[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSTH062NOTU"]Hammarby U21 - Djurgården U21 0-5 - YouTube[/ame] No Span in the matchday squad for Djurgårdens first game of the season last weekend. He did however take part in tonights U21 game where Djurgården destroyed Hammarby 5-0. He's number 15 in the highlights and doesn't make any assists but is often involved in the play shortly before the goals.
I wonder if Span is one of the players with higher "executive functions"? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/s...are-seen-to-have-superior-brain-function.html
No Span in the squad for the second and third league game of the season, however he did play again with the U21 team last night. It was another easy victory as the opponents got a men sent off, this time the game ended 8-1 and Span scored one goal and had two assists. Even with those impressive stats the people who watched the game still weren't completely convinced by Spans performance afterwards. One person wrote that Span had a poor first half and a good second and someone else wrote that Span was okay but that it takes more to be able to contribute with the first team and that he was far from a starting eleven. Djurgården will likely have two midfielders suspended for the next league game on monday though, which should make it easier for Span to at least make the 18-man squad.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aoz0c93SBA"]Brian "Cobi" Span Djurgården U21 Goal - YouTube[/ame] Another goal from Span as the U21 team beat AIK U21. Someone who watched the game wrote afterwards that he saw potential in Span but that he was still too slow in his speed of thought and decisionmaking.
That was a pretty good finish. Reading match reports from u21 games he seems to be improving every game, with some more games his speed of thought/decision making should be good enough to get looks from the first team. This dudes gunna be a beast
Cobi got his first playing time in Allsvenskan today as he was subbed on in the 65th minute. He did relatively well, had good speed and a nice dribbling raid into the penalty area one time. He a looks a little more lost in his defensive positioning but overall it was a positive debut. Unfortunaly Djurgården lost their 1-0 lead in the game after Span came on and played their fourth straight 1-1 draw. This makes for a total of only two wins, six draws and three losses this season. Even though Djurgården might have "deserved" better results in some games, that doesn't really count in the end and the club looks pretty stuck in the bottom half again this season too.
A 6'3 winger with pace and technique. Brek Shea 2.0? If he has a decent season first season he should be at january camp Hopefully he becomes way better than Shea...
Picture above is from his debut game, the manager also commented today that he thought it was a very positive substitute appearance and that it promises more for the future. The club has also created new video presentations for all the players on their website and you can see Spans video below.
I'm very happy with Spans performance today! Played well overall and I'm so used to having a "powerful" winger for many years in Djurgården so it's refreshing to see someone with good technique and passing. Also impressed by the number of headers he won all over the pitch. Spans goal was the equalizer which made this Djurgårdens fifth straight 1-1 draw in a row, according to the commentators this has never happened before in the swedish league.
Great to see Cobi build on his debut by earning a spot in the starting XI against a tough Helsingborg side on the road. Scoring a goal was just icing on the cake. Cobi's got the tools and I hope this is the first of many strong performances and goals.
Will see how it goes and if does have a good season yea we should see him be part of the Jan camp for the US.
As you may or may not have noticed the swedish league has been on break during the Euros but is now just about to start up again. Today Djurgården had their last rehearsal before the restart when they won 2-1 against Örebro in a friendly. Span started the game, played 70 minutes, did well according to reports, and provided the assist on the 1-0 goal.