27 | Matheus Nunes - 2025/26

OB1 said:
But why are you going on about it!

He has been excellent recently. He and NOR yesterday gave as good a display from a pair of full backs as you could reasonably hope for.

Nunes performance yesterday was pretty much the complete performance for a right back. He has great physical attributes for the role. He is displaying very good technique and it looks like he is now thinking like a defender. If he keeps the up, he can become one of the best FB’s in the game. We will have to wait and see if that happens but for now he deserves to be viewed as a player who is successfully adapting to a new role and whose previous failures were learning experiences.
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He is in excellent form, and in fairness, this debate was started by Jewelzy quoting a post of mine from three weeks ago!
 
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Bluewonder said:
Are you genuinely arguing that Nunes is a player of sufficient quality for a team aspiring to be the world's best?

Need I remind you of the quality of our previous right backs in Zaba, Walker and Cancelo?
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I'm not arguing anything. I'm just sticking to the facts. Need I remind you that we never became the world's best with Zaba or Cancelo. And thankfully Walker was not in the first 11 when we finally did...
 
Bluewonder said:
Are you genuinely arguing that Nunes is a player of sufficient quality for a team aspiring to be the world's best?

Need I remind you of the quality of our previous right backs in Zaba, Walker and Cancelo?
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Zaba was not the Zaba we grew to love for the first couple of seasons.

Cancelo had an absolutely fantastic season but was best on the left and made loads of mistakes at right back, he was dog shit for good portions mixed with portions of brilliance in his city career before self destructing

We did ok with converted left backs in Delph and zinchenko. Nunes is arguably better and a better athlete.

Playing for an elite team in a new position takes time and every little mistake is scrutinised to the Nth degree.

He has been nothing short of brilliant so far this year, yes a couple of mistakes but who hasn't??

Is he the long term solution, maybe, maybe not but in the here and now he deserves absolutely nothing but credit
 
Eoiyflem said:
Zaba was not the Zaba we grew to love for the first couple of seasons.

Cancelo had an absolutely fantastic season but was best on the left and made loads of mistakes at right back, he was dog shit for good portions mixed with portions of brilliance in his city career before self destructing

We did ok with converted left backs in Delph and zinchenko. Nunes is arguably better and a better athlete.

Playing for an elite team in a new position takes time and every little mistake is scrutinised to the Nth degree.

He has been nothing short of brilliant so far this year, yes a couple of mistakes but who hasn't??

Is he the long term solution, maybe, maybe not but in the here and now he deserves absolutely nothing but credit
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This.. Cancelo was here for 4 seasons and had a grand total of 22 assists.

Nunes has been here only 2.5 seasons and is almost 75% there and he was not even used for the first season.. so the offensive production is there. When the rest of the team does side to side.. his crosses stand out.. he's like mini KDB at times.. and Pep used that last season when KDB wasn't able to play.





What I personally find absolutely phenomenal is the difference from when Pep tried him at DM and he looked like like a boy amongst men.

But as a defensive player.. he LOVES to do to others what was done to him and he enjoys it!

You can see it.. loves his tackles and roughness and being a bully to others rather than getting bullied.

It's like a switch has been clicked on and he's become a man from the boy he was in front of our eyes.

Sure we'll have occasional growing pains but I love that he's matured before our eyes.

The way I see it he's like now a full fledged member of the family.
 
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We've done very well with converted full backs I must say. Zinchenko and Delph come to mind. I'm all for signing for someone of Walker's or Cancelo's calibre but obviously it's not something that you can will into existence. Nuñes is doing very well in a position we've managed to fill in with non-traditional fullbacks for a long time now. The players know this arrangement and style of play.
 
Bluewonder said:
Are you genuinely arguing that Nunes is a player of sufficient quality for a team aspiring to be the world's best?

Need I remind you of the quality of our previous right backs in Zaba, Walker and Cancelo?
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As good as Kyle was I can’t ever recall him putting a cross in like Nunes did for our first on Sunday. Nunes is improving defensively every game. Not as quick as Kyle but still quick
 
BringBackSwales said:
As good as Kyle was I can’t ever recall him putting a cross in like Nunes did for our first on Sunday. Nunes is improving defensively every game. Not as quick as Kyle but still quick
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www.premierleague.com

Who tops the 2024/25 Premier League running charts?

Find out all the stats and where players rank including which player shares a similar trait with Lionel Messi
www.premierleague.com www.premierleague.com

He can't be too far off. It's reassuring to have his pace in the side. Bailed us out a few times of late.

Edit * Walkers top speed 22/23
37.31 .
 
