[Albion] Kaoru Mitoma [27/2/24 - possibly out for the rest of the season]

[Guinness Boy]

I don't care what the gaffer says. We have to throw Barco in on the left wing. It just makes sense.

Get me him on the phone.

I mean, it doesn't at all.

We play complex possession patterns and shift formation in and out of possession. All of that has to be learned before you get to fly solo. Barco's had, what, a week?

Meanwhile, only Adingra, Fati, Lamptey and Enciso left who can "fill in".

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

That's why I hate a sadistic RDZ. He knew before the match that Mitoma had been suffering from back ailments. It was psychotic to force Mitoma to continue even after we were 2-0 up. He totally exploited Mitoma for his own interest again. I know I am too dramatic, but I would more or less recommend RDZ to have an examination for psychological disorders. I'd also like to think his lengthy absence may well be the decision by the club to protect a valuable asset from RDZ and his team among others.

Which branch of the medical profession did you graduate in?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I don't care what the gaffer says. We have to throw Barco in on the left wing. It just makes sense.

Get me him on the phone.

Just tried. Apparently he's busy

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I did hear Mitoma getting booed by Palace supporters after Holgate’s tackle though.

Palace supporters are famous for being loud. But 250 miles away?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Meanwhile, only Adingra, Fati, Lamptey and Enciso left who can "fill in".

I understand the calls for Barco

Lamptey will have likely have to play right back, Fati and Enciso are not playing full games. Adingra, good as he is, can only play on one wing at a time.

I totally understand that in a perfect world Barco would get the full induction into RDZ philosophy. I just wonder if we don't have that luxury and that given his not inconsiderable experience for a lad that age, we could ... just this once ... and for want of a better word ... wing it.

For what it's worth, i'd be playing Pervis left wing tonight, but I can see why eyebrows are being raised.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I understand the calls for Barco

Lamptey will have likely have to play right back, Fati and Enciso are not playing full games. Adingra, good as he is, can only play on one wing at a time.

I totally understand that in a perfect world Barco would get the full induction into RDZ philosophy. I just wonder if we don't have that luxury and that given his not inconsiderable experience for a lad that age, we could ... just this once ... and for want of a better word ... wing it.

For what it's worth, i'd be playing Pervis left wing tonight, but I can see why eyebrows are being raised.

I suspect that there'd be an enormous overlap between people currently calling for Barco to be thrown in, and people writing Barco off after a single appearance if he (entirely reasonably) didn't play well.

 

[London Irish]

Lamptey has already proved himself as an effective winger.

But perhaps there is the option of using left midfielder/winger from last year’s Copa Libertadores final?

CA Boca Juniors - Fluminense Football Club, Nov 4, 2023 - Copa Libertadores - Match sheet

This is the match sheet of the Copa Libertadores game between CA Boca Juniors and Fluminense Football Club on Nov 4, 2023.

www.transfermarkt.co.uk

Totally agree but that will have to be a medium term thing, integrating a player into our complicated patterns of play isn't an overnight thing alas. It would be great to see Barco get some sub time within a month or so

 

[Robinjakarta]

Which branch of the medical profession did you graduate in?

Quackery.

 

[GJN1]

Just tried. Apparently he's busy

Thanks for trying. Appreciate it.

 

[wellquickwoody]

That's why I hate a sadistic RDZ. He knew before the match that Mitoma had been suffering from back ailments. It was psychotic to force Mitoma to continue even after we were 2-0 up. He totally exploited Mitoma for his own interest again. I know I am too dramatic, but I would more or less recommend RDZ to have an examination for psychological disorders. I'd also like to think his lengthy absence may well be the decision by the club to protect a valuable asset from RDZ and his team among others.

You’re weird.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I understand the calls for Barco

Lamptey will have likely have to play right back, Fati and Enciso are not playing full games. Adingra, good as he is, can only play on one wing at a time.

I totally understand that in a perfect world Barco would get the full induction into RDZ philosophy. I just wonder if we don't have that luxury and that given his not inconsiderable experience for a lad that age, we could ... just this once ... and for want of a better word ... wing it.

For what it's worth, i'd be playing Pervis left wing tonight, but I can see why eyebrows are being raised.

We play systemic football where what we do is more important than who does it (up to a point). As @Sid and the Sharknados points out a bad start for Barco and there'd be people after him and a knock to the confidence of a young lad.

RDZ always brings in players as they're ready and won't change that for now. He'll be thinking of the long goal, developing the player like he did with Bounanotte to great effect.

There's also Baker-Boatley let's remember.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Injuries been crazy since RDZ joined. Said before but feels very much like bielsa at Leeds where the squad just fell apart and were broken after a couple of seasons.

So why is it happening at other clubs, Liverpool, West Ham, Newcastle and others have all had pretty lengthy injury lists this season. Or are their managers all disciples of bucket man too?

 

[GJN1]

I mean, it doesn't at all.

We play complex possession patterns and shift formation in and out of possession. All of that has to be learned before you get to fly solo. Barco's had, what, a week?

Meanwhile, only Adingra, Fati, Lamptey and Enciso left who can "fill in".

Needs must.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

We play systemic football where what we do is more important than who does it (up to a point). As @Sid and the Sharknados points out a bad start for Barco and there'd be people after him and a knock to the confidence of a young lad.

RDZ always brings in players as they're ready and won't change that for now. He'll be thinking of the long goal, developing the player like he did with Bounanotte to great effect.

There's also Baker-Boatley let's remember.

Personally (and I'll humbling accept that RDZ just MIGHT know a little more than me about this stuff...) I don't see that the need to fully induct the lad in our patterns of play, and introduce him slowly as a starter, necessarily precludes the possibility of having him on the bench now as a potential wild card if we're chasing a game.

