Thanks for the link. I watched a fair bit of the Nice-PSG game last night, interesting seeing the things you can't see in a YouTube video. Epsecially what he's like without the ball and this game was good for that because PSG had it most of the time.
He's fairly passive without the ball - not lazy, just not aggressive in his tackling and pressing.
Veratti ran rings around him in the middle third but that was mostly because Nice's other midfielder's positioning was terrible. Seri himself actually takes up good, clever positions when closing down and cutting passing options.
He did switch off a couple of times near his box and left someone free in a dangerous position, but he was still head and shoulders Nice's smartest and best positioned midfielder.
He is ultra calm and confident on the ball, but that did lead to him getting caught a few times. He wants to play a good pass that progresses play or at least doesn't put someone in trouble, but that was hard in this game because Nice were camped in their own half.
He was slightly culpable for PSG's goal - he was stationed on the post and drifted slightly off it and it was headed over him. Don't think he could have done anything regardless to be honest.
He is actually quite explosive and quick when going in for a tackle or trying to press. People compare him with Cazorla but this guy can run and is strong for his size.
YouTube gave a fair reflection of his touch, passing and ability to evade a tackle. He's very good in this regard.
His team mates look for him constantly. Even give it to him when they really shouldn't and he has a great knack for knowing how to move it on when he's been put in a difficult spot.
I still really like the look of him. He'd give us something different to what we already have. He is fairly similar to Cazorla with the ball - I'd say he's a better passer but doesn't have quite the same touch or dribbling - few do. He's definitely a lot more able without the ball though. He's not going charge around making tackles but he's is smart and aware and much stronger and quicker than Cazorla.
In a lot of the games we play we have 60%+ of the ball, this guy would be hitting great passes left, right and centre - he sees opportunities very quickly. In the games when we struggle, usually away at the other good teams in the League, he's not going to make a dramatic difference because we have the same problem Nice did in the match I watched last night - there's just no one to pass to. The whole structure collapses. Seri's not going to have the size and frame to make a big difference in those situations, but he'd certainly cope better than Ramsey and Xhaka in the onslaught.
Maybe a Wenger can take this guy up a level as well. Definitely has a lot to work with.
