Scaring Europe to Death
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He should be more of an attacking threat from set pieces.but I think he'll be better next season.
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How would you assess Rodri's season?
- Thread starter Citizen Green
- Start date
Big season for him gundogun could have a big say on Rodri. If pep continues to play both then Rodri will fail that’s almost certain . Great passer but the premier league is fast paced and he has been caught out many times season. Really hoping he does well but we can’t have both in the sane squad .
I like him and hes had some really good games (Burnley away stands out in my memory). However, i still don't think he is up to the pace of the PL at times, especially when teams press against us but hopefully that will come next season. The one thing that hasn't helped is our lack of pace in MF, we need to address that if Rodri is to be successful. Bernie / Foden in their would help him i feel or a new CM who has pace and the ability to press. Next season is a big season for him.
Scottish Cityzen
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It’s been a mixed season for him, I think his fortunes have pretty much mirrored the teams.
He’s shown me enough this season that he can be a big player but he needs to have the mental aspect to do so.
In a few games he’s shown flashes of being dynamic on the ball, using a bit of skill/strength and dare I say it speed to go past a player and then open up the pitch for us. Too often he plays safe (which is fine in the main) but he’s got the ability to be a bit more than that, just like prime Dinho did.
To be fair to him though Laporte’s clips from Bilbao showed him as someone who would occasionally burst forward with the ball into midfield and that’s not something we often see from him now. So maybe Rodri is just following instructions.
Having waffled on there my summary is that I think he will be significantly better next season after what he’s learned from this one.
He’s shown me enough this season that he can be a big player but he needs to have the mental aspect to do so.
In a few games he’s shown flashes of being dynamic on the ball, using a bit of skill/strength and dare I say it speed to go past a player and then open up the pitch for us. Too often he plays safe (which is fine in the main) but he’s got the ability to be a bit more than that, just like prime Dinho did.
To be fair to him though Laporte’s clips from Bilbao showed him as someone who would occasionally burst forward with the ball into midfield and that’s not something we often see from him now. So maybe Rodri is just following instructions.
Having waffled on there my summary is that I think he will be significantly better next season after what he’s learned from this one.
Sky Blue Thinking
Well-Known Member
Hopefully this was his settling in and adjusting season and he'll be a long term success. He is still young and had to adapt to a new country. Lack of mobility can be exposed at times but he does add some height and whatever else he does in his career he has scored a cup final winning goal for us.
Not a fan of judging a player too hard on their first season for obvious reasons, but a few worrying signs:
A bit too clumsy and slow but worse than that, is he’s easy to run past.
Someone at the club need to tell him that besides holding the ball within the midfield, he has to start defending. He’s a big and strong guy, yet he doesn’t win many ground duels or offer that protection the way Ferna does.
I’m not entirely sure what our scouts are up to honestly. What is Rodri’s purpose, his role?
He’s an excellent passer, but he’s a holding mid, not a defensive mid. He’s not the guy to stop counterattacks which, for the way we play, is our biggest weakness. Pep often plays a 4-3-3 with one being defensive/holding and two attacking mids.
For me, Rodri lacks pace and tackling ability.
I feel that the club, as they did with Stones, focused too much on passing ability rather than the importance of defending. For me, it’s getting very clear that while the team is amazing at passing the ball around, we’re vulnerable when losing the ball. Teams have figured this out and that’s why we lost so many games. We could have 80% possession in a game (thanks to guys like Rodri) but still lose because our midfield is wide-open.
A better fit for this team would’ve been someone like Bennacer, who’s like an algerian Kanté. Pacy, aggressive, physical, but he still is a good passer of the ball.
Imo this would have been a better approach.
A bit too clumsy and slow but worse than that, is he’s easy to run past.
Someone at the club need to tell him that besides holding the ball within the midfield, he has to start defending. He’s a big and strong guy, yet he doesn’t win many ground duels or offer that protection the way Ferna does.
I’m not entirely sure what our scouts are up to honestly. What is Rodri’s purpose, his role?
He’s an excellent passer, but he’s a holding mid, not a defensive mid. He’s not the guy to stop counterattacks which, for the way we play, is our biggest weakness. Pep often plays a 4-3-3 with one being defensive/holding and two attacking mids.
For me, Rodri lacks pace and tackling ability.
I feel that the club, as they did with Stones, focused too much on passing ability rather than the importance of defending. For me, it’s getting very clear that while the team is amazing at passing the ball around, we’re vulnerable when losing the ball. Teams have figured this out and that’s why we lost so many games. We could have 80% possession in a game (thanks to guys like Rodri) but still lose because our midfield is wide-open.
A better fit for this team would’ve been someone like Bennacer, who’s like an algerian Kanté. Pacy, aggressive, physical, but he still is a good passer of the ball.
Imo this would have been a better approach.
Del_Bosque
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Played nothing like a £60m midfielder so far in any of his performances
Looking at him and his attributes can see why he was a big success at Atletico, he'd be great in a deep lying counter attacking side that relied on set pieces
Don't know how anyone looked at him and thought he'd be a good fit for us though, completely the opposite of what's needed and his weaknesses are exposed by our system.
Looking at him and his attributes can see why he was a big success at Atletico, he'd be great in a deep lying counter attacking side that relied on set pieces
Don't know how anyone looked at him and thought he'd be a good fit for us though, completely the opposite of what's needed and his weaknesses are exposed by our system.
Sheik Battle and Goal
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Not a fan of judging a player too hard on their first season for obvious reasons, but a few worrying signs:
A bit too clumsy and slow but worse than that, is he’s easy to run past.
Someone at the club need to tell him that besides holding the ball within the midfield, he has to start defending. He’s a big and strong guy, yet he doesn’t win many ground duels or offer that protection the way Ferna does.
I’m not entirely sure what our scouts are up to honestly. What is Rodri’s purpose, his role?
He’s an excellent passer, but he’s a holding mid, not a defensive mid. He’s not the guy to stop counterattacks which, for the way we play, is our biggest weakness. Pep often plays a 4-3-3 with one being defensive/holding and two attacking mids.
For me, Rodri lacks pace and tackling ability.
I feel that the club, as they did with Stones, focused too much on passing ability rather than the importance of defending. For me, it’s getting very clear that while the team is amazing at passing the ball around, we’re vulnerable when losing the ball. Teams have figured this out and that’s why we lost so many games. We could have 80% possession in a game (thanks to guys like Rodri) but still lose because our midfield is wide-open.
A better fit for this team would’ve been someone like Bennacer, who’s like an algerian Kanté. Pacy, aggressive, physical, but he still is a good passer of the ball.
Imo this would have been a better approach.
We should have gone after Kante when Chelsea started playing him out wide instead of the middle and he was clearly not happy with that - we could have offered him that role and he would have slotted in very well