All your post match thoughts here after today's 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
::scarf::
#ffc #FULBOU
Excellent result and given other results today it's been a great day ::scarf::
Great result muniz making me eat my words.
Stuart Gray has been busy....my only complaint - we should of been 4 up at half time.....very good performance from every player
Quote from: hovewhite on February 10, 2024, 05:21:36 PMGreat result muniz making me eat my words.
And mine, lots of them!
Great result and performance at both ends of the pitch, only beaten by an excellent finish.
Willian sounded up for it. But what impressed me after being sure we would blow a two goal lead again. Was after being pegged back we immediately went up the other end with a wonderful move with Cairney and Willian and having Muniz finish it off.
I still look at the bottom three. But ten points clear sounds so much better.
10 points clear of relegation and if either Everton or Forest get a 10 point penalty we are 16 points clear. Pretty happy with that.
Thrilled for Muniz as a long time Muniz truther. He was looking great before the injury he had. Great to see he has regained that form and is now knocking them in as well. If we waste 4m on Broja for Muniz to come good then money well spent imo.
Two points behind that lot and only four behind Newcastle (as things stand) with all of their spending? I will repeat, this side is not getting relegated.
Good game today though, end to end all the way. We deserved it based on our first half performance and on another day we would have been out of sight before half time.
I couldn't possibly tell you who was MoM today, only that whoever it was is ancient. Both Ream (another one that has been written off on here by many just because of an injury) and Willian were absolutely phenomenal.
Missed this one because I was away. Looks like the team did a great job! Can't wait to catch up with the highlights.
One word
REEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAM
Lot of excellent performances today, especially from Muniz, Willian, Cairney, BDR and Ream. Under the cosh second half. Leno still looks like he's going through a flakey period and was unconvincing on corners. Diop more suited to Championship. Pity Tosin off but Bassey back soon, at least. Very important 3 points. Thinks it pretty much secures our status.
Great performance and finally all 3 points!
Leno-Apart from that moment late on, he was very good. Some of his passes were excellent today as well.
Castagne-some good moments, especially in attack, but seemed quite shaky at the back.
Diop-terrible mistake in the first half, luckily not punished. Thought he's done well otherwise. Mostly kept Solanke quiet and won that physical battle.
Ream-very assured performance.Good defensively, some great passes.
Robinson-excellent both ways, could even have scored in the first half. Combined very well with Cairney and Willian down the left.
Palhinha-as usual, very good. Some superb tackles.
Cairney-controlled the tempo of our attacks. Unless he was absolutely knackered, seems like a weird decision to sub him off. Bournemouth started attacking more since he came off.
Andreas-solid performance, combined well at times with BDR down our right side.
BDR-worked hard, very well taken goal, good assist for Muniz's goal. Was much better in the first half though and I felt like he got tired. Luckily with both Adama and Wilson back, he won't have to play 90 minutes in every game.
Willian-winger masterclass from him. That's how a winger is supposed to play imo. So sad he's 35, I wish he could play for 10 more years for us.
Muniz-as I said in the match thread, I thought he was good all season, just lacked confidence and that I felt that if he scored one goal he'd start scoring on a more regular basis. I obviuosly didn't expect him to score a brace straight after scoring his first goal, and it is too early to make drastic predictions, but the signs are very positive. Excellent hold-up play again today married with a brace that got us 3 points. He was heavily involved in the first goal as well. Thought he's done brilliantly there apart from the final ball, luckily the deflection was favourable and Bournemouth player slipped.
Subs:
Wilson-struggled to get into the game. Some of his passes seemed off.
Reed-was pretty poor I thought. Apart from giving away fouls, can't remember what else he did.
Broja-looked better than in his previous appearance, imo. You can see the difference between a single training with the squad and a full week of training. Showed glimpses of what he could offer with his speed.
Adama-seemed really rusty,understandably though, considering he has't played in a very long time. Hopefully he can get back to his best.
FBT-great cameo appearance. He seems defensively very solid, pretty good with the ball and very fast. Ideal backup for Robinson. Not sure if he'd be interested, but if he want's to come, I'd try and get him on a permanent deal.
