Gooch was rated as the flop of the match by Goal España and was largely responsible for the Real Sociedad's 1st goal. Still, he went all 90.
Hmm... what about the turnover guy, Wellington being caught even further out and the statue that watched the cross go by in the area? Seems like more of a team "effort" there.
I totally forgot about Rossi. Maybe i should clarify it as only the 3rd USMNT player to start in La Liga
Yeah, Gooch looked bad but that's because he actually tried to get back and defend. It's like in basketball when you try to contest a dunk and look terrible rather than just getting out of the way
Well does anyone know why Gooch started this match? Lookes great in training? Demichelis was injured? Did the manager see this team as a good indicator for whether he was solid enough?
Ok. I finally caught the match. Not too good for him and im sure his morale. The first goal wasnt as bad as I had read. Maybe more so since it was 40secs into the start of the match. He looked real rusty. Maybe even nervous. Hope he gets another shot soon.
Certainly the case on the second.. The 1st imo isnt strictly on Onyewu btw people. It is the centerbacks jobs to stay compact as often as possible & for what ever reason Weligton & Gooch were unbelievably far apart.
Based on the highlights, Gooch lacked mobility, confidence and luck but I agree that was bad team defending. Perhaps it's just unfamiliarity, but Weligton and Gooch did not appear to be in the same book much less on the same page.
I think Weligton took umbrage that Gooch kept calling him "Wellington" and retaliated by calling Gooch "Oguchi." Complications ensued.
Saw the majority of the game. I am really impressed with Malaga. Under Pellegrini they are playing similarly to how Villarreal was when riquelme was there! Gooch seemed out of touch with the touch and go style of the team, but i think with time would do better with it. They are a great team, and unlucky to have lost. The first goal wasn't quite Gooch's fault completely. He gotten beaten, but when trying to get back the other CB who was to his right, should have stopped the hard cross...he was too scared to commit. All in all, Gooch I thinkwill get more chances to prove himself.
Mikey has hair it's just more strategically placed since he started playing in Italy. Gooch never had great hips but he moved pretty well for a 6' 4" guy. What I saw primarily was that he didn't shorten his stride to keep his feet under him once he recovered position on the first goal (at least in my memory - can't find a new set of highlights since the ones posted in this thread got taken down). Maybe I'm just remembering the good more than the bad, but he looked much less fluid in his movement than I remember, even from highlights with Sporting last season. Hopefully, it's just rust that he can shake off with a few more games.
Zlatan moves well for a guy that big. Gooch moves like a guy typically moves who is that big. Which is why you see so few huge muscular guys playing soccer!
Gooch will get the start today alongside Demichelis as Malaga plays Zenit in Champion's League. Time for Hulk to run into football's version of the Abomination.
That's not good, Hulk will no doubt remember how poor Gooch was this summer against Brazil so he'll tell the coaches to attack him as the weak link...
Good, we'll see how he does against a top notch strike force then. If he gets exposed as a weak link, I'd rather it be for his club than for the NT. If he does well, it can go a long way into getting back into the NT player pool.
well played sir, I'm skeptical at best though and am beginning to think that the ship has sailed, much as I love Gooch