934174890810322944 is not a valid tweet id Watching this, his technical ability is off the charts, really hope he can put it all together when he returns.
Of course the injury is very unfortunate. But honestly, this gives him the opportunity to work on what I have always thought was his big problem point, even as the youngster he is ... his strength. If he takes the time during this layoff to work on his core strength, he could put himself in a position to springboard his career. I'm not talking about developing huge biceps like Adebayo Akinfenwa or someone ... but just some lean muscle that allows him to take some contact and still keep moving. What better time to do it than when you can't run anyway? I really hope that he has availed himself of this chance.
That quote is such a horrible bullshit. The most talented my ass. Not even close to anyone. Hyndman maybe 5th or 6th most talented and Zelalem light years behind him.
My favorite GZ videos are the all touches vs Chelsea’s u21/3s and highlights during 2016 preseason tour. Both gave me hope that he was adapting his game to higher levels. I’d pot here but think of I’ve already over-linked those videos in this thread. The more other players break through, it lessens the blow that GZ and EH still,haven’t.... and makes me want the two of them to get healthy so that we rudely have depth and players with a range of different talents allowing for flexibility in style and thevaftual need for a real,quality coach to figure out how to fit the pieces together and alter tactics as necessary.
VVV just removed a Real Madrid loan from the selection for disciplinary reasons. Whether you're from Arsenal or Real, at VVV life isnot easy.
866663691705569280 is not a valid tweet id I still like him as a prospect. The ACL tear came at the worst time (ok, there's never a good time for an ACL tear) because he had a chance to really break out at the U20 World Cup. In the first 10 minutes he made the nice play above, showing his skill at retaining the ball, shaking off defenders, and finding an incisive pass. A few minutes later his knee bends the wrong way and he's out for a year. Williamson and Jones played well in his stead, but his skill set would have been useful against a team like Ecuador that completely dominated possession. Still think he's better in possession/in tight areas than our other CM prospects, and he's shown vision and creativity in the youth matches and highlights I've seen. With him (as with most prospects) it'll all come down to mentality. Can he become more aggressive in attack and defense? Jonathan Gonzalez is probably about the same size or smaller, but plays the 6 position well because he isn't afraid to bang heads and stick in a foot. Just because a prospect doesn't have the mentality and instant impact that Pulisic or Gonzalez had as teenagers doesn't mean he's a bust. Arsene Wenger even suggested that Zelalem might be a late bloomer: "He might be a bit longer to mature because he is a little bit behind on the body structure, But I’m sure he will be a great player who matures maybe a bit slowly physically. But overall, I’m convinced that he’ll have a great career." Hopefully he can get some matches with the Arsenal U-23s in the spring and set himself up for a move this summer. I think he'll come good.
Who in our pool can’t make that pass? Most of them probably don’t need to spin away from his defender first.
In my fairly limited (mostly Rangers) viewing, GZ's problem was less stature and more lethal decisiveness. He plays the game a bit like there are points for elegant, slick, creative passing, but not for ugly goal-scoring or efficient assists.. Also, he has (as far as I've seen) no shot. Literally none. He is very technically skilled, understands the game, can be seen to know his pass before he gets the ball (which sometimes had him playing ahead of his teammates who would wait to see where he was passing it and therefore didn't make the run.) Looking forward, I hope the ACL does not cut down on his mobility, because he was already not mindblowingly quick. I hope he returns and thrives, but if I had to bet at this point I'd fear he's headed more toward being Julian Green than being Christian Pulisic.
Has been on their books for the past few years, injury didn’t change that, contract ends this summer. He’s back at Arsenal’s training center recovering.
While he has faults, he's the most 'silky' player on the ball in the entire pool. Still have hopes for this player.
I still have hopes for him as well; he's always looked like the kind of player that needs strength and maturity to make an impact. An early career for him was probably always a pipe dream, even without injuries, and to write him off at this stage is premature. The one thing is, he's gone from a privileged status as an Arsenal academy member to a much lower one as a marginal player, aging out of the academy ranks, and recovering from an injury. How he performs from here will be a testament to his drive, toughness, and the ability to come back from injury.
Two years ago my position on Zelalem was that he is a luxury player that we most likely can't afford or make the best use of. However, with the emergence of Pulisic, McKennie and Gonzalez he might take us to the next level. In particular he could be the yin to McKennie's yang. McKennie is excellent at pressing and defending, he holds the ball well and can combine but he doesn't really pass to the forward or wings much. Zelalem is the guy who can reliably get the ball from the top of the center circle to Pulisic just outside the box.
I have them the other way round. Zelalem has almost no attackers instinct and is a type of ball ciculator who can help you sustain possession but is not that useful in transition play and can't defend with real physicality. He is a totally different type of player than McKennie but is useful to have as an alternative in central midfield that could free McKennie and Adams up to more b2b roles. I don't see them playing together in a 3 or 4 man midfield. Maybe a 5 man midfield with two true b2b, a true destroyer and a true CM. Pulisic is the attacking mid. ------------Forward TBD --------------Pulisic -------McKennie---------Adams --------------Zelalem -------------Gonzales -LB TBD--Brooks--Miazga--Yedlin
I would have Zelalem in the same position. McK prefers pressing high and dropping the ball back. Zelalem likes to receive centrally and below the line and pass to the wings. Pulisic likes to drop a bit wide and then penetrate centrally to bring the ball to the danger zone. Ideally would like one more option that drops back from the top.