Just for interest, as I tend to deal in words not hieroglyphs, what is the meaning of this stupid purple 'emoji' you keep using?
I guess he had a falling out with Munoz, got injured, had another falling out with Raneri and now injured/ill? I wouldn't be surprised if he leave this summer.
Well he can't pass a football and positionally he's a mess at this level but I guess he can win a header. If he can't even get on the bench at the moment then I'm not holding out much hope for him.
We've very clearly seen he's an excellent Championship centre back and that was at 23 and in his first season at that sort of level. Is he completely ready for the Premier League? Probably not, but it baffles me and I find it completely bizarre how people are writing him off when realistically - for whatever reason - he's barely kicked a ball and had any sort of chance to actually prove himself or settle at this level, as if he's had 20+ terrible games (like our other centre backs actually have). He has the makings of a very good centre back and the years ahead of him to grow into one. Him not being picked isn't a certain mark against his quality. There are plenty of examples of those same sort of nonsensical selection decisions that doesn't necessarily speak for a players quality. Remember Deeney constantly starting over Welbeck? It seems to have become a myth that he's completely flopped at this level, when the truth is that he's only played a few games, looked decent enough in the two Spurs games, and his only real, stand out, bad game came at Leicester in the cup.
I feel for him, firstly he came back late from the Copa America, then literally every time he's looked like getting back up and running he's picked up an injury or Covid. I suppose the good thing is that he'll likely stay with us next season (where hopefully he won't be too damaged physically and mentally from this utter disaster of a season)
It’s baffling considering how bad our existing defenders have been. I can only assume that because for the last three seasons we’ve been stuck in a perpetual state of firefighting that the incumbent manager always feels he has to go with tried and tested rather than take a risk on anyone else, as crazy as that actually is. Look slightly shaky in your first game? Sorry you’re out, I haven’t got time to see if you can get better.
To think if it weren't for a horrendous injury crisis he'd have been packed away to some random Ligue 1 club for peanuts
That's fair but I just think he's another dud. Even last season you could see he struggled with attackers that had a bit of movement, on top of his horrendous technical ability. We had to give it to WTE to play out from the back with rather than Sierralta!
It's baffling but to me it's not the only strange decisions being made. FS was a shining light of last season he needs a consistent run in the side now. Communication between him and Samir wouldn't be a problem either. Louza and Kayembe need to be the sitters in midfield who cover the fullbacks. Sissoko needs to pull his finger out and show us why he became captain because his form is worrying. Sarr and Dennis wide of Sissoko in a three with JP leading the line. Kings form has dropped off and needs for his own sake that he's not undroppable. I feel for Cucho too because he has shown plenty of heart, desire and passion especially when he's come off the bench. 4-2-3-1 which can easily change to a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 without changing personnel on the pitch. If we want the likes of Louza, Pedro, Cucho in the Championship next season we have to show a little more faith in them and now, the same with FS and Ngakia to an extent.
All of the defenders struggled with forwards movement last season, I was simply amazed we didn't concede more. But poor finishing and some very good shot stopping from Bachmann kept those figures way down. I was chastising WTE last season for his cowardly behaviour in defending and was looked upon by some as a buffoon. He looked panicky against Championship forwards how on Earth was that going to improve this season in the Premier. The two main factors on our very lucky promotion last season was the emergence of FS and the injury to Deeney that forced Xisco into stumbling across a formation that worked for our attacking play. I can easily sit back now and remember plenty of games where we got so lucky to snatch a win or draw, but promotion papers over those cracks which are there for everyone to see.
Yeah watching us last season it was amazing we didn't concede more goals. I assume it was down to poor finishing, we seemed to give away at least one very good chance a game.
Because they’ve played there? They’ve also played in England together, as have all our other defenders.
True. The two big standout games for me were both against Blackburn and funnily enough won both. The game at home where Kabs should of seen red I believe, Brereton, Armstrong and Elliott ran us absolutely ragged, Foster was excellent that game and saved a penalty too I think. But even at their place we ended up making hard work of it when our form was good and theirs was spiralling. I seem to remember a Masina special give Blackburn a way back into the game.
Samir and FS haven't played together for us! I don't even know if they did for Udinese in defence. But yes they both speak Italian. I don't understand your point?
FS had been in England for almost as long as he was in Italy so I’d image he speaks English just as well. I don’t think his ability to communicate in the same language as Samir is particularly relevant to anything and whether he should be given a chance or not. If people are saying he’s not up to it then I doubt it was because he couldn’t communicate with Cathcart or WTE was it?
That's where our opinions differ. I'm not sure on Samirs grasp on English so I believe a player who can converse in a language he fully understands would help him out initially. From what I know and witnessed on a daily basis at work is that Italians and Spanish speaking people converse in their own languages without much difficulty especially South Americans who usually speak Spanish at a more calmer pace than those from Spain.
WTE mentioned in an interview that last season he communicated with Sierralta in Italian. As for Samir, I'm not 100% sure he speaks Italian, but living in Italy for 6 years and not learning to at least speak it to a moderate standard is slightly daft.
Ben Brereton Diaz said that Sierralta speaks good English when they met up for Chile duty, although I don't suppose Samir does! As Portuguese and Italian are fairly similar, he definitely should speak Italian after so many years!
This is true. My Italian and Portuguese are very similar. Very similar in fact to my Spanish, German and Dutch.
Imagine being our best centre back last season (arguably our best overall player after he came into the side), imagine being young with the potential and opportunity to improve and learn with game time... Then imagine literally not getting a look in and watching on as we persist with the utterly woeful, well past their prime likes of Cathcart - who incredibly has become completely undroppable - week in, week out as you get given no real opportunity whatsoever to back up last season's performances and prove yourself. I hope he tells both Roy and the club to **** off and puts in a transfer request. He's been treated like **** this season.
