25 | Manuel Akanji - 2023/24

[red 2 hats]

He is a good back up centre half, at a push he can cover the right back position.
But he is not in anyway shape or form a midfielder, it's unfair to play him there, he looks like a fish out of water, please Pep, stop this nonsense, you're doing the lad no favours.

 

[freshie]

Is not and never will be a midfielder. Why Pep insists on shoehorning him into the Stones role is beyond me

 

[shemnel]

I don't like seeing players getting pelters off our support base, and I don't think anyone is directly criticising Akanji as he's been a great little buy, but I have to agree he really doesn't suit midfield, at all.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

one instance in the second half had my jaw on the floor. he let Jackson run off him, not tracking him AT ALL, thinking he must be offside, not realizing dias was keeping him way on behind him. just horrific defensive awareness. stones role or not his fundamentals of defending are pathetic

Yes. Absolutely alarming play in that part of the play. Jackson caused our defence so many problems yesterday. Only his finishing let him down.

 

[B\connellblue]

one instance in the second half had my jaw on the floor. he let Jackson run off him, not tracking him AT ALL, thinking he must be offside, not realizing dias was keeping him way on behind him. just horrific defensive awareness. stones role or not his fundamentals of defending are pathetic

Dias was hardly blameless in that passage of play either.

 

[Akira]

Still don't like him in the 'Stones role'. Doesn't offer much offensively, and can't recover to defense quick enough when there's a turnover in midfield.

 

[samuelyeboah]

Dias was hardly blameless in that passage of play either.

Yeah it was just a perfect distillation of our defending as of late

 

[SamBlue]

Still don't like him in the 'Stones role'. Doesn't offer much offensively, and can't recover to defense quick enough when there's a turnover in midfield.

I hope this CB as a MF formation is ditched Stones or no Stones, it is been a total failure (my opinion) and the number of conceded goals are proof for this (my opinion again). I suppose Pep is doing this to keep Haaland as high on the pitch as possible.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

I hope this CB as a MF formation is ditched Stones or no Stones, it is been a total failure (my opinion) and the number of conceded goals are proof for this (my opinion again). I suppose Pep is doing this to keep Haaland as high on the pitch as possible.

Thought I was the only one who didn't like it. Revolutionary? Yes, effective? Hardly

 

[SamBlue]

Thought I was the only one who didn't like it. Revolutionary? Yes, effective? Hardly

It is revolutionary to the effect we are a top 3 team leaking goals like middle table team. We didn't concede many more than Liverpool and Arsenal, but when you take into account how few chances we concede compared to any other team, our goals conceded to chances radio look horrific. Every chance is xG 1.0. Usain Bolt as a CB would be useless stuck 10 yards from the opposition box, when balls are pinged towards Eddie's goal. But Pep is somehow relentless in forcing this, so let wait and see if yields anything.
I was wrong last season when Arsenal was flying, let's hope I am wrong again.