7 minutes ago, jack h said:

His positioning seems all over the place as well, I don't know if its a tactic or him not concentrating but he drifts into the middle and leaves acres of space out wide. Where was he for their second as well? With Dave off he shouldn't have let Aubamayang out of his sight.

Still hopeful for him as there is potential there but he needs to step up whilst he still has the chance to make it at this level.

Yep, I'm hoping next season is the year he kicks on, but acceleration and pace isn't something you can really improve all that much, you either have it or you don't. His build maybe slowing him down a bit, so I guess if he slimmed down a bit, it would make him a bit quicker. But things like positioning and being switched on is all down to him, he needs to learn that side of the game himself. He's still only 20 so there is plenty of time for him yet, but I wouldn't have him as regular starter just yet.

7 minutes ago, jack h said:

His positioning seems all over the place as well, I don't know if its a tactic or him not concentrating but he drifts into the middle and leaves acres of space out wide.

Dave seems to play as all of CB/RB/RWB when we play three at the back allowing Reece to move inside. When he went off Reece needed to change it up but didn’t.  

I have no concerns in regard to RJ, 20 years old, first season in the Premiership and playing in a dodgy defence

He's showed his quality at times this season and has also been inconsistent which is exactly what should be expected from a young player. He'll get better and better as the years go on. 

2 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I'm becoming more and more concerned about him as a RB or RWB. He always seems to give the attacker an extra yard, combine that with his slow acceleration, and it's basically asking for trouble. He just doesn't ever seem to be switched on. Going forward he has been pretty poor in recent times too. There is no urgency in his game.

I don't think he is ready to be our starting RB yet. 

I said it in the match thread. He’s a good prospect but he is the most overrated of our youngsters based on his current performances.
People comparing him to TAA & even AWB are absolutely delusional.

 

His positioning defensively is really poor for this level & I actually don’t think he’s looked all that special going forward when I’ve seen him this season. He’s got a lot of work to do to fulfil his potential. Luckily he’s 20 so has plenty of time but with Azpilicuetas injury, I hope he can do it quickly. Hopefully a full pre season will help (IIRC he was injured for quiet a while earlier this season). 

Worryingly cup final was another example of teams targeting his side and it working. Doesn’t help that Tariq lamptey has looked more impressive And made more of an impact for Brighton than James has at chelsea 

5 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:

People comparing him to TAA & even AWB are absolutely delusional

Trent obviously but let's not overrate AWB. United fans want him replaced with a youth player who's never played a PL game, he makes Azpi look like prime Alves going forward and his technical level is shocking (Lukaku has a godlike first touch by comparison).

James has blown hot and cold of late but let's not go down the grass the greener route.

3 hours ago, Argo said:

Trent obviously but let's not overrate AWB. United fans want him replaced with a youth player who's never played a PL game, he makes Azpi look like prime Alves going forward and his technical level is shocking (Lukaku has a godlike first touch by comparison).

James has blown hot and cold of late but let's not go down the grass the greener route.

AWB is much better defensively than James. I’m not sure where you’ve seen them wanting him replaced? I’ve seen nothing but praise for him online from united fans. And as I said, James has hardly been revolutionary going forward either. 
 

Long term James will become the better player I hope, but at the moment he’s not which you would expect as he’s two years younger with less top flight experience. It just annoys me when our fans make out he’s the second coming of Cafu right at this moment when there’s been no evidence of that in his performances. Fortunately he has an exceptional tutor in Azpilicueta when it comes to defensive positioning etc. 

1 hour ago, EdinburghBlue said:

AWB is much better defensively than James. I’m not sure where you’ve seen them wanting him replaced? I’ve seen nothing but praise for him online from united fans. And as I said, James has hardly been revolutionary going forward either. 
 

Long term James will become the better player I hope, but at the moment he’s not which you would expect as he’s two years younger with less top flight experience. It just annoys me when our fans make out he’s the second coming of Cafu right at this moment when there’s been no evidence of that in his performances. Fortunately he has an exceptional tutor in Azpilicueta when it comes to defensive positioning etc. 

DP

Edited August 2, 20205 yr by Argo

1 hour ago, EdinburghBlue said:

AWB is much better defensively than James. I’m not sure where you’ve seen them wanting him replaced? I’ve seen nothing but praise for him online from united fans. And as I said, James has hardly been revolutionary going forward either. 
 

