Welcome Takumi Minamino

[New York Red]

11 hours ago, Leo No.8 said:

Yes I think that style of football is so alien to him, he just couldn’t get his head round it. 

Cow watching a train go by. 

[Cam]

I think he's been underused and poorly used; he should be perfectly capable of being an understudy to Firmino. But he's lost me tonight. 

[Nebraska Red]

13 minutes ago, Cam said:

I think he's been underused and poorly used; he should be perfectly capable of being an understudy to Firmino. But he's lost me tonight. 

Clueless tonight. He was given a chance to shine and he blew it.

Thiago can play a bit.

[Farmer's Tan]

He doesn’t get involved enough, needs to be more of an influence.

[Benzo-13]

He’s a little meek. Needs to shove his shoulders out a bit more. 

[honourablegeorge]

He had more assists for our second goal than anyone else on the field.

[McBain]

10 hours ago, Benzo-13 said:

He’s a little meek. Needs to shove his shoulders out a bit more. 

Confidence seems the issue

He kept turning back and or inside near everytime he got the ball. Instead of control, head up, pass 

I don't see how he breaks the cycle as he's now gonna be back to the bench for a few

[Raj]

I actually think Thiago being in the team will help him. He takes up excellent positions and has very good movement but rarely receives the ball because our other midfielders rarely try the direct, forward pass into tight areas. 
 

I agree he has to be more aggressive and lacks confidence but I can see flashes of talent from this lad and he offers something that the others don’t. 

[Ombudsam]

37 minutes ago, Raj said:

I actually think Thiago being in the team will help him. He takes up excellent positions and has very good movement but rarely receives the ball because our other midfielders rarely try the direct, forward pass into tight areas. 
 

I agree he has to be more aggressive and lacks confidence but I can see flashes of talent from this lad and he offers something that the others don’t. 

I would be so rubbish if I played with Thiago. If I was in the midfield or back line I would just pass to him and watch and if I played up front I would just stand in random positions to see if he could get it to me.

[Flasher]

Minamino is a counter attack player. We rarely get the opportunity to play that way. Palace a recent example where we could and he looked better 

[Earl Hafler]

1 hour ago, Raj said:

I actually think Thiago being in the team will help him. He takes up excellent positions and has very good movement but rarely receives the ball because our other midfielders rarely try the direct, forward pass into tight areas. 
 

I agree he has to be more aggressive and lacks confidence but I can see flashes of talent from this lad and he offers something that the others don’t. 

Our midfield in that first half mindset makes me want to hurt things.

Hendo has been excellent the last couple of seasons but more often than not in that holding role he does a fantastic impression of a 38 year old Ray Wilkins; Palace seems like a freak result and performance 

Neco Williams has potential; he's not trying to be Trent MKII and wasn't slinging crosses in as if we had Crouch.

Also,  i like how he occasionally attacked the box when we crossed from the left.

Diversity will often unlock these weaker but well packed PL defences, so watching us just switch the ball from one flank to the other and not go more central ( like Thiago did in the second half ) is frustrating.

[Ombudsam]

1 hour ago, Earl Hafler said:

Diversity will often unlock these weaker but well packed PL defences, so watching us just switch the ball from one flank to the other and not go more central ( like Thiago did in the second half ) is frustrating.

They’ll distract opposition defences with their sweet moves and appeals to our better angels

 

[Falconhoof]

2 hours ago, Flasher said:

Minamino is a counter attack player. We rarely get the opportunity to play that way. Palace a recent example where we could and he looked better 

You mean, he can do more things when defenders aren't in his way ?

[Raj]

2 hours ago, Earl Hafler said:

Our midfield in that first half mindset makes me want to hurt things.

Hendo has been excellent the last couple of seasons but more often than not in that holding role he does a fantastic impression of a 38 year old Ray Wilkins; Palace seems like a freak result and performance 

Neco Williams has potential; he's not trying to be Trent MKII and wasn't slinging crosses in as if we had Crouch.

Also,  i like how he occasionally attacked the box when we crossed from the left.

Diversity will often unlock these weaker but well packed PL defences, so watching us just switch the ball from one flank to the other and not go more central ( like Thiago did in the second half ) is frustrating.

That first half performance was indicative of all the mistakes we’ve made since palace. Sideways passing, aimless crossing and zero penetration through the middle. Let’s hope this is the start of a change. 

[Tommok]

He so often seems to be stretching a leg out for the ball when it's passed to him - and often fails to get to it or bring it under control. 

It surely can't be that the pass to him is so regularly a poor one. 

[Cam]

3 hours ago, Tommok said:

He so often seems to be stretching a leg out for the ball when it's passed to him

To me that's very reminiscent of Joe Cole going to stand next to a marker before asking for the ball (which obviously never came). It's hiding dressed up as trying. 

[Ed the Wool]

Not seen much discussion on the decision to loan him out. I think there’s a player in there, and this might be the best thing for him. Can’t help feeling it is s*** or bust for him though. 

[McBain]

I hope other fringe players aren't dissuaded from scoring a goal as it seemed to really nail him there

I'd love to think this is done with his long term future in mind, but it seems unlikely now he makes it here

[Begbie]

Hope he does well and we sell him for a decent profit 

[DecidedByPoll]

On 11/01/2021 at 18:18, Cam said:

. It's hiding dressed up as trying. 

Good point and it’s the fundamental difference between Smicer and Garcia. No matter how badly Luis played he never hid, sometimes to the point where you wished he would. It is certainly an indication as to the measure of the man. 

[Greenoak]

I don't think we will see him play for us again.

Taki, Ox, Shak and Nabi can all get sold as far as i am concerned.

[Dan]

Needs to grow a bit.

[PaulMcC186]

I don't care if he comes back or not. He clearly hasn't been good enough in training if Klopp won't use him, and I don't think he's shown enough in the games he played to think he'll make it with us. I doubt he'll start for Southampton, but hopefully he does and scores loads so we can get a good fee or he comes back confident.

[McBain]

52 minutes ago, Dan said:

Needs to grow a bit.

I'm glad he won't be marking Dan Burn tomorrow 

Bullet dodged 

[D.Boon]

If he'd have been as tall as Shaq or Ox he'd have got loads of games.