Hopefully a good successor if this happens.
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lovely little goal and highlights reel today Vs Brasil (i didnt watch the game)
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Playing on the left wing, where our manager prefers to see Gakpoā¦
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To be fair to Arne, Iām pretty sure he did say earlier in the season that it was an option for him. But with Isak rarely being available this season I canāt see he has had the opportunity to do so.
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And for a pragmatic French side that is known to often use a more offensive player on one wing (Mbappe before, Thuram, Kolo Muani, Ekitike now at times, etc.) and a non winger or a player who accepts working defensively more on the opposite side of him.
Which at Liverpool, at least this season, wouldāve been difficult to imagine having Salah on that opposite side and him being the one who needs the team to be adjusted to maximize what we get from him offensively.
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I believe this was suggested in the summer by Joyce as one of the reasons they were interested in both players. Itās easily a possibility if Isak becomes fit, especially if you put Frimpong and Dom on that other side.
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But even when he had the chance, he didnāt do it; he is a BS artist.
Theyāve been on the pitch together for 169 mins, across 7 matches. When theyāve been on the pitch together, weāve played 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2.
One start together (68 mins before Isak subbed) was against Inter away in the Group Stage, where we won 1-0. They played a 4-4-2 that day, with Jones, Gravenberch, Dom and Macca in midfield.
Seems to me that with two strikers like Isak and Ekitike, it will seldom be a 4-3-3, where weād see Ekitike out wide. Maybe some form of 4-2-3-1 at a push.
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They started together in Frankfurt and that was it was basically an asymmetrical 4-4-2 with Wirtz playing inside right, creating a box shape midfield (Ekitike a bit deeper than Isak).
In Milan, it was a diamond, with Mac at the tip of it. Isak and Ekitike failed to complete a pass between each other that night (45 minutes).
IF Ekitike would be a starting left winger or forward (sort of like Salahās role on the right), Iām not sure whether weāll see a very offensive player on the opposite right side. Probably gonna have to compensate there to get the right balance.
A lot of questions what will be the winning formula to get us back competing and winning things.
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But that side had Hugo, Ekitike and Dembele up top so no pragmatic hard working alternative
Dembele does that when needed. Especially since WC22 when he was at RW (but very disciplined, put a great shift defensively) and Rabiot between LCM and LM, not to forget Griezmann playing deeper off the ball, allowed Mbappe a lot of freedom as the left sided attacker.
Deschampsā France always finds a pragmatic way to reach balance.
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yeah theyāre a weird team given the talent they have at their disposal, they are so good, and yet, not.
that pragmatism you speak of i think is far too influential, given what they could doā¦i wonder if 1 world cup (given the talent pool) and no euros for this generation, is enough, and i know that sounds rough given the 70s dutch team etc etcā¦
maybe this is the year they finally translate into generational greatnessā¦
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This is true. That said, I remember the Frankfurt match where he basically fielded Isak on the right wing, which was the move I completely failed to understand (and I believe Isak was baffled as well) - the club bought him a league record signing in his prime and he decided to play him out of position, one he had probably never played beforeā¦
I understand the talk of Ekitike playing off the left but Iām again unsure this would work. He just doesnāt play like a natural winger/wide forward. Heās more of a young Isak, which is somewhat ironic given heās playing in the same club as him now - raw, tricky, can drop deep, has all the technical ingredients to be a really good centre forward one day.
That said, the whole team looks like they donāt have a clue as to what to do this season, so maybe the new coach will turn Ekitike into reversed prime Henry and Isak into Newcastle version of Isakā¦
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I respect a lot what they did and still do in Dechampsā era. The amount of trophies (both as a player and coach) he might end his football career with will be pretty impressive. Among the best in the game.
Theyāve come a long way from one of the worst national selections post WC06, when it seemed like scandals were just falling from the sky. To a selection that is led like a club and thatās probably one of the biggest compliments you can get at international level.
They had different teams, but not always aligned with the same amount of talent in all positions. Itās why someone like Griezmann (a player of different style around all that athleticism) was so important, being like a glue in the final third, but also defensively a pretty responsible player. Today, Olise looks like his replacement in a central role. Cherki could also be one.
Iāve seen sides with a lot of offensive talent (one example off the top of my head Brazil 06) who we could say couldāve done great things, but looked horribly disorganized. Didnāt even look like a team. There are other examples. So I always take the āwhat they could do if the coach let them play moreā with a bit of reservation.
This France has done more than enough for a long enough time. Losing that EC in France was surely a blow and itās natural that they would want more than WC18, but they generally go deep in all tournaments and thatās what you want from a top selection. Consitently competing for the biggest prizes.
Personal taste about style is something else, of course if some donāt like watching them itās completely legit. I personally accepted their approach a long time ago and appreciate them in their way. They play to their strengths (and I donāt mind watching it), donāt pretend to be something theyāre not and have I think enough results to back it up.
Zidane could be next (apparently Diallo has already decided who it is) and Iām not sure if he will do something completely different to this.
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Apparently he nutmegged a ref (really, not metaphorically).
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love it.
football is meant to be fun!
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Weak last night, some of the few attacking sequences we had last night broke when the ball got to him. Pressing from the front, goalscoring and overall consistency are some of the steps he has ahead of him.
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To be honest I think itās bordering on the fucking miraculous heās scored 17 goals this season in a team that hasnāt the slightest inclination of playing to his strengths (or anybodyās strengths for that matter).
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