Greenlizard0 Premier League Football Thread ** spoilers ** [30th Jan - 1st Feb 2024]

Don
Joined
9 Jun 2004
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46,538
Fantastic performance and a thoroughly deserved win. Darwin is bonkers. He has 100 shots, 99 of them from nothing positions that he hits the woodwork or forces the keeper into a good save and then fluffs the one easy chance he has and yet he still walks off the pitch with a goal contribution and leaving Thiago Silva contemplating retirement. I've said it for 18 months now but at some point he's going to score 4 or 5 in a game, the law of averages say so.

I'm usually cautious of getting overexcited by youngsters (yea save your jokes) but it's frightening how at home Bradley looks in the side right now. At home to Fulham while he generally impressed I was a bit worried that he wasn't really up to it in possession but he's proven me wrong in every appearance since then to the point that for the first time I'm starting to be persuaded that moving Trent into midfield might be a good idea. I was never against Trent playing in midfield in isolation but I always thought that it would be easier for teams to stop his passing from there than at RB and it would be so hard to find somebody that can offer a significant threat from RB to compensate for that loss but Bradley might be that.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Oct 2007
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8,936
Location
newcastle
Darwin is bonkers. He has 100 shots, 99 of them from nothing positions that he hits the woodwork or forces the keeper into a good save and then fluffs the one easy chance he has and yet he still walks off the pitch with a goal contribution and leaving Thiago Silva contemplating retirement. I've said it for 18 months now but at some point he's going to score 4 or 5 in a game, the law of averages say so.
your **** out of luck on that front, as you don’t play us again this season, you have to remember to bring him on as a sub though, to get the best out of him :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
Associate
Joined
22 Mar 2007
Posts
2,023
Darwin just can't catch a break but at least if he's not scoring, he's providing which when you have Jota, Diaz and Mo usually alongside that's a big plus.
Yeah he needs to bang in the chances and to be honest I said he'd miss the pen... jinxed him.

Gakpo, great at receiving/retaining the ball, but boy does he love to shoot when he should look for a pass. He's trying too hard lately.
 
Soldato
Joined
3 Oct 2010
Posts
3,459
Bradley apparently now has as many PL assists as Bruno Fernandes this season :D
Certainly enjoyed his cross for the goal and his finish was quality. Is he a RB or a winger? Or just a Trent.
Tbh Bruno has been terrible. He's often one of the main reasons we are crap. The fact that we have only outscored SheffUtd and Burnley this season tells you all you need to know. Can't see that changing tonight vs Wolves. It's always a borefest.
 
Caporegime
Joined
9 Mar 2006
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56,856
Location
Surrey
Bruno hasn't been terrible at all, our players just can't finish. His expected assists is pretty high this season. Considering how few chances we're creating compared to everyone else that is pretty good.
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
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22 Aug 2008
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25,575
Location
Tunbridge Wells
Brunos issue is that he drastically affects how the team plays. You sacrifice any semblance of control for chance creation when he plays. If you aren't putting away those chances then he causes a big issue. Thats ignoring the fact that you cannot sacrifice control of games for chance creation and expect any level of success. The best midfielders do both. Perhaps he can be better compensated for but neither Ole or Ten Hag has managed. At our best under Ole we were a counter attacking side which suited him very well but again, top sides are not counter attacking sides these days. They can counter attack really well but that is not their MO.
 
Caporegime
Joined
9 Mar 2006
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56,856
Location
Surrey
There is nothing in stats to suggest you sacrifice control when playing Bruno, it's just become the latest popular thing to regurgitate. His pass completion stats are very similar to De Bruyne's, do City sacrifice control when he plays? And that is with one team playing possession football and the other playing transitional football.
 
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