[Football] Yasin Ayari

[WATFORD zero]

I like him too, but I always thought Moran looked the better player. Shows what I know!

18 months ago, Moran well may have been better. At their ages, things can change so quickly

(It was 18 months between Caicedo making the squad after returning from loan and being sold)

 

[Matt Richards]

Thought he was dreadful first half - lost every single duel, dispossessed multiple times, misplaced places, and some bizarre decision making.
However, he was crucial to our first goal and played much better thereafter.

This is exactly how I saw it. It was interesting that in the first half Ipswich gave all of our back 4 and Baleba whatever time they wanted on the ball but gave Ayari none and he didn’t cope well with the pressure. He has incredible energy and as the second half wore on he got more space and more time on the ball. He adds a lot to us with his energy but not sure he has the ability to be composed and spot a pass of someone like Hinsh to remain a fixture in the team. Would love to be proved wrong.

 

[GT49er]

Lots of talk about Mats Wieffer. Since he was thigh injured in April last year he's spent ~6 months out with various (because I guess his last one was another of these) thigh injuries. Said a month ago he's finally fully fit, plays 150 minutes of football over a few weeks and is then gone for a month+ again. Same thing earlier, and same thing in the pre-season.

Think its far more likely we'll hear about him going under the knife than seeing him as a key player in our midfield before the season is over. Right now its a bit of a Manchester United-style "our midfield will be great when Owen Hargreaves is back". I see it as a bonus if we get him "up to speed" this season at all.

Yes, but surely you realise he's getting better and better all the time he's not playing (a lot of players do, only to disappoint when they come back in and turn out not to be the next Messi after all!)

 

[Bozza]

18 months ago, Moran well may have been better. At their ages, things can change so quickly

(It was 18 months between Caicedo making the squad after returning from loan and being sold)

Indeed.

When people say things like "Why are we signing <player name>, we don't need another <position of player> - we have loads already", they are not understanding how it plays out.

Different players will develop at different rates, and some may barely develop at all. For all the excellent scouting and analysis we do, there's still a fair chunk of luck involved, so the more good prospects we acquire, the more likely we are to find the occasional nugget.

 

[martin tyler]

What does impress me is he appears to have stamina in abundance. Late in the game yesterday he was closing down all over the place still. For a player who struggled to get championship game time he’s stepped up really well. Lots to improve on but still been a great and surprising addition to the squad this year.

 

[Whitley Bayster]

Thought him and O'Riley were getting in each others way a lot. Once O'Riley went off he had a lot more space to expand his game.

O'Riley did well to set the first goal up, but feels like a luxury player at the moment. I hope he can find his niche, because we have seen flashes of ability, but needs to do more.

Ayari isn't getting everything right, but his tenacity makes up for shortcomings in other areas and it was good to see him finishing the game strongly. He has been hauled off at 70 minutes on a few occasions having run himself into the ground.

Needs to pull his socks up. Both figuratively and actually

 

[Wardy's twin]

Think he’s underrated by some on here, possibly partly because of his build, which is slight.

He’s a skilled passer of the ball, and I can understand why in Wieffer’s absence he’s the preferred choice to partner Baleba. The question for me is whether he’ll still be preferred when Wieffer is fit.

My guess is he will be in games where incisive passing is prioritised, and won’t in games where athleticism is what’s required, but that’s just guesswork on my part.

when you say athleticism I assume you mean physical strength because Ayrai is a lot more athletic than what we have seen of Wieffer so far.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Lots of talk about Mats Wieffer. Since he was thigh injured in April last year he's spent ~6 months out with various (because I guess his last one was another of these) thigh injuries. Said a month ago he's finally fully fit, plays 150 minutes of football over a few weeks and is then gone for a month+ again. Same thing earlier, and same thing in the pre-season.

Think its far more likely we'll hear about him going under the knife than seeing him as a key player in our midfield before the season is over. Right now its a bit of a Manchester United-style "our midfield will be great when Owen Hargreaves is back". I see it as a bonus if we get him "up to speed" this season at all.

