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Mateo Kovačić


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Just now, Gol15 said:

If you see how Pulisic played that, the agressive moves and the great pass to Batman and then the great anticipation after the deflection...I just see it as he created 2 chances out of nothing, just because someone passed to him before that, well that alone doesn't mean much, by that logic we can go even further back and see who passed to Kovacic, now that player is the real reason why everything happen.
I feel that you see so much in that one ball towards Pulisic because it's Kovacic that passed it. That's how I see it I guess.

And right there is where your argument fails, it's based on assumption, anything else I'm saying is going through one ear and out the other, clearly. 

The argument against Kovacic has been his goals/assists stats, I'm making an argument for how they're meaningless in his case and that this season he's instrumental to our attacking play. And why people shouldn't focus too much on them, numerous other posters on here have made that point. That's why I also mentioned that the only assist Kovacic has, had almost as much to do with him as this goal did, it 90% of Tammy's work that scored the goal, yet people will see take notice of the stat. 

Kovacic has actually played some really good balls this season, go on the Jorginho thread and look at the video I posted, yet every one has been squandered by Willian and Tammy. So his end product has without a doubt improved but he's also doing a lot more at driving the ball forward and getting the attack started. 

But yeah forget about all that, let's just pretend what I'm really saying here is that Pulisic did nothing, and that goal is pretty much everything to do with Kovacic, you've caught on to my agenda. 

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4 minutes ago, Slojo said:

And right there is where your argument fails, it's based on assumption, anything else I'm saying is going through one ear and out the other, clearly. 

The argument against Kovacic has been his goals/assists stats, I'm making an argument for how they're meaningless in his case and that this season he's instrumental to our attacking play. And why people shouldn't focus too much on them, numerous other posters on here have made that point. That's why I also mentioned that the only assist Kovacic has, had almost as much to do with him as this goal did, it 90% of Tammy's work that scored the goal, yet people will see take notice of the stat. 

Kovacic has actually played some really good balls this season, go on the Jorginho thread and look at the video I posted, yet every one has been squandered by Willian and Tammy. So his end product has without a doubt improved but he's also doing a lot more at driving the ball forward and getting the attack started. 

But yeah forget about all that, let's just pretend what I'm really saying here is that Pulisic did nothing, and that goal is pretty much everything to do with Kovacic, you've caught on to my agenda. 

OK I see your point, really looks like you're right in everything that you said here. I thought that you overrated his pass, making it look like he did something special when it was just a routine good decision-making to switch the ball to the other side, but now I see why you did it in such a way. I don't support the argument about Kovacic not being good enough stat-wise, he's fully capable of playing his role in the squad because he's really good at what he does best, Kante just came back but Jorginho's absence didn't hurt us because of Kovacic.

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2 hours ago, Slojo said:

I thought Kante was good today even though many will disagree, back from an injury and all that, he did well, he just didn't do anything substantial but he was winning the ball back comfortably and passing the ball well. 

Yes it can’t be easy coming back into the fold after a good few games out. He came in for some criticism I see. we’re clearly a pretty demanding bunch, and tend not to factor in a given player’s circumstances, whether it’s kante coming back from injury today, Kovacic adapting to a new league/country last season... It’s great to have this midfield dilemma, but perhaps not as much of a dilemma as we’re making out. There’s lots of games to play and there will be more injuries, suspensions etc that will determine selection to an extent, while players needing a rest will also be a factor.

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Credit to the whoever made the decision to buy him in the summer. I was far from convinced but he has been superb this season. He wouldn't look out of place at City which unsettlingly is the highest compliment I think you can get right now. 

He has such a unique skill set. The workrate, the tackling, coupled with world class dribbling, good pace and passing is quite rare. I can only think of Veratti as a comparison. How good was he when PSG booted us out the champs league a few years back? Wanted him then, seems as though we have a Croatian version instead.

On a wider note Frank has a seriously tough decision on his hands re midfield when all are fit. Great problems to have though.

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8 hours ago, Slojo said:

I thought Kante was good today even though many will disagree, back from an injury and all that, he did well, he just didn't do anything substantial but he was winning the ball back comfortably and passing the ball well. 

Who are the "many"?

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I absolutely love watching Kovacic play, a midfielder that can surge through the middle with pace and trickery, i'm racking my brains to think of one, Him ad Pulisic would be nightmares in a five a side.

saying that some 1 to 1 finishing sessions with Lamps is a must😉

Edited by Ballack & Blu
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1 hour ago, jack_super_class said:

I hope all the people who bashed him last season and didn't think he was very good and didn't want us to buy him feel stupid.

I honestly think if we didn't buy him we wouldn't be having the success we are now. 

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25 minutes ago, Slojo said:

Shame he can't score some of the goals like he did for Inter when he was a young lad, he scores some screamers there, what happened to his shooting? He shoots like John Obi Mikel here. 

 It has to be mental as he knows how to hit a target, plus the video you post... Score one - just a tap-in, a nothing goal will do - and he’ll score more. Just a matter of time.

