Originally Posted by
ianlfc
What's your opinion on Virgil ?
I have never thought he was a good captain, even in his absolute pomp, I never thought he played as well when captaining the team or the team played as well with him captaining it
I don't think he is suffering from being overplayed last season as we rotated all positions including our CBs far more than people seem to realise last season when people bring that up as a reason or an excuse
I think he has dropped of somewhat since the Prickford assault gave him a career threatening injury and age is catching up with him a little, just a little, more than anything else, as I put great stock in such things, I think he's suffering from what is now a complete break down of everything in front of him
The Robbo, Gini, Mane combo on his side as it was at it's very peak has been completely destroyed, as has our defending from the front and as a team or employment of a LCM controller, the role Gini always played at all.
In our efforts to become a passing side with a designated playmaker, we have become far too open, laboured and predictable in how we play in possession and it has caused an incredible drop off in our press and counter pressing prowess and caused us catastrophic issues when playing the lesser sides who practically all set up to be difficult to break down and counter on us and lessened our pressing and counter pressing, direct and counter attack ability when we play the other top sides, at our best, as odd at it sounds, it was almost like most of our attacks were counter attacks from being in possession
So what effects Virgil badly and Robbo also, maybe easier to try and list it
The now complete dispensing with how our left side operated, no LCM controller supporting Virgil, Robbo, LFWD and no LFWD as our best press now
a catastrophic drop off in the team press and counter press
Playing too open and too laboured and too slow and too much in front of side looking to defend and counter on us, losing the runs in behind, so losing Virgil's outballs of Mo always on their last defender on our right (also drastically affected by Elliott's presence) and Mane always looking to make runs in behind down the line for him so making it easier for him to be pressed
Fab being constantly brutally exposed without a LCM controller alongside him this season
there's more, it's a long list, there are so many things that affect our players that people don't consider
Edit: also the loss of Virgil's once frequent pin point outball to Trent arriving in space on our right, also affected disastrously by Elliott's presence and the spaces he tries to play in conflicting with where Mo and trent always previously played and the space they used
Last edited by Nineteenx; 2nd April 2023 at 12:41 AM.
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