[Albion] Just how good is Hürzeler?

[sussex_guy2k2]

I'd agree that Ayari has performed far better than Wieffer this season, but the point being made is that Wieffer has more of the attributes than either Ayari or O'Riley does that we require in the absence of Baleba.

Does he though? What have we seen to prove that?

I get he has a reputation coming from Holland, but Ayari is miles ahead of him at the moment, even as the deep lying playmaker. And he surely will be until Weiffer ups his game considerably.

 

[aolstudios]

Does he though? What have we seen to prove that?

I get he has a reputation coming from Holland, but Ayari is miles ahead of him at the moment, even as the deep lying playmaker. And he surely will be until Weiffer ups his game considerably.

He's replaced Baleba in the 2nd half & absolutely excelled more than once

 

[Han Solo]

I'd agree that Ayari has performed far better than Wieffer this season, but the point being made is that Wieffer has more of the attributes than either Ayari or O'Riley does that we require in the absence of Baleba.

Probably. The issue with playing attacking midfielders like Ayari as DMC is that they are used to look for opportunity, not for risk.
Thats a big reason why we started Milner every week when he was fit. He will always think "ok, Pervis did a run there, so I need to position myself here in case they win the ball and turn over". Defensive midfielders try to find and cover vulnerable situations and areas. I don't think we did well in that department this Friday.

 

[Machiavelli]

Does he though? What have we seen to prove that?

I get he has a reputation coming from Holland, but Ayari is miles ahead of him at the moment, even as the deep lying playmaker. And he surely will be until Weiffer ups his game considerably.

Yes, he does. You seem to be making the same point again. Overall, he's been disappointing but he's a specialist DCM (see the comment from @Han Solo as one example). Specialist DCMs see the bigger picture and adapt accordingly to shore up vacant spaces. They're good at tackling and intercepting. They're also good at keeping the play ticking over. Wieffer has all of this.
What seems patently obvious is that he's struggled to adapt to the pace of the PL, and has admitted as much. Whether he can or not, we'll have to see but I, for one, will give him the chance to do that rather than get on his back.
Even despite the disappointing start, he's had some good performances especially Everton (bar the first 10-15 mins) and his cameo against Bournemouth.

 

[aolstudios]

Probably. The issue with playing attacking midfielders like Ayari as DMC is that they are used to look for opportunity, not for risk.
Thats a big reason why we started Milner every week when he was fit. He will always think "ok, Pervis did a run there, so I need to position myself here in case they win the ball and turn over". Defensive midfielders try to find and cover vulnerable situations and areas. I don't think we did well in that department this Friday.

Exactly why Wieffer could've been a better option (along with O'Riley's understandably suspect match fitness)

 

[aolstudios]

Yes, he does. You seem to be making the same point again. Overall, he's been disappointing but he's a specialist DCM (see the comment from @Han Solo as one example). Specialist DCMs see the bigger picture and adapt accordingly to shore up vacant spaces. They're good at tackling and intercepting. They're also good at keeping the play ticking over. Wieffer has all of this.
What seems patently obvious is that he's struggled to adapt to the pace of the PL, and has admitted as much. Whether he can or not, we'll have to see but I, for one, will give him the chance to do that rather than get on his back.
Even despite the disappointing start, he's had some good performances especially Everton (bar the first 10-15 mins) and his cameo against Bournemouth.

He was also excellent replacing Baleba against Spurs. Exactly what was needed (& lacking on Friday)

 

[West Upper Seagull]

Fab needs to address the mindset and attitude of the players when we play the sides at the bottom end of the league. He said himself after Friday we lacked intensity and O’Riley said the team was sloppy. Which for me translates into a mindset issue and highlights our attitude is never as good against these teams - the performance can be flat and that makes the atmosphere in the stands flat. This is the biggest problem Fab needs to address.