Is this a mistake?....Knockaert 9?....That rating equates to " outstanding "
It was a performance full of everything that is currently letting him down in the PL. Passing without looking. Snatching at shots. Continually ' overplaying ' Losing control of the ball, when running freely with it. Poor and inaccurate crossing. Agreed, he put a shift in but you need more at this level and he could offer more.
I really hoped this season that the management team were going to get hold of him and rein him in. The razzle, dazzle, twisting and turning and trying to beat the same player more than once, doesn't work at the highest level. Its all about quick, simple, accurate football played with pace and skill. All the over-playing and mistakes, that we all overlooked at Championship level, because he was a potential match-winner, are exposed in the PL.
The frustrating part is that when he keeps it simple, he looks very good. Surely the management must see this but over and over again we see him trying to do too much, losing the ball and then the inevitable flounce, sulk or hissy fit follows. Playing the way he does, he will not win us games at this level and will slip back to being a bit-part player, rolled out for short, cameo roles in home games.
The hardest part is getting him to change and if he can't, then his future at this level is limited.
Although I gave him a ‘6’, I feel this is a little bit of a harsh summary for Saturday.
Snatching of shots - agreed
Overrunning of the ball - once
Doing too much - at times, but nothing new
Crossing - disagree
Hissy fits - not this time that I noticed, may be I just missed them or don’t see them anymore.
We look much better when he plays IMO, we’re more of a threat because generally he occupies two players. We’re faster on the break and more incisive.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk