Keener window-cleaner

2 hours ago, lexicon said:

Hardly comparable players One, a generational icon who played for some of the biggest teams in the world as a star, the other an oiled up one-trick pony who can barely get in at Wolves. 

The comparision I made was the feeling when I saw a player for the first time, and the few players you instantly think wow what is this. Ronaldinho, the first time I saw him did these amazing tricks, Adama Traore when I saw him against CP made some incredible bursts. Doku, the first time I saw him did both the Ronaldinho tricks and the Traore bursts. Can’t remember many other players that have had that instant wow-factor on me. Saint-Maximan perhaps, but he instantly also looked a bit of a clown.

If you think I compared Doku, Ronaldinho and Traore as players in general you have misunderstood.

Yes! For us in Sweden and for ppl who can watch Viaplay they show the game tonight! Happy times! Same with the Fulham game later in the week.

edit: sorry now I saw there was another thread for this.

13 minutes ago, Monkeypuzzle said:

Cash is not a weak link in our team. I have no idea where you get this idea that he is nervous on the ball and can't pass the ball. Utter rubbish! He has been a solid player for us since his arrival, is rarely responsible for conceded goals and is quite capable going forward. Nothing he has done makes me concerned about him as a player for us. No he isn't our best player on the pitch but the idea that he desperately needs to be replaced is nonsense. What we need is another right back to compete with him who can offer different strengths to give us options.

Defensively I would say he is. We are playing with a very high line which requires our back four to be very careful in holding the line, you could see Cash not coping so well with this at several times last season. I think it was the game against Arsenal at home where they ran through several times and often it was Cash who didn't hold the line. Also in other games I have noticed that. Also defensively he is not 100%, a bit clumsy and rash in his tackles and sometimes gives away cheap free kicks. His passing is allthough not bad, not top class either. I think all this contributed to Emery preferring Young as RB last season.

Cash has got a really good engine, running up and down the pitch and gets himself into dangerous positions, creating space for our attacking players. A good lad and a good buy, but not good enough to be our first choice for where we are now imo.  

Please say this link is credible! For me this is one of the most exciting links in many years. i remember him breaking through coming on as a substitute in the 2020 Euros, and he is one of those players where you just think wow! A bit like the first time I saw Ronaldinho or Adama Traoré. They way Doku bursts past defenders and his dribbling and trickery is among the most eye catching I've seen. And in contrast to Adama Traoré, Doku seems to be a fairly good passer and a team player. 

Then of course the flip-side is his injuries, as often is with these extremely explosive players. Seemes like he missed a third of last season or something like that. Regardless of that, if we could get him for around 20M I wouldn't hesitate one second, even if he only is available for half a season every year he would contribute and give us that x-factor we love to see. Him, Diaby, Watkins and Bailey would give us quite some speed up front!

27 minutes ago, Made In Aston said:

If the Saudi involvement totally kills football in the rest of the world then there is one element of heritage that they can't replicate... The world cup. Fifa could potentially exclude Saudi Arabia from entering and any of the players playing in their league. See how quick they leave Saudi. 

I'm pretty sure Saudi wont kill football, it will be the same as with China, the first year or two some players will be turned by the money and move there. But quite soon most of them will find out what shithole of a country it is and will want to leave. If they have wife and kids they will be out of there even quicker. No need to worry. 

6 hours ago, Rds1983 said:

After the Unsworth fiasco, I always wait at least 4 days before I stop worrying something will go wrong.

I was so happy when we signed Unsworth, thought he would be perfect for us! Equally gutted and confused when he left (if he even arrived).

Really keeping my fingers crossed for Pau Torres, feels like a super signing.

14 hours ago, lexicon said:

Well, let's just hope that some club was watching, was impressed and wants to take him off our hands. I can't see him ever being good enough for us. 

Fully agree! I has the same bad feeling when we signed Olsen as when we signed Allbäck Mellberg was good though!

21 hours ago, May-Z said:

I'm with @MaVilla here. 

