Duane was really good in his time today. He played LW, and he definitely had the beating of his man. Derby were struggling to get out in the 2nd half, and he changed the momentum when he got on. He looked sharp on the ball and extremely quick. Frank should have brought him on earlier. It was interesting that Wilson was dropped into midfield. I dont watch that much Derby, but he’s always played RW when I have.
Starts in FA Cup: Frank Lampard starts three academy graduates this afternoon... 🙌 This is how #DCFC line up to face Southampton in the Third Round of the FA Cup! 🐏#DCFCvSFC pic.twitter.com/lQuAgpCDpk— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) January 5, 2019
2-2 in the 61st DC went down 2-0 almost immediately after halftime and has fought back to 2-2. Holmes has been all kinds of involved in the match. Very active. Strong match. He started the play that led to the equalizer with a nifty 25 yard dribble inside his own half and a nice outlet pass that eventually found its way into the back of the net two passes later. Commentators have been full of his praise.
Out to a lot of praise in the 88th: 88' | A Man of the Match display from @DuaneHolmes... 🙌@FJozefzoon is on for the final few minutes.[2-2] #DCFCvSFC pic.twitter.com/BDvcBlJPHN— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) January 5, 2019
Final 2-2. DC forced a replay at St. Mary’s. Great comeback from DC. Showed a ton of resilience and professionalism. Not much separated the two sides. As for Holmes.....MOTM. Outstanding. He was directly involved in the buildup to both goals supplying two key passes. His pace, movement, ball control, passing and just smart play caused havoc. Holmes was definitely a handful for Southampton. As the commentators rightfully said, his talent is glaring but just needs to add that scoring punch to his repertoire for the complete package.
Sam’s Miny Army was at the match. Supporters sang Duane off the pitch. Awesome. Not an incredibly difficult song but...OLEOLE OLE OLEDuane HolmesDuane Holmes— Sams Mini Army (@samsminiarmy) January 5, 2019
Good words from the boss: Lampard on @TomLawrence99: “I believe that he has all the attributes to play at the top level. I see a work ethic and I know that’s he’s going to give everything. I was delighted for him.”The boss has also praised the performance of @DuaneHolmes today.#DCFCvSFC— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) January 5, 2019
Derby fans hail ‘unplayable’ Duane Holmes after Southampton draw https://tbrfootball.com/derby-fans-hail-unplayable-duane-holmes-after-southampton-draw/
Player ratings: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sp...s/derby-county-player-ratings-duane-2393939?0 Top rated at 7.5.
I venture to say he was probably the highest rated for either team. There were times when he was the best on the pitch.
MOTM: @DuaneHolmes ⚡O U T S T A N D I N G. 👏 pic.twitter.com/2tbgAFTwaI— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) January 5, 2019
Frank Lampard on Duane Holmes: “I like Duane, I watched him a lot before we brought him here...he’s so natural, he’s quick, good on the ball, techincal & a really important player in this squad” #DCFC— Derek Clark (@derekclarksport) January 5, 2019
Was funny watching “Sunderland Till I Die” and the Sunderland scouts went out to a game to watch Holmes and decided to pass. I.D.I.O.T.S.
Apologies for the awful video but he had such a nice pass to set up the goal: https://streamable.com/0ariz Here's the dribble to set up the equalizer: https://streamable.com/m6kab The whole game is on ESPN+. Here's his post match interview on YT
that's the thing that surprises me most about watching him in highlights - the USMNT has plenty of physical specimens who can run around and play on the wing and even a few who are fast and can occasionally dribble - but he seems to be a player who has the shiftiness, the speed AND the passing (the vision to see it and the touch to execute) - not many wing options at the moment seem to have all of the boxes checked that he does....and it is what the team sorely needs at that position, too.
All you you need to know about the young man was highlighted over and over in that interview - “it’s all about the team”. Not once did an “I” moment come out his mouth despite the direct questions regarding his performance. Professional lad.
Hopefully Berhalter is paying attention cuz this dude might even be good to start on the wing for the US. Besides Pulisic there’s not much competition. A lot of unproven young guys but Gregg has shown to get the most from his players
I fast-forwarded through the game and watched whenever he was involved. Very impressed and well deserved MOTM! Good athleticism and had several high-quality passes that noticeably excited the crowd. Very comfortable on the ball and was rarely dispossessed. Worked hard on defense and speed was quite apparent when tracking back. Had perhaps only 1-2 plays the entire game that weren't positive. Perhaps could have shot better on one of his attempts. If he keeps this up, should definitely be a possibility for the next camp, especially given our lack of wingers with speed.