Woah, really informative and fun to watch. He got on the ball a ton, and mostly made the easy passes. He's gotta work on his finishing obviously. He gets into good spots with his turns and soft feet... then dawdles/waits for support, and gets closed down. If he can fix that, he'll be a great holdup striker. A lot of his Telstar goals were from him running the channel or tapping home a cross. Now he's got to hold up the ball (he does that well already) and create his own shots on goal (he doesn't do that).
If he keeps up his form for the rest of the season hopefully he gets transferred from his home club in England to one of the big boys in the Eredivisie. On a side note, how do you guys think he will fair under Berhalter? Berhalter usually likes athletic forwards who can get on the end of balls for goals and hasn't really used target or more skilled central forwards. I think Novakoich falls into the skilled category in terms of our pool but he can move and isn't slow for a guy his size.
Novakovich can't get onto the end of balls and finish efficiently (to wit Johannson was an ironic comparison earlier). We don't have many of those in our pool, who also have the requisite physical attributes. I think he can play the Meram role though. He can pressure, is a deft dribbler, and a decent shooter + passer for a wing. An alternative to Weah at LAW too.
I hope Berhalter thinks beyond Zardes. Nova can do the same job plus more. Zardes, ace in the hole is that he can play RW and defend like a young Bedoya.
Fortuna reaches the next round of the Dutch cup by beating SC Cambuur Leeuwarden with 2-1. https://www.ad.nl/dossier-knvb-beke...stunt-in-kuip-door-in-bekertoernooi~a767c138/ 19:25 De opstellingen Dit zijn de opstellingen! Fortuna Sittard: Aykut Özer; Alessandro Ciranni, Wessel Dammers, Kai Heerings, Marco Ospitalieri; José Rodríguez, Mark Diemers, Ahmed El Messaoudi; Lisandro Semedo, Andrija Novakovich, Lazaros Lamprou. Cambuur: Xavier Mous; Sai van Wermeskerken, Matthew Steenvoorden, Robbert Schilder, David Sambissa; Kevin van Kippersluis, Kevin Schindler, Robin Maulun, Nino van den Beemt; Issa Kallon, Karim Rossi.
Starts: De namen voor vanavond! 👇🏼🆕 Nieuw bij de wedstrijdselectie:👐🏼 De doelmannen Tijn Becker en Tom Hendriks.#FORGRO pic.twitter.com/aSY52FF9hr— Fortuna Sittard (@FortunaSittard) December 22, 2018
Sittard are down a man so it's been slim pickins. Novakovich managed to get in behind the defense, beat the gk to a through ball, rounded it, and curled one inside the nice post very smoothly. But it was disallowed afterward on offside. Replay provided didn't show a clear picture. Some dispute on Twitter from probably Sittard fans. May have gotten a better look than I. From what I saw in 30 minutes, even though Sittard didn't technically score (but was 0-0 when he came out), I think Novakovich displayed again what he has there and for Reading's u-23's against the super-clubs reserve sides; he makes a very suitable Rambo-type striker to overcome long odds like we often do with the national team. I think that's true of him more than Bobby, and probably Morris as well. This is not only due to his long speed and work-rate, but also smart diagonal runs off the ball, and ability to make weaving runs on it. Carves out more chances to give you hope. They may be a little better finishers at this point. It takes lanky blokes longer to adapt to all their moving parts. FWIW, came off to a round of applause.
Nova is up to another confrontation with Feyenoord. Fortuna has been drawn as the cup opponent of Feyenoord.
Right now, with 4 goals and 1 assist, Nova ranks #27 (tied with other 20 guys) in the Eredivisie. With 931 minutes played, that's not exactly impressive.
You have to stop trying to throw cold water on any realistic optimism for American players. I doubt you saw the match. You're ignoring the context that he was fw for a squad that had a man disadvantage for over half the game. Also that he had a would be excellent goal disallowed on a questionable offside call. That's a technicality. His own fan base appreciated the performance. They'd know more than you. In addition you're neglecting to acknowledge the team he plays for. They are frequently over-matched. Also, there are other contributions besides direct scoring, like pressure and hold-up, both of which are advantages for him. Versatility, which is a plus. He is virtually tied for 1st on Sittard in WS rating as a starter. It puts him roughly top 30 in the league. Have some actual perspective.
I debunked your blanket dismissal. It is by our standards and with an overall look at his game. From your narrow p.o.v., and yes, agenda it's not realistic. He's not Paraguayan or Peruvian national team caliber I suppose. They're loaded with prestigious club affiliations and major productivity, after all.
I want you to watch the defending for his assist against Feyenoord: look at the distance between the defenders and Nova, Stokkers, and Hutten (the guy who scored). I know our several Dutch-Americans around are going to hate me for this, but defending in the Eredivisie is sub-par. There's a reason a guy like Jozy could score at will there. Note I'm not saying Dutch defenders are bad, it's a big difference. The coaches in the Ered just don't make their defenders press close, not for the most part. A guy like Nova benefits greatly from the loose marking. Each one of his five contributions to this season have come from exactly that: the loose marking. That's why I know he wouldn't do well in a top league, and he'll be lucky to get Jozy's numbers in CONCACAF. It's not being pessimistic nor agenda-driven. It comes from experience, from watching soccer for 40 years and analyzing games. That's why I could tell you three years ago that Pulisic's ceiling wasn't as high as Dembele's, and why I can tell you if given a proper chance, McKennie is going to be vital for us. I'm just talking from experience. You can either take it, or ignore me. It's all fair.
He was robbed of a really nice goal yesterday. Here's the replay to prove it. They scandalously didn't even use VAR. He wasn't close to offsides (you could have at least saved the critique, partially based on goal production or supposed lack thereof, to a subsequent match where something like this, and being a man down hadn't occurred). 6:40 And you don't KNOW anything about how he'd perform in a better league. Loose marking? He slaloms multiple defenders at a time to get in position for shots often. The close control, the moves, the speed, the size, some crafty techniques. A lot of things to be impressed with independent of league.
In a relegation six-pointer, Reading got a red card in the 9th minute and lost 1-0 away to Millwall. Reading currently sit in 23rd place, with 19 points from 24 games, and are 3 points shy of safety. I have no idea how relegation would affect Nova's future at Reading, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Highlight compilation: Wondering what our favorite Wisconsinite has been up to in the Netherlands? Check out this highlight compilation from @_MattAFC for Novakovich's season so far.https://t.co/zHAK9FhF6X https://t.co/50XFuUCoNH— Yanks Abroad (@usmnt_abroad) January 9, 2019
Always thought Nova just had to keep on keepin' on. He has the desire and the feel for the position. The issue is where he will plateau in terms of league strength. He is 22 yrs 3 mos old. He is 6'4" tall or something like that. He is on an upward trajectory and adding some moves to his armory. We will know in 2 years what we've got. In the meantime I can't see any reason to count him in or out.