Gruezo is the big one. I don’t think he’d be useful in Russell’s system. Costa, Morales and Pelligrino were Luchi preferences I believe. It was reported that Dallas was looking at Pelligrino when Luchi was coaching there. Perhaps Wilson as well? Not sure.
Gruezo was the most expensive of the Luchi signings. In general I think we need to make much better use of our DP slots (and U22's)...but I've felt that way since we were all going to Oakland to see David Beckham.
I’m not sure that Gruezo is useful in any system. He just doesn’t offer much of anything on either offense or defense. He’s mostly just trotting around out there trying to look busy.
Gruezo would be better for the Quakes on another team. If Russell goes with a 4-4-2 and plays a diamond midfield, he will need a ball winner that protects the center backs and drops between them when the outside backs push up on overlaps. I think Gruezo would look pants in that role. A guy like a Florian Jungwirth type would be much better (but obviously not Flo at his age now).
Unfortunately Gruezo is not a ball winner either. This is Gruezo vs. Nwobodo of FC Cincinnati. Note these percentages are against all mids, not just d-mids. So you'd expect things like interceptions and tackles to be very high. But Gruezo's numbers in those areas are fair to poor. 37% in tackles! Nwobodo is around 95% in interceptions and tackles.
Here's another Gruezo comparison from fbref - this time with Judson. Per 90 - tackles + interceptions: Judson: 6.17 Gruezo: 2.85
The Gruezo hate is over the top. He was solid last season in a playoff team. This year he's been a bit down but so has the whole squad, it's not just him. Is that a Gruezo problem or a we messed up our offseason signings problem?
Cowell is a better direct player than Pellegrino. Pellegrino has an even worse first touch than cowell and can't control the ball or create his own shot. He's useful in a top of the table team that bosses possession and creates chances for him.
That data is from the last year’s worth of playing. It’s mostly last season. He flew under the radar for a while but when you zero in on it you can see that he’s actually providing very little for the team. Maybe if you squint hard enough he’s kind of serviceable but that’s criminal for your highest ever transfer and 1st or 2nd highest paid player.
No way is Pellegrino’s touch worse than Cade’s. Watch his goal last week (pure class touch and finish) and that play on Saturday where he took a touch and then a little volley to himself to create a good chance with a shot. He doesn’t get it right every time but his touch can be very very good. Pellegrino is not a take guys on player like Cade at all - we knew that coming in, but he’s a guy that likes to run behind the defense. That suits a direct style as the receiver of the long pass. I watched a condensed game of his last year and he was played through about 6 times.
I have a fear, who's to say they don't fire Luchi, Ian, Ralston, Brown and Fusco all in 1 shot? I've seen MLS teams do that many times.
During the Fisher era I’ve only witnessed it once, when Almeyda took off with his whole posse. Who did Luchi actually bring with him to SJ? Even if a new coach comes in the middle of the season it’s unlikely that Fisher would pay for a bunch of his coaching buddies to join. The Matias payout experience was probably not too pleasant.
The Athletic just posted an article that names Luchi as one of 5 MLS coaches in the hot seat. Luchi’s photo is at the top of the article. He actually doesn’t look that bad in that photo. But it made me realize how much the poor guy has aged since joining the Quakes just —- 18 months ago? It reminds me of how much Stahre aged in his tenure here. I’m just wondering — is it the food, the air, the commute, the high cost of living here? It can’t be the relentless pressure, since sub-par mediocrity seems to be the Quakes culture.
Do assistant coaches really “step out” with their head coach, or don’t they just all get fired at the same time, if they came as a package deal? (I assume none of the current asst coaches came as a package deal, more like they were local, so sign them up)
There exists the possibility that Luchi advised who he thought the Quakes should hire but it seemed like Leitch was searching for specific hires to go in a developmental direction. Wolyneic and Brown especially fit that narrative. Luchi played briefly with Russell I think, but they’ve never acted like they were close in the past. The other guys like Ralston and Fusco were holdovers from the Covelo stint.
Hmm looking at that list of names, I’m thinking they are probably all depressive personalities. May be really hard for the team to get out of a funk.
Pellegrino's touch in possession is worse than cade's hands down. Pellegrino's has cement feet and often makes poor turnovers in buildup play that Cade would never make. Soccer is not just about your play inside the box.
Unfortunately, The Quakes just have a jones for Scandinavian leading scorers who barely crack double digits in goals. I honestly wonder what they're thinking when they breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of the players they bring in. We sure seem to bring in a disproportionate amount of players that don't fit and more than likely couldn't make any other MLS team's roster....it's chronic and shows widespread dysfunction.