So I must be the second Danish fan who starts sympathizing with Aston Villa because of Okore. Since I've read must of the thread I can see that there is a lot of positive buzz about Okore and that great because he definitely has a huge potential. But there will definitely be some challenges...
Wen FCN plays in the danish league, they in almost every game have more than 60% ball possesion. Furthermore, they consequently push up high on the pitch which always leaves Okore at his best. Chasing opponents down one on one. Just like you saw in the video where he showed his tremendous pace against Moses. In this element of the game I believe that he already now is an absolute world class player. But if you instead of looking at the Okore highlights of the CFC game look at the 4 goals Chelsea score against FCN you can also see some of his current limitations. His in the box placement is in my oppinion underdeveloped due to the fact that FCN seldomly comes under a high pressure for longer periods.
And this is where I can see adaption challenges for Okore at Villa. As one of you guys wrote, Villa conceded quite a bit of goals last season so I presume that you won't push the game as much forward as FCN does in DK and therefore he might not be in his best element. I believe he will learn over time, and turn out to be class defender like Martin Laursen was for years.
His great advantage over Martin Laursen is the fact that he wants to play football and not just kick the ball away. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain the passing level as he had in DK now since there is a much higher tempo and presuure in the premier league.
Well, that was my 5 cents... I am definitely coming over in the spring to see Villa if he makes it to the starting 11. But it is very hard for me to judge if he is better than what you currently have.
If you have any questions I am very willing to answer them. I have basically seen every game the last two seasons.
