Indeed. Not sure why it hasn't made more noise here. Dest to Pepi for a very nice header goal. I guess it is same old, same old at this point?
The Dest part was very impressive. Something made from rather little! He is a crazy skillful defender.
Dude has only played 95' since his return.... 35' sub and a 65' minute start. That was a fantastic assist... the only aside should be of the positive variety... that was his non-dominant foot.
Pepi (and Dest) started and played the full match, a 5-1 victory. Pepi scored the final goal on a PK, while Dest had to settle for a yellow card for his efforts.
To be honest, I'm gettig doubts about Pepi as striker for the USA. I've been watching a couple of his games recently and noticed (and mentioned it iirc in here or in the matchday thread) he's invisible for much of a match. Now Peter Bosz made remarks last sunday in a footy show about Pepi, that underscores that observation I made. He said Pepi can be completely invisible during a match, but when he gets a chance, it's almost certain a goal. He said Pepi is very precise with his shots. You can do that in a team like PSV against Eredivisie teams not up to the standard of PSV, but you can't do that against the better teams in a World Cup, as it actually means you play most of the time with 10 men. So the question is whether the USA can survive long enough to produce that golden moment. Maybe I'm wrong, but Bosz actually confirming what I thought I saw, isnot a great thing for the USMNT.
I think Balogun will be the main striker for USA, but what Bosz said isn't necessarily a negative. The same can be said for Haaland at City.
It's a very tough comp. Obviously with lesser talent around you it'll be hard to show well. And by playing better teams than yours, it's hard to show well. But the game is won by scoring goals, so... I think Pepi has added to his game at PSV. His positioning, runs, and finishing all seem better. He does a bit of link up as well, but he doesn't influence a game much, outside of goals. Haaland occupies two defenders throughout the game. With him you're essentially playing an opponent with 9 outfield players. Balo has more energy imo, is a better presser, better in duels, and gives more on both sides of the ball. I do hope there's another level to Pepi's game, but even his coach suggests there is not...still, as you guys say, a rather handy player to have coming off the bench.
Well, Bosz wasnot saying it in a negative manner, I see it as a big flaw. With de Jong they had the conductor of the team on the pitch, as well as a scoring machine. With Pepi on the pitch as a starter, they will have to adjust major league next season. And remember, they had a goal scoring set up on the pitch when every striker they had was injured long. So when that being invisible is going to cost points, that's going to be a hazard for Pepi.
I mean, ideally you’d like to have a complete forward, but having one that doesn’t contribute much in the build-up just means you need to play a little differently. It’s like having a fullback who can attack versus one who can’t - the structure needs to be set up to accommodate that strength or weakness, but it isn’t fatal to a team.
Well, there's the fact he's still young and only now getting serious time in a serious team. Experience might make him add expertise to his goal scoring ability. It however reminds me to what Dick Advocaat said to Jozy at AZ Alkmaar, that he'snot yet a top striker, because you react to what your team mates do, instead of being the one who dictates how the attack goes. So basically Advocaat said to Jozy, you're not ready to go to the epl. Maybe Pepi can add to just being a reacting player, but as it stands he's not there.
For a team like PSV, but it goes for every top team in Europe, it is essential to have a complete striker, as it is absolutely necesary the way PSV, but also all Dutch clubs play.
Only in teams, that play a defensive style of football, where the striker is up front waiting for the counter, it isnot a hazard. Think of a team like Atletico Madrid or Morihno's Inter Milan, but these are rarities in current top football.
Football games are often so low scoring and decided by one goal, that an opportunistic poacher is precious. The game is full of strikers who play attractive football, press, are good target players, etc…Pure scorers are the rarest and most valuable
Haaland isn’t a complete striker, neither is Gyokeres, and Arsenal/City are going to finish 1-2 in the Premier League with Arsenal making a Champions League final to boot.
Wasn’t it a pretty big deal that Pep had to rearrange how Man City plays just to optimize the use of Haaland? This is what coaches are paid to do.
Yep. Pep rose to prominence and then to legend status playing keep-ball: possession, possession, possession until an exhausted opposition lost focus for a second or two and Barca/Bayern/City could walk the ball into the net - sometimes literally. That was and is impossible with Haaland but he still signed him and fundamentally altered the structure of the team to get the best out of him, even though that meant losing a lot of their control of the ball. He then went all-in on inverted full backs to restore some of the midfield control he'd sacrificed to accommodate the Braut. That's what a coach does. If Pepi's next coach uses him wisely to get 20+ goals a season, nobody's going to lose any sleep over poor passing if the defence does its job.
I think it got a bit lost in the noise as PSV had such a stupidly successful season and the league closed out so early, but Pepi, despite limited minutes, leads the Ered in G/90, G+A/90, G-PK/90, is tied for 3rd for goals overall with Parrot... just behind phenom Mika Godts... kinda a wildly successful season. Playing for PSV pads the stats for sure but still, he ended up ahead of Salibari and Till - and Till got a lot of run out as CF (although tbf, it's not his best position.) Nice year despite the time out for Rico.
To be honest, I'm surprised out how closely Pepi's stats overlay Haaland's in that graph. High praise, I'd say.