Was bringing the ball out like a boss on Wednesday... against fecking Juve.
Confidence is a big deal in football.
Confidence is a big deal in football.
Let’s talk about Lindelof
- Thread starter Pexbo
- Start date
He was slow to react and let Ronaldo peeled off him too easily for the goal.
I get how good Ronaldo is and how fabulously struck that goal was, however if Lindelof was a tad more proactive he might’ve been able to snuff it out.
Encouraging form regardless.
Iirc took vidic half a season to properly grow into his role. He was critized as well for his first 6 mths. The same goes for evra.
He's finally looking like a good defender, don't think about him as a flop much any more. Hopefully he keeps up on this.
We should compare a 23 years old couto, pepe, andn otamendi. Not the 30 years one
I'm holding out hope that Rojolof will become a competent CB duo. If Rojo weren't a shadow of himself since coming back from his ACL tear, I have a feeling he and Lindelof would complement each other well. It's a feeling born from blind hope and total ignorance.
He’s benefitting massively from an extended run in the team and some stability.
I’m not sure either him or Smalling are really good enough to lead us to success, and I wonder how much of his selection was originally due to him being fit, rather than being better than our other centre backs.
He’s just a bit too soft I think to become a top centre back. He’s built like a full back or a midfielder.
I’m not sure either him or Smalling are really good enough to lead us to success, and I wonder how much of his selection was originally due to him being fit, rather than being better than our other centre backs.
He’s just a bit too soft I think to become a top centre back. He’s built like a full back or a midfielder.
He’s improved a lot but I still think that he might be the worst player to have played for us.
He is one player who is very hard to rate. He is playing well but he isn't strong physically or strong header of the ball, so I always fear that he will lose some battle which will lead to chance.
Tbh he has done very well and he is moving in right direction. Also getting run of games with settled defense should have helped him.
Tbh he has done very well and he is moving in right direction. Also getting run of games with settled defense should have helped him.
When will the Caf learn that? Its nothing new. It will happen again.
Few things amuses me more than 'he's starting to look like a proper this and that' blah blah blah.
Few were willing to give him a chance, labelling him a championship defender after a few games when his skills were so obvious and he just needed a long of games.
You have to wonder how a championship midfielder pretending to be a defender managed to start looking like a proper defender. If fans had their way, we'd be playing a different CB partnership every game.
Few were willing to give him a chance, labelling him a championship defender after a few games when his skills were so obvious and he just needed a long of games.
You have to wonder how a championship midfielder pretending to be a defender managed to start looking like a proper defender. If fans had their way, we'd be playing a different CB partnership every game.
Happy with him right now. If we adopted a more posessive style if would bring out more of his qualities.
My biggest issue with him though is that he doesn't snuff out danger fast enough. He regularly backs out of 50/50s. Watching him closely since the past two international breaks he randomly doesn't contest for aerial balls sometimes and just lets his attackers win. I need him to add a lot more aggression to his game. be more ruthless with protecting the box and not letting attackers bully him.
Right now he is okay but lets see what mourinho decides over the next couple of months. for all we know we might have someone replace him by January.
My biggest issue with him though is that he doesn't snuff out danger fast enough. He regularly backs out of 50/50s. Watching him closely since the past two international breaks he randomly doesn't contest for aerial balls sometimes and just lets his attackers win. I need him to add a lot more aggression to his game. be more ruthless with protecting the box and not letting attackers bully him.
Right now he is okay but lets see what mourinho decides over the next couple of months. for all we know we might have someone replace him by January.
Slowly buy steadily coming good. Now for Bailly to rediscover himself....
He didn't have any bloopers against Juventus in the away leg. For the Ronaldo goal, he reacted well and fell back when he should, but he was simply outpaced by a much faster player on a perfectly timed run. Sometimes you just have to applaud a perfect attacking play.
He's improving and credit him for that. But he's still not what I want in a CB.
You should ask that to our manager as well. He can't stop asking for new CBs.
The bar is hardly too high then
Rojo and Bailly, Jones and Bailly are one of our best partnership duos since Vidic and Rio, they look so rock and solid at the back, very hard to beat. With Jones & Bailly we have conceded like 2 goals in the first 8 games, 7 clean sheets, we probably would continue this if it wasn't for injuries. Rojo and Bailly's partnership is not easy to beat, we had a long period of unbeaten EPL 25 games in a row with them.
I think he's finally settled in Manchester and has found his place in the dressing room, which makes a huge difference. If you just look at social media he's hanging around with all the big characters (Pogba, De Gea, Lingard).
I really like him, I think all he needs now is an older, more experienced, commanding centreback to get the best out of him. This is the main reason for the partnership with Smalling, as unfortunately he is the loudest at the club.
I really like him, I think all he needs now is an older, more experienced, commanding centreback to get the best out of him. This is the main reason for the partnership with Smalling, as unfortunately he is the loudest at the club.
He's certainly showing signs that there's a pretty good defender there. Still seems do a lot of the basics wrong though, seems to play people onside a lot and not be up with the rest of the defensive line quite often for example. Do think he looks a more likely hit than Bailly though these days, but who knows maybe he'll improve too.
