Rodrigo Hernandez - Atletico confirm deal - p192

[blueparrot]

That article says Rodri wants to stay at Atletico

Well it says 'so far', sounds like he's not desperate to move but would listen to offers to me. Especially if Atletico aren't in a position to reassure him by giving him a new contract.

 

[Neville Kneville]

If these links are true, why did we spend last summer chasing flicky Jorginho, rather than going for a genuine, strong player in that position ?

Is it because Pep has seen Jorginho, in the Prem ?

 

[Cozmo Bozo]

Isn't Rodri more on the flicky side himself (see Busquets comparisons)? No a brute by any stretch.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Isn't Rodri more on the flicky side himself (see Busquets comparisons)? No a brute by any stretch.

Irrespective, he's a big, strong unit, not a lightweight like Jorginho.

 

[Dax777]

Irrespective, he's a big, strong unit, not a lightweight like Jorginho.

I think it's the playing style and not the physique that's key for Pep. Hence Jorghino, De Jong and now Rodrigo. That Rodri. That Rodri looks like a Javier Garcia clone is just incidental :) Granted our vertically challenged Frontline makes his height a welcomed addition

 

[Neville Kneville]

I think it's the playing style and not the physique that's key for Pep. Hence Jorghino, De Jong and now Rodrigo. That Rodri. That Rodri looks like a Javier Garcia clone is just incidental :) Granted our vertically challenged Frontline makes his height a welcomed addition

I think there is a huge difference between a player who can also put himself about, like Rodrigo & a player who just passes, like Jorginho.

You can convert a player to do the 2nd, but not really the first.

If not for Fernandinho 1st half v the rags, the 2nd half would have been very different.

 

[Fast Forward To The Past]

I think there is a huge difference between a player who can also put himself about, like Rodrigo & a player who just passes, like Jorginho.

You can convert a player to do the 2nd, but not really the first.

If not for Fernandinho 1st half v the rags, the 2nd half would have been very different.

This is a very unpopular opinion these days but...
Jorginho is a top player that is made to look much much worse than he is in this current Chelsea team.
If you play that kind of football and your front line fails to press properly then your Pivot will be exposed. Badly.
Yes... He's not strong when it comes to physical 1-on-1 situations but he's constantly put into positions that would even leave Fernandinho wanting.
If the press does it's job then a smart player can be very effective defensively without getting caught up in physical battles.
Because the opposition often comes at him in an organised fashion he can't compensate for his weaknesses. Which almost every player of his type has to do.
Maybe we dodged a bullet. I don't deny this.
But he would look like a completely different player in this city team IMO.
And he would probably have grown instead of becoming the low confidence mess he is now. His loss.

 

[Cityfan]

This is a very unpopular opinion these days but...
.

It may not be a common opinion but I would hardly think it would be unpopular on this board to suggest that Pep and City could have got a lot more out of him than Chelsea have.

 

[Neville Kneville]

This is a very unpopular opinion these days but...
Jorginho is a top player that is made to look much much worse than he is in this current Chelsea team.
If you play that kind of football and your front line fails to press properly then your Pivot will be exposed. Badly.
Yes... He's not strong when it comes to physical 1-on-1 situations but he's constantly put into positions that would even leave Fernandinho wanting.
If the press does it's job then a smart player can be very effective defensively without getting caught up in physical battles.
Because the opposition often comes at him in an organised fashion he can't compensate for his weaknesses. Which almost every player of his type has to do.
Maybe we dodged a bullet. I don't deny this.
But he would look like a completely different player in this city team IMO.
And he would probably have grown instead of becoming the low confidence mess he is now. His loss.

I don't doubt that he would be better at City, but his constant positional absence & lack of strength is as bad or worse than Gundogan's worst City performances.

Imo, 'the press' is not a defence, it's an aid to defending. We still have to defend. And when we don't do that properly, against decent teams in particular, is when we get beat.

I recon, in such a tight race for the title, he would almost certainly have cost us the league, by dropping a few big mistakes & imo so would Gundogan if he played at 6 for a full season. Most of the bollocks Jorginho dropped, would be covered up, as are Gundo's, & we would still win, but there would be occasions where the opposition cashed in. And also the moments where defenders go missing & Fernandinho steps in, like the first part of the game at the swamp,would not happen, so we lose out in two areas.

We need a new player at the club, with at least 'some' defensive ability, imo, who Pep can teach to be a replacement for Fernandinho.

In a lot of the games, it doesn't matter, we win irrespective because we overwhelm the opposition at the other end, but in some, it does.

This guy looks to me, like someone who could be taught to look after the defenders, like Fern does, & still create from deep.

Fernandinho was not a def mid when we signed him, he was just about the best box to box mid in Europe & briiliant running forward with he ball. He had to wipe Yaya's arse at City, is where it all changed.

 

[Fast Forward To The Past]

It may not be a common opinion but I would hardly think it would be unpopular on this board to suggest that Pep and City could have got a lot more out of him than Chelsea have.

That's true.
I was speaking more in general.
The media and pundit onslaught is insane and I' am not entirely sure if they are being dishonest or just plain stupid. Same deal with Sarri.
City fan's will have a much more balanced view on this.

Off Topic rant...
Last season Pep utterly destroyed the EPL with a style of football that is not too dissimilar to how not only Sarri but most of the Big European clubs like to play.
After such a massive impact one would assume that football pundits, who get PAYED to understand and explain football, would bother to investigate and understand how this type of football works.
Yet this is what you get... "Jorginho isn't a real defender. Why is he playing as a Defensive Midfielder? It's insane!"
Or even better ... "Kante is being played out of position. He should play where Jorginho plays."
So... According to the experts Kante is a deep lying playmaker.
Sigh...
That position is essentialy an attacking position.
It goes back decades.
In Fernandinho we are lucky to have a sort of hybrid playmaker and DM. And... we have a ton of playmaking talent in front of him.
That's why the position isn't as outspoken here.
With Gundugan it becomes a bit more classic but not entirely.