2025/26 Vitalii Mykolenko

[Street end man]

My own feelings are Myko is a good solid fullback but a not so good wing back.

 

[peterw]

Well Maatsen is playing ahead of him now. I watched Digne for years here under multiple different managers. A very good fullback and would suit this team better than Mykolenko would but he was absolutely not the fullback that we needed the last few seasons battling to stay in the league. Mykolenko had some massive individual defensive performances for us in that time which kept us in the league. I don’t think Digne was capable of that type of consistent defensive effort. Digne would block the first cross and then not bother with the second. Even Ancelotti moved to 4 CBs at the back because Digne was too porous.

There’s a reason he left PSG Barcelona and Roma to play at Everton and Aston Villa

They usually change depending on who the right-sided player we are coming up against is. Emery has clearly decided that Maatsen would work better as a starter in those games. As for being ahead of him, Digne started against Basel, and in most games, whichever one starts, the other comes on for him. We have Man U/Chelsea/Arsenal coming up and I wouldn't mind betting that depending on who all 3 have on the right, Digne will get the nod in the majority of the games. I reckon definitely away at Arsenal and Chelsea, but likely to be Maatsen at home v Man U.

Yes, that's Villa stuff, but my point being that you don't look at an Emery starting line up and just think its because a is better than b so b must be rubbish.