Olsen is sooo slow. He goes down in installments. 

Think back to the Brentford match for two classic examples. 

The missed open goal comes from him not moving his feet to the bounce quick enough and their goal, although difficulty to stop, highlights how he can't really move across the ground either. 

I think we are talking about different things here. Slow when crawling on the ground as in the Brentford mistake yes. Fumbling with the ball yes. Moving slowly across the line, perhaps yes. But - one of his best features is that he goes to ground quickly, especially with his foot-parades, and that he is quite agile in that sense, not at least for being so tall, also means he has good range with his long legs and arms.

Many on here judge him on the few games for villa (and yes he has been woeful and shouldnt have been signed in the first place). But for ppl who have followed his career in the Swedish National team the picture is a bit more nuanced.

Just as an example the Swedish manager (whom I’d like to be dismissed btw) said there is no GK in the world he’d rather have than Robin Olsen, or something like that. I hugely disagree, but it says quite much about Olsen nevertheless compared to some of the adolecent comments about him on here (not aimed at you or MaVilla)

55 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Wonder if a full preseason with Emery and his goalkeeping coach would do him well.

Emi actually improved certain aspects of his game since Unai and team have come in.

His sweeping , playing out and distribution seems to have improved.

I think Olsen is too dodgy with his feet tbh, as much faith as I have in Emery I dont think he can improve on that to a sufficient level.

36 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

his main problem is that he cant move, he has the speed and agility of a sloth, and him getting to the ground looks like a 2500 year old oak tree slowly creaking as it falls.

And it really stands out at PL level.

Seems like something you have made up in your head there, I could list many things Olsen is not good at and not suited to the PL for, but if it is one thing he is good at it’s getting to the ground quickly, especially for such a tall GK.

Lovre Kalinic on the other hand was slow getting to the ground.

37 minutes ago, lexicon said:

Do Austria have any PL-level attackers? 

Not really, more of a good allround team, dont know their players that well. They have Arnautovic, and the one famous in the Grealish thread - the Grillitsch guy  

He played really well for Sweden yesterday, Austria would have been 3-4 goals up if it wasn't for him in the first half. And continued to make some top class saves in the second. Could have done a bit better on the first goal. Austria is not a bad team either, leading the group.

PL still seems to physical for him and too high tempo, and he is not at all suited to Emery's tactics where the GK need to be comfortable on the ball. But it's no question that he is a good international class GK.

1 hour ago, GlobalVillan said:

This is a wind up surely. Surely!?

Not at all, and I'm not saying that he is the required shape, good enough or suggesting he should play for us, only saying that I'd like Emery to have a look at him during pre season as he has a profile that we are lacking, someone who is good at hold up play in the no 10 position.

Regarding if Wes is shit or had potential, or how he performed during his 5 months in the premier league I think most is said repeatedly in this thread with a variety of opinions. I of the opinion that he showed enough potential not to rule out that he could become a good premier league player if played to his strengths. His stats were not that bad with 6 goals in half a season. His performances against Everton and Manchester United I thought were really good. Then of course there is no question that he looked a bit awkward, running with a bit of a limp, sometimes his touch and passing looked like he wasn't a footballer by trade and didn't really seem to strike the ball clearly, was quite bad at heading the ball as well. At the same time, he now and then showed some sublime skills with some through balls and nice weighted passes and read the game quite well, as some of the highlight reels show. I don't know if he would have adapted to the PL, but going by the Everton and Man U game I'd be willing to give him a chance. As of now I have no idea at all what shape he is in, but would do no harm to let Emery have a closer look.

It would be fun to see Duran and Wes come on for the last 15 mins and bully the defenders! (Perhaps we could throw in grant Holt in that mix as well ) 

Rumours gone a bit quiet on this one.

