Wesley Moraes

[KenjiOgiwara]

It's fair to consider being new to the league, new on the continent, new with the language etc. and that he will need time. 

But my main worry has remained through all the matches I've seen him is that he has no great standout attributes. He isn't strong  nor pacy, nor god at running with the ball or shooting. He's just incredibly average.  

I hope he gets there with time, but if I were a betting man I wouldn't count on it. 

Edited November 3, 2019 by KenjiOgiwara

[Vive_La_Villa]

Just now, villalad21 said:

Benteke were too though and came from the same league.

Also similar age and Benteke did hit it off in his first season for a smaller fee.

He did but he’s not Benteke and they’re also not robots that all behave the same way.   Let’s just wait and see hey? If he is still poor by the end of the season then I’ll agree with you. I just can’t write players off after 10 Indifferent games. 

[Guest av1]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

This young thing needs to stop. He's not a kid, he's almost 23. 

 

Davis is almost 22 yet you have argued that we shouldn't judge his goalscoring record because he is so young. 

You change your argument with every post. 

[KenjiOgiwara]

2 minutes ago, av1 said:

Davis is almost 22 yet you have argued that we shouldn't judge his goalscoring record because he is so young. 

You change your argument with every post. 

The record you refer to is from when Davis was 19 mind. 

[villalad21]

15 minutes ago, av1 said:

Davis is almost 22 yet you have argued that we shouldn't judge his goalscoring record because he is so young. 

You change your argument with every post. 

Davis has barely featured since he was a teenager.

Has he even started a single league game under Smith?

Edited November 3, 2019 by villalad21

[MotoMkali]

On 02/11/2019 at 21:33, av1 said:

Whilst I agree with the point, I think I'm beginning to form the opinion that it's just about understanding the league. 

Half the time he looks like he's genuinely dismanyed that he isn't winning a free kick, which leads me to suspect that maybe these type of decisions went his way in Belgium. 

I think he just needs to learn that this league is different. 

But as you also pointed out, it's probably confusing him even more that when he decides to dish a bit back he is deemed to be the aggressor. 

I still like the kid, he'll learn..

I think he just isn't getting anything from the refs. I didn't get to watch Saturdays game but in previous games defenders have gone through the back of him but he never wins it.

Premier league refereeing continues to disappoint me and I believe it is far worse than any of the championship games we played last season. 

[blandy]

17 hours ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

He isn't strong  nor pacy, nor god at running with the ball or shooting. He's just incredibly average.  

He bloody is!  Using that strength in the Prem as opposed to falling to the floor and rolling around is something that he needs to do much better, but the bloke's a big unit and definitely strong with it. He's also a good passer of the ball, picking out teammates.

It's frustrating that he's inconsistent - so far one good game, 2 bad games and doesn't look like he'll score a lot, but he will definitely improve with more game time and coaching and adjustment to the English game. It would be nice to have the finished article, but we are where we are.

[Chindie]

His strength isn't helped by whenever he does try to use it, refs invariably rule against him. And when he does seem to be fouled, they decide he wasn't.

On Saturday he literally couldn't have bought anything from the ref. If he went anywhere near a tussle for the ball against their defenders the whistle went.

[Dr_Pangloss]

45 minutes ago, blandy said:

He bloody is!  Using that strength in the Prem as opposed to falling to the floor and rolling around is something that he needs to do much better, but the bloke's a big unit and definitely strong with it. He's also a good passer of the ball, picking out teammates.

It's frustrating that he's inconsistent - so far one good game, 2 bad games and doesn't look like he'll score a lot, but he will definitely improve with more game time and coaching and adjustment to the English game. It would be nice to have the finished article, but we are where we are.

I made this point after Spurs and it's been confirmed since. Wesley is as strong as an ox, but he hasn't figured out how to use his strength optimally. In the Spurs game he absolutely dominated Sanchez for the goal but shortly after Walker-Peters, a total piss ant, fragged him off the ball. He's used to being in a league where he can go over easily and get the freekick, so for me he's not always bracing himself for contact and as a result he's going over but not getting the freekick. I also think there's potentially a balance issue that needs to be addressed through proper S&C training. But in terms of raw strength, he certainly has it.

