jacketspuds Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Just now, meregreen said: Trying hard to conceive of a situation where we would have need of a poor substitute to help the team. Injury to the LB that was playing ahead of him in the match at the time? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meregreen Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Just now, jacketspuds said: Injury to the LB that was playing ahead of him in the match at the time? Would prefer our bench to have a player with better credentials than Targett. If players like him start clogging up the bench then our ability to change matches is curtailed. Honestly, I’d prefer to see more of our younger players used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Targett is still a very good player, his only problem is is that he doesn't really suit the system that Gerrard is trying to employ, because our midfield is quite conservative, we're more reliant on the fullbacks and the front three for creativity, really we need the fullbacks to be almost virtually like wingers, which is what we're trying to do, and why you see Ramsey and McGinn dropping deep to cover for them, it's not too dissimilair to how Liverpool play. Even if he doesn't suit Gerrard's system, he'd be a good player to have in the squad, as someone who can perhaps play in games where we need to be more defensive minded. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 We have moved beyond Targett. He was at his best when we played 4 2 3 1 and had a 6 / 4 split between defence and attack. Not to mention having Grealish in front of him meant teams looked for overloads less on that side so they weren't exposed to Grealish in a counter. We now play a 4 3 2 1 with a 5 / 5 split between attack and defence with the full backs now primarily attacking players and the CBs and 3 midfielders the defensive group. This really doesn't suit Targett, like the 5 3 2 didn't suit him when Deano played it. Cash suits this system having been a midfielder before becoming a RB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomC Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Reivax_Villa said: When Targett was brought to this club it wasn’t to be a top 10 left back. He was brought in because he was better than Neil Taylor by miles. We are now at the level where we need an upgrade. 55 minutes ago, meregreen said: Trying hard to conceive of a situation where we would have need of a poor substitute to help the team. Simply put, we aren't Man City yet where we can have 2 world class players at every position. Right now, I would be happy to have 1 at left back. Reivax_Villa has it right. He was an upgrade. Now he should be upgraded. That doesn't mean that he's not a PL player (he's certainly better than, say, Hause or Trezeguet) and couldn't play a role in a pinch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avfc1982am Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 10 minutes ago, CVByrne said: Cash suits this system having been a midfielder before becoming a RB Cash may well be better suited to the system than Targett but his delivery from wide is shocking most the time. The system is reliant on the FBs being able to cross the ball. Neither FB is showing any real competency at being able to do this consistently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Just now, avfc1982am said: Cash may well be better suited to the system than Targett but his delivery from wide is shocking most the time. The system is reliant on the FBs being able to cross the ball. Neither FB is showing any real competency at being able to do this consistently. Cash can improve in this department. We also have a talent in Kessler Hayden coming through so on the balance of it we need to improve LB much more urgently than RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mjmooney Posted January 7, 2022 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted January 7, 2022 Spare a thought for Matt Targett at the moment, with everybody and his dog saying we desperately need to sign a new left back. I know he has his limitations, but he's not been a disaster this year by any means. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV82 Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 Just now, mjmooney said: Spare a thought for Matt Targett at the moment, with everybody and his dog saying we desperately need to sign a new left back. I know he has his limitations, but he's not been a disaster this year by any means. He has regressed massively without Grealish in front of him. Sadly he's just not that good and can't make up for any shortcomings with pure physicality which is unforgivable in this day and age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adman Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 9 hours ago, mjmooney said: Spare a thought for Matt Targett at the moment, with everybody and his dog saying we desperately need to sign a new left back. I know he has his limitations, but he's not been a disaster this year by any means. I don't think he's finished at all. He was one of our best players last season and might flourish with an established coutinho pairing down the left 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJCB Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 47 minutes ago, Adman said: I don't think he's finished at all. He was one of our best players last season and might flourish with an established coutinho pairing down the left I agree. It’s