goon wrote:
Big thing going for him is that he’s 6ft 3, strong and quick. It makes everything else easier.
He doesn’t look great on the ball though, looks more Holding level on that front.
Which feels like cross-talk between Edu and Arteta. How are we supposed to build from the back with a guy who has only one functional foot? When Sterling and Jesus charge him down, we're screwed. That rear triangle needs to be three guys who are very comfortable on the ball. If you want to be able to build out of the back and advance quickly, you need to upgrade there. That's why we also need to upgrade Xhaka. It enhances your ability to break out of the press, advance the ball and catch the opposition off guard.
It also allows you to play a City type raptor press. Their press is very different from the Liverpool press. It is high up the field and forces the ball to be cleared and sent back to your own defenders. Thus those guys need to be good on the ball.
I see this defender, and it leaves me wondering what will we be doing stylistically?
(it's a bit like the Coutinho rumour - where he's good offensively but could be like Ozil defensively. and even on offense, where he excels is actually in making space for himself versus others. so a really good player, but how does he fix the issues of creating chances for Aubameyang and Pépé?)