Huge improvement recently.
You are either a WUM or clueless.
Yes and that could happen to any defender. Sometimes you have to give credit to the attacker for finding that space rather than blaming the defender. Juve conceded two goals - one of which was an own goal with their exceptional defence.
Overall in the two matches against Juve, Lindelof had Ronaldo in his pocket which is not an easy feat.
Also, he was proactive on a number of occasions especially that header pass that Ronaldo tried. Any other defender and he doesn't read it imo but Lindelof stayed back and cut that out.
He took out a position which was too deep most of the game. So Ronaldo had probably noticed the space between the CBs, he wasn’t aggressive enough either. Still learning, but let’s not overdo it. The finish was sublime, but he wasn’t under any pressure so had time to do it. Also, Ronaldo in his pocket?
English isn’t my first language, but I’m pretty sure that’s incredibly hyperbolic, and wildly inaccurate.
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Has he improved? Perhaps, with more playing time it would be shocking if he didn’t. We still defend poorly and look like a mid-table defensive unit at best. He didn’t play in the massacre that was Newcastle (first half), so that’s vindicating, but we have conceded 13 league goals in nine games with him playing.. keeping one cleen sheet. Abysmal to be fair, he is still not remotely close to being good enough for what we’re aspiring to be.
He's getting better - certainly improved on the start of the season... though he'll still do one or two daft things per game (though so do all of our centre backs).
I have a suspicion that the idea that he had to be this magnificent "ball playing centre back" got to him a bit at first, and thus he'd try and Baresi on the ball... despite the fact that he's only okay on the ball, and actually, he's better of just concentrating on being a centre back, and then when he has the ball, just keep things simple (as Smalling largely does).
I have a suspicion that the idea that he had to be this magnificent "ball playing centre back" got to him a bit at first, and thus he'd try and Baresi on the ball... despite the fact that he's only okay on the ball, and actually, he's better of just concentrating on being a centre back, and then when he has the ball, just keep things simple (as Smalling largely does).
True. He need to stick with most of his signings. Some will not be what you hoped for of course.
I like him, he is a great defender on the floor. Is working on being comfortable clearing with his left, so naturally gets closed down a bit too easily, but that will get better. I am still not fully convinced with him in the air, I feel like he closes his eyes before he heads it. He’s not shit in the air, but far from being dominant. I think this will be a very developmental season for him and he’s putting the performances to back that up at the moment. Just need him to stay consistent around the Christmas period.
only just saw this after posting mine, but you put it much better than I did, with regards to heading. I don’t think he gets done too often when going shoulder though.
Encouraging form recently. He clearly found it hard to adapt and has been in and out of the team a lot.
I think people maybe forget his age and position. Attacking players can be the finished article at 22 when they've been playing from a young age, while defenders almost never peak before 26/27. It's a position that takes much longer to learn and master.
Hopefully his new found confidence will enable him to go to the next level on a consistent basis.
I think people maybe forget his age and position. Attacking players can be the finished article at 22 when they've been playing from a young age, while defenders almost never peak before 26/27. It's a position that takes much longer to learn and master.
Hopefully his new found confidence will enable him to go to the next level on a consistent basis.
He's obviously got the skills to be very good at playing out from the back. He just has to iron out the decision making.
I feel he struggles a bit more with the defensive and physical aspect though, and I'm not sure he quite has the potential to step up in that regard.
I feel he struggles a bit more with the defensive and physical aspect though, and I'm not sure he quite has the potential to step up in that regard.
They didn’t call him ICE MAN for nothing lads
He was absolutely awful for quite a while, leaking goals left and right. No overreaction by the caf. Looks much better now though.
He's showed a lot of improvement in recent weeks which is great to see.
I think Jose has established him & Smalling has his first choice CB pairing and will stick with them, barring injuries, even through any losses - just to build defensive cohesion.
For someone still trying to adapt to the league like Lindelof that's great, and has allowed him to find his feet.
I think Jose has established him & Smalling has his first choice CB pairing and will stick with them, barring injuries, even through any losses - just to build defensive cohesion.
For someone still trying to adapt to the league like Lindelof that's great, and has allowed him to find his feet.
Cracking form currently - needs to keep it up.
I mean Juve did pull us apart on many occasions and could of scored quite a few. I am not saying its down to him, but I am also reluctant to make out we have defensive stalwarts just yet
It was more because of our midfield. Matic and Herrera. e.g. see that Khedira chance and the brainfart herrera makes of coming towards the ball. We need to play these guys together so they improve their positioning.
Agreed, one blooper per game
Remember how long it took Vidic and Evra time to acclimatise to the PL? Lindelöf has something we haven't had since Rio, a CB who can come over the halfway line with the ball and not get a nose-bleed. Fingers crossed he keeps his current progress going.
He was moving towards the unmarked player for the pull back. There was 2 unmarked in the box, and he chose the wrong one. Smalling was free at the time. He should’ve pushed Herrera on sooner and picked up Khedeira.