Angel Gomes — Is he the key player to unlock organized defenses?

DSG

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We are a counter attacking team. We play well against superior sides that have possession. We are lightning fast on the break with Rashford and Martial and Pogba is excellent at through balls and vertical passing. Lingard (despite his many deficiencies) excels at quick passing on the break and supporting the counter.

Our problem is when sides sit back in a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. We don’t have players that can break down defenses in the final third. Mata is our only option, and he just loses 10% of his effectiveness, season after season, and now, unless he’s setting up to take a free kick, you just don’t have much confidence that he’ll create anything.

Angel Gomes, in his limited amount of time on the pitch, has shown he has great ball control, technique and movement in the box. Yes, he’s small, and we probably lose a bit on the defensive side of the ball when he plays - same as Mata, really - but why aren’t we throwing him on in the 70th minute? He’s the only player on the squad that can create in the final third, and if the Palace and Soton games are any indication, 70% of the sides in the PL are just going to sit back against us.

#FreeAngelGomes ???
 

Kevin

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Things are becoming desperate.
 

DWelbz19

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Angel Gomes will save everything
 

romufc

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The problem is none of us actually know what this lad can do. We saw bits of him in pre-season nothing more.

You cannot base it on U23 games because Greenwood looked like a baller, but so far this season he hasn't shown much, albeit his game time has been limited.

Posts like this is the problem because we are putting pressure on a 17 yr old who has barely had any game time.
 

mitchmouse

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Given our last three performances, I'd start him, Greenwood and Chong. Some "senior" players have grown too big in their own heads
 

roonster09

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We are counter attacking team but we are second in possession, slightly behind City. (57.9% vs 57.8%). We have scored 1 counter attacking goal, same as any other team.

Anyways on the most important question, maybe but you never know unless he starts doing that regularly. For now Pogba is the answer to unlock the defense, just have to play him higher up the pitch.
 

harms

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I'd rather put all of my faith in Hannibal Mejbri.
 

lex talionis

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I'm not sure about Gomes being a "key player" for us in 19/20, but we're at the point where Ole should seriously consider giving the boy of a run of starts to grow from boy to man this season. When that run should start is hard to say, but it's probably 2-3 months too early in the season to seriously think about it. Ease him in wherever possible first.
 

reddevil702

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I'm not sure Angel is the key, but we do know Lingard and Periera aren't. Mata is probably the best option at #10 but he can't play more than 60 - 70 minutes and if this is a "transition" year what good does it do us to play Mata. Angel's very similar to Mata, very technically sound a great passer and with more pace, he deserves chance.
 

DSG

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We are counter attacking team but we are second in possession, slightly behind City. (57.9% vs 57.8%). We have scored 1 counter attacking goal, same as any other team.

Anyways on the most important question, maybe but you never know unless he starts doing that regularly. For now Pogba is the answer to unlock the defense, just have to play him higher up the pitch.
Given the sides we’ve played, I would expect us to beat the top of possession statistics. This will normalize a bit as the season moves forward. We all have eyes, we can all see that we are dreadful at breaking down organized defenses and we don’t have strikers that are good in the air.

Playing Pogba higher up the pitch is fine, but he’s not great in the box either. We’ll only know about Gomes if we give him significant minutes. Maybe he can get that in the Carabao Cup or coming on late in matches.

It’s basically desperation at this point.
 

roonster09

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Given the sides we’ve played, I would expect us to beat the top of possession statistics. This will normalize a bit as the season moves forward. We all have eyes, we can all see that we are dreadful at breaking down organized defenses and we don’t have strikers that are good in the air.

Playing Pogba higher up the pitch is fine, but he’s not great in the box either. We’ll only know about Gomes if we give him significant minutes. Maybe he can get that in the Carabao Cup or coming on late in matches.

It’s basically desperation at this point.
All teams played against similar strong/weak teams. I expect us to counter attack against top 6 teams and have more possession against other teams.

Regarding the other part, hopefully he is the answer but right now I would have more confidence in Pogba coming up with something to break the defense than any other player in the squad.
 

RedCurry

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Poor kid is next in line to be regarded as our savior only for fans to realize that he's only a kid and label him as not good enough.
 

Andersonson

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"You are the Chosen One, the One who will deliver the message. A message of hope for those who choose to hear it and a warning for those who do not."
Me. The Chosen One?
They chose me!!!
And I didn't even graduate from feckin' high school.
 

Lash

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Once Mejbri is closer to first team then shift to someone else who is playing for U18s.
Shola shoretire for me, he's so young we'll have years before we pass the baton of pressure to someone else.
 

Mike Phelan's Former Tash

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From what I have seen from him, I can only see him being an improvement to Lingard in the 10 role.

He's got an exquisite first touch, he can see and exicute the pass and he appears really strong - I struggle to think of any time I've seen him give the ball away cheaply or be muscled off it. I know he's mainly played with the U23 but he was superb against Rochdale in that league Cup competition. He played like an experienced pro.

I hope he gets a chance and takes it but I wonder if because he's not signed a new deal yet his chances are being limited.
 

RedCurry

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Ehh.. age is just a constru

I never said he wasn't good enough, I'm sure he is, but he's young and inexperienced so expecting him to be our "saviour" is silly.
Our biggest problem under LVG, Jose and now Ole has probably been our inability to breakdown teams that sit back. Don't you think that is a bit unreal in terms of expectations from a kid?
 

DSG

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Our biggest problem under LVG, Jose and now Ole has probably been our inability to breakdown teams that sit back. Don't you think that is a bit unreal in terms of expectations from a kid?
I don’t believe I ever used the word “savior”. He is 19, which is hardly a kid. Greenwood is 17 and he’s going to significant minutes this season due to lack of options.

I mean, we can continue to throw out Lingard and Mata, but we know that the results won’t be there. I’d rather see what we have in Gomes and continue losing than watch Lingard and Mata and also continue to lose.
 

Cassidy

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He's a kid. Pinning your hopes on him is absurd, and a sure route to a rash of "Gomes is shit" posts by Christmas.
To be honest, I don't think people are really saying he is the saviour, only that he deserves a chance to show if he can be better than Lingard and Pereira
 

Mainoldo

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He might be but he’s leaving on a free in the summer so what difference does it make.
 

Sir Scott McToMinay

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Was one of our most exciting payers in preseason and a serious upgrade on Lingard in creativity and flair which in the no.10 role is vital, he should be comfortably starting games in our horrendous midfield.
 

Annihilate Now!

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To be honest, I don't think people are really saying he is the saviour, only that he deserves a chance to show if he can be better than Lingard and Pereira
I've seen people said we'd have won games if he'd played, so yeah, i think people some people are building up to be a saviour that is going to be almost impossible for him to be.

I think he could make a good impact on the squad, but to expect him to suddenly save our team when he's 19 and barely played any first-team football is ridiculously unfair.
 

SaintMuppet

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I doubt it seeing as he can’t get on the bench even...

If we are relying on children we are so fecked...
 

dabeast

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We have not been able to break down teams that sit back since Fergie (remember the crosses against Fulham under Moyes?). Many types of players who have played in the creator position have failed (e.g. Mata type, Lingard, Pogba type).

It is time we had the Angel type.
 

Mainoldo

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If he has got any sense he will .
I think he’s already as good as gone and I don’t blame him. We’re not going to develop him how he needs to be developed based on the fact he’s just small.

Shame really he’d be a nightmare to play against.