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3 minutes ago, Dean said:

 It has to be mental as he knows how to hit a target, plus the video you post... Score one - just a tap-in, a nothing goal will do - and he’ll score more. Just a matter of time.

Afterthought - if it is mental, perhaps it’s not a good thing that it’s such a talking point?

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4 minutes ago, Dean said:

 It has to be mental as he knows how to hit a target, plus the video you post... Score one - just a tap-in, a nothing goal will do - and he’ll score more. Just a matter of time.

This just sounds like Morata with extra steps...

I thought the only point of signing him was to fill the squad but his performances just gone to whole new levels this seasons. He formed a great partnership and works very well with Jorginho. 

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8 minutes ago, Munkworth said:

This just sounds like Morata with extra steps...

I thought the only point of signing him was to fill the squad but his performances just gone to whole new levels this seasons. He formed a great partnership and works very well with Jorginho. 

I think I get what you’re saying re Morata but am not sure :). Kova certainly wasn’t brought in to score goals, imo doesn’t matter if he doesn’t but it would be nice, he has the technical ability to do it and *should* be scoring a few per season. In terms of what he could bring us, I’ve known for a while that he has the potential to be much more than just a squad player, and am not remotely surprised by his form this season... not coz i’m clairvoyant but coz I have a strong Croatia connection and have followed him for years. I would say though that his potential / phenomenal technical ability (his core attribute) *was* there to see last season if one watched closely enough.

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2 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

I hope all the people who bashed him last season and didn't think he was very good and didn't want us to buy him feel stupid.

Not really. You can only base your opinions on what you are seeing and how a player is performing at the time. Last season he was absolute pants. Even Glenn Hoddle in commentary yesterday said he didn't look like he knew what he was supposed to be doing under Sarri last year.

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2 minutes ago, just said:

Not really. You can only base your opinions on what you are seeing and how a player is performing at the time. Last season he was absolute pants. Even Glenn Hoddle in commentary yesterday said he didn't look like he knew what he was supposed to be doing under Sarri last year.

But Just, you appreciate there’s a difference between being “pants” and not knowing knowing what he’s supposed to be doing? The latter criticism is fair, the former is not. The ability was there to see.

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2 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

I hope all the people who bashed him last season and didn't think he was very good and didn't want us to buy him feel stupid.

This is uncalled for. We all get things wrong and shouldn’t pretend otherwise. I bashed Jorginho last year and thought this season was going to be terrible for us. I may not be Einstein, but I’m not a fool. 

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1 minute ago, Dean said:

But Just, you appreciate there’s a difference between being “pants” and not knowing knowing what he’s supposed to be doing? The latter criticism is fair, the former is not. The ability was there to see.

He did not play well last season Dean. That is an inescapable fact. His highlight of the whole season was a 15 -20 minute spell in the 2nd half against Arsenal in the final. 

I understand you have a link to him and have followed his career and had high expectations of him. I haven't, and didn't, so could only base my opinion on what he was doing on the pitch last season. If I'm supposed to be stupid for having had that view I must share my stupidity with a lot of others on here who said Willian was a total waste of space.

 

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1 minute ago, just said:

He did not play well last season Dean. That is an inescapable fact. His highlight of the whole season was a 15 -20 minute spell in the 2nd half against Arsenal in the final. 

I understand you have a link to him and have followed his career and had high expectations of him. I haven't, and didn't, so could only base my opinion on what he was doing on the pitch last season. If I'm supposed to be stupid for having had that view I must share my stupidity with a lot of others on here who said Willian was a total waste of space.

I thought he was good for the first couple of months. I rate his performance against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge higher than Baku, he completely shut down a side of the pitch Arsenal toyed with prior to him coming on.

I think his improvement this year is down to him being used more wisely. Last year he was played in a position where end product was important and it's not his strength (understatement), it's the reversal of telling a prime Frank to CDM or never fenture further than the middle third, we played to his weaknesses more than his strength's but now we're doing the opposite.

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1 minute ago, just said:

He did not play well last season Dean. That is an inescapable fact. His highlight of the whole season was a 15 -20 minute spell in the 2nd half against Arsenal in the final. 

I understand you have a link to him and have followed his career and had high expectations of him. I haven't, and didn't, so could only base my opinion on what he was doing on the pitch last season. If I'm supposed to be stupid for having had that view I must share my stupidity with a lot of others on here who said Willian was a total waste of space.

 

I certainly don’t think you’re stupid for having that view. I do think I may have an ‘edge’ when it comes to Kova so perhaps noticed things others didn’t last season that at least showed what he was capable of - a great throughball for hazard for a goal v liverpool, a phenomenal bit of skill vs city in the middle of the park, another vs malmo... I also remember a few instances where players didn’t live up to their hype early on and then developed into some of the best players ever to play the game. Zidane at Euro 96 springs to mind. Then there’s the players we sold in error -  Salah, de Bruyne. . . So we should be careful about writing players off too soon. I do it myself so i could be considered stupid too.

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