Nothing to be said here that hasn't been said already, but this team is already light years more enjoyable to watch than last year. Playing a fun style, moving quickly, it's refreshing.
NYCFC v Montreal - Postmatch
- Thread starter Falastur
- Start date
Don't read HRBs recap unless you think the midfield was reanimated once Jacobson came on.
Are you joking?? I was ragging on AJ a lot last year (deservedly) and felt vindicated last night by watching that mess. I am just so glad that PV started Mix and left that joker on the bench. I would have lost my mind if he started.
I won't even give HRB the satisfaction of a site visitor stat by looking.
one thing i enjoyed was that our players challenged for balls midfield and actually won the ball more than a few times....i know it didnt lead to goals but that was something i rarely saw ( from what i remember) last season
Just watched the replay back (yeah don't feel like working) and a couple things...
TT looked good and showed he can handle a 1v1 situation or get the ball in the box.
Shelton is all speed and doesn't know what to do in the box. I wouldn't dismiss him though, cause we need speed down the wings. Keep playing him and hope he 'gets it' at some point. There are a ton of fast wingers throughout the world that suck at crosses and shooting. So let him be the defense stretcher.
Everyone was all shocked that I thought T-Mac was sub par during the game. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, which is a good thing...but he always seems to make the wrong decision, which is a bad thing. He's scared to screw up (prob because he's afraid of Villa pouting) and plays too conservative. If he takes some chances he will be a much better. He needs to step up otherwise he will play himself right out of the line up.
Pirlo's touch seems much better already. He placed some quality balls in the box. If we start converting these chances to goals, watch out.
We have a legit defense now. I am still up in the air with Iraola or RJ though.
Not sure if TT could play RW, but I would prefer him on right, Villa on left and an acquired target guy in the middle. Shelton to sub the wingers.
Mix haters...if you have the time, watch the game back and just watch him. You are all crazy. Not everything he does works, but he tries to make things happen. I like that.
Listen I love Villa, but he is already starting this baby crap. I know he is passionate, but we are only in the preseason and he is already doing the arms on the hips, stand there thing already. I hate watching him stand there with that demeanor while the play is still happening. As the captain, how the hell is that going to improve the players around him. He needs to stop that already, it's getting old.
TT looked good and showed he can handle a 1v1 situation or get the ball in the box.
Shelton is all speed and doesn't know what to do in the box. I wouldn't dismiss him though, cause we need speed down the wings. Keep playing him and hope he 'gets it' at some point. There are a ton of fast wingers throughout the world that suck at crosses and shooting. So let him be the defense stretcher.
Everyone was all shocked that I thought T-Mac was sub par during the game. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, which is a good thing...but he always seems to make the wrong decision, which is a bad thing. He's scared to screw up (prob because he's afraid of Villa pouting) and plays too conservative. If he takes some chances he will be a much better. He needs to step up otherwise he will play himself right out of the line up.
Pirlo's touch seems much better already. He placed some quality balls in the box. If we start converting these chances to goals, watch out.
We have a legit defense now. I am still up in the air with Iraola or RJ though.
Not sure if TT could play RW, but I would prefer him on right, Villa on left and an acquired target guy in the middle. Shelton to sub the wingers.
Mix haters...if you have the time, watch the game back and just watch him. You are all crazy. Not everything he does works, but he tries to make things happen. I like that.
Listen I love Villa, but he is already starting this baby crap. I know he is passionate, but we are only in the preseason and he is already doing the arms on the hips, stand there thing already. I hate watching him stand there with that demeanor while the play is still happening. As the captain, how the hell is that going to improve the players around him. He needs to stop that already, it's getting old.
This is particularly funny because I remember when T-Mac started in Philly last year and I was sitting on the side of the field where he was playing LW. It was, I think, his first start. Villa was shredding him the entire first half. Just killing him. It was comical to watch. Then TM ripped off that long range bomb that got us back in the game and ultimately propelled us to our first win in 11.
Anyhow, I like him much better playing in the CM than on the wing, but he's going to struggle for minutes there. I figure he is a useful sub/fill-in this year. If he ends up playing 1500+ minutes, it is probably a bad sign for the team.
Not sure if correlation implies causation, but it was definitely funny and ironic!
I remember when he scored Villa looked sad lol. If you look real close on the one angle you can see he is about to put his hands on his hips as the ball soared through the air...
To be fair, he was genuinely terrible that game before the goal, killed every attack he was a part of. As bad as Wingert. Later in the season he started to link up with Angelino and Villa much better, but that Philly game was rough.
The lousy service to Villa was one of the weak spots of yesterday's game - but then, the way he was shooting, maybe it wouldn't have helped much. Even with his lack of speed, I'd be curious to see if he does better on the left side with somebody else in the center.
I've often felt Villa would do better on the left. A guy on the wings needs to be able to run at people and break them down, which he can do. Poku can as well, which is why I'd like him on the right.
He was abysmal in that game until the goal as noticeably poor as any performance by Wingert, Ned Etc. I was yelling at my TV to get the guy off the pitch. One moment of brilliance out of nothing does not for me make Villa wrong to have ripped into him earlier.
I just hope either PV or Lamps/Pirlo start to rip Villa for complaining and walking, especially when he's too slow to get back onside and kills opportunities.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm all for stripping him of the captaincy and giving it to Pirlo/Lampard.... I don't care what it does to Villa's psyche, he can't be any more of a baby than he already is when he whiffs on his opportunities. And FFS, his team leading 18 goals was bolstered by 7 PKs, so to me he's still only an 11goal guy having taken 138 shots. To frame it, Mullins had 6 goals(1 was a PK) on 38 shots. Not saying to replace Villa with Mullins, but just highlighting that in addition to an adult baby, he's also not very effective with his time on the pitch (2.5x the minutes that Mullins had)..... for me, he's not leading by example the way a Captain should.
Last person I'd give it to is lampard. Just saying. I agree with your point and I think Pirlo has been all class and acts like more of a captain
Lampard was the defacto captain on the field last year - he was the guy organizing the players when the ball was lost, directing play, and talking to the ref. His coming to the team was completely mishandled, but there's no question the players look up to him.
sounds like vince mcmahon that only big guys can be champion....oh why give it to pirlo/ lampard when i do believe neither will go 90 in many of the games during the season. unless you want one them to switch here and there?
Give it to Mix and force him to take on that responsibility would do wonders for him.
Unless you give it to Mix, who else is going to get it? Not a guy that's just been brought in this year. Iraola has pedigree, but nobody's even sure if he's going to always start over RJ. Not TT, not Shelton, not TMac.... Mullins will either be a super-sub or a squad rotation player. Poku's role isn't yet definied, and while he's a fan favorite, he may not have the on-field personality that other players look to. No way Saunders should get it - keepers are always a wasted Captain since they're ineffective across the center line. So who else could it be besides Lampard or Pirlo or Mix?????
leave it as it is....this is lampards last year....mix still has to solidify his starting role, and pirlo cant go 90 everygame
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