75 | Nico O'Reilly - 2024/25

[Akira]

According to SSN they 'leant heavily on their youth players' although I can't help thinking they were confused over who played in which colour.

Extremely bizarre, saw some of this narrative elsewhere too. They have only one youth player, and that's Mainoo that just played in the Euro.

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Extremely bizarre, saw some of this narrative elsewhere too. They have only one youth player, and that's Mainoo that just played in the Euro.

Come on - that’s not fair!

Jonny Evans came through the Academy, and so did Rashford.

You’ve got to admire them for sticking to their principles and giving youth a chance like that.

 

[br88]

It really is comical how people make such major decisions about a player after one game. It must have been a fantastic experience for Nico yesterday and he is now starting his journey in the game. It is clear that he is a very talented young footballer and it will be so interesting to see his development over the next few years.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

He's (understandably) raw but I think he's also looked handy. No shrinking violet and he's got balls. Will come in handy with a handful of appearances this season I suspect, then take it from there

Playing midfield in a Pep team isn't easy. He's already ahead of Kalvin Phillips (i know that isn't saying much because Kalvin is fucking hopeless, but still)

 

[city warrior]

Glad for the lad. He must be incredibly happy of winning his frist title.

I am still with a lot of doubts that he will be a first team player in the future though. Almost every Pep midfielder has exceled in two things: controls and being able to release the ball in 1 touch if necessary. Grealish excels in control, but he needs 3-4 touches with the ball to release it, and he has never played as a midfielder because of it.

Nico (both in preseason and yesterday) has shown a heavier touch (similar to Nunes and the main reason why I don't think he'll make it with us) than a Pep midfielder. The heavy control makes him to have to run to the ball, makes it easier for the opposition to press him, and has him to have to dribble to keep possession. People noticed that he tried to dribble 2-3 players, and lost the ball because of it, but that was consequence that he had the ball far from his feet and that was his only choice sometimes.

His dribbling and physical qualities are superb though, so he could still be a potential Yaya (best case scenario) or Keita (still good scenario) from Barca, both important Pep midfielders. Excited to see him more and to see if my assessment was/is fair, and to see if he can improve.

 

[Vienna_70]

Lost count how many times he gave the ball away cheaply with misplaced passes.

Still think he's closer to City's level than McAtee, who doesn't even have the physical tools going for him like O'Reilly does.

Did you say that about Merlin?

 

[blueparrot]

Lost count how many times he gave the ball away cheaply with misplaced passes.

Still think he's closer to City's level than McAtee, who doesn't even have the physical tools going for him like O'Reilly does.

Thought that about a few players, but Peps comments about the ball being a balloon might explain it.

 

[Vienna_70]

Lost the ball lots, misplaced passes. Not our level. Needs to go on loan, and then we can see.

He’s a 19 year-old kid, playing his first senior game, against an almost full-strength rags side.

Yes, he held on to the ball too long at times, but I’m sure he found the game much quicker than he is used to at EDS level.

If Pep has seen things in Nico that he likes, and has said he’s going to be part of the senior squad, that’s good enough for me.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Find it incredible that he's gone through 13 years in the academy and been hand picked to train with the best team in the world, only to be written off by a couple of online fans as "not our level" after watching him for an hour.

 

[Vienna_70]

View attachment 127933

He's a big unit, isn't he?

I love this photo.