Kevin Mirallas

[joey_macmo]

If he has space to play in, he is a really good player (when he can be arsed).

At home, against teams who park the bus, he's out of his element. The shouts for him to come on against West Brom the other week were a case in point. Completely the wrong sort of game for Mirallas - he isn't the sort of player who can open up a defence. He's a good player to have in counter-attacking situations and is a really good finisher, but he isn't the one you'd want on the pitch while you're trying to desperately break down a 10 man defence.

Dislike his attitude and demeanour at times, but he's a useful player to have though mostly in away games I would venture

It's absolutely the opposite, we needed to stretch a narrow West Brom back 9. You don't play through teams who set up like that because you're playing right into their hands.

The fact you think he can't be arsed and you dislike his attitude kind of explains the the paragraph in between though

 

[joey_macmo]

Love the way goals and assists are "selective stats" for an attacking player

 

[joey_macmo]

This exactly.

Not saying I wouldn't rather have him on the pitch than Kone, mind, but he's a player who we get the best out of when we play in a certain style.

He was superb against Chelsea as it was a really open game, with plenty of room for him to do his stuff.

Mirallas, Kone or Cleverley on the left against West Brom

He tried two of them and it failed spectacularly, it's beggars belief that you think it was the right choice.

 

[joey_macmo]

So just to clarify what the Mirallas haters are saying

The game were we got beat and looked awful against a defensive West Brom side it was the right decision to not bring him on as he didn't suit the game (that went well)

Then the Aston villa game where Mirallas started in the same position he sets up two goals but he was too inconsistent and didn't work hard enough.

 

[BlueToff]

Love the way goals and assists are "selective stats" for an attacking player

Well, they are to an extent in that it doesn't really prove too much...

In all comps this season, Kev has

3 assists (1 lg cup, 2 lg)
4 goals (1 lg cup, 1 FA Cup, 2 lg)

I know he hasn't had many starts but even so they're not outstanding either. There's some games where he tears the opposition apart at times and then suddenly he'll completely switch off - a bit like Del.

It's fine to have a player like that, but it's more easy to be able to incorporate that in a side that is getting results. We weren't and Martinez knew he could rely on Lennon and Cleverley more than he could Kev or Del...

Now, Kev will hopefully get the chance like he did after the Chelsea game only to get bad luck with another injury. Fingers crossed he can take it, but it's very reasonable to point out that Mirallas is pretty ineffective anywhere other than the final third. Again, that's fine if we're on a roll, but not always when you need to grind out a result (even though we have been playing well enough as of late).

If he does start, hopefully it will be an open game and he can take advantage of it.

 

[BlueToff]

Mirallas, Kone or Cleverley on the left against West Brom

He tried two of them and it failed spectacularly, it's beggars belief that you think it was the right choice.

He kept a winning team and Cleverley deserved to start. He got taken off for Kone. Where did I say that was the right choice???

I said at the time there was definitely logic in the change that had un-done WBA's defence last time. They were sitting deep in their penalty area and we had to try something that would enable us to be a bit more direct and get support to Rom. Kone has done that more effectively than Kev this season. Simple.

Kev should have still being brought on at some point. but I really doubt it would have changed that much. When WBA come solely to defend after getting a goal, they nearly always do it (look at their game against Leicester the other day). An erratic winger when we already had loads of space out wide but no space in the area, wouldn't have changed that.

 

[BlueToff]

So just to clarify what the Mirallas haters are saying

The game were we got beat and looked awful against a defensive West Brom side it was the right decision to not bring him on as he didn't suit the game (that went well)

Then the Aston villa game where Mirallas started in the same position he sets up two goals but he was too inconsistent and didn't work hard enough.

Two totally different types of game.

Mirallas is much more suited to a counter-attacking style. Villa gave us loads of room on the break the other night and Mirallas, in those occasions, looked good.

Pulis came to shut up shop and knick a goal in a game that we wouldn't have been able to even try and launch a counter on as they were sat so deep.

Not every game is the same.

 

[toffeeblue9]

It's absolutely the opposite, we needed to stretch a narrow West Brom back 9. You don't play through teams who set up like that because you're playing right into their hands.

The fact you think he can't be arsed and you dislike his attitude kind of explains the the paragraph in between though

Sorry mate, but that's simply not true

Mirallas isn't a traditional winger - he doesn't hug the line and stretch teams with width, he provides an attacking threat by coming inside from wide positions. We don't have anyone in the squad, other than the two left backs, who can provide proper attacking width on the left.

Against West Brom, he would have been performing a similar role to Kone - coming inside from the left (granted, there's a perfectly good argument that he'd have been better at this than Kone). If you can give me an example of a game where he has stretched teams on the left using his natural width I'd be happy to take a look and review my opinion.

