Showed real energy in the midfield this Evening and assisted the press high up the pitch.
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Get what you're saying, but we clearly didn't buy him thinking he would get goals - never managed more than four goals in a single campaign for Barcelona and his best tally with Bayern was nine in 2016/17.
So it seems we bought him for other things - would be a curious one to analyse next season when we *touch wood* have something of a more "normal" season in terms of injuries and schedule.
Showed real energy in the midfield this Evening and assisted the press high up the pitch.
I'm a fan of Thiago's and he is absolutely adjusting his game to use it better for how we play at our best, I would 100% keep him as I think next season, when Henderson is fit and available at No6 again and we have our first choice CB's backs fit again, he will be very quick to get integrated into our press and counter pressing game at it's best and help orchestrate it to
But
We still desperately need Rodrigo De Paul for use as a more attacking and vastly more driven, combative and creative RCM or LCM to replace Keita, Oxlade, Shaqiri and Minamino AND we need Bissouma to replace Gini, I think both will make us far far better and both are big upgrades on what we already have and have had the past four seasons
There will be a lot of different games or parts of games that suit us playing any 2 of Thiago, De Paul or Bissouma
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
I'm unsure about him over all. but love his attitude. hes got that fk you face. which I like.
Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century
I think it's been a period of adjustment, he has changed up a lot, he's started pressing a lot better, and given we have had to alter how we press a little because of the injuries and he hasn't featured in midfield with hendo at No6 once all season, it isn't surprising it's taken him time, all the other players have been well of it in the press, because we never had that stable influence or continuity of selection for any number of games to nail the adjusted press down.
What I do like is he is starting to get the ball forward quicker and using his excellent passing more to our strengths
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
And another outstanding performance,this is more like it. Just 8 months bloody late !!
The small man cast a large shadow on proceedings today.
When he is on it, he is really on it.
Alisson's goal means the focus won't be on him, but Thiago bosses that match.
Easily his best game.
I thought Thiago was superb again last night, I know people will say he's a top player etc, but all players get used to and very set in a certain way of playing, be it a system or the automation of how they fit into the team, and we've seen with Robbo and Mane how changes to that can affect players and you only have to look at Wolves this season compared to the last 2 having tried to make the change to a 442 just how much system changes can affect players ability to deliver their very best when all the familiarity, automation and consistency of movement and positioning they have become so used to is suddenly changed.
Thiago has for the majority of his career at Barca and then Bayern been employed as a deep lying playmaker, his main remit to be a metronome to keep possession in more possession based sides with slower build ups who look to play through sides and who are really very good at doing that and to release players between the lines for them to be in a position to create and assist further forward.
Despite his incredible ability and vision with the ball, it was always going to take time and be a major challenge for him to adapt his game and suddenly become a far more dynamic player and adjust and redevelop the use of those abilities in a pressing and counter pressing side who are far more direct and all action and look to profit from winning the ball and second balls from attempted direct attacks and quickly recycle the ball and use it for another point of attack to create another, whose strength with the players they have is attacking sides with lightning speed at every opportunity and I think he deserves great credit for making those changes
Real football isn't fantasy manager, too many people seem to think it is, that you can look at a players attribute stats on a monitor and line them up in any given formation and style of play and based on those attribute stats the PC does a poorly constructed calculation system that is as far removed from real football as it could possibly be that says they should be brilliant.
Thiago's done everything I wanted at least, developed his game to use the ball a lot quicker, to be more direct, his technique of how he plays the ball, added switches and a variety of other balls that our players thrive on to his repertoire and now looks like a completely different player from the one we bought and some player at that
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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