82 | Rico Lewis - 2024/25

[mexico1970]

You can guarantee that if Walker had been in Lewis position he would be getting blamed by all and sundry for being responsible for the goal

Rico acts like he's running for a bus instead of giving it leather and many just can't bring themselves to say he was at fault, I am surprised they didn't blame Walker any way :)

 

[SebastianBlue]

Rico acts like he's running for a bus instead of giving it leather and many just can't bring themselves to say he was at fault, I am surprised they didn't blame Walker any way :)

People just want simple explanations for complex situations, so it’s easier to blame one person (or group) rather than take a deeper, more thoughtful look at what actually happened (or is happening) and try to identify the various contributors and mitigate or resolve the various causes. It’s just cognitive laziness.

 

[mexico1970]

People just want simple explanations for complex situations, so it’s easier to blame one person (or group) rather than look at what actually happened and solve the various causes.

We were poor defensively on quite a few occasions, the one attribute we were lacking was pace more than anything IMHO. Our biggest threat is teams catching us on the break when we lose the ball up field and we have to find a way to mitigate that.

Akanji and Ake coming back will help a little, a lot of it is down to us playing such a high line though.

 

[SebastianBlue]

We were poor defensively on quite a few occasions, the one attribute we were lacking was pace more than anything IMHO. Our biggest threat is teams catching us on the break when we lose the ball up field and we have to find a way to mitigate that.

Akanji and Ake coming back will help a little, a lot of it is down to us playing such a high line though.

Part of it is also how Pep asks both Gvardiol and Lewis to play (and, in turn, Dias and Stones). The vulnerability to counters is unfortunately inherent to how we have to play against 11 men in the box, otherwise many would be screaming even more about how we can’t create chances or break down packed buses.

People want to have it all: an impenetrable defence and an unstoppable attack.

But, at this level, that is just not really possible, when nearly every team we play has adopted anti-football tactics, because it’s the only hope in hell they have of getting anything out of a game against us.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Part of it is also how Pep asks both Gvardiol and Lewis to play (and, in turn, Dias and Stones). The vulnerability to counters is unfortunately inherent to how we have to play against 11 men in the box, otherwise many would be screaming even more about how we can’t create chances or break down packed buses.

People want to have it all: an impenetrable defence and an unstoppable attack.

But, at this level, that is just not really possible, when nearly every team we play has adopted anti-football tactics, because it’s the only hope in hell they have of getting anything out of a game against us.

Agreed but I don’t think that is always a negative for the player. There seems to be this thought process that “if you can play for Pep, you can play for anyone” because if the best manager/coach ever picks you, you must be something extraordinary. What we have actually evidenced over the years is that Pep’s genius can mask some players flaws e.g. he turned the likes of Fabian Delph into serviceable full backs.

I know you won’t agree but even at his tender age, I feel like now, under Pep, it’s Ricos time to “make it”. He is unlikely to always have a manager that values his current attributes (moving into midfield, keeping it simple etc etc) so highly. I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest that Peps successor(s) might not fancy a tiny RB who struggles to defend, isn’t particularly quick and doesn’t offer too much going forward, quite as much as Pep does. He is protected quite a bit by Peps genius. Pep unfortunately won’t always be here.

If Peps successor wants a more traditional RB, what happens to Rico?

 

[pride in battle]

It isn’t only me, others have said they don’t think he was solely at fault (including @ChicagoBlue who also played professionally, by the by), I am just the one in here saying it right now, probably because I have far more time on my hands to do it these days. ;-)

Can you at least concede Lewis wasn’t solely at fault for the goal?

And also that it was just a brilliant Kevesque pass that could have resulted in a goal even if everyone did everything perfectly?

So Monday morning the team are going over the game again and the goal conceded is discussed, do you not think Pep is not going to say to Rico 'you needed to react quicker' ? FFS Rico will also accept he could have done better...

 

[MCFC ISRAEL]

I feel that his attacking contribution is not significant enough for us to "contain" his weakness in defense. Cancelo for example ,he was weak defensively, but offensively he was excellent and helped us a lot. Leave the matter of character. Rico is not good enough defensively in my opinion and offensively he doesn't do anything amazing for me that justifies it. If Walker was at his peak there would be no question at all who should play, Walker is one of the best in history at his position. By the way, even today, in his current form, I prefer Walker on Rico. This is a position we need to enter the market in the summer to find a successor to Walker, his loss will be more difficult than people may think

 

[SebastianBlue]

Agreed but I don’t think that is always a negative for the player. There seems to be this thought process that “if you can play for Pep, you can play for anyone” because if the best manager/coach ever picks you, you must be something extraordinary. What we have actually evidenced over the years is that Pep’s genius can mask some players flaws e.g. he turned the likes of Fabian Delph into serviceable full backs.

I know you won’t agree but even at his tender age, I feel like now, under Pep, it’s Ricos time to “make it”. He is unlikely to always have a manager that values his current attributes (moving into midfield, keeping it simple etc etc) so highly. I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest that Peps successor(s) might not fancy a tiny RB who struggles to defend, isn’t particularly quick and doesn’t offer too much going forward, quite as much as Pep does. He is protected quite a bit by Peps genius. Pep unfortunately won’t always be here.

