Generally, I agree, but I wouldn't start James there against Man City or Bayern Munich etc (rem how Foden took him to the cleaners last year). Other than that, just Harvey dallying to much when he shouldn;t (I think because he had slipped when running and lost a good attacking opportunity, he began overdoing it (dribbling running) and got flattened a couple of times. Kind of the opposite to the quick release, move-receive we usually see from him, so I wouldn;t over-fret about him being shrugged off the ball a couple of times.....Mostly he seems very spatially aware of team-mates... Carvalho and Keita combined deftly with quick thinking forward thrust play to free Salah to set up for Robinson and Nunez on the 3rd.... great quick set-up play on that one but the first goal was even better in the lead up
I mostly agree. To be sure, I’m not claiming that Haaland is going to be some Shevchenko-esque bust. He’ll score goals for them. But I don’t think he’s going to have some Messi/Ronaldo level video game stat line at the end of the season. I don’t think he fits their style of play in the slightest bit; Pep likes a lot of interchanging in the final third, and having what was essentially an extra midfielder that could pop up wherever helped them overwhelm and overrun teams. Haaland isn’t that guy and that isn’t his game. He’s a 9 that doesn’t pass well, doesn’t drop into the spaces between the midfield and backline effectively-and even if he does, congratulations; you’ve now negated his principle value! I think he’ll be easier for good CB’s to mark than whoever the false nine du jour was last year. I do think the BL is generally an easier league to score goals in; top to bottom, it’s a weaker league than the PL. He’s going to have to adjust to the speed and pace of the league; who was the last BL transplant to replicate their form in England? He’s not going to get to play some garbage Schalke side and there’s only so many Fulhams or Evertons to play before you have to play someone who’s not only good but who will wear you down. His injury record isn’t great. They’re going to play like two teams that will give them space behind and one of those teams has VVD, Matip and Konate.
Well, they will have to be more direct when he drops off, because, even if he is playing well, passing well, his impetus is to release the ball to a team-mate and then release himself like a torpedo, hard to envisage him cropping up two or three times ina move ala Marez, Foden, Jrsus, Sterling, etc...
Haaland will have a couple of hat trick games against the utter shit of the league and then score a decent amount otherwise. Probably 15+ easily and almost by accident. But as stated above - it's not a striker that fits. Pep has 1 style and 1 style only - as great as it is. Will not remotely stop he media from telling us he's he best 1st year to the PL player ever. The sky sports ********ing moron fans will lap it up. We - and Mo Salah - will laugh.
Let’s talk about heading. You know I hate to do that. I’m guessing 80% of players going for that goal Darwin scored would have ducked their head, closed their eyes and hoped that the ball would somehow beat the keeper and go in. Nunez on the other hand kept his eye on the ball then nodded it out of the keepers reach. Deliberately. But then I don’t like to talk about professional players who can’t head the fkn ball …. Oh er excuse me.