by Colin the King » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:21 am
Robinho has certain qualities- he has excellent awareness of what's around him, the eye for a pass that only an elite few were born with, his movement can indirectly cause havoc because the opposition are so keen to close him down that it opens acres of space for our other attackers to work in. When these things come together in a game it's a real spectacle and can result in us scoring freely (most notably Hull and Portsmouth last season).
The problem is that when they don't come together you're left with a liability- a luxury that you can ill-afford in the Premier League. Look at the players at the very top, those who have proven themselves as 'world class'- Messi, Ronaldo, Kaká, Villa, Torres, Henry. They have what Robinho has but add to it with determination and consistency. They have done and continue to score upwards of 20 goals a season and that's a reward for always being in the frame of mind to score and create- not sometimes.
The 'wet Tuesday night in Stoke' line is a cliché that's overused but in Robinho's case it's relevant. I think it's telling that when defending his away form last season, people say 'what about Everton'. What about it? There are 19 away league games in a season and people are constantly referring to ONE where he played at his level. Forget the world class players I mentioned before- even in our own squad, Bellamy and Tevez are the better players because in my opinion, it's not what you're capable of doing- it's what you DO. Their productivity is week in, week out and if it's not scoring, it's creating, if it's not creating, it's working within the team unit to secure a result.
He has an opportunity now to start afresh with Mancini and maybe his coaching style will bring the best out of him. Maybe he'll manage to adapt and deliver consistently- my fear, though, is that just as before- we'll see glimpses of sheer brilliance but just as much lethargy and half-heartedness.
