Well, he gave his man enough space on a free kick situation to score an uncontested header two goals before so.....it was already going wonderfully. Both situations were simply brainfarts on Miazga's part. He has ability and physicality, but these instances are what will make any high-level team say "HARD PASS". It pains me to say this (especially having happily watched him come up through RBNY) but if he wants to have any consistency in his career after his Chelsea cashcow stops giving milk, he needs to be in a league where these things won't be so consistently punished.
Matt is one of those guys IMO that when he is in the groove he can hang with a pretty high level of play. When he isn’t he can be Matt. Still, overall, he has played fairly well for the Nats. He could absolutely dominate, and wreak havoc on a team like El Sal. Paired with Robinson he would be fine against Hondo. Hell, without Davies there he could do the job against Canada. The lack of a home has been brutal for both he and EPB. They aren’t world beaters, but in a stable environment I feel they could perform fairly well. Loan army money, loan army madness.
Do you mean as coach? I seem to recall another central defender who was never really a hit in the top 4/5 leagues and is somehow trying out the coaching thing these days...
Every time I see a player do this -- play the ball blindly back towards their own goal under no discernible pressure -- I shudder. Why do players do this? Is it something that coaches tell them to do? It seems so inane, as a field player, to play the ball backwards to a keeper with (usually) less skill in tight circumstances with their feet. Players, unless clearing the ball, don't even play the ball blindly FORWARD. Yet they seem to do it all the time playing it backward. It makes zero sense to me.
Come on, Maradona was an amazing coach. This whole player-coach-pedigree thing is silly and I don't even know if it's worth the marketing angle for teams to hire a former superstar who will simply blow it on the field. I've never been impressed by the work that guys like Lampard, Pirlo, Klinsmann or (sacrilege) Zidane, who just inherit good situations, do as coaches. They'll eventually have the opportunity to become competent coaches if they try hard enough, but they are rarely, if ever, the top guys. I'm sure that the latest batch of Xavi, Rooney and Gerrard are going to do sooooo much better. Barcelona is really trending upwards since Xavi showed up.
Is anyone? Lampard got sacked by Chelsea at the first sign of trouble, Pirlo lasted a year, and Klinsmann is a massive joke everywhere. Zidane is a different story (he won 3 Champions Leagues in a row!), so I've left him out. But the other 3, I don't see them as having much, if any, managerial prestige.
Real Betis is legit one of the best teams in the world. A champions league level team in Spain is nothing to scoff at. The mistakes were glaring and bad but great teams put players under pressure. Chlsea, for instance, looked absolutely horrid vs Man City this weekend and couldnt get a single shot before subbing pulisic off deep into the game. Its not like Matt did this against a USL level team or something.... a bad game is a bad game....in and of itself it doesnt define a player
Zidane was/is competent and inherited a situation that even my cat could have turned into major trophies. He'll have a solid career if another Galactico-style club gives him another shot. I wouldn't expect him to excel in something like the now-open Everton position (that's all Rooney's to enjoy ). The others still got hired, so either somebody (foolishly) believed in them, or they thought the marketing boon would offset the drop in results. Anyways, I've veered too far off-topic. I look forward to USMNT coach Matt Miazga channeling his inner-Gregg and pissing off the fan-base by calling up too many MLS players in the qualifying campaign for the 2042 World Cup.
As a coach, it drives me up the f****** wall. I will flip out even if nothing comes from it. I have a GK right now that thinks he's Neuer with the ball at his feet. To be fair, he is good with the ball at his feet and is a solid D1/D2 prospect. Anyways...... he is ALWAYS barking at the defenders because he wants the ball, he wants a touch. He can't get it through his think ass skull that every time he barks, those CB's will pass it to him and often blindly. I yell every time it happens. MY GK and CB's just shrug me off like no biggy. They will understand eventually when we unnecessarily concede a goal. My gripe is every time you blindly or unnecessarily recycle the ball to the GK, you allow that opponents defensive line to step up / compress making it way more difficult to progress the ball forward. Then if the GK just plays it long, more often times than not, you're giving the ball right back to them. I preach and preach progressing the ball forward and always looking to make angled passes out of the back. I love getting the GK involved springing an attack but unnecessarily playing it back to him because you're too lazy to pick your head up and play it forward, is not spearheading an attack it is killing an attack.
Klinnsman is an interesting case study. He never was respected by people who truly understood the game. Even in 2004-2006. He inherited a vet US team that knew its roles, and slowly but surely showed he really didn’t have clue. Then Hertha. Add all of the spiteful, calculating, vengeful things he did to his “enemies”along the way, and I am happy he isn’t into politics. He has all of the makings of a populist strong man, with little actually ability. No matter what he has shown he will always have his loyal mob to support him no matter what as he “fights the power”. Think I am being over the top. No I’m not. The guy was actually ahead of his time in the West. Sadly.
He's surpassed the number of matches he played in Ligue 1. Is he the first Yank to play in 3 of the top 5 leagues? I was thinking Gooch but he never played in Serie A.