Probably our best defender this season. We need to get someone who’s good in the air in our back four though.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 40
- Clean sheets
- 8
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
Not so sure, as many of the better teams nowaday tend to play on the ground rather than in the air. We saw that against Juventus, where I think he was the best player in match 1 and among the best in match 2.
You could flip it around the same for Bailly. It didn't do him any favor either. Neither of them can head a ball so it'll have to be one or the other.
Nothing to complain about these last games except his ability in the air where he seems afraid of even trying and goes into hiding mode. But I think he’ll get better and when he does he can maybe be that top class defender after all. As a Swede it would be fun to have another world class player now when Ibra is gone. Come on Victor!
Liverpool have young Gomez who i'd take over Lindelof. City have Laporte, Stones and Kompany who I consider better defenders than Lindelof. They don't have 'outstanding' CB's maybe, but are very good in comparison to Lindelof.
Ashley Young may not be the best defensively, but playing a high line requires a player in his position to provide width, which could expose your CB's to a counter. In that situation a CB like Lindelof shows his fraility due to a lack of pace. Can't blame Ashley Young in that situation..
He's weak aerially too and his lack of physicality is gonna be a huge concern.
.....whilst I love DDG, but don't think he comes for enough crosses either....
Bailly has no traits to play him anywhere. You can't think about any specific partners for him because he doesn't excel at anything. He's just another Jones with being rush and headless chicken with terrible aerial duels. Not good in building up from the back either.
Lindelof has a specific trait none of our defenders have is that he's good with the ball in his feet. He needs a partner to cover for his weakness. You think about Bailly, you can't think of any specific partner to hide all his weaknesses of being rush, headless, terrible challenges and poor aerial duels.
Playing on the ground is the way to go, but the better teams have CB's that can defend aswell.
And Bailly is the quickest defender we have and the best in one on one situations - a specific trait the others don't have. He's technical ability isn't too bad either. Not the best but can be improved with coaching. both him and Lindelof need the same kind of partner. Experienced, calm, dominant aerially . Which I think we can get. We're not going to play
I think he has been one of our best players this season. He just needs to be more commanding and have that confidence to organise the defence.
Play him on the right side of central defence. Find him a top level partner to play on the left.
Smalling is as quick and as good in one vs one with better aerial presence too.
Honestly don't get this lack of pace and even Ole describes him in an interview as quick. My point is how would those players you mention look in our defence next to Jones, Rojo, Bailly et al. I would describe any of them aside from Kompany being particularly good in the air. Please someone show me where he has shown lack of pace or strength consistently. Like said, Wilson is an inform forward and he didn't really give him any problems today
Not a great defender but he's a good ball-playing CB.
Pogba plays further forward thanks to him.
Pogba plays further forward thanks to him.
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He had a quiet game by his recent standards. Maybe because he played as a LCB, or playing with Bailly .
He needs a 'leader next to him, unfortunately Smalling and Jones who are the 'senior' defenders need to be led too.
He will improve more I hope.
He needs a 'leader next to him, unfortunately Smalling and Jones who are the 'senior' defenders need to be led too.
He will improve more I hope.
I don't think he's a very good defender at all - his heading is poor and his positioning is all over the place.
But he's very good in these games where we attack all the time, due to his ability on the ball.
But he's very good in these games where we attack all the time, due to his ability on the ball.
Wilson beat him to a ball on one occassion through sheer pace in the first half. Luckily for us, the ball was going away from him or else he was through on goal. Against better quality teams he would've been punished, because there would've been passing options. Playing a high line with him against fast players will be suicide. Zahore who plays for Cardiff knocked a ball past him and exposed his lack of pace just last week too.
Gomez who plays for Liverpool is blessed physically and is a good footballer, so he'd do fine next to Jones.
John Stones is a proven prem player and would do fine too. Laporte has shown his ability in one of the best leagues in the world in Spain, playing for a midtable club. All three players would be a upgrade on Lindelof from the evidence of their performances playing for clubs like Everton and Athletic Bilbao.
Smalling is not as quick as he used to be. I realised against Everton when he gave the penalty away. But he's got to play until we buy a new defender.
Bournemouth do too. They dont have anyone who gets lots of headers. But against us its worth changing it up when we're playing Lindelof and Bailly, so of course they looked a threat and scored from a corner.
Interesting to see how Lindelof contributes more and more to the attack game. Today he had several good moves that cut through the opponents' midfield and started attacking opportunities. I'd love to see more of that.
That Ole sends him up on the corners is another sign that he's now playing with instructions that fit him better. In the last game, it also paid off well.
