[Albion] Player ratings Bournemouth (h)

[blue-shifted]

Some slightly harsh comments on Duffy in this thread, I feel.

I agree, a surprising level of criticism.

What's interesting is that the mistake(s?) Duffy made wasn't a misplaced pass or get caught in possession type error it was a missed tackle, which is very out of character and I doubt we will see many basic defending errors once he has a game or two under his belt

I was also surprised by our approach to Bournemouth pressuring our goal kicks. We just decided to go long every time. Was this rejection of Potterball because of the opponents or was it a (very public) lack of faith in Duffy's ability with the ball at his feet.

 

[rippleman]

Ryan - 7

Montoya - 7
Dunk - 8
Duffy - 7
Burn - 8

Bissouma - 8.5 Never stopped running. Not afraid to put his foot in.
Propper - 8
Mooy - 10 Quality. Class. Superb.

Ali J - 8 Really pleased for him. Good contribution coming back into the starting 11
Maupay - 8 Ran them ragged.
Trossard - 7 Bit "in and out" but some players are like that!

Excellent performance all round. I must admit to a bit of "WTF?" when I saw the team but Potter is clearly a genius. It was noticeable to me how much more quickly we transitioned through the midfield with the players selected.

 

[dazzer6666]

There's a bit of a theme emerging with Trossard....he seems to be anonymous for large part of games (particularly when he starts) but then he almost always has one moment of absolute brilliance that leads to a goal (his cross to Mooy really was a thing of beauty)................as stated above I think maybe oppo managers know how dangerous he is so he's being closely marked (and seemed like they were doubling up on him for much of Saturday).

 

[Hugo Rune]

I was also surprised by our approach to Bournemouth pressuring our goal kicks. We just decided to go long every time. Was this rejection of Potterball because of the opponents or was it a (very public) lack of faith in Duffy's ability with the ball at his feet.

It’s because Potter learned he lesson against Wilder.

I maintain that Wilder called Potter’s formation, style and players vs Sheff Utd. He must have thought he’d won the lottery as his team looked 100% drilled in stopping Potterball and it worked like a dream.

Where as Smug Eddie would have been thinking ‘4-2-3-1 with Ali-J & Duffy - WTF!!!’.
Mooy was given the freedom of the Amex as arrogant Eddie refused to sacrifice a forward in exchange for a DM to anchor Mooy down.

Potterball has not been rejected but is as much about surprise formations and player selection as it is about passing out from the back and possession. Poor smug Eddie had planned a high press and Ryan just booted the ball upfield. Lovely.

 

[Guinness Boy]

It’s because Potter learned he lesson against Wilder.

I maintain that Wilder called Potter’s formation, style and players vs Sheff Utd. He must have thought he’d won the lottery as his team looked 100% drilled in stopping Potterball and it worked like a dream.

Where as Smug Eddie would have been thinking ‘4-2-3-1 with Ali-J & Duffy - WTF!!!’.
Mooy was given the freedom of the Amex as arrogant Eddie refused to sacrifice a forward in exchange for a DM to anchor Mooy down.

Potterball has not been rejected but is as much about surprise formations and player selection as it is about passing out from the back and possession. Poor smug Eddie had planned a high press and Ryan just booted the ball upfield. Lovely.

Agree with all of that, good post.

"Potterball" isn't just possession or it would just be Gus's tippy tappy approach. We'll knock it long when we need to but it's really about flexability as much as anything else. Hence Dan Burn at left back for example. And with Mooy pushed in to almost a number 10 role the onus was on the two CMs to do all of the work behind him, which they did, hence their excellent ratings.

 

[KnowMe-Joe]

