Palermo (A) | Post Match Thread

Charlesfarsbar said:
Marmoush will be fine , he’s not our typical style of forward in that he lacks a decent first touch and isn’t that silky on the ball

But he’s a livewire, he’s also our only player that will have a crack from anywhere around the box

I don’t think him and Doku can play together though , especially with Ait Nouri at left back
Big season for Doku , he needs to have a breakthrough and get 20 g/a combined to cement himself as a first team regular

He’s got more to his game than Sterling except the off the ball movement that made Sterling a class above - not a skill that’s easy to teach though
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He is Alvarez without the work rate, assists and goals
 
Brewster's millions said:
Have to take the quality of the opposition into account, but Stones and Khusanov looked better as a pair than Dias and Akanji in my view. Khusanov in particular looked very sharp.

Marmoush didn’t do much, Savinho played well but miss a great chance as per.

Reijnders looks class and shows what some pace and mobility in midfield can bring to the team.

Other than that, again it’s difficult to tell given how limited the opposition was.
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Agreed.

Twice in the second half the communication between Akanji and Dias (and Ederson in the second incident) was terrible...letting the ball bounce, hesitation and not being commanding with simple long balls towards the back 4.....

Stones and Khusonov were much better in the first half. Stones is so important but how long will he stay fit...if he is fit he is a starter every time for me
 
Was it starting 11 against Wolves in the first half and shop window for quite a few in the second half?
 
From that my starting 11 would be...
......................Ederson....................
Nunes Stones Khusonov AitNouri
............Gonzalez Gundogan..........
Cherki .......Reijnders ...Marmoush
......................Haaland...................

Trafford v Ederson is an interesting one. I don't think Trafford was very comfortable under pressure when passing. Ederson is a master. Maybe that is needed for a while yet.

I'd make Khusonov a starter. Along side him I'd play either Stones, Gvardiol, Ake, Dias or Akanji in that order. We need speed.

Imo there is no need for Bernardo to cycle the ball if Gundogan is doing that as well as picking great longer passes. Bernardo would just end up everywhere because of his engine so would leave the center exposed.

Nico G was nice and tidy linking defense and attack last night so as long as Rodri is out I'd have him as a starter.

Cherki and Reijnders have to start and essentially have free attacking roles.

Width could be achieved by any of Marmoush, Doku, Savinho or Bobb. Imo we don't need 2 wingers on at the same time.

Imo Haaland needs to stay out of the box as much as possible and instead make darting runs in and out so that Cherki can find him or just stand by the D as a target for layoffs.
 
aka blue jambo said:
Great day .. we still looked very rusty but I think most teams will be
35k sell out palermo fans were brilliant
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Went to Sicily a couple of years ago. All I can say is that, it is on the to do list to go for a week. Amazing place. As soon as you get off the main street, the locals look after you. Quite similar to Dublin.
 
ninjamonkey said:
Don't agree it was a good run out, enjoyable enough watch but the opposition were far too inferior for it to be competitive, they'll be a tougher game amongst themselves in training on Monday/Tuesday.

Didn't see much change from last season in formation/tactics and approach, which for me needs to change if we are to be successful this season.

For all the moaning about not getting rid of Bernardo and Gundo this summer, they seem like comfortably the best options we have in midfield going into the season opener in the absence of Rodri and Kovacic. Reijnders who had a good showing im classing more of a 10 right now.

Not confident we are ready to start the season, especially when we have a tough start but we'll have to be.

Bobb and savinho both had positive displays, hopefully those two will drive one another to improve with healthy competition for a spot on the wing.
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Hope you get help mate
 
Pitch was fucking dreadful, unbelievably bad considering start of a season. I’ll be glad if there are no confirmed injuries, it was responsible for a fair bit if the untidy play at times.
 
Rose villians blue hair and Big coat was the highlight lets be honest, the football was secondary ;-)
 
I loved it.
The opposition was not the strongest, but their 125 year anniversary was a lovely event.

It was a nice glimpse into the future, starting with James Trafford in goal. I thought he grew into his role, looking a little nervous right at the start.

Khusanov as a starting CB alongside Stones looked a great balance and his ability to play on the left or right of centre will be very valuable, as will his blistering recovery pace. Gonzalez was superb, IMO, and Cherki ran whole shebang. His ability to go left and right, and pass short, long, and to drop the shoulder was all in evidence. His understanding with the mercurial Oscar Bobb, and Rico Lewis' movement, was spot on.

I enjoyed the second half a little less, but thought that Ederson showed great composure. Savinho was the second-half standout, with the exception of Reijnders, whose ability to break from deep was wonderful to watch.

The Premier League is a wholly different challenge, but my fancy was truly tickled.
 
We need intensity, fast, hopefully this provided a boost.

Was brilliant to see a goalie claiming anything around the 6 yard box, no questions asked. Always felt like a bit of a gamble with other keepers we've had as to whether they'd come or not, with Trafford you know he's taking charge. That said, Eddie did well second half apart from when he decided to play in midfield for a bit, and his passing as always is a catalyst for our play.

Ait Nouri looks sharp, was a little surprised to see Ake at left back second half rather than Gvardiol but I think that shows Pep's centre back thinking. Interesting that, unless my eyes are getting that bad, he chose to play Khusanov on the left side, and it worked. Shows he has intelligence and his positional awareness is improving.

In general we saw a few more speculative balls to the flanks from us in the first half, (Linders influence?), but we looked much better in the second when we went back to our 'control the game' mantra.

Nunes will be the same on the right. A great option going forward but no doubt there is a hole there defensively. Seeing Stones back and committed in the game is so important, especially if we're without Rodri.

Bernie industrious as ever and looked to be enjoying the captain role. Cherki full of tricks but has to be a point to them and largely there was, his short passing was constructive but the forwards still not reading his through balls. Bobb sharp too, a real asset. I think we saw the real benefit of Gundo too in this squad. Not to be used every game from the start like were forced to last year, but when control and calm is needed.

Thought Palermo were not much of a test if I'm honest, they didn't offer much beyond the keeper having a good first half and surprisingly clattering us quite frequently for a friendly. The left winger threatened to give Nunes a hard night but just didn't see enough of the ball, which is a good way for us to defend.

Seems to me Pep has developed two different ways to play now, whether that was just the disjointed nature or this friendly game or not we will have to see, but we certainly have the potential for goals from multiple sources now, especially with Tijani who is looking like a bit of a steal to be honest.

We're certainly different to last year, if that translates to fluidity and clear communication on the pitch then we will do well. Defensively I don't see much change, but that could be because of the nature of the test.
 
Brewster's millions said:
Have to take the quality of the opposition into account, but Stones and Khusanov looked better as a pair than Dias and Akanji in my view. Khusanov in particular looked very sharp.

Marmoush didn’t do much, Savinho played well but miss a great chance as per.

Reijnders looks class and shows what some pace and mobility in midfield can bring to the team.

Other than that, again it’s difficult to tell given how limited the opposition was.
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Serie B side
Quality of that league is not that great and Serie B side can’t be that great either

Good match practice though and test to check fitness and shrug off stiffness nothing more
 
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