Yup I thought so too. He’s really good at 1v1 defending and has the ability to make some great passes. I wouldn’t fault him for any of the 3 goals although he did have an error that I thought was going to lead to one. He’s definitely earned another start. This kid has a ton of upside!
Really solid performance. Better than I thought he’d be on the ball. Very steady and balanced. Has to be a front runner to partner Brooks if he goes on from here.
Reviewing the 3rd goal Hoff allowed I see why some folks believe Richards had some fault. Hoffenheim was attacking for the tie. The opponent's forward was helping their side on defense. The ball was kicked in his direction, Richards press him to prevent the counter but the forward was able to send the ball to the middle of the field where his teammates got it and pushed the play. Because Hoffenheim plays with 3 CBs and Richards was upfield trying to prevent the pass the 2 remaining CBs were exposed. There was no help from either their wingbacks or 2 midfielders.
The blame, if any, was minor. He tried to press and hurry the pass.... but the outlet ball was picture perfect. The opponents get paid too. On top of that... it was still two on two. Unfortunately, the two for Frankfurt are elite footballers and took the other CBs to school with a perfect cross and header.
Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here watching this Chris Richards pass on repeat until I meet my end. pic.twitter.com/pirUP0czQ4— Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) February 8, 2021
I have always found it strange that this could be a criticism of Brooks. Personally think he’s incredibly smooth and fluid on the ball.
I'd trust Richards more with the ball at his feet in traffic but he doesn't hit those beautiful long passes that Brooks drops on a dime these days. They both have their skill sets.
Damn, he looks good in those highlights. Maybe the main difference between Richards and Brooks is Richards is a lot more agile and not as stiff in his hips as Brooks is; but agreed, Brooks has a great *range* of passing, but Richards clearly has an eye for a pass as well. The game is so much easier when you can see, and hit, several different passes in a given moment as opposed to just seeing the one easiest pass. It's not a stretch to say he's gonna log a ton of minutes at Hoff and become a main defensive component.
One pass does not a career make. If it did it would be that wicked goal scoring, seeing eye, through ball of a pass from Tyler Adams in his first year at RB Leipzig. And for me a 28 year old center back with seasoning is preferable to a 20 year old up and comer. But when paired together that could be something. Still I could watch that pass over and over and over. I hope this loan leads him to bigger and better things.
didn't he hit a long brooks-like left peg pass (in the air) to his forward in the box sometime during the second half? that seemed even more impressive to me. but I must have mixed him up with someone else 'cause nobody has mentioned it.
It's astounding how the Bundesliga has really been a land of success for our players. It's really opened up doors to so many. I'd wager the Canadians as well have had more players find success in the Bundesliga than in any other league.
His first review from Bayern coaches sounded something like "Richards sees those passing lanes and that's a rare quality".
Just noticed that Hoff is playing BVB on Sat. Two very tough opponents for Richards to face in a row. If Gio gets the start then we will likely see Richards vs. Gio a lot in this one. Also... Richards did well to hold SIlva up one-v-one in his debut... can he do the same when faced up with Haaland? Eager to see if he can back up his initial performance w/ another good one.
I think it's less valuable to try and compare/contrast the weaknesses Brooks and Richards than to think about how they could partner each other, especially in a build-from-the-back system. Brooks is the anchor; he plays the "traditional" CB role with strong technique, strength, height, and composure on the ball. Richards is the ball-playing link between the defense and the DMs, with acceleration/agility/lateral quickness to provide Brooks with zonal coverage and deal with breaking wingers/wingbacks.
I would say he is quite skilled-but even for USA fan, fluid would not be a description I would use for JAB.