If you think his attitude over the last few years has been exemplary then you have a very different view of things than me. How many interviews has he done in the Belgian press talking himself up for a move away? The general body language (see Middlesbrough away as a great example). The ridiculous red card at Swansea when he had just got himself fit after an injury in the opening game of the season.

He's a good player and is useful in certain types of game, but against a packed defence he's arguably the attacking player in our squad I'd least want on the pitch - he doesn't have the guile or intelligence to open up a packed defence. He's a direct, pacy player who is arguably alongside Lukaku the best finisher we have, but there seems to be a clamour for him to play every game - horses for courses. Generally speaking most away games suit him and the home games against teams who are prepared to come and attack us.

Saturday will be an interesting one - I expect him to start given Cleverley's injury but West Ham are usually quite defensive and counter-attacking away from home, so I worry it won't suit him and he'll be subbed after an hour of being relatively ineffective. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[BlueToff]

Sorry mate, but that's simply not true

Mirallas isn't a traditional winger - he doesn't hug the line and stretch teams with width, he provides an attacking threat by coming inside from wide positions. We don't have anyone in the squad, other than the two left backs, who can provide proper attacking width on the left.

Against West Brom, he would have been performing a similar role to Kone - coming inside from the left (granted, there's a perfectly good argument that he'd have been better at this than Kone). If you can give me an example of a game where he has stretched teams on the left using his natural width I'd be happy to take a look and review my opinion.

If you think his attitude over the last few years has been exemplary then you have a very different view of things than me. How many interviews has he done in the Belgian press talking himself up for a move away? The general body language (see Middlesbrough away as a great example). The ridiculous red card at Swansea when he had just got himself fit after an injury in the opening game of the season.

He's a good player and is useful in certain types of game, but against a packed defence he's arguably the attacking player in our squad I'd least want on the pitch - he doesn't have the guile or intelligence to open up a packed defence. He's a direct, pacy player who is arguably alongside Lukaku the best finisher we have, but there seems to be a clamour for him to play every game - horses for courses. Generally speaking most away games suit him and the home games against teams who are prepared to come and attack us.

Saturday will be an interesting one - I expect him to start given Cleverley's injury but West Ham are usually quite defensive and counter-attacking away from home, so I worry it won't suit him and he'll be subbed after an hour of being relatively ineffective. I hope I'm wrong.

Great post.

I think some people are accusing the posters who see the sense in Mirallas not being an automatic starter of 'hating him'.

It's nothing to do with that, he's actually one of my favourite players but he is incredibly frustrating a lot of the times and as you said, he isn't a winger who, when on the left, offers natural width. He stretches teams with his pace on the counter by making direct runs from out-to-in or, as he did against Villa the other night for Barkley's goal, pretty centrally with a slight drift outwards to get a shot off/cross in.

It's not like Del who will stand on the touchline on the other side - that's not a slant on Kev it's just not his game.

The reason Kone was brought on against WBA was to get support into Rom that we could also try and hit in the air as well and create some knock downs in the area. Kev needs it played in-behind to be at his most effective - and if not it acn sometimes result in pot shots from range which are sometimes great and a lot time pretty wasteful.

As I've said, I'd have liked Kev on, but I could see the logic in the Kone change.

I'm hoping that, if he does start on Saturday, West Ham will be so full of confidence that they come to play us. It may suit us (and Kev) perfectly, though we would have to defend better than we did against Villa.

 

[chicoazul]

He's got the eyes of a Pokemon character.

 

[Groucho]

He's temperamental.

On good days he's great. On bad days he's not. Same with a lot of players.

I think he's good. I don't think he's a world beater, but he's more than decent.

 

[Chang Elephant]

So just to clarify what the Mirallas haters are saying

The game were we got beat and looked awful against a defensive West Brom side it was the right decision to not bring him on as he didn't suit the game (that went well)

Then the Aston villa game where Mirallas started in the same position he sets up two goals but he was too inconsistent and didn't work hard enough.

As long as the match going support want Kev to start, why bother about the ravings of internet bedsit fans ?

 

[BlueToff]

As long as the match going support want Kev to start, why bother about the ravings of internet bedsit fans ?

Because the views of the matchgoing fans have exactly the same impact upon the manager's selections... zilch

 

[chicoazul]

As long as the match going support want Kev to start, why bother about the ravings of internet bedsit fans ?

Oh wow.

 

[beautifulthing]

As long as the match going support want Kev to start, why bother about the ravings of internet bedsit fans ?

The Tellytonians.