Really happy for Axel, top talent who I thought needed to go on loan this season to get a feel back for the game. To come back in and do that today, just top fecking class from him. I really hope he can stay fit and play.
Personally I would pair him with Maguire, who is a leader and resulted in a huge improvement in our defence when he signed. I think his aerial dominance is important. But, it is harsh of Lindelof. Lindy has his flaws but I've always thought he is a really dependable, class defender. A bit weak sometimes, and doesn't have excellent physical attributes, but he's no waif either - despite the Caf insistence otherwise. Having the three of them competing for a place, is very good news. The odd man out for me remains Bailly, who despite his physical gifts (pace not aerial prowess) is just a rash liability with terrible positioning. Whenever he plays, I am expecting a mix of brilliant and catastrophic. One player I would LOVE for us to move on.
Very happy to see Axel perform like this. At the end of the day, he can have all the potential in the world, but it's performances that speak loudest. And here he did it. It's put himself in contention to be in the starting XI. As always I have enormous faith in Ole to make the right decision.
As an aside, I am always extremely impressed with Shaw on the left side of a back three. His best position by a mile IMO.