I'd also suggest that the benefits in terms of having him get to know his team-mates better and feeling part of it all, rather counter-balance some fears of asking too much of him too soon.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

We play systemic football where what we do is more important than who does it (up to a point). As @Sid and the Sharknados points out a bad start for Barco and there'd be people after him and a knock to the confidence of a young lad.

RDZ always brings in players as they're ready and won't change that for now. He'll be thinking of the long goal, developing the player like he did with Bounanotte to great effect.

There's also Baker-Boatley let's remember.

I've never bought into this whole, we need to protect the player from the reaction of the savage Brighton crowd thing. I mean there might be one or two idiots on twitter or even at the ground stupid enough to have a pop at a teenager on debut. But RDZ can't protect Valentin from the big bad world entirely. PLus i'm guessing Brighton fans are likely more sedate in this regard than Boca's

The system-thing is i'm sure RDZ's rationale. But I can't help thinking, Barco is apparently fit, experienced and I think plays in that position. So the absolutely worst that could happen, is that he plays Barco, he misunderstands the intructions, misunderstands, then patterns, this costs us the game and we go out of the FA CUP because of it. Irritating, but not a disaster. But now think, of what if he rushes back, Enciso or Ansu and gives them more minutes than he should, and ones of them pulls up like Mitoma has. Now that would be a disaster

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Personally (and I'll humbling accept that RDZ just MIGHT know a little more than me about this stuff...) I don't see that the need to fully induct the lad in our patterns of play, and introduce him slowly as a starter, necessarily precludes the possibility of having him on the bench now as a potential wild card if we're chasing a game.

I'd also suggest that the benefits in terms of having him get to know his team-mates better and feeling part of it all, rather counter-balance some fears of asking too much of him too soon.

And I sort of think that learning something like this is like learning swimming.

Jumping in a pool is probably better than sitting there watching other people do it

 

[Guinness Boy]

So why is it happening at other clubs, Liverpool, West Ham, Newcastle and others have all had pretty lengthy injury lists this season. Or are their managers all disciples of bucket man too?

Dwayne's trolling as usual.

Holistically, injuries are way higher across the Premier League this season. It's affected most clubs. An extended previous season with a winter World Cup and two regional international tournaments this winter won't have helped.

Just from a Brighton PoV we have way more games this season with Europe including travel affecting recovery routines. As a club it's our first time trying to manage such a schedule.

Doesn't help that our medical team buggered off though. That needs acknowledging.

 

[Zeberdi]

Personally (and I'll humbling accept that RDZ just MIGHT know a little more than me about this stuff...) I don't see that the need to fully induct the lad in our patterns of play, and introduce him slowly as a starter, necessarily precludes the possibility of having him on the bench now as a potential wild card if we're chasing a game.

I'd also suggest that the benefits in terms of having him get to know his team-mates better and feeling part of it all, rather counter-balance some fears of asking too much of him too soon.

Agree - Facu was lambasted by many NSC fans when he started - debuted within a 2 or 3 weeks of arriving so of course he didn’t look at home initially - it took him a long time to settle in but his talent and potential to be an important CAM for us was never in doubt imo from the moment he arrived . Facu’s struggle though was largely mental and physical, Barco seems to be much more confident and of sturdier build. I can’t see any reason why Barco can’t be on the bench for debut minutes as soon as possible - he’s here to play. No one would suggest putting him in for 90 minutes or even relying on him but I would tentatively suggest also that a number 7 inverted winger position in RDZ’s DNA is probably not quite as complicated as bedding in new central/defensive midfielders or Full Backs ( or even GK’s) in his system.

That said, we have U23 options, BBB/Peupion, then Lamptey if he can avoid injury himself, Miller, Lallana, Gross and Moder who can all play lateral midfielders if required, Ansu who is also a winger and Adingra obviously who is a left winger by preference as well as Welbeck who could play wide.

I know we all have our pet hero players but RDZ does not ever build a set up around one player as I said in my above post, our goal distribution is very wide and the whole team; starting with the GK are involved in a complicated system of possession based attacking/counter/high pressing football - it doesn’t all collapse if you remove one player or even a few as we have found out this season already - and certainly not when the Club has made it a point of recruiting positionally versatile players to offset the ceiling on squad depth due to our financial limitations.

 

[Easy 10]

Just seen the new wing thats built at the training ground in Lancing.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I've never bought into this whole, we need to protect the player from the reaction of the savage Brighton crowd thing. I mean there might be one or two idiots on twitter or even at the ground stupid enough to have a pop at a teenager on debut. But RDZ can't protect Valentin from the big bad world entirely. PLus i'm guessing Brighton fans are likely more sedate in this regard than Boca's

The system-thing is i'm sure RDZ's rationale. But I can't help thinking, Barco is apparently fit, experienced and I think plays in that position. So the absolutely worst that could happen, is that he plays Barco, he misunderstands the intructions, misunderstands, then patterns, this costs us the game and we go out of the FA CUP because of it. Irritating, but not a disaster. But now think, of what if he rushes back, Enciso or Ansu and gives them more minutes than he should, and ones of them pulls up like Mitoma has. Now that would be a disaster

To be clear, I wasn't intending to suggest we shouldn't play Barco because the nasty meanies might moan about him (to be honest, I'm not his Mum and I don't feel all that invested in his feelings).

I was just intending to highlight that plenty of very talented players who go on to have very good careers have slow starts at a new club, and there's no real logic to saying "he's played there before, it'll be fine" or "what's the worst that can happen". De Zerbi sees him most days and will either decide it's worth having him available or he won't.

For what it's worth, I'd like to see him play because I'm a sucker for exciting new players who might be the NEXT BIG THING for the first time. But that's not the same thing as thinking it's a good idea.