8 | Mateo Kovacic - 2023/24

[Jezza11]

Quality today, battled hard and carried the ball well to beat the press and relieve some pressure. Class player when fit

 

[Deleted member 81382]

I never get tired of watching him turn out of trouble and then accelerate past 3 or 4 players. Absolutely perfect against a team that presses.

 

[Legal Alien]

Strange sub. Was quality

Yeah he played well and we were a lot more open when he went off, he looked tired 2nd half though.

 

[Haaland94]

I thought today was a good one for anyone who doesn't understand what Kovacic does. He is fantastic under pressure, strong, keeps the ball brilliantly, and carries it forward all the time. His runs were great.

 

[vanchi]

I thought today was a good one for anyone who doesn't understand what Kovacic does. He is fantastic under pressure, strong, keeps the ball brilliantly, and carries it forward all the time. His runs were great.

and he almost had an assist!

not bad considering he didn’t play much recently.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Played v well first half but not so much second when we were under the cosh.

 

[Keeper!]

Top class, a player I always loved watching for Croatia and in our shirt he brings so much and we look a better teams with him in it.

 

[Akira]

Superb. That moment when he was cornered by 2 Bournemouth players right outside our box, and he turned his way out into a big sprint, absolutely sublime.

 

[Gabriel]

There’s a look on his face after he’s dribbled out of danger and been chopped down that suggests ‘thank heavens for that, I’m jiggered’. Scares the bejesus out of you when he he goes on those runs in our half, but he more often than not gets us out of difficulty.

 

[applejuice]

He is good at carrying the ball from deep.
If you take him as an 8, he does not do enough in/close to box.
If you take him as a 6, his defending is not sound enough (several cases in 2nd half).

IMO the best is to play him next to Rodri and put a winger in front of him like what we did vs Luton and having a full back (better not Josko) holding the width.