LondonLax Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I only caught the end of the game on my mobile as I was running around today, but did we play 4-4-2 like the starting xi suggested we did? It was the diamond formation with Tonev at the top but in the second half we switched to 4-4-2 when KEA came off for Lowton. Bacuna moved up to wide right with Tonov left. We looked much better then and scored twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I've accepted he's not going to win aerial battles and it's not something I'm going to have a go at him for. Is that not a bit like accepting bennet is never going to be solid defending and not having a go at him for it? It's meant to be a key part of his game and while lambert chooses to play the way we are he'll need to improve in this area. He scored one with his head and out muscled the defender just before half time to have another good header tipped around the post. Give him some more time to settle in and he will be a good player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Biro Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 If its him and benteke against cardiff then im not watching, hope you changed mind in end For the first 70 i wish i had changed my mind. I thought he did ok, i have to say though i thought he was a bit of an aerial beast but he's actually pretty poor in the air. Atleast when its kicked upfield anyway, seems to have decent enough movement in the box to get away with it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted November 9, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted November 9, 2013 certainly moved ahead of weiman in the pecking order... No doubt Andi will be straight back in next week though I hope Andi will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I dont unless he's found some form under his bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted November 9, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted November 9, 2013 I hope that too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 To be 100% honest, I think he's just a clogger. He reminds me a lot of Heskey in his decline. Looks like he's moving in slow motion. Not as good in the air as you think he'd be. The ball seems to be bounce off him and controls him instead of him controlling the ball. He puts in a 100% but most of his game is just shoving his way through. Slow and uses his height to win headers instead of actually leaping. But you have to give him a chance. A run of 20-30 games in a variety of scenarios with different formations and varying opponents to really get a clear look at him. It's maddening to see people come on here and say, "Sorry, ain't gonna do." Sheer sample size tells you that it's simply not enough to look at him in such a short amount of time. You can criticize him, but realize that anything you say is incredibly premature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post villan_007 Posted November 9, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2013 I think he's a real handful, awkward to mark, strong, improving all the time. Already scored two goals, a young international and he's ours. When he has fully adapted to the premier league he'll be a big player for us. I don't get what the issue is? 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers13 Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 To be 100% honest, I think he's just a clogger. He reminds me a lot of Heskey in his decline. Looks like he's moving in slow motion. Not as good in the air as you think he'd be. The ball seems to be bounce off him and controls him instead of him controlling the ball. He puts in a 100% but most of his game is just shoving his way through. Slow and uses his height to win headers instead of actually leaping.But you have to give him a chance. A run of 20-30 games in a variety of scenarios with different formations and varying opponents to really get a clear look at him. It's maddening to see people come on here and say, "Sorry, ain't gonna do." Sheer sample size tells you that it's simply not enough to look at him in such a short amount of time. You can criticize him, but realize that anything you say is incredibly premature. Woah makes actual sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshVilla Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 He'll come good for us. He's a completely different type of player to Benteke as he needs a lot of service. But, as he showed today, if he gets the service, he'll score. He can't have been top scorer in the Europa league without knowing where the back of the net is. I think his hold up play and creating chances will improve the longer he's with us, but if we play with a bit more width and whip more balls into the box then I'm sure he'll get a few more. Did okay today and its good to see him get another important goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 He's like a cheaper version of Zigic to me, someone terrible to watch (I don't like those types of forwards) but I think he will nick important goals for us like Norwich and the crucial 2nd that have contributed to 3 points. I don't think he's ready yet to test the best defences in the league, he barely had a kick in the two starts he had v Spurs for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I think Benteke and Kozak are going to be a real handful if we can get enough decent balls into the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 To be 100% honest, I think he's just a clogger. You can criticize him, but realize that anything you say is incredibly premature. Ummm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heid3ster Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I think he's losing aerial battles right now because he's still adapting to the league and is unsure how physical the defenders are going to be, you can see him always feeling behind him for a defender when there's a ball in the air. He's a bit more inclined to lean back and try to get a foul, which maybe worked at Lazio but doesn't work so well here. That can be coached out of him and I think it will be. It was a well-taken goal, impossible to save. I thought he looked more likely to score than Benteke the whole game, but I think they'll both benefit from a decent little run of games together, they got in each other's way too much today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 From what I've seen of the match, Kozak played pretty well - appeared to be a handfull up top, scored a tricky header and chipped in defensively. I think he'll do alright for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I like him, played well yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Avenue Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Played well yesterday. Delighted for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SikhInTrinity Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I think the aerial duels when he has his back to goal, I think he tries to either gain a foul or actually bring the ball down, there is no point of flicking it if you are the furthest forward. The most important duels he won and that was in the opposing areas, when facing the goal has a desire to get to the ball. His link up play was a lot better, he's getting better. Deserved that goal for the amount of stick he gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwi1890 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 (edited) Did anybody notice how clumsy his celebration was he nearly scraped his leg on the red astro near the edge of the stadium l!!! Edited November 10, 2013 by gwi1890 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Avenue Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Did anybody notice how clumsy his celebration was he nearly scraped his leg on the red astro near the edge of the stadium l!!! Yeah I noticed that, going for a slide along the red astro, ooooh not good. His celebrations will improve over time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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