All in all, lots of good performances and 3 points, on to the next one!
Excellent first half. A little dicey in second half, BUT excellent response to the Bournemouth tally. Great overall win, three points, most all the players had very good games.
We are very lucky to have Willian. What an exceptional player.
Quote from: SerbianLad on February 10, 2024, 05:49:48 PMGreat performance and finally all 3 points!
Leno-Apart from that moment late on, he was very good. Some of his passes were excellent today as well.
Castagne-some good moments, especially in attack, but seemed quite shaky at the back.
Diop-terrible mistake in the first half, luckily not punished. Thought he's done well otherwise. Mostly kept Solanke quiet and won that physical battle.
Ream-very assured performance.Good defensively, some great passes.
Robinson-excellent both ways, could even have scored in the first half. Combined very well with Cairney and Willian down the left.
Palhinha-as usual, very good. Some superb tackles.
Cairney-controlled the tempo of our attacks. Unless he was absolutely knackered, seems like a weird decision to sub him off. Bournemouth started attacking more since he came off.
Andreas-solid performance, combined well at times with BDR down our right side.
BDR-worked hard, very well taken goal, good assist for Muniz's goal. Was much better in the first half though and I felt like he got tired. Luckily with both Adama and Wilson back, he won't have to play 90 minutes in every game.
Willian-winger masterclass from him. That's how a winger is supposed to play imo. So sad he's 35, I wish he could play for 10 more years for us.
Muniz-as I said in the match thread, I thought he was good all season, just lacked confidence and that I felt that if he scored one goal he'd start scoring on a more regular basis. I obviuosly didn't expect him to score a brace straight after scoring his first goal, and it is too early to make drastic predictions, but the signs are very positive. Excellent hold-up play again today married with a brace that got us 3 points. He was heavily involved in the first goal as well. Thought he's done brilliantly there apart from the final ball, luckily the deflection was favourable and Bournemouth player slipped.
Subs:
Wilson-struggled to get into the game. Some of his passes seemed off.
Reed-was pretty poor I thought. Apart from giving away fouls, can't remember what else he did.
Broja-looked better than in his previous appearance, imo. You can see the difference between a single training with the squad and a full week of training. Showed glimpses of what he could offer with his speed.
Adama-seemed really rusty,understandably though, considering he has't played in a very long time. Hopefully he can get back to his best.
FBT-great cameo appearance. He seems defensively very solid, pretty good with the ball and very fast. Ideal backup for Robinson. Not sure if he'd be interested, but if he want's to come, I'd try and get him on a permanent deal.
All in all, lots of good performances and 3 points, on to the next one!
Quote from: McBrideOfFrankenstein on February 10, 2024, 05:59:32 PMWe are very lucky to have Willian. What an exceptional player.
Copy that. Actually motm for me. His passing produced two goals. Too bad he fluffed his one real good chance to tally himself, but what a player he is. Still can't believe how he controls play at his advanced age. True pro, glad he's in our side....
Quote from: Fulham 442 on February 10, 2024, 06:02:17 PMQuote from: SerbianLad on February 10, 2024, 05:49:48 PMGreat performance and finally all 3 points!
Leno-Apart from that moment late on, he was very good. Some of his passes were excellent today as well.
Castagne-some good moments, especially in attack, but seemed quite shaky at the back.
Diop-terrible mistake in the first half, luckily not punished. Thought he's done well otherwise. Mostly kept Solanke quiet and won that physical battle.
Ream-very assured performance.Good defensively, some great passes.
Robinson-excellent both ways, could even have scored in the first half. Combined very well with Cairney and Willian down the left.
Palhinha-as usual, very good. Some superb tackles.
Cairney-controlled the tempo of our attacks. Unless he was absolutely knackered, seems like a weird decision to sub him off. Bournemouth started attacking more since he came off.
Andreas-solid performance, combined well at times with BDR down our right side.
