I get that all strikers dive but in my mind, and I think the majority of people, there is a distinction between Bobby and say a Robben.
And yet when most people think of Robben, they don't think "diver" so much as "fantastic player." If we put diving in a historic context, they're all fancy-boy floppers today. I don't believe Wood dives more than most, or even as much as most (and the second goal in the video I linked is a great indication of that). All I was saying is that everybody dives these days. And wouldn't it be great if the first distinction to pop to mind between Wood and Robben was that Robben went to ground easier.
I can't stand Bmunch, but even as a less than neutral, Robben at his best was a thing of beauty. that attack, with Ribery, on either side of lewandowski was hard not to appreciate
apparently no one cares about Wood's games but this Ito kid is a hell of a player! just what Wood needs for support.
haha i wasn't talking about one person. People will wake up at 6:30 to see CP play but Wood doesn't even get a play by play thread. I was just making a joke as I searched for somewhere to comment on the game; couldn't find a gameday thread and had to page three to find this thread.
Had plenty of chances today as Hamburg had more possession/double the shots but his finishing was not good enough
As I said, he's barely Bundesliga quality. But with the NT he transmogrifies, he becomes bigger, smarter, more accurate. I'd never stop calling him to camp, even when he sucks for his club. Bobby Wood is the anti-Chandler.
barely? he seems good enough for a relegation fodder Bundesliga side that could be mid-table if the players used better tactics and had another 1 or 2 additions in the midfield.
I think its mid table bundi quality but Hamburg rely on him too much similar to how Sunderland did with their forwards. Very few forwards can thrive in those systems. The ball was headed back and forth across midfield most of the game and when it wasn't it was lobbed up to bobby who often held onto it well but had no teammates within 20 yards. He wasn't good by any means, but he's not the problem.
He played pretty well, but could be more clinical in the very limited amount of chances Hamburger provides him. Had a couple headers that a better guy in the air maybe does something with, and the opportunity in the box at an angle the keeper set him up instead of him setting up the keeper with a shoulder fake. Also not a good decision-maker on the ball. Tends to get tunnel vision and if the easy pass is not there he panics. Target work and pressure game was very strong. I think would have an average scoring rate with average creation and build-up for him. Hamburg gets out-played the majority of time in midfield, even at home. Bobby has to drop deep to receive the ball or run into the corner. May have found something in Judge Ito.
But that is the whole point of the job description when you're a striker: to score goals. If you miss the chances, all that is left is to claim as we used to do for Jozy: "he's great because he draws defenders away so others can score!" That's ridiculous. No one buys that.
Emile Heskey used it to success for his entire career I concur though. Wood has his work cut out for him trying to score goals. It'd be a tragedy if he only gets 5 league goals like last year. Hopefully he can work on his assists production.
I wouldn't be shocked. I recall for March/April he played for Hamburg despite a heavy injury. But they had no one else who was an effective attacker, so he played through pain.
Ever thought that maybe that has something to do who he has around him on the US MNT??? Apart from Papadopolous and Ito, is there a single HSV player who could get a place on the Amrican squad? Maybe Muller. OTOH there's a fair few MNT players who could improve HSV, and quite significantly