[KenjiOgiwara]

1 hour ago, blandy said:

He bloody is!  Using that strength in the Prem as opposed to falling to the floor and rolling around is something that he needs to do much better, but the bloke's a big unit and definitely strong with it. He's also a good passer of the ball, picking out teammates.

It's frustrating that he's inconsistent - so far one good game, 2 bad games and doesn't look like he'll score a lot, but he will definitely improve with more game time and coaching and adjustment to the English game. It would be nice to have the finished article, but we are where we are.

When you aren't showing it, you aren't. 

[lexicon]

2 hours ago, Chindie said:

His strength isn't helped by whenever he does try to use it, refs invariably rule against him. And when he does seem to be fouled, they decide he wasn't.

On Saturday he literally couldn't have bought anything from the ref. If he went anywhere near a tussle for the ball against their defenders the whistle went.

I think this is very much the point - it must be very frustrating to be damned if you, damned if you don't. 

[OxfordVillan]

I’m a little surprised that we’re into November and Wesley hasn’t had it drilled into him that if the whistle doesn’t blow then get up quickly and keep playing. It’s frustrating as hell to watch him with arms out trying to question the referee and the game is rolling on around him. When he chased and harried the Liverpool CBs the crowd roared him on, we need to see more of that. Maybe those roars on Saturday can act as a turning point for Wesley and he’ll learn from it. Hopefully. As witnessed in the last 2 Premier League games the best sides have talent AND work rate. I think there have been games when the gap between Wesley and the rest is too big, I don’t think we’ve helped him in that respect. We’ve dropped too deep in games and invited the ball to keep coming back, that needs to change and is a coaching issue. 

[Spoony]

I don’t think he’s the real deal at all tbh. We really have to get someone in in Jan and bench him until he can be coached to at least stay on his feet for more than 30 seconds. 

[meregreen]

He looks like a guy who would score a decent amount in the Championship, where size can be a big attribute. But I’m yet to be convinced he’s good enough for the Premiership, where that extra bit of skill and nuance is needed. Looks very pedestrian.

[villalad21]

Benteke never went to the ground unless it was a clear and obvious foul.

Wesley really need to get it out of his game.

[MotoMkali]

13 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Benteke never went to the ground unless it was a clear and obvious foul.

Wesley really need to get it out of his game.

The problem is Wesley is being fouled it is just light fouls which would go straight to someone like David silva or even aguero but the ref looks at him like he has gone down easy. 

[villalad21]

1 minute ago, MotoMkali said:

The problem is Wesley is being fouled it is just light fouls which would go straight to someone like David silva or even aguero but the ref looks at him like he has gone down easy. 

Benteke and Carew didn't go down for light fouls.

Man up Wesley.

[Uncle Albert]

Im really struggling to take to him im afraid, i cant think of one thing he's really good at.  I think with a more mobile striker we would find ourself higher up the league, we need an outlet who can take pressure of the rest of the team, make runs and hold the ball up. 

[Keyblade]

Not doing too badly among his peers 

[KentVillan]

1 hour ago, Keyblade said:

Not doing too badly among his peers 

Also worth pointing out that Jimenez and Ings aren't really "summer signings", but loan conversions, so Wesley is basically top of the pile.

Looking beyond the stats, the best summer striker signing is clearly Maupay - not only has he scored 4 goals, but his link up play has been superb, and he's a bargain at £16m. Just looks a very useful player with a good footballing personality.

But Maupay has been playing top flight football since 2012, versus Wesley whose career started in 2015. Maupay has twice as many professional appearances under his belt as Wesley. They might be close in age, but Wesley is so far behind in his career development.

Wesley has so much scope to grow. A lot of the criticism he's getting is for stuff that is very coachable - going down too easily, complaining to the referee, fading from games when they don't go his way, not attacking crosses and set pieces well. It's mostly mental / footballing intelligence stuff.

I think we may have a real gem on our hands, but he needs a lot of coaching. His performance against Liverpool was decent, I thought, with a referee giving him absolutely nothing. He'll have more joy against the lower table teams.