BDR-worked hard, very well taken goal, good assist for Muniz's goal. Was much better in the first half though and I felt like he got tired. Luckily with both Adama and Wilson back, he won't have to play 90 minutes in every game.
Willian-winger masterclass from him. That's how a winger is supposed to play imo. So sad he's 35, I wish he could play for 10 more years for us.
Muniz-as I said in the match thread, I thought he was good all season, just lacked confidence and that I felt that if he scored one goal he'd start scoring on a more regular basis. I obviuosly didn't expect him to score a brace straight after scoring his first goal, and it is too early to make drastic predictions, but the signs are very positive. Excellent hold-up play again today married with a brace that got us 3 points. He was heavily involved in the first goal as well. Thought he's done brilliantly there apart from the final ball, luckily the deflection was favourable and Bournemouth player slipped.
Subs:
Wilson-struggled to get into the game. Some of his passes seemed off.
Reed-was pretty poor I thought. Apart from giving away fouls, can't remember what else he did.
Broja-looked better than in his previous appearance, imo. You can see the difference between a single training with the squad and a full week of training. Showed glimpses of what he could offer with his speed.
Adama-seemed really rusty,understandably though, considering he has't played in a very long time. Hopefully he can get back to his best.
FBT-great cameo appearance. He seems defensively very solid, pretty good with the ball and very fast. Ideal backup for Robinson. Not sure if he'd be interested, but if he want's to come, I'd try and get him on a permanent deal.
All in all, lots of good performances and 3 points, on to the next one!
A very good summary imo
My MOTM award goes to Palhinha for not getting a yellow card 😂 !
Quote from: SerbianLad on February 10, 2024, 05:49:48 PMGreat performance and finally all 3 points!
Leno-Apart from that moment late on, he was very good. Some of his passes were excellent today as well.
Castagne-some good moments, especially in attack, but seemed quite shaky at the back.
Diop-terrible mistake in the first half, luckily not punished. Thought he's done well otherwise. Mostly kept Solanke quiet and won that physical battle.
Ream-very assured performance.Good defensively, some great passes.
Robinson-excellent both ways, could even have scored in the first half. Combined very well with Cairney and Willian down the left.
Palhinha-as usual, very good. Some superb tackles.
Cairney-controlled the tempo of our attacks. Unless he was absolutely knackered, seems like a weird decision to sub him off. Bournemouth started attacking more since he came off.
Andreas-solid performance, combined well at times with BDR down our right side.
BDR-worked hard, very well taken goal, good assist for Muniz's goal. Was much better in the first half though and I felt like he got tired. Luckily with both Adama and Wilson back, he won't have to play 90 minutes in every game.
Willian-winger masterclass from him. That's how a winger is supposed to play imo. So sad he's 35, I wish he could play for 10 more years for us.
Muniz-as I said in the match thread, I thought he was good all season, just lacked confidence and that I felt that if he scored one goal he'd start scoring on a more regular basis. I obviuosly didn't expect him to score a brace straight after scoring his first goal, and it is too early to make drastic predictions, but the signs are very positive. Excellent hold-up play again today married with a brace that got us 3 points. He was heavily involved in the first goal as well. Thought he's done brilliantly there apart from the final ball, luckily the deflection was favourable and Bournemouth player slipped.
Subs:
Wilson-struggled to get into the game. Some of his passes seemed off.
Reed-was pretty poor I thought. Apart from giving away fouls, can't remember what else he did.
Broja-looked better than in his previous appearance, imo. You can see the difference between a single training with the squad and a full week of training. Showed glimpses of what he could offer with his speed.
Adama-seemed really rusty,understandably though, considering he has't played in a very long time. Hopefully he can get back to his best.
FBT-great cameo appearance. He seems defensively very solid, pretty good with the ball and very fast. Ideal backup for Robinson. Not sure if he'd be interested, but if he want's to come, I'd try and get him on a permanent deal.
All in all, lots of good performances and 3 points, on to the next one!
Excellent summary. The only one I'd quibble with slightly is Pereira. I thought he was average and a bit peripheral again. I was a massive fan of him last season, but he still doesn't seem to have regained that bit of zip that made him special since his broken ankle unfortunately.
