otfgoon wrote:
Ricky1985 wrote:
What would you say his strengths are, otf?
Well, the obvious ones are his pace and strength. He's very strong in the tackles and puts great pressure on the player on the ball and I don't think these are qualities anyone else in the midfield has other than Song, and even he lacks the pace and energy that Frimpong has.
Aside from the obvious, he also receives and holds the ball really well which is quite important when you're coming up against sides who put us under the sort of pressure that kills Denilson. His passing is also decent, I mean he's no Cesc or Wilshere, but it looks like he knows how to pick the right pass with a fair amount of accuracy, a bit like Song actually.
I think the work ethic and energy the likes of Lansbury and Frimpong can bring to the side shouldn't be underestimated.
For me, his standout, potentially top class, qualities are his incredible energy, explosive power; both in the tackle and when moving over short distances, and his
ferocious tackling - 3 very exciting qualities, and like you said, something we really lack in the squad. That said, I think the rest of his off the ball/defensive game is below par right now. His positioning and awareness of anything that's not right in front of him needs a lot of work. He lets people run off him, he gets caught ahead of the ball, he doesn't pick the right person up or at the right time - all of this noticeable at reserve level. Completely understandable at only 19, and fixable too, but still a problem if he's playing in the first team in a big game next season - and if he's Song's understudy, then we'd have to be ready for him to fill in against anyone from West Brom to Barcelona - and I don't think he's ready for that yet.
Also his passing is not close to the level of someone like Lansbury - who is a GREAT passer of the ball. He has superb range, and rarely ever gives the ball away. Where Frimpong might trump him for power and his ferocious tackling, Lansbury has a much better appreciation of the game going on around him imo, both with the ball and without the ball. If it came down to a choice between the two - and I hope it doesn't - I'd go for Lansbury. Sure, Frimpong gives us something different, but as we've seen at times when Song has struggled, knowing what's going on around you and the ability to think fast under pressure is absolutely vital in our midfield - it underpins our whole attacking game.
