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Just great to see Pep in our tech box. His enthusiasm makes the hairs on the back of the neck twitch. Fantastic.

Hazy2 wrote:Just great to see Pep in our tech box. His enthusiasm makes the hairs on the back of the neck twitch. Fantastic.

I've often wondered what our first team would look like if they livened up a bit. We may be about to see. That patient pedestrianism was killing me.

Good to see the kids playing, particularly the three who played the whole game. I'm sure Pep would use them if need be rather than rely on oldies like the now departed Demichelis as Pellegrini did.

I don't want to see Navas play for us again. It is always the same with him. Receive it wide, take a touch to control the ball and allow the defender to close him down, and then either hit the ball against the defender or turn inside. Or... receive the ball inside, take a touch to control the ball, do a face-off with the now closing down opposing player, then pass it backwards. I thought he was bought because he was a fast winger who could cross from the byline, but he is just too slooooooooooooooooow.

Also, I don't want to see Bony playing for us again. I'm fed up with his standing around, ambling around, miscontrolling the ball, misdirecting passes, shots and headers, and just generally being half a second behind in whatever he's supposed to be doing.

My two cents on last nights game.

Pros:

• Angelino look a good shout for the first team, i think its obvious Pep wants wing backs who bomb up and down the line, he looks a fit. I can see him and Clichy rotating this season.
  
  Maffeo, Zinchenko and Adebayioooo? look decent, year or two out on loan and they could develop into good players for us.
  
  Pressing. Finally some urgency.
  
  Pep. Finally some passion.

Cons:

• Kolarov. I'll drive him to the airport now, i can't stand him. Looks lazy and disinterested every game i've seen him play for a good year.
  
  Barker. Sucks to slam a local lad but he's not going to break through is he. Not worth a loan, time to go.
  
  Deflections. Cruel way to end our first game under Pep, but a typical city thing to happen really.

Overall, a pretty competitive first showing from the lads when historically the first game of preseason its utter dross, so i'm pretty satisfied.

Roll on the rags now!

World Toure wrote:

patrickblue wrote:

bigblue wrote:Know people won't give him credit, but Bony has been good

I'll give him credit, he was excellent tonight.

indeed he was

He held the ball up really well - not a 'plan A' Pep player but I bet he could find a role for him in a 'Plan B' or 'C' alternative. He would be a great decoy for an attacking midfielder to play off.

Dameerto wrote:

World Toure wrote:

patrickblue wrote:

bigblue wrote:Know people won't give him credit, but Bony has been good

I'll give him credit, he was excellent tonight.

indeed he was

He held the ball up really well - not a 'plan A' Pep player but I bet he could find a role for him in a 'Plan B' or 'C' alternative. He would be a great decoy for an attacking midfielder to play off.

I agree, but I feel like Bony is still convincing himself that this is what he has to become. It's got to be tough to go from the only real goal threat in your team to a decoy, but all of Wilf's worst moments are when he tries to beat two or three to get a shot off, or when he shoots pea-rollers from thirty yards with visions of screamers in his head.

Pep will have no choice other than to integrate and use young players this season. As we change from being a slow ponderous outfit to a fast high tempo pressing pep model, a lot of the old guard will fall by the wayside, and quite quickly too.

sheblue wrote:Pep will have no choice other than to integrate and use young players this season. As we change from being a slow ponderous outfit to a fast high tempo pressing pep model, a lot of the old guard will fall by the wayside, and quite quickly too.

Pretty sure Silva can adapt. And Fernandinho, and.........

But obviously some have to be moved on. Whether he considers our young players good enough is not really related to that.