BringBackSwales said:
As good as Kyle was I can’t ever recall him putting a cross in like Nunes did for our first on Sunday. Nunes is improving defensively every game. Not as quick as Kyle but still quick
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Not the first time he's done that cross to Haaland either. Those two have a very good understanding of each other.
 
Gaylord du Bois said:
www.premierleague.com

Who tops the 2024/25 Premier League running charts?

Find out all the stats and where players rank including which player shares a similar trait with Lionel Messi
www.premierleague.com www.premierleague.com

He can't be too far off. It's reassuring to have his pace in the side. Bailed us out a few times of late.
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If Arsenal clearly have the best 2 centre backs in the league we arguably have the best full back pairing in the league, and both of them relative novices in the position, remarkable from Pep, and remarkable from the 2 full backs.
 
Gaylord du Bois said:
www.premierleague.com

Who tops the 2024/25 Premier League running charts?

Find out all the stats and where players rank including which player shares a similar trait with Lionel Messi
www.premierleague.com www.premierleague.com

He can't be too far off. It's reassuring to have his pace in the side. Bailed us out a few times of late.

Edit * Walkers top speed 22/23
37.31 .
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Bernardo the slowest outfield player but in the top few for distance covered, presumably makes him the hardest worker?
 
Blue_Lightsaber said:
But as a defensive player.. he LOVES to do to others what was done to him and he enjoys it! You can see it.. loves his tackles and roughness and being a bully to others rather than getting bullied.

It's like a switch has gone on and he's become a man from the boy he was in front of our eyes.
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This is the biggest difference, you're 100%. I couldn't quite put into the words the biggest change and this is exactly it. He looks about a foot taller than he did.
 
Brightwell Bros. said:
This is the biggest difference, you're 100%. I couldn't quite put into the words the biggest change and this is exactly it. He looks about a foot taller than he did.
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Yeah it's like he was a nice guy but he was used and abused and got tired of it. It made a man out of him.

And thankfully he's got a perfect environment to do that kind of metamorphosis.

A manager that recognizes talent and has patience.
Good coaches mentoring him.
Ruben and Bernardo as his international teammates to put him on the same page.

Couldn't ask for anything better really!
 
All the obsessive clamour of signing Livramento in the summer seems a distant past now. I said i was happy for Nunes to stay and play at RB because i had faith in him. It's just a pity our resident flappers couldn't untwist their wet knickers about going into this season without signing Livramento or another 'proper' RB. The same flappers are in hiding biding their time waiting and ready to snipe the next time Nunes fucks up. And he will no doubt fuck up but I'll not complain or berate the lad because he's become solid in the tackle and his defensive awareness is almost that of a top class established RB. He's now a proper RB IMO who has become defensively reliable and offers so much in the final third

I must admit i couldn't see Nunes making it with us as he looked a lightweight misfit, but that was before he was given a run at RB. Well, I'm happy to say i ate humble pie over him at least 8 months ago and he's getting better each game.
 
youngbob said:
In what way does me saying

- Brentford away (in January) was his last naff game
- He contributed 15 G/A in 47 apps last season
- He was our best player around Christmas last year
- He finished the season in decent form
- He turned the game around against Burnley in September

constitute me saying "he's been poor until October this year"?

You're just making things up.
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And, therefore, me calling it out as an agenda, simple as. That's not a criminal offense, but strenuously objecting is not a good look. Respect to all those who have voluntarily put their hands up...
 
JewelZee said:
And, therefore, me calling it out as an agenda, simple as. That's not a criminal offense, but strenuously objecting is not a good look. Respect to all those who have voluntarily put their hands up...
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I've pointed out that it was reasonable to criticise him based on the first two years of his time at City and that he's in good form now.

I've also apologised for misreading Bob' post.

If there's anyone with an agenda it's you, nobhead. Now fuck off.
 
Bluewonder said:
I've pointed out that it was reasonable to criticise him based on the first two years of his time at City and that he's in good form now.

I've also apologised for misreading Bob' post.

If there's anyone with an agenda it's you, nobhead. Now fuck off.
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Bad look Sonny Boy. I just said it's not a criminal offense and you respond with this...SMH
 
BringBackSwales said:
As good as Kyle was I can’t ever recall him putting a cross in like Nunes did for our first on Sunday. Nunes is improving defensively every game. Not as quick as Kyle but still quick
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Kyle never learnt how to cross a ball
 
Always been one to want all our signings to be great so never get angry at players who make the effort.
Nunes is one I wanted to do well but never seemed confident.
First outing this year was not great against Brighton but I saw a decent player against Huddersfield. He owned the back line and seemed calmer and happy to stop and look at his options.
I remember thinking something has changed but just put it down to the quality of the opposition.
Since that game it has looked like the penny has dropped and long may it continue.
 
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