Quote from: Luka on February 10, 2024, 06:08:56 PMMy MOTM award goes to Palhinha for not getting a yellow card 😂 !
Speaking of Palhinha, I sure hope he is ok. On the floor several times after taking what looked like some pretty good knocks. Of course, dusts himself off and continues play, the trooper he is. Fingers crossed all well with him.....
Willian superb today. Won us the game
Willian was the difference and the catalyst for everything good that happened in the final third. Muniz put in a stellar performance too. I just hope he can kick on from here.
Was a great result and some of our attacking play was outstanding
The corner that lead to their goal was conceeded after both Palhinha and Cairney were caught both ahead of the ball leaving us vulnerable, at the start of the 2nd half when we're 2-0 up... why take the unnecessary risks
When will we learn how to properly close a game out, bloody nearly gave me a heartache fearing a repeat of last week
Funny how we see games differently, I thought Diop was immense.
BDR gave me a fist pump before the game so I'm claiming an assist.
Great three points against a team we often struggle against.
And good to see so many FFC fans in the Putney End.
I think it's worth mentioning that we are 2 points off Chelsea. If we finish above them this season, I think I would be right in saying that it will be the first time we've finished back to back seasons ahead of them in the PL
Does Rodrigo's on fire work?
Just happy we won today, especially after the rail replacement service back to Ipswich. Currently at Ingatestone, hopefully home by 10pm latest.
On the game, wins a win, and yes I think there were moments they could of scored, but they didn't and we did, that's football!!!!
Quote from: ffcthereligion on February 10, 2024, 06:41:59 PMWillian superb today. Won us the game
The pass to Muniz for our third goal was mad
What a ball
A surprisingly stressful afternoon, given we were ahead for almost the entire game and had a 2 goal cushion! I felt like we cut through them quite easily when we got our play sorted but for large parts of the game were just too passive.
Big positives were Muniz, Willian (my MotM), Cairney & Ream. Big negatives were Andreas and Reed.
I even thought Broja looked good when he came on, even if he looks unfit.
I Andreas was Excellent.This Afternoon.Back to something like he's Best.
Just had a look at the match day thread & that has to be one of the calmest & shortest I've ever seen.
Apart from the obligatory BDR comments of course.
Such an important win,had we lost a lot of us would now be talking relegation.
With Bassy and Iwobi back, hopefully fit, we can now prepare for Villa with some hope.
Excellent win overall, but Leno continues to look absolutely lost on crosses. It's becoming a big issue.
Just tuned in to MOTD and realised that I haven't watched it at all this season. Then saw we are last again. Probably the reason why I no longer bother.
Quote from: Surlyc on February 10, 2024, 08:06:33 PMA surprisingly stressful afternoon, given we were ahead for almost the entire game and had a 2 goal cushion! I felt like we cut through them quite easily when we got our play sorted but for large parts of the game were just too passive.
Big positives were Muniz, Willian (my MotM), Cairney & Ream. Big negatives were Andreas and Reed.
I even thought Broja looked good when he came on, even if he looks unfit.
Well on top in the first half, but I cannot remember a second half when we were under so much pressure as today. We were well under the cosh for perhaps 30 minutes, corner after corner, we could not get hold of the ball. All that said, we won 3-1 and that's what counts.
Quote from: Ara's bacon crisps on February 10, 2024, 06:10:57 PMQuote from: SerbianLad on February 10, 2024, 05:49:48 PMGreat performance and finally all 3 points!
Leno-Apart from that moment late on, he was very good. Some of his passes were excellent today as well.
Castagne-some good moments, especially in attack, but seemed quite shaky at the back.
Diop-terrible mistake in the first half, luckily not punished. Thought he's done well otherwise. Mostly kept Solanke quiet and won that physical battle.
Ream-very assured performance.Good defensively, some great passes.
Robinson-excellent both ways, could even have scored in the first half. Combined very well with Cairney and Willian down the left.