Long term James will become the better player I hope, but at the moment he’s not which you would expect as he’s two years younger with less top flight experience. It just annoys me when our fans make out he’s the second coming of Cafu right at this moment when there’s been no evidence of that in his performances. Fortunately he has an exceptional tutor in Azpilicueta when it comes to defensive positioning etc. 

The AWB thread on redcafe, a high percentage want him dropped for a kid called Ethan Laird. He's excellent 1 v 1 but is lacking in almost every other area of the game, he's non existent going forward, technically dreadful, can't linkup with the attackers, poor in the air and lacks positional sense.

For all his inconsistency's James' best displays this season (including Vs United in the semi) are above anything AWB is capable off. I'll give it two years until either that Laird kid is #1 or they've gone all in for Aarons or Lamptey.

Edited August 2, 20205 yr by Argo

I like the look of Reese. He's only 20 and this was his first season in a top flight, people need to keep that in mind. He's got a long way ahead of him and he needs to learn a lot but I like what I see and his attitude suggests that he's going to work hard, and that's all you could ask for. I'm willing to be patient with the lad.

I didn't see any Arsenal full-back being better than him and multiple times he stopped Aubameyang from making the run on the right side.

People blame him but in comparison to the rest of our defenders he's good, Alonso didn't know where his head was, Rudiger couldn't clear anything and Azpilicueta made the penalty for Arsenal...

Needs to improve on tactical positioning. His physical attributes are outstanding which is probably why he excelled in youth football. He needs a lot of work to be a top level Prem footballer. 

He has a good acceleration but top speed-wise he is about average-above average. His delivery needs work to consistently be an attacking threat on the other end. For an attacking FB, he likes to pass it backwards or sideways. He has a habit of not busting a gut to provide backup for Azpi. 

Trent is levels above him and with the way things are going, James might never breakthrough to the England team unless Trent is injured or as a sub. 

4 hours ago, Deino said:

 

Trent is levels above him and with the way things are going, James might never breakthrough to the England team unless Trent is injured or as a sub. 

That has the advantage that he can't get injured or knackered on England duty. Although probably all of us would like him to be good enough to be in the squad, or a starter even.

Edited August 2, 20205 yr by Valerie

11 hours ago, Deino said:

Needs to improve on tactical positioning. His physical attributes are outstanding which is probably why he excelled in youth football. He needs a lot of work to be a top level Prem footballer. 

He has a good acceleration but top speed-wise he is about average-above average. His delivery needs work to consistently be an attacking threat on the other end. For an attacking FB, he likes to pass it backwards or sideways. He has a habit of not busting a gut to provide backup for Azpi. 

Trent is levels above him and with the way things are going, James might never breakthrough to the England team unless Trent is injured or as a sub. 

his delivery is excellent.. but i agree he can be more aggressive in attacking space..  hopefully with Ziyech looking to come inside more often than not.. that creates more space for him... with Willian everything is very static since WIllian likes the ball played to his feet.. i havent seen enough of Ziyech hopefully he also like to run behind and work more off the ball... i also agree on his positioning.. he needs to work on that specially in a back 4.. 

having said that most of us are ignoring his technique.. boy his ability to pass and cross his surreal... he very rarely gets caught in possession.. he doesnt look out of place in the center either... his potential for me is huge..  if we was playing for a wolves/Leicester or an everton people would have been talking of 40 mil plus fee... 

17 hours ago, Deino said:

Needs to improve on tactical positioning. His physical attributes are outstanding which is probably why he excelled in youth football. He needs a lot of work to be a top level Prem footballer. 

He has a good acceleration but top speed-wise he is about average-above average. His delivery needs work to consistently be an attacking threat on the other end. For an attacking FB, he likes to pass it backwards or sideways. He has a habit of not busting a gut to provide backup for Azpi. 

Trent is levels above him and with the way things are going, James might never breakthrough to the England team unless Trent is injured or as a sub. 

Reece James would have to be the best right back in world football to breakthrough to the England team. Because that is what TAA is. 

We really need to stop trying to compare him to TAA.