I'm afraid there will be no new CB until after the season. But if Smalling is back soon, so the two get to play together again, I think they can do a sufficiently good defense work.
That Ole sends him up on the corners is another sign that he's now playing with instructions that fit him better. In the last game, it also paid off well.
I'm afraid there will be no new CB until after the season. But if Smalling is back soon, so the two get to play together again, I think they can do a sufficiently good defense work.
Victor is excelling in the ball playing centre back role and finally starting to look like a player who can give us a bit of what Rio used to. If we had a proper Vidic, Stam, Bruce like partner for him...
He is really starting to improve.
I get Jose strangling the joy out of Rashford and Pogba. But how did things ever get so bad that he was even negatively impacting fecking center backs?
I get Jose strangling the joy out of Rashford and Pogba. But how did things ever get so bad that he was even negatively impacting fecking center backs?
He’s good at football. Still, said from the beginning, he has not one physical attribute suited to becoming a top centre half. No speed, strength, leap. These things can’t be learned. If he had just one of them even, he’d be a hell of a player.
He’s still currently in our best pairing I’d say, along with Smalling. But he will cost us in situations he simply can’t do anything about because his opponent is either much stronger or faster than him (or both).
He’s still currently in our best pairing I’d say, along with Smalling. But he will cost us in situations he simply can’t do anything about because his opponent is either much stronger or faster than him (or both).
That’s true and that is one reason to not play Bailly and Lindelof. I believe the main reason for playing them today was to give Bailly minutes on the pitch.
The cutting through is also good defence against opponents who try to put high pressure.
He is good at defending on the ground. We saw that against Juventus. Of course it always better to have defenders who are great at everything, but those aren’t many.
Never rated him. In fact, i cannot recall too many centreback being so weak in heading, strength, pace and positioning. He is useful since our last three games were playing a highline against minnows. In the tougher games, he will be exposed for the fraud he is.
Yep like he was against Juve..
That's why he was a top player for Benfica, because he's a complete fraud
To be fair, we didnt play a high line against them. We still dont know how we will set up against a top team under Ole, so Spurs away should be a good test if we play more adventurous than under Jose in these games
Top player? He was good but lets be serious. Buying him when we have Tuanzebe who is just as good, is a ridiculous decision. If you cannot see his glaring weaknesses as a CB, then i don't see the point in debating further.That's why he was a top player for Benfica, because he's a complete fraud
He wasn't necessarly top for them. Think Garay, Luisão or David Luiz were better than him, but @André Dominguez might have a more informed opinion than me. I am not the kind of guy who likes Benfica players anyway.That's why he was a top player for Benfica, because he's a complete fraud
You're right, you clearly don't have a clue what you are talking about, so I don't see the point in debating further. Comparing Tuanzebe to a 3 x Portugese league winning full Swedish international, Tuanzebe who is out on loan and only has 5 appearences for us, bearing in mind he's only 3 years younger, but yeah he's just a good, hilarious.
You decided on one game, where he was carrying an injury he’d lost some pace. Interesting...
If one cannot, and probably certainly doesn't want to see what his strength is, the discussion is already meaningless. Players who do not have weaknesses or never make mistakes are not there, however, there are fans who think so.
If you see how he has been ranked on sports pages and in other media by the vast majority of experts in recent months, one must be both blind and deaf in order not to understand that he's a good player and makes a good effort.
Even Mourinho understood it, but not how he would use him in the best way, but it seems that Solkjaer does.
I like him, he's young, he gives his all, he's good on the ball.
But he needs to improve his defending, his ability to head a ball is non existent and, even if he'd had a GPS tracker on Ake at set pieces he still wouldnt have found him.
But that said he has time on his side..
But he needs to improve his defending, his ability to head a ball is non existent and, even if he'd had a GPS tracker on Ake at set pieces he still wouldnt have found him.
But that said he has time on his side..
He is a snowflake. Plays scared when ball is in the air, easily panics for no reason at all and causes confusion when ball is bouncing in the box. He may actually be a CM than a CB.
I feel like I’m disagreeing with everything you say today. I swear it’s not personal. But I think you’re wrong. It’s Lindelof plus one for me. He’s not slow at all, and he’s not lacking for strength either. The more he plays the better he’ll be. He’s fantastic on the ball. Reads the game well. But he’s relatively poor in the air. Pair him with a technically proficient, physically powerful CB and I think you have a great partnership.
I like him a lot. He’s got obvious improvements to make but I think he’s the best of all our center halves.
Clearly Ole preferred CB as he allow us to build from the back and play attacking football. His passing between the lines and his calmness when pressured has been mint.
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