Starts: ⚫️⚪️ 𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚Met Ahmed Kutucu en Jeff Hardeveld.Lichte fysieke klachten voor Ismail Azzaoui, Giacomo Quagliata is geschorst.#rkcher pic.twitter.com/cxuHzNzrJF— Heracles Almelo (@HeraclesAlmelo) February 21, 2021
Starts: 𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 🖤🤍#hertwe pic.twitter.com/QMtjwNtXWq— Heracles Almelo (@HeraclesAlmelo) February 27, 2021
They held the lead for almost no time. De la Torre was near the area where the goal was scored, but would have taken something superhuman the way it worked out. 2-2.
Both teams had a hard time to break down the defenses with "normal"play. The goals were all a bit freak goals, not out of solid attacks.
Watched some of this. I was impressed with Luca's defensive bite and his calm smoothness on the ball under pressure. He doesn't show up anywhere on any of the usual suspects' flavor of the month sexy midfielder depth charts - no matter how deep they go, but he looked surprisingly like the kind of guy Gregg likes in the Tyler Adams spot. No, not right back. Be quiet you.
The @USMNT dream... 💭➡️ https://t.co/qhkPx6kXKM pic.twitter.com/wRy3zquQ0Z— Heracles Almelo (@HeraclesAlmelo) March 5, 2021 Hoping for a call up with the congested international schedule this year
Yes but he was born and raised in San Diego until he left for Fulham (you can hear the English accent...as a fellow san diegan....its wild. but i lived in australia for 3 years as an adult and my english changed too just not as much lol) so I doubt he goes anywhere (plus I don't think they've ever contacted him).
92. 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗟𝗟𝗟𝗟Daar is ie dan toch! De la Torre!#herpec | 2-1 pic.twitter.com/RygICH1cUI— Heracles Almelo (@HeraclesAlmelo) March 7, 2021 Scores, diving header in stoppage time to give Heracles the win 2-1
I wondered what he might be after the stunning equalizer in the dying moments of our heroic comeback against Ecuador in the U20 tournament back in ‘17. Not sold anymore but excited that it seems like he’s forcing his way back into the discussion.
Aside from the goal he had some really solid stats Luca de la Torre: raw # for Heracles in 2-1 vs. Zwolle90 mins101 touches (!)2 shots1 goal (stoppage time winner)3 key passes (!)74/83 passing1 cross4/4 long balls (!)3/7 duels won2 dribbles1/1 tackles0 fouls2 interceptions- Wowzers. MOTM- active touch map pic.twitter.com/Jf0JfCjaNx— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) March 7, 2021
He's a nice player, just a bit physically limited. Fulham does do a nice job at the youth development piece. Will be an interesting follow for sure. We can always use attacking midfield types good enough for Holland.
The goal was nice, but more important is how he moved over the pitch by at the start of the clip start the attack with a pass on the right side close to the midline. He then moves to the other side, thus being out of the attention of the opponent concentrating on the ball movement and then moves into the open space to meet the ball. Here you see how he tactically moves far smarter than at the beginning of the season.
I've watched LDLT a handful of times this season and each time he seemed more and more comfortable. It has been steady progression. Nothing earth shattering. It's been just enough to keep him as a starter. I should look it up but it seems like his touches have gone from 40 to 60 to 80+ per match. Some of that is because he's getting more time centrally than on the right wing. Luca's movement was good but he wasn't demanding the ball. I've seen that change and now he's getting on the ball and being effective. He's tidy on the ball and is not going to turn it over much. It could also be said he's "safe" and not risky with the ball. That may lead some to say he has a "bland" game. I don't think so. When you break it down, he's doing some nice things - on and off the ball - to help his teammates. Solid season from Luca. Very underrated season by YA standards.
It is pretty amusing to think how far we've come. Two years ago a player that age becoming an every game starter in Holland would be a big deal. I haven't watched any of his games and I'm curious about something. When you say he's playing more centrally would you equate that to maybe how McKennie plays for the National Team or is it more of a center/winger type position akin to how we used to use Bedoya?
Heracles have mostly deployed a 4-3-3 with overlapping fullbacks forcing those three midfielders centrally. LDLT plays the inside right - as you guess it - similar to McKennie. Unlike McKennie - he's not making as many late runs into the box - he's more of the supplier. He's getting more touches on ball and spraying them all across the pitch. LDLT is more of a focal point in the build up. Luca also has a little more freedom to roam than McKinnie. While their position is similar they are being tasked with difference responsibilities. With that said, both are proving to be important players.
Insight giving article on Luca. Use google translate: https://www.tubantia.nl/heracles/st...es~a4e11145/?referrer=https://duckduckgo.com/
I agree. I’ve seen him a few times and I’ve been overall - impressed. My player comparison would be poor man’s Andres Iniesta. He’s very tidy and dangerous in tight spaces, spreads the ball very well - short and long balls, he moves well, seems to have a decent IQ and vision, but I would like to see him be a little more assertive and consistent throughout the game, to really get to that higher level where the top 5 tier teams will be knocking on his door.
Think about where he might be if he started playing here 2-3yrs ago instead of this season. Still glad to see him doing well since I had more or less written him off as a potential USMNT contributor.
I’m happy to see him making it as a professional, but how do we compare him to young Americans in MLS? It would seem to me that being a solid starter at a mid-table eredivisie team isn’t that much different from doing the same at an MLS team, but I never watch the Eredivisie.