Palhinha-as usual, very good. Some superb tackles.
Cairney-controlled the tempo of our attacks. Unless he was absolutely knackered, seems like a weird decision to sub him off. Bournemouth started attacking more since he came off.
Andreas-solid performance, combined well at times with BDR down our right side.
BDR-worked hard, very well taken goal, good assist for Muniz's goal. Was much better in the first half though and I felt like he got tired. Luckily with both Adama and Wilson back, he won't have to play 90 minutes in every game.
Willian-winger masterclass from him. That's how a winger is supposed to play imo. So sad he's 35, I wish he could play for 10 more years for us.
Muniz-as I said in the match thread, I thought he was good all season, just lacked confidence and that I felt that if he scored one goal he'd start scoring on a more regular basis. I obviuosly didn't expect him to score a brace straight after scoring his first goal, and it is too early to make drastic predictions, but the signs are very positive. Excellent hold-up play again today married with a brace that got us 3 points. He was heavily involved in the first goal as well. Thought he's done brilliantly there apart from the final ball, luckily the deflection was favourable and Bournemouth player slipped.
Subs:
Wilson-struggled to get into the game. Some of his passes seemed off.
Reed-was pretty poor I thought. Apart from giving away fouls, can't remember what else he did.
Broja-looked better than in his previous appearance, imo. You can see the difference between a single training with the squad and a full week of training. Showed glimpses of what he could offer with his speed.
Adama-seemed really rusty,understandably though, considering he has't played in a very long time. Hopefully he can get back to his best.
FBT-great cameo appearance. He seems defensively very solid, pretty good with the ball and very fast. Ideal backup for Robinson. Not sure if he'd be interested, but if he want's to come, I'd try and get him on a permanent deal.
All in all, lots of good performances and 3 points, on to the next one!
Excellent summary. The only one I'd quibble with slightly is Pereira. I thought he was average and a bit peripheral again. I was a massive fan of him last season, but he still doesn't seem to have regained that bit of zip that made him special since his broken ankle unfortunately.
i thought he was the obvious chose to replace with reed. he tried hard but invariably lost the ball running into trouble or wayward passing. after tc went off we had what 3 meaningfull attacks? inviting them onto us and when we got the ball we invariably lost it cheaply. could have been costly sitting back.
"Picking Decordova -Reid is like playing with 10 men" he said
Glad we didn't sign Semenyo, looks Championship standard to me.
Quote from: Ara's bacon crisps on February 10, 2024, 06:10:57 PMExcellent summary. The only one I'd quibble with slightly is Pereira. I thought he was average and a bit peripheral again. I was a massive fan of him last season, but he still doesn't seem to have regained that bit of zip that made him special since his broken ankle unfortunately.
He probably had his best game all season, being much better at retaining possession but I agree in general. You compare the way TC works that triangle with Willian and Antonee, to the AP one with BDR and Castagne, or even the couple of times TC drove forward with the ball (like the 3rd goal) and you can see the relative limitations. It is also so frustrating the amount of times he waits for, rather than coming to, the ball, allowing a defender to get in ahead of him.
Iwobi will help a lot when he is back, but next year we really need another midfielder who can turn his man or buy a foul in central areas, AP is good, but he isn't that guy.
Quote from: Snibbo on February 10, 2024, 10:48:27 PM"Picking Decordova -Reid is like playing with 10 men" he said
:lol:
He knows his footie though!
Quote from: Palhinha Colada on February 10, 2024, 10:17:31 PMExcellent win overall, but Leno continues to look absolutely lost on crosses. It's becoming a big issue.
Not sure how big an issue, but you're right. Looking very dodgy once again today v Bournemouth. Needs to regain form, and quick. Tough group of games coming up......
Quote from: Somerset Fulham on February 10, 2024, 11:23:15 PMQuote from: Snibbo on February 10, 2024, 10:48:27 PM"Picking Decordova -Reid is like playing with 10 men" he said
:lol:
He knows his footie though!