It's often said the best camera is the one you have in your hand , to me the best players are the ones that get on the pitch. He might not be the best at the club but he available to play and puts a shift in most games. What I like about his game is he is always looking to put it forward quickly and that doesn't always work , it forms a bigger part of the debate about possession football and how often we end up keeping the ball but then have to face 10 defenders. Yes he needs to improve certain aspects and perhaps be a little calmer (shooting) but I think there are a lot more positives than negatives in his game and contribution. There was a comparison with his game against JohnMcGinn , yep second best to one of the most consistently good midfielders of the last 5 years....

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

In Thailand on holiday.
The commentary team and pundits were raving about him.
Having a good season, and getting stronger each game.
Good thread/call @jackalbion

 

[WATFORD zero]

I really like Ayari, When Matts is fit though i would be pairing him with Baleba.

I was saying that a while back, but with Matts's fitness problems this season, it's possible that Ayari, whilst younger, will have the best part of a year's premier midfield experience over Matts. And it was noticeable that we played Jack as a fullback and he struggled a little on the rare occasions we put him in the middle of the park.

I wouldn't like to guess who gets the nod when they are all fit and available. Horses for courses ?

 

[portlock seagull]

For a 21 year old, half way through his first season playing midfield in the premier, I think he is doing really well

Admittedly not seen too many games so far, and not been overly impressed by him when I have. I bow to those better placed to judge therefore, and would echo your comments as a fitting summary of the many positive ones.

He's a work in progress (who isn't?) and we can expect ups and downs. I suppose the question is should such a raw talent be 1st choice, or do we have/should even expect better? Especially because, if he does progress, he'll soon be off naturally. I guess though that's our level - we train 'em up, with associated risks, and sell 'em on, with associated risks. And repeat.

 

[AZ Gull]

Given all the money we spent in midfield in the summer, and given Baleba is a nailed-on starter, no one would have predicted Ayari would feature anywhere near as much as he has.

And for someone who could barely get a game at Blackburn last season, was 20 years old when the season started and had never kicked a ball in the Premier League, it's been an incredible display.

Of course he's going to be inconsistent, but he's a real gem.

Point of order: Ayari made three Premier League appearances in 2022-23 (one start and two sub appearances).

 

[SeagullinExile]

Struggled first half. Better in the second.

Joel was MOM by a country mile in my book.

 

[METALMICKY]

Needs to pull his socks up. Both figuratively and actually

Indeed. Asking for his shins to get whacked and that silly tattoo that makes it look like he's got a sock hold up tied to his calf. Looks a little too laid back for his own good.

 

[JBizzle]

In Thailand on holiday.
The commentary team and pundits were raving about him.
Having a good season, and getting stronger each game.
Good thread/call @jackalbion

I was going to add the same thing. He was MoM on the channel I was watching

 

[Guinness Boy]

Very poor first half. His passing was all over the place whenever he had to do anything other than knock it sideways. Then after our '80% possession' phase Ipswich ran through our midfield at will.

Great second half though and got the pre-assist for the first goal.

 

[Silverhatch]

when you say athleticism I assume you mean physical strength because Ayrai is a lot more athletic than what we have seen of Wieffer so far.

Indeed. He’s also not ‘blessed’ with pace. But he’s a fabulous footballer

 

[Surrey Phil]

The more Yasin plays with Baleba, the better he is getting. He had a really good game last night.

 

[Motogull]

For a 21 year old, half way through his first season playing midfield in the premier, I think he is doing really well

Yes, he plays in that critical area where small mistakes can be a real problem.

Interesting that during a poor first half last night, Yasin was the one getting pelters as if the poor performance was all down to him!
Following a few adjustments at half time, maybe the changes were both beneficial to both Yasin and the team in general. I've always thought that if the loans he had were with teams that didn't play to his strengths and/or he couldn't excel with poorer players around him, there is the argument that playing in a better team with better players, shows him in a much better light.

He misplaced more than his fair share of passes though.

Playing in the middle of the park is a very much highlighted position. So he will get more critiques.

Spot on.

He does some stuff that reminds me of Pascal, which cannot be a bad thing.

 

[amexer]

last night played a terrible through ball to nobody then had cheek to wave arms at Mitoma suggesting he should have being there