We spend too much time with the ball in the hands of defenders slowly and sluggishly passing it around until the other team settles. We need to get it up quickly and have players running.Spurs and Villa notoriously play high lines and yet we don't utilise the runs he makes in behind. His pass to Grealish against Spurs at the end is exactly what other players should be doing for him. He's too quick and strong for it not to work.
It's the latter. But worse, half the time they don't anticipate the run. :(Ever since he's come we've been scared shitless to give him the ball unless he's tapping it in from 6 yards out. Everybody except KDB which either means his runs are shit and impossible to execute a pass to (wrong) or the players themselves are too scared to make that mistake and cause a turnover.
Same hereHaving Alvarez in is forsaking that control we usually have so turnovers are more dangerous and that in-turn (I think anyway) is causing players to do the safe bet 9 times out of 10.
Pissing me off.
When he's on, he's virtually unstoppable- but at this point in his career I think he's being found out by higher level defenders to the point he appears to disappear in games. I feel his movement is better than it was last year in terms of hold up play but i still get the sense he is one dimensional and stoppable by a good team set up and quality defenders. That he has missed so many absolute sitters this season is weird to me and I can only think (as it's related to my profession in the head shrink field) that it's 99% between the ears. I get the sense he is drilling himself and being pressed by others 24/7 to be the greatest of all time striker and the pressure and the grip it causes makes him blow chances that any 3rd tier player with two opposable feet could bury.
Playing him and Alvarez at the same time complicates things and plays against him and Alvarez as the latter struggles to pick up in midfield and it just does not seem that they really feed off one another in terms of link up. That said who plays instead of Alvarez? I do wonder if Julian's recent patch is due to him playing a role not 100% suited to his talents. I really think if we had a high level crosser to feed Haaland paired with his improvement from last season we'd possibly not be so critical as he'd be banging in more goals.
All of this about a player who is tops in the league makes me a little nauseous that I even have a critique- I just shudder when I think what this team could have been if we'd have been able to seal Bellingham and gone after a lower priority striker who had a bit more dynamism and overall game than Haaland- but whatever- need to appreciate him while he's here as I get the sense it won't be super long and that may well be a factor as to why he is gripping so hard in games with one eye to the future.
He is back training Thursday isn’t heThink this injury is worse than we thought . I think he could be out for a bit tbh .
I don’t think we will see him until after the world club cup .He is back training Thursday isn’t he
Pep said he is back in training on Thursday, I suspect he’ll play versus PalaceI don’t think we will see him until after the world club cup .
He may have been found out but all elite players get found out and then go and re-invent themselves, that's why they are elite.When he's on, he's virtually unstoppable- but at this point in his career I think he's being found out by higher level defenders to the point he appears to disappear in games. I feel his movement is better than it was last year in terms of hold up play but i still get the sense he is one dimensional and stoppable by a good team set up and quality defenders. That he has missed so many absolute sitters this season is weird to me and I can only think (as it's related to my profession in the head shrink field) that it's 99% between the ears. I get the sense he is drilling himself and being pressed by others 24/7 to be the greatest of all time striker and the pressure and the grip it causes makes him blow chances that any 3rd tier player with two opposable feet could bury.
Playing him and Alvarez at the same time complicates things and plays against him and Alvarez as the latter struggles to pick up in midfield and it just does not seem that they really feed off one another in terms of link up. That said who plays instead of Alvarez? I do wonder if Julian's recent patch is due to him playing a role not 100% suited to his talents. I really think if we had a high level crosser to feed Haaland paired with his improvement from last season we'd possibly not be so critical as he'd be banging in more goals.
All of this about a player who is tops in the league makes me a little nauseous that I even have a critique- I just shudder when I think what this team could have been if we'd have been able to seal Bellingham and gone after a lower priority striker who had a bit more dynamism and overall game than Haaland- but whatever- need to appreciate him while he's here as I get the sense it won't be super long and that may well be a factor as to why he is gripping so hard in games with one eye to the future.