Is that the footie in mouthie? 👼
I think those who criticize Pereira just don't understand how important he is to the success of that TC-Willian-Robinson triangle.
Even though we set up with Palhinha as the 6, and TC as the 8, the movement of Pereira allows Cairney to operate like an 8 and a 10. We're not working a double-pivot of a 6 and 8 this year. It's not a pivot between Palhinha and TC, it's TC and Pereira. The phases of play that Marco has allowed TC and Pereira to excel is just brilliant. When Pereira goes up, TC drops back, when TC goes up, Pereira drops back - until we have possession near half, then they go up together in the attacking third.
Pereira's movement is so key to our game. He's the reason we can constantly overload that left-hand side. The type of sequences we had against Bournemouth were unseen before. So many penetrating passes that usually are clogged by their high press and traps, all because they didn't know when to press Pereira or when to press TC, while Palhinha can sit back and be the destroyer that he is.
Quote from: Matt10 on February 11, 2024, 04:24:20 PMI think those who criticize Pereira just don't understand how important he is to the success of that TC-Willian-Robinson triangle.
Even though we set up with Palhinha as the 6, and TC as the 8, the movement of Pereira allows Cairney to operate like an 8 and a 10. We're not working a double-pivot of a 6 and 8 this year. It's not a pivot between Palhinha and TC, it's TC and Pereira. The phases of play that Marco has allowed TC and Pereira to excel is just brilliant. When Pereira goes up, TC drops back, when TC goes up, Pereira drops back - until we have possession near half, then they go up together in the attacking third.
Pereira's movement is so key to our game. He's the reason we can constantly overload that left-hand side. The type of sequences we had against Bournemouth were unseen before. So many penetrating passes that usually are clogged by their high press and traps, all because they didn't know when to press Pereira or when to press TC, while Palhinha can sit back and be the destroyer that he is.
Agree with this
Quote from: St Eve on February 11, 2024, 05:00:50 PMQuote from: Matt10 on February 11, 2024, 04:24:20 PMI think those who criticize Pereira just don't understand how important he is to the success of that TC-Willian-Robinson triangle.
Even though we set up with Palhinha as the 6, and TC as the 8, the movement of Pereira allows Cairney to operate like an 8 and a 10. We're not working a double-pivot of a 6 and 8 this year. It's not a pivot between Palhinha and TC, it's TC and Pereira. The phases of play that Marco has allowed TC and Pereira to excel is just brilliant. When Pereira goes up, TC drops back, when TC goes up, Pereira drops back - until we have possession near half, then they go up together in the attacking third.
Pereira's movement is so key to our game. He's the reason we can constantly overload that left-hand side. The type of sequences we had against Bournemouth were unseen before. So many penetrating passes that usually are clogged by their high press and traps, all because they didn't know when to press Pereira or when to press TC, while Palhinha can sit back and be the destroyer that he is.
Agree with this
It does feel that he hasn't been as good this year but he is 8th in the whole league for chances created and third outside the top 6! Said before on another thread because of the striker issues for much of this season we just haven't been putting them away so looks less effective I think.
https://twitter.com/Other14The/status/1755272593781768203
Quote from: Matt10 on February 11, 2024, 04:24:20 PMI think those who criticize Pereira just don't understand how important he is to the success of that TC-Willian-Robinson triangle.
Even though we set up with Palhinha as the 6, and TC as the 8, the movement of Pereira allows Cairney to operate like an 8 and a 10. We're not working a double-pivot of a 6 and 8 this year. It's not a pivot between Palhinha and TC, it's TC and Pereira. The phases of play that Marco has allowed TC and Pereira to excel is just brilliant. When Pereira goes up, TC drops back, when TC goes up, Pereira drops back - until we have possession near half, then they go up together in the attacking third.
Pereira's movement is so key to our game. He's the reason we can constantly overload that left-hand side. The type of sequences we had against Bournemouth were unseen before. So many penetrating passes that usually are clogged by their high press and traps, all because they didn't know when to press Pereira or when to press TC, while Palhinha can sit back and be the destroyer that he is.
