Topic: Pre-Season Thread

[Chip Evans]

Ox deserved to be taken off there to get the standing ovation. Delighted for him and fingers crossed he gets a run of luck with his fitness now.

Very excited for the season.

[reddebs]

It's going to be a fun season again 😜

[johnj147]

Ox MOTM performance

yep absolutely buzzing.hope he stays fit .

[naYoRHa2b]

Lots to enjoy tonight. Everyone looked bright.

[Oskar]

Really enjoyed that.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was the best player on the pitch but we were excellent. Minamino and Tsimikas were great, Clarkson was really impressive when he came on, Woodburn played well.

Roll on Saturday now, can't wait for the season to start - we look more than ready after a really good pre-season.

[Tobelius]

Could watch that all day every day.

[TepidT2O]

Gomez was superb….


He’s much less rusty than VVD

[Red Raw]

Proper appetiser that. Can't wait now. 

[slotmachine]

Team for Norwich

Becker

TAA, Matip, VVD, Kostas
Fab, Milner, Naby or Elliot
Salah, Bobby or Jota, Mane

Subs
Kelleher
Gomez
Konate
Hendo
Thiago
Ox
Naby/Elliot
Taki
Bobby/Jota

[Golyo]

How can anyone miss from mentioning Fabinho? He was so clearly the difference between yesterday and today. He really is a lighthouse.

[gerrardisgod]

I reckon if we were ever forced into playing a youth team in a cup again, we’d give a serious game to decent quality opposition. So much talent on the conveyor belt right now.

[RyanBabel19]

Good performance

Ox, Clarkson, Taki, Tsimikas all stood out. Credit to Origi, for all the stick he gets you cant accuse the lad of being lazy, gives his all every time he plays for us.

Clarkson should be given more time if we are to stick with what we've got at CM. Think he would do well at premier league level as he has great awareness and plays the game at pace

[Oskar]

Who's the better prospect out of Cain and Clarkson?

Clarkson IMO. Very intelligent on and off the ball, his passing has always been outstanding and he takes a good set-piece.

[disgraced cake]

In good standing going into the season. Massive shame to lose Robertson this late but Tsimikas has had a very good pre season and will be keen to push on. Centre halves have returned well and Konate looks good, plus midfield options like Keita and Chamberlain looking sharp. Any win though will do against Norwich and hopefully we can take it from there.

[naYoRHa2b]

I reckon if we were ever forced into playing a youth team in a cup again, we’d give a serious game to decent quality opposition. So much talent on the conveyor belt right now.

Think we have a good chance of a domestic cup this season even if we rotate heavily.

[Fromola]

Gomez was superb….


He’s much less rusty than VVD

Yeah, expected him to take a while but he does look sharp. Matip always returns like he's never been away.

[vivabobbygraham]

I'm already thinking this squad looks decent, then on trot Hendo and Thiago...

[The Test]

Divock is truly an enigma. Such an elegant player. He dances around like Henry at times. really feel like a lower or mid table club could build around him and be very successful.

[Boaty McBoatface]

It's amazing what can happen when someone actually passes to Taki when he makes those runs.

[4pool]

Sexy Football is back..🏆

[Fromola]

How can anyone miss from mentioning Fabinho? He was so clearly the difference between yesterday and today. He really is a lighthouse.

Fabinho or Henderson are imperative in midfield, ideally both but we always need one of them. Without either in there we're easy to play through. It killed us in the middle third of last season.

If we were getting a midfielder someone else who can cover that number 6 position would be ideal.

[fenre]

It's amazing what can happen when someone actually passes to Taki when he makes those runs.

Think he can surprise us this season. Not easy coming to a new club in the middle of a pandemic, and then going on loan again to a new club also during a pandemic. This would, no doubt, have an impact on a player, and for him, and think he really can deliver some performances if he get a network around him.

[Haggis36]

Gomez was superb….


He’s much less rusty than VVD

Don't think it will happen, but I'd start Konate/Gomez at the weekend. They've looked the sharpest of the four individually, and looked a really promising partnership today. VVD has looked fairly off his level in his limited minutes thus far so I'd not be throwing him in yet.

Biggest winners of the past week probably Tsimikas (performance-wise, not the Robbo injury), Minamino and Ox.

My line up for the weekend would be Alisson - Trent, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas - Fabinho, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain - Mane, Jota, Salah - but I reckon we'll see Matip and Milner in for Gomez and probably Ox, but we'll certainly have a strong bench.