If Peps successor wants a more traditional RB, what happens to Rico?

Whilst I agree Pep’s genius (read: tactics) can cover individual player’s shortcomings, I personally don’t think that applies to Lewis. I think he is much better and more influential than you and others are indicating.

I had replied to your other post about him not offering much going forward to point out that Lewis actually directly or indirectly created two of the big chances that Sa saved yesterday and forced the bad pass that saw Titto get booked and us get a dangerous free kick on the edge of their box (which unfortunately we squandered). He has indirectly been involved in a few of our other goals and has set up quite a few other chances over the early span of the season, as well. I think one of the reasons people tend to forget that is because many of them were squandered (which we have been doing a lot) and don’t wind up being talked about or featured in subsequent highlights videos. I noticed that one of the ones he helped setup (the Bernardo low shot in to the bottom left corner that Sa just tipped around the post) was not even in the NBC match highlights, even though that was Sa’s best save in my opinion.

Lewis is also joint second in assists for us (2) along side Savinho, just behind Bernardo (3), and is 23rd in the league for assists. That is a good contribution given the incredibly demanding hybrid role he plays in Pep’s system.

And to the point, he arguably has the most difficult job of anyone in the team at present. It is certainly the most complex. The fact that he, at 19, is even able to consistently do it at a level that sees Pep continue to select him, often over the likes of Walker (and even Akanji in the past), should be taken as an indication it isn’t all down to Pep’s genius. He simply wouldn’t play him if he wasn’t up to the very challenging task (and Pep would know if he wasn’t be now).

I also don’t think his size is really that much of a problem, especially given the role he plays. I posted this awhile ago in the thread to illustrate a this:

To those worried about his height, I would just like to ask: how many of the best fullbacks in the history of football (or even recent history) have been much taller than 1.70m?

Here are some of the best, most versatile, most decorated fullbacks in recent history who had a similar build and skill profile to our Rico:

Lahm 1.70m
Kimmich 1.77m
Alba 1.70m
Carvajal 1.73m
Marcelo 1.74m
Carlos 1.68m
Alves 1.72m

And I would go so far as to say he is a better defender than a few on that list.

I really wouldn’t worry about his height, for the same reason no one ever worries about Bernie’s (or worried about El Mago’s or Roberto Carlos’). When you have the natural talent and intelligence they have, you don’t need to be a giant.

Some of the absolute legends in the RB/RW/CM hybrid role have been small, and many have been accused of not being particularly gifted defenders. Several of them have not only been coached by Pep, but they arguably owe much of their stellar careers to him because of the way he helped developed them in those innovative roles.

Regarding his lack of pace, that’s not really an issue in the setup, when the CBs are doing what they are meant to do. That is based on Pep’s tactics more than anything else, which change substantially when Walker plays over Lewis (because Walker has never been able to do what Lewis does further forward). And, again, which defender available right now has the pace of Walker but can do what Lewis does?

Long post short: I continue to think people significantly underestimated (or fail to see) the depth of Lewis’ talent and his contributions to our success on the pitch.

And they also tend to not put his performances and current level of development in to the context of him being only 19 (yes, I know, starting to sounds like Bellingham).

Stones, Walker, Dias, Kompany, and many other defenders considered to be some of the best in the world in their positions were not consistently playing at this level at that age.

And I am convinced he is going to get better.

Which brings me back to this question for those that want someone else to replace Lewis:

How much do you think we would need to pay to prise a 19 year-old that has played thousands of minutes in one of the most demanding roles in modern football, in the top competitions in Europe, and has contributed to his team winning those competitions, and who is highly regarded by the likes of Pep Guardiola, away from another club in Spain or Germany? Now how much if he was an English player at another Premier League club? How much if they were 21? What about in their prime (so no upside)?

 

[SebastianBlue]

So Monday morning the team are going over the game again and the goal conceded is discussed, do you not think Pep is not going to say to Rico 'you needed to react quicker' ? FFS Rico will also accept he could have done better...

Sure, and I have said that.

But, that is not what we are talking about. We are talking about you and others asserting Lewis was solely responsible for conceding the goal.

Do you honestly think Pep is going to watch back the video with the team and say that?

 

[Lardy_Blue]

So Monday morning the team are going over the game again and the goal conceded is discussed, do you not think Pep is not going to say to Rico 'you needed to react quicker' ? FFS Rico will also accept he could have done better...

There were a lot of other issues apart from Lewis in that goal. The fact the press was broken so easily allowing the ball to get to the winger. Gvardiol ball watching/getting caught under the ball, then not closing down the winger to allow him to put a cross in under no pressure, both Centre halves could have done a better job covering and Rico should have also covered better. All these will be looked at surely. I think the fact a lot of people a blaming Lewis only for the goal is stupid. I assume it's the difference between if people like him as a player or not.