I'd be more grateful if the players hadn't been total gash the season before and hadn't got us relegated. The fact that a number of them stayed to pick up Premier League money while playing at a lower level doesn't exactly make me feel grateful.
The reality is players like Cathcart and Kiko know their level better then Gino does. They know they’re lucky to be playing PL level when they get the chance so are hardly going to agitate for a move when we drop. That isn’t noble, it’s just not being delusional.
I mean, Valencia, Eibar, Real Valladoid, Granada and Villarreal were all linked with him over the course of last season, so I don't think it's massively far-fetched. As above.
Perhaps grateful was the wrong word. I appreciate the effort and the performances of players like Femenia, Sarr, JP, who are too good for the level they were playing at, but still stayed to help us get back up. Yes they were paid handsomely to do so, but a year in the English second division doesn't massively help their careers (maybe JP aside), and they both could have found clubs at a higher level and be earning similar money.
The most concerning aspect of Kiko is all those stupid holes he cuts into his socks to 'relieve pressure on his muscles' or whatever the exact moonman pseudoscience insanity is - same with the tape, to be fair, but at least it's probably one of the physios foisting that particular lunacy on him.
That's a very good point, it's very possible that playing Kiko ahead of Ngakia won us 4 points over the course of last season
Ngakia gifts a goal and Kiko comes on and shows his PL quality. Ngakia could be a better player in the future but pretty clear who the better player is right now.
I feel bad for Ngakia, but we can only hope he learns a lesson from that. I agree that Kiko is the best option at the moment.
Ngakia had a good first half, but like others got caught out trying to be too clever instead of just playing it safe. Can't help but feel Saint-Maximin would have got a lot more joy out of Kiko had he started. Ngakia better defensively, Kiko better going forward is how I see it, with Ngakia having the potential to improve.
That's fair. Almost think it may have been worth bringing in a decent RB to challenge Kiko, and allowing Ngakia a season in the Championship on loan. Needs to be playing
Did Kiko show his PL quality when he gifted the ball to West Ham leading to a goal and then asked for a sub? Come on, let's not act like the guy is suddenly good enough because of a cross.
We’re surly not assessing Kiko based on only having to cover their best player for a few minutes before he was subbed for completely running out of steam are we?
"Shows his PL quality"... Lol. Brilliant. No, he showed his crossing quality. He is a good crosser of the ball and well done to him for another good assist, but that's never been an issue, has it? The issue is defending. You know, the main part of his job, and at that he's rarely shown "PL class". He's made mistakes just as bad as Ngakia's today a number of times and barely had to deal with Saint-Maximin at all.
Kiko no world beater,but as always Just shows where kiko is better ,playing further up the pitch ,we play 3 at the back he is our wing back that's the only position he can play
What about the amount of joy Walker-Peters, a lesser player than ASM, got out of Ngakia? And Kiko has done well against better players than both, notably Mane and Zaha. I see very little if anything to separate the two defensively, and Femenia is the better player in just about every other department.
You mean the game where Ngakia played against Walker-Peters and Redmond for 45 minutes because Sarr couldn't be bothered to put a shift in?
Look, Joy Walker-Peters is a tough mum but she really needs to let her son deal with the bigger boys himself.
Why do people keep talking about playing 3 at the back? Is there any evidence that Ranieri is planning on doing this?
There’s a lot that separates them defensively. And Ngakia isn’t even that good at it. But Kiko is terrible at defending. But much better in offensive areas. FB is such a key area for a team in the modern game - and neither of our right-backs fill the void really.
It’s disgraceful that we don’t have good quality prem standard players in every position given its months since we won promotion. FFS Gino.
Interesting, I was reading something similar last night on Wikipedia that said an attacking full back is a relatively recent thing in football, and it’s particularly important we have full backs who provide width and creativity especially when we don’t play with wide midfielders. So Ngakia might serve more purpose in a 4-4-2 which we might have to resort to if only one of Dennis/JP/Sarr is available, but even there with our playing only two up front his lack of attacking threat could make winning games even more difficult than it currently is (even back in 2006/07 it was clear how much having full backs that were alright defensively but contributed next to nothing going forward contributed to our relegation in addition to King’s absence). The trouble is at a club the modest size and profile of Watford it’s very hard to find a FB who excels or even is just good in both areas - Ake and Holebas were the nearest, but even the latter was erratic and a bit of a loose cannon to the extent some wanted rid of him towards the end of 2017/18. But I’m not convinced Kiko is terrible defensively, I think there’s a solid defender somewhere in him, but since he signed our managers have rarely managed to get the best out of him in that department - Pearson was the nearest to achieving that before COVID struck, actually playing him at LB some games (a position Ngakia is yet to convince in) - with Ranieri the situation is hard to assess with the calamities who’ve been playing with him. When we signed him, presumably along with the appointment of Silva and signings of Richarlison, Carrillo and Gray (forget that he was a massive flop) it was part of the club’s second attempt to make us play better, more attacking football post-Flores, but it was also because he’d been a regular in an Alaves team who finished 9th in La Liga, got to the Copa del Rey final and most importantly, had a decent defensive record. When he was in the team, they conceded only 32 goals in 31 games, and when he was out, they conceded 12 goals in 7, throwing away leads in three of them. Other better defenders might have contributed more to that, but when you play that many games such a record can’t be a coincidence. Then there’s other factors, especially relating to the relegation season - his mental fragility which I don’t think the club have got to the bottom of, playing in an unsettled (player and manager-wise) and under-motivated team, himself having periods out. Maybe he’s temperamentally and physically better suited to La Liga than the Premier League, and a similar thing can apply to managers - the same manager who did so well at Alaves when Kiko was a regular there in the top flight went on to be a disaster at Southampton. But I think it’s fair to say the jury is still out on him either way…
Meh, he was fine. No worse than anyone else in an awful team performance. Got skinned for the goal and I think got rinsed again about 5 minutes later but had very little support
Never going to be a full back too scared to tackle, should be a wing back so someone behind him can bale him out ,wing back is his position end off ,him and a few others are being shoe horned in to positions that don't suit its never going to work
Despite being a Kiko advocate, I really thought Coutinho would embarrass him today. But he kept him really quite. Not sure how much of that was down to Kiko or an off day for Coutinho
Bit of both I think. But I do agree, Kiko had one of his better games today and looked assured in defence. Think he could have helped Sarr out a bit more at times and looked for the ball - but as with Kamara on the other side, I think Hodgson had told them to rarely go over halfway and let Dennis and Sarr provide the width. In previous games, they have been allowed to roam further forward as we stupidly played narrow with that four man centre-midfield. But yeah, Kiko was decent today. Surprised Gerrard didn't get Bailey on quicker with his pace and target Kiko defensively. But Kiko kept Coutinho very quiet.
Kiko always looks as if he's just run through three army assault courses after even just 20 minutes of a match, properly battered, huffing and puffing. Yet somehow he keeps going (until he pulls something again). I do like him as a player and he generally works his socks off (almost literally in his case), but I do wonder if it's a bit overwhelming for him at times. I also know he tends to get on the end of some bad challenges, but he really does take on the expression of a Vietnam war vet in matches.
Another assist, should've been two. Have been critical of him defensively in the past but seems to be a common theme that sides get more joy against our left side, than against Kiko.