On 01/08/2020 at 21:56, EdinburghBlue said:

I said it in the match thread. He’s a good prospect but he is the most overrated of our youngsters based on his current performances.
People comparing him to TAA & even AWB are absolutely delusional.

 

His positioning defensively is really poor for this level & I actually don’t think he’s looked all that special going forward when I’ve seen him this season. He’s got a lot of work to do to fulfil his potential. Luckily he’s 20 so has plenty of time but with Azpilicuetas injury, I hope he can do it quickly. Hopefully a full pre season will help (IIRC he was injured for quiet a while earlier this season). 

Put Trent in this current Chelsea side and put James in the current Liverpool side and the difference between them won't be that big. Trent is still better atm imo, but not lets not pretend that the level between them is like comparing a prime Cafu and a league 1 RB. Also as far as overrated goes, I dont think RJ belongs in that category, he has had some great performances but also some bad ones which is expected from a 20 year old with barely any prem experience, realistically he can only get better. If you want overrated, then it has to be CHO based on current form. At the end of last season people thought it was a joke that Bayern wanted him for 45m and he was valued much higher and thought he was the future of our RW. Mount is also very overrated as well I think. RJ is rated about right

Edited August 3, 20205 yr by driller97

50 minutes ago, driller97 said:

Put Trent in this current Chelsea side and put James in the current Liverpool side and the difference between them won't be that big. Trent is still better atm imo, but not lets not pretend that the level between them is like comparing a prime Cafu and a league 1 RB. Also as far as overrated goes, I dont think RJ belongs in that category, he has had some great performances but also some bad ones which is expected from a 20 year old with barely any prem experience, realistically he can only get better. If you want overrated, then it has to be CHO based on current form. At the end of last season people thought it was a joke that Bayern wanted him for 45m and he was valued much higher and thought he was the future of our RW. Mount is also very overrated as well I think. RJ is rated about right

This is what I’m talking about though, that’s not the case at all. James is levels away from where TAA is as a RB at the moment and there’s no shame in that. Unfortunately, he is one of the best in Europe in my opinion. James is also a few years younger with less top flight experience - this season will have been a great learning experience for him no doubt.

No one is saying James is a league 1 RB. He’s a good player but he needs to improve on his defensive positioning. I have to be honest and say I can’t remember too many games where I though ‘James played terrific’. Actually Ajax at home I did, he was integral in changing the game in that one to be fair!

 

I 100% agree with you James trajectory will only be upwards and I have every faith he will be a stalwart at RB for us for many years but that doesn’t change his deficiencies at the moment. Hopefully, next season after a year of ‘bedding in’ is the year that he can really kick on with his development in the side. CHO is in a similar situation although again a couple of years younger but both have had bad injuries this year which didn’t help. Fingers crossed both them and RLC can have a clean bill of health and really hit the ground running next season, as they all have the potential to be really top players. 

15 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

This is what I’m talking about though, that’s not the case at all. James is levels away from where TAA is as a RB at the moment and there’s no shame in that. Unfortunately, he is one of the best in Europe in my opinion. James is also a few years younger with less top flight experience - this season will have been a great learning experience for him no doubt.

No one is saying James is a league 1 RB. He’s a good player but he needs to improve on his defensive positioning. I have to be honest and say I can’t remember too many games where I though ‘James played terrific’. Actually Ajax at home I did, he was integral in changing the game in that one to be fair!

 

I 100% agree with you James trajectory will only be upwards and I have every faith he will be a stalwart at RB for us for many years but that doesn’t change his deficiencies at the moment. Hopefully, next season after a year of ‘bedding in’ is the year that he can really kick on with his development in the side. CHO is in a similar situation although again a couple of years younger but both have had bad injuries this year which didn’t help. Fingers crossed both them and RLC can have a clean bill of health and really hit the ground running next season, as they all have the potential to be really top players. 

I though he was excellent in the couple months before the Bayern game halted his momentum a bit. I remember feeling absolutely wounded that he didn't make it in time to play Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

23 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

This is what I’m talking about though, that’s not the case at all. James is levels away from where TAA is as a RB at the moment and there’s no shame in that. Unfortunately, he is one of the best in Europe in my opinion. James is also a few years younger with less top flight experience - this season will have been a great learning experience for him no doubt.