I agree with what you are saying about the shape of the team, but I fundamentally disagree with you about the outcome. There is a reason Pereira got dropped pre-Afcon.
The bold part is right in that we choose what side to attack and the shape changes to respond to that. It was the same at the start of the season when Silva was playing Pereira as the 8 on the left and Reed as the 8 on the right, but because neither were offering enough creatively we weren't able to get anything going - Periera was the one trying to play with Willian and Antonee and failing. TC coming in (and Iwobi being fit) completely revitalised everything, but the fact is over the last few weeks our right side is consistently less productive side and a huge part of that is because Pereira isn't as good (yes Willian is a lot better than BDR, but he wasn't doing it with Willian either).
Though in the above I haven't reflected how important Pereira is in our press when he drops into the 10 position out of possession. He's very good at that, and works very hard.
He is a good player, but it also is a player/position we should be looking to upgrade and it wouldn't cost silly money (and if you got a decent Saudi offer you should be biting their hands off).
A shout out for Robinson yesterday for his overall defensive soundness. Midway during the second half he made at least seven headed clearances from our penalty area. Not an area of his game I particularly noticed until yesterday.
Also not only is he quick but he continued to run past their full backs late into game. Probably has more stamina than any other player I can think of.
Quote from: copthornemike on February 12, 2024, 10:38:01 AMA shout out for Robinson yesterday for his overall defensive soundness. Midway during the second half he made at least seven headed clearances from our penalty area. Not an area of his game I particularly noticed until yesterday.
Also not only is he quick but he continued to run past their full backs late into game. Probably has more stamina than any other player I can think of.
I too thought he had a cracking game and I've been a bit nervous about him recently as his passing has been wayward. For me, he looks like a better player next to Ream. I'm not saying keep Ream (though I've been championing him since the day he joined) in the team, but there's something about his passing to Robinson that just clicks.
Quote from: Jim© on February 12, 2024, 01:26:37 PMQuote from: copthornemike on February 12, 2024, 10:38:01 AMA shout out for Robinson yesterday for his overall defensive soundness. Midway during the second half he made at least seven headed clearances from our penalty area. Not an area of his game I particularly noticed until yesterday.
Also not only is he quick but he continued to run past their full backs late into game. Probably has more stamina than any other player I can think of.
I too thought he had a cracking game and I've been a bit nervous about him recently as his passing has been wayward. For me, he looks like a better player next to Ream. I'm not saying keep Ream (though I've been championing him since the day he joined) in the team, but there's something about his passing to Robinson that just clicks.
Strongly disagree that he looks better next to Ream. He makes Ream look better, but when he's paired next to Ream he needs to hold back a little more to cover for Ream's lack of pace, etc. When Bassey is at LCB Robinson is free to push forward into the attack a bit more making us more dangerous.
Quote from: Jim© on February 12, 2024, 01:26:37 PMQuote from: copthornemike on February 12, 2024, 10:38:01 AMA shout out for Robinson yesterday for his overall defensive soundness. Midway during the second half he made at least seven headed clearances from our penalty area. Not an area of his game I particularly noticed until yesterday. Also not only is he quick but he continued to run past their full backs late into game. Probably has more stamina than any other player I can think of.
I too thought he had a cracking game and I've been a bit nervous about him recently as his passing has been wayward.
I think it's about time to get off this kick about how poor Robinsons' passing/crossing is. I'm not saying he is the finished product just yet, there can still be some improvement. That said, over the last couple of months of play he has put in some very good crosses and also some nice passes. Against Burnley he feathered in some beautiful passes that sent attackers into scoring chances. I think these last two games Robinson has had excellent outings, both defensively and offensively.
Great win. Fulham bossed 1st half possession. Bournemouth bossed 2nd half possession. Glad Bournemouth didn't have their accurate shooting boots on.
Quote from: itombomb on February 11, 2024, 06:50:39 PMQuote from: Matt10 on February 11, 2024, 04:24:20 PMI think those who criticize Pereira just don't understand how important he is to the success of that TC-Willian-Robinson triangle.
