2020/21 Allan

[TheBigIguana]

Very determined and gritty, but extremely ill disciplined.

That's my initial early opinion, albeit only off a very small sample size.

Cost us a goal with an utterly stupid underhit short pass in our defensive third. If you are going to play negative crab passes then they better come off.

He has to have someone behind him or at the very least someone very disciplined next to him, which isn't Doucoure.

 

[AussieToffee11]

Poor first half, good second half.
He is a barometer and his sluggish periods need to cease.
Still our best midfielder by a mile.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I think he's a major problem in our system. The more I've watched us this season, the more I don't understand what he is trying to do. There are times he leads the press above DCL for some reason. You could drive a bus between the lines of our defensive set up at times.

He can't play so aggresively when he offers zero goal threat. He either has to be a defensive midfielder offering protection or he shouldn't play. There is an awful lot to like about the way he plays football because it matters to him, but he needs to change his role.

 

[ElGato]

Has looked better in a three than in a two (as has our entire outfit). Much simpler for him in that position - sit in, protect the back four, disrupt the play off the ball and control the game on it. When he's in a two, such as in our horrid 3-4-3 of recent weeks, he is sometimes asked to play out of his role, getting forward a bit more etc.

Very easy to blame players in a system that doesn't suit them. He is been one of our best players this season.

 

[catcherintherye]

I think he's a major problem in our system. The more I've watched us this season, the more I don't understand what he is trying to do. There are times he leads the press above DCL for some reason.

He can't play so aggresively when he offers zero goal threat. He either has to be a defensive midfielder offering protection or he shouldn't play. There is an awful lot to like about the way he plays football because it matters to him, but he needs to change his role.

I do wonder if the constant changing of the system are the reason for that. We re tinkering a lot, and his role seems to be a bit different most weeks. At the moment though, I'd have him doing what he did at Spurs, which is sitting in front of the centre backs.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Again, like Doucoure, it seems to suit him more when he plays as part of a midfield 3 with a flat 4 at the back. In this 3-4-3 they look a bit lost.

 

[everton1953]

Poor game and terrible passer of the ball on Saturday. I do not know whether Carlo has upset his confidence with his tactics

 

[DaChunk]

Couldn't even control the ball on the weekend. Odd as he was MOTM against Leeds.

 

[Lanolin]

Nope, extremely risky pass with no benefit imo. He should have played it wide himself and taken responsibility.

He was very bad for long spells today and has struggled more often than not recently. Leeds was the exception unfortunately

Thing is, even the Leeds game was a weird one. He had a really good game taken in complete isolation, but ultimately he was playing in a midfield which was pretty comprehensively outperformed, and he was part of that. Phillips effectively ran the game and we just didn't stop him at all.

 

[dannyboy]

I think he's a major problem in our system. The more I've watched us this season, the more I don't understand what he is trying to do. There are times he leads the press above DCL for some reason. You could drive a bus between the lines of our defensive set up at times.

He can't play so aggresively when he offers zero goal threat. He either has to be a defensive midfielder offering protection or he shouldn't play. There is an awful lot to like about the way he plays football because it matters to him, but he needs to change his role.

He is all over the place and it can´t be helping. The problem could be is how little Doucoure and Gomes do. Both of them always look like they´re on the edge of things. We have no one like Arteta in there who can control/dictate the game for us.

 

[itsnowak]

immense. maybe best game in a blue shirt

 

[Tramps_mate]

He's been absolutely kicked to bits tonight. Thankfully he's still in one piece!!

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Well what d'ya know? we go back to a 4-3-3 and he looks a lot more comfortable

 

[Azza]

Absolute lunatic this guy.

He's basically what we all thought Besic might become.

 

[LocalNative]

Seriously incredible player. Blown away by his energy and determination.