We already have a young winger. That probably had a bearing on the decisions.
Made me think of Tony Adams - the old Arsenal defender. The broad view was âheâs a donkeyâ, basically canât control the ball nor pass it, just hoofs it. He was of course a pretty good defender but a no nonsense one. So my view on him was pretty set. A TV clip of him during a England training completely blew my mind. He was sat on his ass doing keepie-ups and passing it to whoever was in the circle⌠I guess they can all pass and dribble and head the ball pretty well but in the pressure cooker of the match, you somehow revert to the basics/strengths in your game rather than the âother stuffâ.
Dom is a strange player. To me it seems like he either overthinks or doubts himself in terms of making the âcorrectâ decision. Sometimes its about doing and trusting in yourself and the team rather than trying for perfection. Grav is a similar story. As a microcosm of a broader issue, against Newcastle he got into a good position and tried to be too intricate. He probably should have shot and remained within the spirit of the how he got himself in that position. Too often I get the same impression I have with Dom, he looks for the right pass rather than trust himself and the structure to pay dividends. Both are best when they are instinctive rather than calculating. In a way it chimes with the Adams in that he totally played to his strengths rather than be something he is not.
I think you answered your own question really.
He doesn´t have the vision or understanding of the game. He doesn´t have that composure and awareness of the bigger picture, on the ball.
You watch Nyoni and he plays on a swivel, trying to look for a pass between the lines or to keep us moving forward. He moves it quickly to exploit gaps in the opposition and progress us up the pitch. Szobo doesn´t have that mindset at all. He plays whichever way he´s facing and he doesn´t understand the game in the same terms. He mostly passes it wide and sideways unless it´s a long ball into the box.
In fact, I´ll break down what is considered a good performance to show what I mean:
0:09 - At no point is he ever considering the little run Grav makes. That pass would never occur to him. Decent pass to Gakpo after it though.
1:07 - Similar situation. He doesn´t consider the pass to Grav to play through Como. Long wide switch
1:55 - He actually does what I want here albeit a little late and more advanced.
4:00 - Good example. He should just hit it into Wirtz quickly just ahead of him but he runs it himself, closes the space and kills the move.
5:03 - Another good example. Nothing pass back to MuĂąoz kills the move when he could have swivelled his body and looked at the run to his left or even the players in the box.
https://x.com/footballontnt/status/2093371957085708731
Full video hereâŚ

Its more that the speed the game is played at requires you need âwow, fuck he is actually really technically goodâ level ability to even look mediocre.
One of my worst moments in life was warming up on the other side of the pitch to Alexi Lalas and watching him drill 70 yard passes right to the feet of his team mate. Even back then we all knew he was an enormous prick, so me having to acknowledge he was actually very good was like Luke getting the news from Vadar,
Iâm totally banking that simile for future use.
https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2093371430607966489
Few reports saying itâs only a loan ![]()
So it will be yet another freebie from LFCâŚ
Itâs Valencia , they havenât had a penny to their name in 10 years.
100%! If you try to calculate, you will inevitably shoot a bit wide, pass a bit short. Your mind is holding you back. All the top players, when they are on top of their game, they are just in the flow and execute. Thatâs not the time to think.
Forget about Camara as Chelsea were in for him before us, Monaco are only offering him to us to make Chelsea pay more money for him. We would not go for him as we are totally averse to a bidding war especially with them as everyone remembers the fiasco of transfers of Caicedo and Latvia.
Yet Chelsea canât offer him the Champs league and they will have far less games for him to get the chance to play and prove himself against the current players in his position.
Good luck dealing with his mum!
It looks like Sangare might have been a miss. He really looked the part for Brentford. I suppose it all depends what we are looking for, but he was a good price and looks a very good player.
Sky advert when they have that song from their ad " you can be the greatest of all time" haaland is up top left as they go through the tunnel, and Mac Alistair was on the rightâŚhe has now been removed and rat face fernandes is there âŚsure sign alexis is off ![]()
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Or maybe they decided he wasnât a good face for their brand after all the upset Argentina caused in the world cup?
It has been suggested he prefers us. Never the case with Caciedo.
Worth a listen, both for the ownership discussion and if you want to torture yourself about our squad building.
Website link might be easier depending on your podcast app of choice. https://www.liberopodcast.com/
Canât say I have a lot of time for Miguel Delaney mind you. Never seems to anything nice to say about us.