Even though we set up with Palhinha as the 6, and TC as the 8, the movement of Pereira allows Cairney to operate like an 8 and a 10. We're not working a double-pivot of a 6 and 8 this year. It's not a pivot between Palhinha and TC, it's TC and Pereira. The phases of play that Marco has allowed TC and Pereira to excel is just brilliant. When Pereira goes up, TC drops back, when TC goes up, Pereira drops back - until we have possession near half, then they go up together in the attacking third.
Pereira's movement is so key to our game. He's the reason we can constantly overload that left-hand side. The type of sequences we had against Bournemouth were unseen before. So many penetrating passes that usually are clogged by their high press and traps, all because they didn't know when to press Pereira or when to press TC, while Palhinha can sit back and be the destroyer that he is.
I agree with what you are saying about the shape of the team, but I fundamentally disagree with you about the outcome. There is a reason Pereira got dropped pre-Afcon.
The bold part is right in that we choose what side to attack and the shape changes to respond to that. It was the same at the start of the season when Silva was playing Pereira as the 8 on the left and Reed as the 8 on the right, but because neither were offering enough creatively we weren't able to get anything going - Periera was the one trying to play with Willian and Antonee and failing. TC coming in (and Iwobi being fit) completely revitalised everything, but the fact is over the last few weeks our right side is consistently less productive side and a huge part of that is because Pereira isn't as good (yes Willian is a lot better than BDR, but he wasn't doing it with Willian either).
Though in the above I haven't reflected how important Pereira is in our press when he drops into the 10 position out of possession. He's very good at that, and works very hard.
He is a good player, but it also is a player/position we should be looking to upgrade and it wouldn't cost silly money (and if you got a decent Saudi offer you should be biting their hands off).
I think there's a stark difference between playing a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1, regardless Pereira is always a 10. Against Luton Town at home, we had Pereira-Palhinha-Reed for example. If within the context of what the majority we have used, a 4-2-3-1, then the dynamic changes. He wasn't an 8 in any positions, he's always a 10 and that's seen by how much more advanced he is. Even in that 4-3-3, it's Palhinha and Reed who are the double pivot. If Reed moved up, Palhinha drops back and vice-versa. Pereira had to play more of a free-roaming 10, while Palhinha plays on the left and Reed plays on the right - that's a completely different approach than when TC is on the pitch.
I understand what you mean by choosing what side and how the shape changes, but that's a given point I made about how with TC and Pereira we're interchanging those two, not Palhinha and TC in the 4-2-3-1. Silva's system is built on overloading wings, so the left-hand side doesn't work without Pereira's work and movement on the opposite side. Within context regarding Pereira failing on the left, that combo of Pereira-Willian-Robinson has been used maybe 3 times this season. The win vs Sheff Utd, the loss to Chelsea at home, and the 0-0 tie to Crystal Palace, maybe some sub appearances, but I can't be certain, I do know it was 3 matches in a row.
In terms of why he was dropped pre-Afcon, that's just neither here nor there and assumes as if we know the inner workings of something past tactical reasons. He has played non-stop since August - so I'm thinking that's more along the lines of reasoning.
Overall, from a tactical point of view, I think Marco had to figure out that the 4-3-3 wasn't working, along with having the 6 and 8 double pivots causing more harm than good. It wasn't until introducing Cairney and Pereira that our best form of defense was a better attack.
I thought Pereira's interplay with Iwobi on the right was extremely good when that was used and Iwobi's return from AFCON should see the return of that. We will get Cairney-Willian-Robinson on the left and Pereira-Iwobi on the right. Tete and Castagne don't typically get as advanced as Robinson does but they can be involved in the wide triangle on the right as well.
That was the lineup we used when we were cooking with those two 5-0 wins and we never really have got much of a chance to see it since due to Raul getting sent off against Newcastle then Willian got injured then Iwobi went to AFCON. Very much looking forward to seeing that again as having two creative flanks that work well together is the crux of Marco's system and it was really working for those games. I'd slot Iwobi straight back in on the right against Villa.