It sounds like he got caught up trying to play a position rather than finding the game. Anyway, he must have done extremely well in training to get the start. I hope he makes the bench next game.
He and Burgstaller were the only two listed forwards in the 18. They're just dealing with a crazy injury crisis up front.
My take on his performance vs hoffenheim: 1. he's not fast - the defenders easily closed him down throughout the match - one "breakaway" in particular stood out - he seemed to be in prime position to shoot/score but was easily dispossessed from behind. in the modern game, lack of speed does put a bit of ceiling on what type of striker you can be.... 2. first touch was problematic. it was like the ball was bouncing off of his feet at times - which is something you don't usually see at this level. Got to get that first touch under control before doing anything. he did seem to adjust a bit in the second half - trying less 1 touch and instead opting to control the ball first.... 3. speed of play was much faster than he is used to. you rush when you don't have time - which led to a lot of turnovers. plus, hoffenheim is really good at pressing...so i think it was hard for him to judge what would and wouldn't work befoe he tried to execute...which makes coping with the speed and press very difficult. i think he does have the technique to play at this level but has to adjust to the pace of it first. 4. on corners, he wasnt even in the box - i dont get that at all - he's 6'4" he should be in the box not the last man defender chilling in midfield - hope that was from the coach. otherwise - why be so timid??? 5. every time he was in a good place i.e. a run - for a cross - he was missed by 10-20 yards on the cross. it's hard to be a forward in this team. that said, he was being too deferential in terms of runs and movement in attacking sequences - mostly drifting away from the play - he needs to be more aggressive and dominant out there, imo. 6. burgstaller and him are a redudndant pair. wright should try to play like burgstaller but both are kinda similar in height and speed etc so - both would be better paired with a speedster who makes a lot of runs and is a good dribbler. unfortunately that doesnt bode well for wright's chances at more playing time (at least paired with burgstaller as a starter), imo. 7. wright moved decently - constantly working on defense but not really fast enough to cause many turnovers I dont think in a press. overally a bad matchup and role for him, imo - but he tried hard - at the very least the team has 2 results - a win and a road draw with him playing - so at least he's not "costing" the team out there.....
I really wish I could have seen him play this game. I tried to watch all his games last year.... But jebus he plays as if is stoned and has a hangover.... I have never seen a forward sooo... Effortless in the real sense of the word.
i dont think he was effortless. i think he was committed and trying throughout. but i think he was probably a bit in his own head maybe...though he did seem to know where to be at all times- he moved in sync with the team well, actually. his problem was just knowing what to do once he got the ball and then, even more, executing from there....i think a lot of times hoffenheim was very good at pressing and closing down on defense - schalke had a very hard time passing from the gk, to backline to midfield to even get it up to the forwards was a big challenge - but then it was like haji didn't know what to do once he got the ball - or what he tried just didn't come off and ended in lost possession. he seemed to get a little timid as the match wore on - all the lost possessions probably made him wanna hide a bit. i think he needs to 1) get a better gauge of what will/will not "work" at this level and 2) really focus on not losing possession - and to do that he has to decide quicker and better what to with the ball. that is, if he gets more chances.
With due respect, adam, I think you’re wasting rose colored glasses. I was really excited to watch this game just because of Haji and he looked to be the worst player on the field. He never looked in sync to my eye and it was pretty clear that he was going to get subbed out. Not the first time a player got overwhelmed playing their first game in the majors and it was against a top 50 team so it’s not the end of the world. We should however be as objective as possible - it was a stinker.
rose colored glasses?? lol - i mentioned all the lost possessions, timidity, not knowing what to do with the ball etc - just tried to cut him a lil slack b/c he's never played at that level before. I do think he moved okay - especially in terms of defensive positioning...but yeah I expected him to be the first sub too.
Sorry if this is repetitive, but I watched his play, and he seemed to be making all the wrong runs. Now, that may be by design, meaning his coach may have said always make a far post run and keep stay on the back shoulder of the defender, keeping a defender between you and the ball. But for me, that seems to be the opposite of what a hungry attacker might want to do. Again, that could have been the instructions that he got from his manager, who knows. That may have been the plan, for him to be a decoy on the field occupying space so a defender had to stay honest, but it certainly didn't look like he was out there as a spearhead for the attack, which makes sense with Burgstaller there as well. He just never, or very rarely, seemed to try to get across the face of the defender. The other thing that was telling about his play was his lack of pace. He was given the ball twice I saw in positions that put him ahead of the last defender and he was tracked down both times. Fine, I understand that is not his game, but it wasn't even a footrace. On the positive note, what a turn around for this kid to go from being on loan and being sent back due to what we all perceived as a lack of professionalism, to starting in a league match less than a year later in the 1BL for Schalke. Those are heights that very few Americans (relatively) have hit, so congratulations to him, it must have been a huge high for the kid to see his name on that team sheet. I hope he uses that to keep fighting, whatever the reason he was starting.
The second point was something I wanted to mention as well. The ball bounced off him up into the air twice on balls that a good target forward needs to be able to hold up and distribute. I just hope this is case of nerves rather than complete lack of technical ability. I haven't seen him play enough to know where he stands with his touch.
What I learned from watching him out there- Germany is so much better for our guys than England. I know we pretty much already knew this, but Haji getting on the field for a team currently headed for the knock out rounds of the Champions League is something else. Meanwhile, we've got guys like Luca de la Torre who has looked great at every turn, but he can't even make the bench of the last place team in the Premier League. Those Germans just know how to trust young players and there's a lot that MLS (and England) need to learn from them.
Managers in Germany may be better about trusting youth than those in the Premiership, but this isn't the example that proves it. Schalke was just out of forwards. They didn't replace Wright with a forward - they effectively replaced him with McKennie and a formation change.
the trust level is much higher in younger players in germany - look @ sancho leaving England as a prime example....sancho having to go to germany for playing time is a bit odd - he's clearly good enough to play in england.... some of it is cultural but a lot of it is economics - the german clubs have an eye to developing and selling - and they buy value players and stay within their means - whereas the english teams are spoiled by the money - they don't care how their youth turns out really they just try to buy their way out of problems - maybe with these new rules to limit loan armies things will change a bit in england for youth players.....
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...t-loans-chelsea-new-rules-agent-a8554976.html https://www.latestly.com/agency-new...will-change-citys-transfer-policy-515958.html
Some quick analysis of Haji's day (with a lot of other tidbits): How did Schalke's Haji Wright do in his first career Bundesliga start? Will Tyler Adams succeed at RB Leipzig? 🇺🇸@joypaulian and Jovan Kirovski break it down on #AmerikanerAbroad! #USMNT pic.twitter.com/4BsAQ4clwY— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 3, 2018
Kicker rating 5.0. Worst on the pitch. Can’t say I disagree based on the first half I watched. Unfortunately invisible. I hope he comes out of his shell and his teammates integrate him a bit more.
Guess they save the 6,0 for Bobby. Because Haji this time actually deserved it more than Bobby ever did.
Sounds about right for Kicker. He did not cover himself with glory, and with the few touches he did have, many of them were balls that seemed to bounce off him, and Kicker hates that.
Have to wonder if he will ever get another start for the 1st team. Based on this performance and his time with Sandhausen, it's looking pretty grim for Haji.
according to reports he's back in training with Schalke II and Tedesco will decide on Friday whether Wright goes with 1st team or not. basically his chances all depend on others being unfit.