2018/19 Andre Gomes

[BirkenheadBlue]

How the bloody hell did I forget that

Old age mate

 

[Tel001]

Yeah but to counter that, We have had chances that have not gone in, sendings off, soft penalties...the premier league is full of small margins. I dont care how close matches are as long as we win.

I know but we seem to be getting our breaks when it’s 0-0 at the moment . Despite 2 clean sheets we still seem vinerable on corners and get exposed on the break a lot

 

[Stuartisitc1878]

I know but we seem to be getting our breaks when it’s 0-0 at the moment . Despite 2 clean sheets we still seem vinerable on corners and get exposed on the break a lot

Any and every team can be hit on the counter, it's what most teams set up to do now. I was more concerned about the goals we were shipping from corners but that's stopped now (touch wood).

 

[BainesontoastNEW]

For anyone interested in his debut bits.

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

That would make a good thread actually - who have we had the best cast offs from

Barca - Dealofeu, Mina, Gomes
Utd - Neville, Howard, Saha, Gibson
RS - Beardsley, Ablett, Watson, Sheedy
Arsenal - Walcott, Wright, Stephen Hughes

Any other clubs where we've took a couple from?

Digne has been the best off Barcelona thus far, though Mina and Gomes are yet to start.

Kanchelskis was brilliant from Man U. Howard, Saha, Neville and Gibson where all useful at the time of purchase. Whiteside was the first cast off I remember from them.

All 4 mentioned from Liverpool were excellent.

Arsenals not so much.

 

[Deulofeumygod]

For anyone interested in his debut bits.

Covers so much of the pitch and zips every pass. Another excellent and needed addition by brands and silva

 

[Ricochet]

Covers so much of the pitch and zips every pass. Another excellent and needed addition by brands and silva

Agreed, his passing was sharp for the most part - just would like to see him send in a cross or 2 instead of playing it back. He was far enough up several times where he could have done that. He was certainly an improvement over Morgan!

 

[maccavennie]

For anyone interested in his debut bits.

Thanks for posting that mate

 

[catcherintherye]

Couldn't agree more regarding Arteta. 3 times today he got into positions to shoot like we would get used to Arteta doing. 2 blocked, 1 just wide of the post. Lacking the stamina and rightly so after so long out but I thought when he got took off he still looked effortless in all he done.

He just looks a class above, like Bernard does, like Richarlison has in the main, like Digne has done... it bodes well that the players signed all seem to be technically at a level that has been lacking for far too long.

I agree with all of that mate.

Arteta made the game look very simple and this lad does the same (as does Bernard in a different way). Bra paid over 50 million for him 2 years ago. With the inflation thats gone on that is some fee. I think like Arteta his more physical build makes him a great fit for the league as well. He will also get even better when he develops his match fitness.

And yes the final point is really important. Pretty much every signing so far looks good, even Zouma looks a very tidy player. I personally think Mina will be the best of the bunch.

 

[bicycleheader]

@bicycleheader can you please ensure that all Barca cast offs are sent this way please and thank you

Theyve blocked me on Whatsapp for continually asking them to sell Suarez since the day he signed

 

[Dario Terracotta]

The new Dobbo for all us senior blues I reckon!!, very calm and composed in possession.

 

[marcus]

Andre Gomes looks real quality had a very good debut & looked comfortable & composed all afternoon...

Liked what I saw & there is a lot more to come when he gets his full fitness & with a few games behind him will be a real asset...

 

[CRIMHEAD]

It's def cause for concern if we're heading for Gomes at 6. I don't think he's got the out and out defensive qualities for that position.
And it'd be my biggest concern with Silva - he's may just have too much of a reckless streak to him; he's a bit blinded to the defensive problems.
That may not be the case - we are only seeing the early stages of a work in progress. Addressing things in the right order is key and he might be starting to get it right. But there are enough examples to have doubts.

Its essential we find a player who is just as effective and comfortable defending in between the CBs as linking the play from defence to attack, whose reading of the play is as good or better without the ball as with it. Having this type of player is how you get to be more attacking, more confident.
Gana doesn't fit this either because for all the work he does, he's not good enough on the ball, and his attributes and mindset don't fit with him sitting as a back three, when needed.

Finding this type of player (Barrios maybe) can mean Bernard coming off the LW and into the midfield, with Rico moving back to his better position.
So for eg, Bernard, Barrios, Gomes in midfield becomes potentially very tasty, with Bernard (L) and Gomes (R) dictating the play in the half spaces.

The problem with this is what you do with Sig. Either you don't play with a 9 (in which case your relying on Bernard, Sig and Gomes to rotate through the position) or Sig is dropped for a 9.

Silva is first and foremost a defensive coach, at least in his successful stints prior to his PL experience. IMO, the only recklessness I've seen from him is the higher pressure he deployed at West Ham. He tried to go after them and overwhelm them / score early and while it almost worked, it backfired and West Ham put their first chance in the back of the net after 10 minutes of pure domination by us.

Beyond that, it is absolutely not essential that we have a holding midfielder and only essential that we can link from defense to attack as a unit. He played one at Sporting because he had one. When Watford started out well under Silva, they played Doucoure and Capoue together as defensive mids, but really it was like have 2 box to box players, and a pivot in Cleverly to help support and attack with width. That team had ZERO issues transitioning from D to O. He inherented Gana and Sigurdsson, both with unique skillsets, so he's going to use them as he'd be nuts to not do so. All he needs is a box to box type that can pass and/or carry the ball to help transition. Davies can play that role, but Gomes is the far superior player. That's why he's here. Brands and Silva aren't dummies.

Having Gana as a ball winning DM, Gomes as more of a box to box CM, and Sigurdsson as an ACM is fine.

Barrios is maybe a slight upgrade over Morgan Schneiderlin. Boring, slow #6, with decent passing range, limited athleticism, etc. I'm not sure he's any better than Morgan and well, Silva isn't playing Morgan for a reason. It's because Silva doesn't need to have a true #6. He also doesn't need to have a playmaker that holds the ball. And it's FINE.

 

[CRIMHEAD]

Agreed, his passing was sharp for the most part - just would like to see him send in a cross or 2 instead of playing it back. He was far enough up several times where he could have done that. He was certainly an improvement over Morgan!

You mean Davies? Morgan isn't a starter for Silva. He's a backup DM. Gomes isn't a DM, either, he's coming in for Davies to play as a CM. You aren't going to see many crosses from him, either, he's going to be in the center of the pitch. You might see a few more goal opportunities, though. He can score a bit.

 

[bluerobert]

That would make a good thread actually - who have we had the best cast offs from

Barca - Dealofeu, Mina, Gomes
Utd - Neville, Howard, Saha, Gibson
RS - Beardsley, Ablett, Watson, Sheedy
Arsenal - Walcott, Wright, Stephen Hughes

Any other clubs where we've took a couple from?

Chelsea - Lukaku, Zouma, Atsu. I mean Atsu alone wins outright