No one is saying James is a league 1 RB. He’s a good player but he needs to improve on his defensive positioning. I have to be honest and say I can’t remember too many games where I though ‘James played terrific’. Actually Ajax at home I did, he was integral in changing the game in that one to be fair!

 

I 100% agree with you James trajectory will only be upwards and I have every faith he will be a stalwart at RB for us for many years but that doesn’t change his deficiencies at the moment. Hopefully, next season after a year of ‘bedding in’ is the year that he can really kick on with his development in the side. CHO is in a similar situation although again a couple of years younger but both have had bad injuries this year which didn’t help. Fingers crossed both them and RLC can have a clean bill of health and really hit the ground running next season, as they all have the potential to be really top players. 

Yeah i dont really agree with this, I mean there is a difference there in their current levels but you really make it seem like they are worlds apart when I dont think so. I just think TAA has benefited a lot from being in a much better side. Lets be honest, TAA isn't exactly the best defensively and all his praise seems to come from his attacking ability.

And as far as games go, he was very good in that ajax game and he also pocketed Zaha in that palace game early in the season I think. Wasn't he also playing in a game against liverpool early on and had Salah in his pocket as well? Im sure I could find more examples of good performances, but people seem to remember his more recent ones which in general have been pretty sub par.

But yeah, hes only 20, and can should definitely improve so im not overly worried about him. As long as he stays injury free and gets good game time and experience, its only onwards and upwards

5 minutes ago, driller97 said:

Yeah i dont really agree with this, I mean there is a difference there in their current levels but you really make it seem like they are worlds apart when I dont think so. I just think TAA has benefited a lot from being in a much better side. Lets be honest, TAA isn't exactly the best defensively and all his praise seems to come from his attacking ability.

And as far as games go, he was very good in that ajax game and he also pocketed Zaha in that palace game early in the season I think. Wasn't he also playing in a game against liverpool early on and had Salah in his pocket as well? Im sure I could find more examples of good performances, but people seem to remember his more recent ones which in general have been pretty sub par.

But yeah, hes only 20, and can should definitely improve so im not overly worried about him. As long as he stays injury free and gets good game time and experience, its only onwards and upwards

I forgot about this game actually and you’re completely right! He was terrific in that game as well. He’s certainly had his moments this year but it’s about building on it and delivering it consistently which will hopefully come. 

6 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

I forgot about this game actually and you’re completely right! He was terrific in that game as well. He’s certainly had his moments this year but it’s about building on it and delivering it consistently which will hopefully come. 

For sure, he's just been inconsistent as of late which is very expected, but the potential is definitely there! I fully expect him to be a much improved player by the end of next season

13 minutes ago, driller97 said:

Yeah i dont really agree with this, I mean there is a difference there in their current levels but you really make it seem like they are worlds apart when I dont think so. I just think TAA has benefited a lot from being in a much better side. Lets be honest, TAA isn't exactly the best defensively and all his praise seems to come from his attacking ability.

That's true actually, he's literally playing with 7 teammates that are world class and at the peak of their powers, imagine if RJ's era was the mid 00's and he broke through with the old guard in their prime, he'd have been able to ride out his off days without being punished.

1 minute ago, Argo said:

That's true actually, he's literally playing with 7 teammates that are world class and at the peak of their powers, imagine if RJ's era was the mid 00's and he broke through with the old guard in their prime, he'd have been able to ride out his off days without being punished.

Exactly, not only just that but the defenders liverpool have with VVD, Robertson and Allison... Its no wonder he doesn't even need to be able to defend that well and can just attack but if he makes any mistakes its no doubt covered by someone else.

If Reece makes even the smallest mistake, there's better chance of hell freezing over than having Rudiger, Zouma or Christensen fixing the error!

Said it once and i'll say it again. Get a dominant CB next to him (Ala Van Dijk) and he's 100x better and no one worries about his defensive issues. TAA without Van Dijk would look pudding defensively. 

3 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Said it once and i'll say it again. Get a dominant CB next to him (Ala Van Dijk) and he's 100x better and no one worries about his defensive issues. TAA without Van Dijk would look pudding defensively. 

100%

Thats not to say TAA is terrible, because clearly not and he is world class, VVD certainly does help him out a lot on the defensive side