend - which is likely a long ball over the top, requiring pacy defenders. Yes, we need to sort out our defense on the right - but even if our right side defense is perfect, our left side defense with Ait-Nouri, at least from what I've seen so far - lack of pace - lack of the ability to read the game on defense - is going to be our Achilles Heel against top sides - and attacks won't be against our perfect right side, but rather down our porous left.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
I fail to see why a right back who can defend makes our left back who can't defend suitable for our system - high press, high line, win the ball back quickly, and if that fails, capable to defend - which is likely a long ball over the top, requiring pacy defenders. Yes, we need to sort out our defense on the right - but even if our right side defense is perfect, our left side defense with Ait-Nouri, at least from what I've seen so far - lack of pace - lack of the ability to read the game on defense - is going to be our Achilles Heel against top sides - and attacks won't be against our perfect right side, but rather down our porous left.
Click to expand...

Okay, I think we just fundamentally disagree on the player and his abilities, as well as the various systems we have/will play and the requirements of them.
 
Tugay One Cup said:
Okay, I think we just fundamentally disagree on the player and his abilities, as well as the various systems we have/will play and the requirements of them.
Click to expand...
Maybe not.

We're a high press, ball control side. We rely on our press as our main line of defense. But sometimes our press fails - in which case we need pacy defenders to cover for balls over the top against our high line.

I think that the above statement should be uncontroversial.

With Ait-Nouri - we have a great attacker - playing a putatively defensive role at LB - but Pep plays him far forward so offensive ability is critical - who is very gifted on attack - but who lacks pace and can't read the game defensively.

In our system, against top sides, Ait-Nouri doesn't fit. He does fit against weaker sides or if we somehow can accommodate a LB who can't read the game, is high up the pitch and lacks pace (I don't know how we can do this against top sides).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top