Posted August 2, 201014 yr some highlights first: matic looks clever on the ball (wants a bit too long) and has good range passing van arnholt.....................has done really well going forwards but maybe tad naive when defending, good cover at left-back mancienne....................same as van arnholt, looks good bet for a squad role bruma..............done ok, looks versatile and neat but maybe needs a season loan somewhere? and the lowlights: essie way off being sharp yet hilario..................awful, we need a better second keeper and NOW sturridge hasn't got the killer goalscorer instinct (sorry) sinclair is quick but will quickly get sold to Championship team (sorry) JT looks rusty as do lamps, ashly & rikky
August 2, 201014 yr some highlights first: matic looks clever on the ball (wants a bit too long) and has good range passing van arnholt.....................has done really well going forwards but maybe tad naive when defending, good cover at left-back mancienne....................same as van arnholt, looks good bet for a squad role bruma..............done ok, looks versatile and neat but maybe needs a season loan somewhere? and the lowlights: essie way off being sharp yet hilario..................awful, we need a better second keeper and NOW sturridge hasn't got the killer goalscorer instinct (sorry) sinclair is quick but will quickly get sold to Championship team (sorry) JT looks rusty as do lamps, ashly & rikky He hasn't been playing with the squad yet, but Kakuta has been unreal for France. Huge talent!
August 3, 201014 yr some highlights first: matic looks clever on the ball (wants a bit too long) and has good range passing van arnholt.....................has done really well going forwards but maybe tad naive when defending, good cover at left-back mancienne....................same as van arnholt, looks good bet for a squad role bruma..............done ok, looks versatile and neat but maybe needs a season loan somewhere? and the lowlights: essie way off being sharp yet hilario..................awful, we need a better second keeper and NOW sturridge hasn't got the killer goalscorer instinct (sorry) sinclair is quick but will quickly get sold to Championship team (sorry) JT looks rusty as do lamps, ashly & rikky I think Essien is close his best when season starts. He was almost immediately good for us last time he got back from long injury. We are okay with Hilario and Turnbull. Don't read too much into pre-season games. At the same time I hope we get Cech back asap. I really hope Sturridge can make a big contribution this season. He looks like he's worked a lot during the summer and deserves to succeed. I put Sinclair in Lennon, SWP basket. Small, fast, has tricks but vision and passing lets him down. Won't be a big star in the league.
August 3, 201014 yr Josh has put in some great passes till fades in and out of games a bit though, he'll get better. The person who's done the best is Kakuta :D he's been amazing.
August 3, 201014 yr Whats all this noise about JT, lamps looking rusty? lets be honest the amount of goals lamps put away for us last season not just the number but the ones that mattered the most, and JT maybe not his best season last season with a few mistakes but still led us to the double. This is our season BPL, FAC, ECL all led by our captain and lets be honest the should be England captain a lot of the senior players know that its now or never and the hunger of Drogba, Terry Etc will bring it home.
August 3, 201014 yr Matic has impressed me every time I've watched him this pre-season (besides the blip when he gave away the pen!). He looks composed on the ball, good eye for a pass, he looks like Ballack's ideal replacement. McEachran has impressed me to no end aswell, he looks so comfortable playing alongside Essien and Lamps. Can't wait to see what Kakuta can bring tomorrow vs. Hamburg. I have to disagree with you about Sturridge, ws6blue, he looks like a natural. He's got pace, he can shoot from distance, he's strong, got some skill. Looking good for me. Van Aanholt has impressed me the most though, attacking-wise especially, he looks superb bombing down the left. Scott Sinclair has impressed me too, mind you. It looks like his 3 or 4 loans may have paid off on him, he could be a useful tool to have after about 60/70 minutes, shove him on the left and make him attack.
August 3, 201014 yr McEachran great young player but he,s very light and dont think he's ready yrt but hopefully we will see him get he's chance sometime. its being a shocking pre season which worries me just a little no matter what the game is we should e winning. two goals in 3 games aint good compared to last year. we will be fine i hope
August 4, 201014 yr McEachran great young player but he,s very light and dont think he's ready yrt but hopefully we will see him get he's chance sometime. its being a shocking pre season which worries me just a little no matter what the game is we should e winning. two goals in 3 games aint good compared to last year. we will be fine i hope As I've said before, McEachran has the potential to be exceptional and I honestly see him as a first team regular in a few seasons time. At the moment he does look fairly slight and let's not forget how difficult it is for a 17 year old to go from playing with players like himself to suddenly playing alongside the likes of Lamps, Drogba, Essien & co. It must be fairly intimidating, especially for a quiet lad like Josh. But give him time and once he gets used to being amongst the first team squad I think he'll just get better and better. Same can be said for Kakuta, but he's that bit older with a bit more experience and he seems a more out-going personality and not the sort who will worry so much about making a mistake here and there.
August 5, 201014 yr Kakuta! Kakuta! Kakuta! The future of this team. I've heard that yesterday he wasn't doing so well... :(
August 5, 201014 yr I 've been impressed with Matic and Sturridge . I hope carlo gives them a lot more games to show their talent. Our Pre season games were a disappointment but it was all those defensive lapses that cost us. I was expecting more from Bruma but he was committing to the challenge too early and caught out of position . May be , he needs to play in some of the premiership matches this season to gain much required experience .
August 5, 201014 yr Carlo has emphasised his commitment to our youth development. In my opinion, the most likely youth player about ready to replace a first team regular is Matic. Others showing tremendouds potential are Kakuta, van Aarnholt and Bruma. I don't believe McEachran is ready. Scott Sinclair has not impressed me.
