Djordje got a chance to start, but was vacant. I think everyone who was still holding out hope he'd be a relevant player in Europe or with the USMNT should give that up now. Paying a transfer fee at all is probably a regret for AZ, let alone 6m. It's likely he'll be sent back for a fraction.
Tillman CAN play. Aron played very well today. Reyna is buried on the Dortmund bench. He MUST move. Richards learning the DM spot can’t be bad. Or at least it is better than not playing.
Anybody watch this Chris Richards development? Starts as a CDM and is apparently one of the better players on the field.
AZ is not an easy lineup to break into. If he had gone to a club like Heracles he might have followed a path similar to LDLT.
I'm basing that on watching some games. His performance is poor. Like I said, he started today, again. He's barely visible. He doesn't anticipate space off ball. Doesn't have the quicks and authority to move into it. On the ball he's passive. Can't cover space defensively and doesn't have teeth in tackles. Struggled internationally when the opponent got tougher and pressure higher. I've made it evident I'm not an LDLT fan either, but he's mentally tougher, quicker, and has better awareness of surroundings. That makes him an adequate La Liga & USMNT player. It would be incredibly optimistic for Mihailovic to even hit that modest height.
Highlights of the 'Pool v Fulham match. Noteworthy for the NL semis are Fulham's Jedi, Ream, and Bobby D-C-Reed who plays for Jamaica. Of course Jimenez represents Mexico.
Weird speculative thought I mentioned in the Reyna YA thread. I'm wondering if he's suddenly not even subbing because he's got an agreement in place to leave either on loan or via transfer in a few weeks? It's just odd that his minutes are drying up just as his health has totally come around (though like a few others, I did notice him wince in the international window in the 2nd half of one of the games, I forget which, but then he started running full out a few mins later during a counter so I guess it was just a momentary scare). Since November he hasn't got off the bench at all in 4 of 7 matches, and in a 5th match he only got 11 matches (in the remaining 2, he played a half and he played 27 mins respectively). I'm suspicious. It could be just "game state" issues, and Terzic's preference for more stout defending and veteraness, or it could be they're over each other and ready to move on? I'm not sure, but honestly, at this point, I don't want him playing the rest of the month. Would prefer a healthy transfer then risking getting hurt for them.
I agree that Djorde is not as good as LDLT. Heracles was the right level for LDLT at that point in his career. AZ is a significantly tougher lineup to crack than Heracles. If you want to improve you have to find the right level. Otherwise you rot on the bench.
Terzic's use of Reyna is situational. And they have more often than not been in matches where they are holding on to a result late. Against Leverkusen they were playing for a point. In that situation, you bring in defensive subs. If they had been chasing a goal he probably would have brought Reyna on.
I was about to say, this match has been mentioned several times without anyone mentioning Jedi’s assist. Also, even though it was offside, Ream’s goal was impressive nonetheless.
He also pulled two defenders with him, leaving Jovic wide open to finish. Really good off ball movement to create that space. He's shining for Milan in a lot of ways.
Mihailovic(amid in 4231) and Alkmaar get the 1-1 draw at Utrecht. It had been reported over a month ago that he might be headed back to MLS 31/36 passing 4 key passes 2/2 long balls 5/10 duels 1 big chance created 1 big chanced missed Sofascore(7.2)5th
Richards(cdm in 4231) and Palace get the 1-1 draw at West Ham. His playing cdm is shades of G-Cam at Stoke. 30/41 passing 4 clearances 11/13 duels Fotmob(7.6)2nd
The commentators were really praising Antonee in that game. For most of the contest he had Salah under wraps. Can't keep a good player like that down at all times. Still, a very good performance from him. Hard to say a CB had a fine effort when their team concedes 4 goals. But those were four great goals by Liverpool. Ream was pretty good for most of the contest. He's not the reason they lost that game. As far as Richards goes...............I can't remember him even playing CDM once at the FCD academy. He has the athleticism for it. Seems to me that Palace love him, but love their starting CB duo. So they found a way to get him on the field. Maybe if they sell Guehi in January, Richards takes over at CB. Both Palace and Fulham only have 4 points from their last 5 games. Not really getting many good results as we enter the holiday season fixture congestion. In another year they might be in relegation danger. But for the moment, they feel safe.
I don’t know what’s more fun-Pulisic scoring or the home Milan commentator switching to “Engalian” when he scores. Still not totally sure where “Chris” comes from. I’ve never heard anyone Stateside call him Chris. But anyway, “COME ON BABY!!!!” https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx3bfWNdLFqGI46ymKItgPxisfo2CUzODz?si=0erUbSK3cttuJqgn
Come on, we all know that one…… “PULI PULI!!!!! SIC SIC!!!!!” “PULI PULI!!!!!! SIC SIC!!!!!” (Sorry, that one was teed up far too easily for me to not drive it down the middle of the fairway. )
Short, funny analysis of Milan's announcer's call when Pulisic scores: "He says every English word he knows...Meecka-Donald's! Burger King!"