[lgvkarlos]

Gomez was superb….


He’s much less rusty than VVD

Absolutely, him and Konate partnership best performance so far.

[vivabobbygraham]

Sorry mate I'm going to disagree with you on Neco being excellent. He seems like a nice lad but I don't think he has the physicality to play on our team the way we need him to. There were multiple times players made runs ahead of him and he opted to conservatively pass back to Konate instead. Compared to Tsimikas on the opposite wing, not much was created down that right side.

That's bollocks, Neco made great strides tonight. He's improving all the ime. Got a high ceiling that kid

[Raid]

Think we have a good chance of a domestic cup this season even if we rotate heavily.

Hopefully get some Abu Dhabi favourable draws too

[Sangria]

Q for those who've seen more of him: what's Bradley like defensively? From this match, he seems more comfortable with us in possession than Neco, who seems to have lost the confidence that he showed in 19/20. He looks to do more with the ball, he takes up better positions.

[CraigDS]

Divock is truly an enigma. Such an elegant player. He dances around like Henry at times. really feel like a lower or mid table club could build around him and be very successful.

I just don't get it with him. He's built like he should bounce any defender in world football into row Z if they came near him, he has pace to burn, and he (sometimes) has a superb touch and shot.

But he just doesn't bring it together, and a lot of the time doesn't look too interested.

[tubby]

Sorry mate I'm going to disagree with you on Neco being excellent. He seems like a nice lad but I don't think he has the physicality to play on our team the way we need him to. There were multiple times players made runs ahead of him and he opted to conservatively pass back to Konate instead. Compared to Tsimikas on the opposite wing, not much was created down that right side.

Agree with this, just not seeing it with Neco.  Feels like he always needs an extra touch before doing anything and he doesn't have the speed or strength to play in our system.

[MBL?]

That was fun. Too many good performances to mention. Would like to see taki given another season.

[lgvkarlos]

That's bollocks, Neco made great strides tonight. He's improving all the ime. Got a high ceiling that kid

👍can't expect the same consistency with teenagers.

[ToneLa]

I’d forgotten over the summer how deep our squad can be. The young fellas playing well certainly adds to that feeling.

Amazing what you forget when

Not calling you out but even me

Media squalling THEY BARELY BOUGHT

Meanwhile the Louvre appraise their selection and deem it: Fuck oui

[Fromola]

Agree with this, just not seeing it with Neco.  Feels like he always needs an extra touch before doing anything and he doesn't have the speed or strength to play in our system.

He might have benefited from getting the full pre-season that Tsimikas has. Instead he went to the Euros and that Denmark game probably further affected his confidence.

[royhendo]

Neco better get his skates on if he is going to come through - that Bradley looks another natural footballer (if we feed him steak upon steak).

[The Test]

I just don't get it with him. He's built like he should bounce any defender in world football into row Z if they came near him, he has pace to burn, and he (sometimes) has a superb touch and shot.

But he just doesn't bring it together, and a lot of the time doesn't look too interested.

I really want him to get a decent move to a premier league club. I’m fascinated to see what an Origi playing every week and given responsibility looks like.

[Fordy]

Neco better get his skates on if he is going to come through - that Bradley looks another natural footballer (if we feed him steak upon steak).

Neco wants to leave doesn't he?

[macmanamanaman]

Neco does not convince me. Physically,  just about ok  but always that tad slow to pass/cross  or takes the extra touch. Might do well in the Championship or League 1 but doesn't seem he "has it" to be anything except an emergency backup for a PL side.

[royhendo]

Neco wants to leave doesn't he?

More aimed at the discussion above senor...

[Persephone]

That's bollocks, Neco made great strides tonight. He's improving all the ime. Got a high ceiling that kid

Disagree but maybe I'm wrong and he'll go on to be a proper option for us. However you can't improve on him not possessing the athletic ability we look for in our fullbacks. He reminds me of Steve Finnan, steady fullback but no Trent or Robbo.

[MBL?]

Is there a better set of centre backs in football? I can’t make my mind up who should start on Saturday but I’d probably go with tonight’s just cause vvd looks a bit rusty and I think it will help him knowing there is real competition.

That would be harsh on matip maybe but I think he’s probably most likely to breakdown even with the other two coming off big injuries.