Ryan - 7 - Didn't have too much to do. However, made a very important save at 1-0 a couple of misplaced long balls that went straight out for a throw.
Montoya - 8 - Solid in defence and got forward well. Most underrated player on the pitch.
Dunk - 7 - Very important block, started moves well only negative was pretty tame with his headers at corners.
Duffy - 6 - A couple of mistakes early on. Didn't quite look himself for the first part of the game however was solid as a rock in the second half.
Burn - 8 - Goal should have stood. Bournemouth didn't know how to deal with a 6ft7 overlapping left back and defensively mostly sound.
Bissouma - 7 - First half especially when under pressure he struggled to get into the game however second half he came out and helped dominate the midfield, really mature performance unlucky to hit the post. Those skills.
Propper - 8 - Started the move for Alis goal, kept things ticking and covered the back four expertly, his positioning is key to how we play. Rarely misplaces a pass.
Mooy - 9 - Head and shoulders above every Bournemouth midfielder, completely ran the game. Well taken goal also brought Trossard and Bissouma more into the game in the second half. Pretty much the engine of the match.
AJ - 7 - First half was fantastic scored a great goal and defended very well when we were under pressure. Second half he was a bit less involved but still played his part. Was great seeing his confidence grow.
Maupay - 7 - Shooting was not great however he was linking play very well, provided the assist for the first goal and was a menace all game. One of the hardest workers on the pitch.
Trossard - 7 - Quiet first half felt he was isolated on the wing but still linked with the midfield and switching wings with AJ worked very effectively. Second half he got more involved and produced a great assist.

Potter -10 - great use of the squad, tactics were spot on and we should have won by more the 4-2-3-1 with Bissouma, Propper and Mooy in the middle is potentially the answer to unlocking stubborn teams, and it was great to see us fully utilise the wingers.

The whole XI played very well together one of our best games this season.

 

[dazzer6666]

It’s because Potter learned he lesson against Wilder.

I maintain that Wilder called Potter’s formation, style and players vs Sheff Utd. He must have thought he’d won the lottery as his team looked 100% drilled in stopping Potterball and it worked like a dream.

Where as Smug Eddie would have been thinking ‘4-2-3-1 with Ali-J & Duffy - WTF!!!’.
Mooy was given the freedom of the Amex as arrogant Eddie refused to sacrifice a forward in exchange for a DM to anchor Mooy down.

Potterball has not been rejected but is as much about surprise formations and player selection as it is about passing out from the back and possession. Poor smug Eddie had planned a high press and Ryan just booted the ball upfield. Lovely.

Agree with all of that, good post.

"Potterball" isn't just possession or it would just be Gus's tippy tappy approach. We'll knock it long when we need to but it's really about flexability as much as anything else. Hence Dan Burn at left back for example. And with Mooy pushed in to almost a number 10 role the onus was on the two CMs to do all of the work behind him, which they did, hence their excellent ratings.

Joyful to witness that GP appears to be learning and adapting to the PL very quickly, and utilising the squad in different ways. He did Howe up like a kipper with his selection and tactics on Saturday. Let's see what he has planned for Frank.............

 

[blue-shifted]

Ryan - 7 - Didn't have too much to do. However, made a very important save at 1-0 a couple of misplaced long balls that went straight out for a throw.
Montoya - 8 - Solid in defence and got forward well. Most underrated player on the pitch.
Dunk - 7 - Very important block, started moves well only negative was pretty tame with his headers at corners.
Duffy - 6 - A couple of mistakes early on. Didn't quite look himself for the first part of the game however was solid as a rock in the second half.
Burn - 8 - Goal should have stood. Bournemouth didn't know how to deal with a 6ft7 overlapping left back and defensively mostly sound.
Bissouma - 7 - First half especially when under pressure he struggled to get into the game however second half he came out and helped dominate the midfield, really mature performance unlucky to hit the post. Those skills.
Propper - 8 - Started the move for Alis goal, kept things ticking and covered the back four expertly, his positioning is key to how we play. Rarely misplaces a pass.
Mooy - 9 - Head and shoulders above every Bournemouth midfielder, completely ran the game. Well taken goal also brought Trossard and Bissouma more into the game in the second half. Pretty much the engine of the match.
AJ - 7 - First half was fantastic scored a great goal and defended very well when we were under pressure. Second half he was a bit less involved but still played his part. Was great seeing his confidence grow.
Maupay - 7 - Shooting was not great however he was linking play very well, provided the assist for the first goal and was a menace all game. One of the hardest workers on the pitch.
Trossard - 7 - Quiet first half felt he was isolated on the wing but still linked with the midfield and switching wings with AJ worked very effectively. Second half he got more involved and produced a great assist.

Potter -10 - great use of the squad, tactics were spot on and we should have won by more the 4-2-3-1 with Bissouma, Propper and Mooy in the middle is potentially the answer to unlocking stubborn teams, and it was great to see us fully utilise the wingers.

The whole XI played very well together one of our best games this season.

It says something about the nature of the xmas fixture schedule that the ratings are coming in for a game a little over 24 hours before the next one starts