I know he's had a decent season defensively and I'm sure Mourinho will love him. My problem is that he is incapable of controlling a midfield. If we put him next to a Rodri or Stiller will that work? Or too defensive? I guess Mourinho will play 4231? If Guler has to sit on the bench, my heart will do a shit. Jude has been awful. Valverde had a good 2026. I don't know. It just seems like we can't change anything because of the status quo. It will be Guler who has to sit.
I haven't seen enough games but he seems to be what we require in midfield. His stats are perfect in terms of controlling midfield and passes etc. We have a team that is allergic to passing the ball. Jude gets the ball, stops, does a little ballet move, turns around, runs into a crowded space and then tries to look for the foul. Release the ********ing ball. The ball travels faster than the player.
The inability (both by player and club) to mould Jude into a number 8 is one of my biggest frustrations about the past two years. I think he has everything to play that conductor role to a world class level, but he just wants to get into the box and score.
Well, we did rely on him to do that in his first season and he probably saw a future further up after that. Hard to put that genie back in the bottle. Guy does have a knack for getting into scoring positions and making smart runs when played further up. Curious how Jose uses him.