possible we might need to upgrade to meet the demands of Gerrard’s system but in my mind CDM and CB (in terms of squad) are by far higher priority areas to strengthen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 He was brilliant for us last season, and he had one of the best players we have ever produced taking attention off him because opposition players used to double up on them so he used to be able to play with the ball some more… No, he’s not the best left back in the world, but we could do much, much worse… He just needs someone to work with who take take the pressure off a little bit… Coutinho just might give him a new lease of life now the opposition have someone else to consider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaVilla Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazrim Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 He's not a liability, no. But he is a weak spot. The sad truth is he's playing for a manager now who wants very dynamic pacey full backs to provide quality attacking width and defensive stability. That's just not Targett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Needs to concentrate more on the defensive side, instead of thinking he can come forward and cross a ball. One thing Targett cannot and shouldn't do is try cross a ball into the box, kills the attacking side of the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaVilla Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 11 minutes ago, foreveryoung said: Needs to concentrate more on the defensive side, instead of thinking he can come forward and cross a ball. One thing Targett cannot and shouldn't do is try cross a ball into the box, kills the attacking side of the team. well, Gerrard wants his fullbacks to bomb forward, its a key part of the system, so from what you are saying, you actually mean we need to replace him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 13 minutes ago, MaVilla said: well, Gerrard wants his fullbacks to bomb forward, its a key part of the system, so from what you are saying, you actually mean we need to replace him. We all know he needs replacing unfortunately, if these are going to be the tactics. He is midtable at his best, not a player for where we want to be going. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MessiWillSignForVilla Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Targett has an above average Cross Completion %, yet somehow it's become common knowledge on here that he can't cross. Everyone on here realises that a good cross completion % is around 25%, right? They don't come off very often. He's statistically one of the better creative full backs in the league and has our 3rd highest xA and xA/90 (if you exclude Chukwuemeka on the xA/90 as he's only played 112 minutes, which just makes it hard to judge his stats). His xA/Key Pass is also at 0.10 for Open Play, just shy of what Grealish had for us last season. He's fine for a team competing to get in to the tophalf/top 8. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 26 minutes ago, MessiWillSignForVilla said: Targett has an above average Cross Completion %, yet somehow it's become common knowledge on here that he can't cross. Everyone on here realises that a good cross completion % is around 25%, right? They don't come off very often. He's statistically one of the better creative full backs in the league and has our 3rd highest xA and xA/90 (if you exclude Chukwuemeka on the xA/90 as he's only played 112 minutes, which just makes it hard to judge his stats). His xA/Key Pass is also at 0.10 for Open Play, just shy of what Grealish had for us last season. He's fine for a team competing to get in to the tophalf/top 8. Depends what exactly cross completion based on. If it was based on quality, then the players on the end of the crosses are poor. But I doubt it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaVilla Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 (edited) 32 minutes ago, MessiWillSignForVilla said: Targett has an above average Cross Completion %, yet somehow it's become common knowledge on here that he can't cross. Everyone on here realises that a good cross completion % is around 25%, right? They don't come off very often. He's statistically one of the better creative full backs in the league and has our 3rd highest xA and xA/90 (if you exclude Chukwuemeka on the xA/90 as he's only played 112 minutes, which just makes it hard to judge his stats). His xA/Key Pass is also at 0.10 for Open Play, just shy of what Grealish had for us last season. He's fine for a team competing to get in to the tophalf/top 8. we can waffle about pass completion, cross completion, or any other stat we want, but the eye test will tell anyone that targett is a very limited player going forward, well....maybe not completely limited, but defo not suited to a very attacking full back role where he is expected to be up and down the pitch and highly mobile, and a core part of providing width and wide threat. Yes stats are very important, but football is a game where stats must be used in conjunction with the "eye test". He a) isnt mobile enough, b) too static, and c) isnt that good at doing things while progressing the ball (ie: if you watch him, he completes a LOT of his actions standing still, he isnt good at moving AND doing things with the ball). Edited January 8, 2022 by MaVilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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