I'm not sure what I hope for at the moment. A couple of months ago I suggested us going for him. But after more consideration I'm a bit afraid that he is a little bit of a one trick pony. The fact that he doesn't seem to fully fit to our tactics is an interesting one. If he mainly hugs the touchline and lurks around the shoulder of the full back, then runs at goal, well then that is not the way we play with our inverted wingers and Moreno bombing forward. But as Emery has said that he is looking for different porfiles on players, Barnes would give us the option to play with traditional wingers or wide forwards. With Digne as LB and Barnes LW or wide forward there we have a classic left side and would give us options to play that way in some games.

Now if it is sound to fork out £30-40M for a player who would excpect to play regularly, just to have in case of a back up tactic, I'm not sure.

2 hours ago, MaVilla said:

if anyone thinks Wesley has a future at Villa, i want some of what you are smoking!

I hope he is with us for pre season so that Emery can take a look at him, perhaps he will never come back in the same shape as before his injury, sad if so. But if he can get back to that shape, I do think he fills a profile that we currently dont have. Emery spoke about having players with different profiles to play in different ways. Wesley was in the beginning of his career playing as a no 10, I think a big strong target player as a no 10 is something we are missing. Wesley was acutally quite good in the hold up play and bringing others in to play with one or two touch passes. With the ball at his feet running towards defences he got exposed. But hold up play and then coming in the second wave I think he could do a job, if he gets back in the same shape as before. Wesley occupying a couple of defenders and creating space for Watkins to run could be a tactic in some games. 

I think he looks absolutely fantastic, sublimed control and good passing, and that x-factor with speed and dribbling, scores some real wonder goals as well. He played quite much for Spain in the WC which says a lot for a 20 year old not playing at Barca or Real. I think it would be an absolute steal if we could get him.

Booo! Lee Kang OUT! I had really high hopes that we would sign him, seemed perfect for us and a real talent, someone who can keep possession and also create, and seemed to be fairly cheap. Booo-boo-booo!

Anyways, give med Harvey Barnes to the left and some exciting player like Nico Williams or Deulofeu to the right and I'm fine!

To that a new back up GK, CB, RB and perhaps a striker please  

1 minute ago, Kiwivillan said:

Bugger all off the ball

Thanks but I don't read too much into statistics (yes Wes Edens, Lange & co won't like me)

1 hour ago, foreveryoung said:

Hairyhands was the man!

MysteryMan with Hairyhands! 

Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts @GrumpyFox! Must say I have a soft spot for Leicester, it's a nice club and followed them a bit as your former player Pontus Kåmark is from my home town.

Regarding Harvey Barnes I posted on here some moths ago that he was one of the players I wanted us to sign this summer, if possible. However, playing the devils advocate there are some things that has made me hesitate a bit lately. First of all, would you say that he is a topp class passer suited to a possession based playing style? Under Emery we play with lots of possessions that requires players who are really good and careful passers. We already have one direct runner in Bailey, he is supposed to be a winger, but as he is quite much heads down and makes his own runs where he loses the ball more than 50% of the time, he is often played in a more advanced position in the front two. I'm a bit worried that Barnes is the same type of player that doesn't contribute to the possession as much, but rather lurks around the full back and, plays a one-two and runs at goal (and does that really well). So what would you say, can he adapt to a possession style of play? Didn't Rodgers play with much possession as well?

The second thing is that I don't know how much effort he puts in defensively. In Moreno we have a very much forward going full back, so he will need to track back and cover for him at times. Will he do that? And lastly, how is his character? Is he a nice person, good team mate?

Thanks!

He is one of my favourite players.

4 hours ago, srsmithusa said:

Marvelous was one of the best we have had in the last 20 years at reading the movement of the opposition and moving to the right place to cut ot their options.  I bet his number of intercepted passes was huge...  the problem always was, he had trouble finding the open man once he got the ball.   I always thought he had fantastic potential.  But a lower tier is probably the best place to learn that.  (Kamara is the second best at reading the opposition and then is much better with possession)  All IMO of course.

Fully agree, problem is he is not a quick and good enough passer of the ball to be suited to a possession based system like we now have, or any other mid table PL team.

Defensively and breaking up play he is top class!