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Great news and a truly inspirational story. Was displaced from his home and club when signed due to the war with Russia, sent on loan to PSV where he only managed to play 12 games, and ended up becoming a key player in us winning 14 games in a row to win the title. Always smiling and can rap as well.

I'll be interested to see if he starts to transition to a role further up the field in a few years. He certainly has the passing range, touch, and intelligence to do so.

Congrats and as you'd expect, his father is filled with joy: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7zZSBhN3Q/

Certainly got character. I still think he's a crap full back though, maybe midfield is the long term option?

john@staustell wrote:Certainly got character. I still think he's a crap full back though, maybe midfield is the long term option?

Can't be that crap given he was 1st choice for the important part of the season where we won 14 in a row in the league and the domestic treble!

Remember before he came back in to the team last season and I suggested that he was decent and got laughed at? Then he came in and smashed it...

Great news. Like him a lot.

bigblue wrote:

john@staustell wrote:Certainly got character. I still think he's a crap full back though, maybe midfield is the long term option?

Can't be that crap given he was 1st choice for the important part of the season where we won 14 in a row in the league and the domestic treble!

He did nothing wrong at left-back. Like you say, Pep chose him for the run in so he must have something.

Great news and great attitude.

Every top team needs players like him. I predict he will become a cult hero at the club.

He is clearly a great footballer, superb distribution. Not the the best at defending...... but hey ho we don’t have to do much of it !!!

22 PL matches played, 22 matches won.

He is no Kolarov.

Very good news. Brilliant lad with brilliant attitude. He is obviously only going to get better.

Sparklehorse wrote:He is clearly a great footballer, superb distribution. Not the the best at defending...... but hey ho we don’t have to do much of it !!!

Pep has a huge back catalogue of Full backs who were great players and average at defending.

Hazy2 wrote:

Sparklehorse wrote:He is clearly a great footballer, superb distribution. Not the the best at defending...... but hey ho we don’t have to do much of it !!!

Pep has a huge back catalogue of Full backs who were great players and average at defending.

I don't see what he's done wrong defensive wise? I watched him closely again that Chelsea "wonder kid" in the final and he kept him out.

Anyone got any examples of when he's fucked up? Probably has I just can't remember so it's a genuine question.

Mase wrote:

Hazy2 wrote:

Sparklehorse wrote:He is clearly a great footballer, superb distribution. Not the the best at defending...... but hey ho we don’t have to do much of it !!!

Pep has a huge back catalogue of Full backs who were great players and average at defending.

I don't see what he's done wrong defensive wise? I watched him closely again that Chelsea "wonder kid" in the final and he kept him out.

Anyone got any examples of when he's fucked up? Probably has I just can't remember so it's a genuine question.

He did improve defensively last season, certain improvement on the season before. To me he looks a little light for the position, he probably still needs to gain an bit of strength and weight, in the right way. I am not suggesting he pigs out on big macs. But he has to meat up a bit.

I think our left back has been our weakness for some time. Not so much with making mistakes (though Fabian has been guilty of a few) but more from lack of cover or poor positioning. We tend to concede a lot from a switched pass over to the lb area where there is little or no cover more often than is normal.

london blue 2 wrote:I think our left back has been our weakness for some time. Not so much with making mistakes (though Fabian has been guilty of a few) but more from lack of cover or poor positioning. We tend to concede a lot from a switched pass over to the lb area where there is little or no cover more often than is normal.

But that's most often down to tactics. In our current set-up, the left back (be it Zinch or Delph) often tucks in and becomes another central midfielder when we're in the attacking half.

That said, he did lose his man a few times this season and misjudged some high diagonals that reach the winger he was supposed to cover. He'll learn though.

As for being a fullback ... I wouldn't expect him to do well in that role in a midtable team, but for us and our requirements, he's almost hand in glove (could be a bit faster).

bigblue wrote:Congrats and as you'd expect, his father is filled with joy: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7zZSBhN3Q/

Crikey - it looks like an early '90s pop group has been reunited with their member who was 'accidentally' cryogenically frozen. They all went on to live unassuming-but-happy lives, until someone found him in a freezer, and forced them to get back together for a series of reunion concerts.

london blue 2 wrote:I think our left back has been our weakness for some time.

Since we got rid of Aleks.

mr_nool wrote:

london blue 2 wrote:I think our left back has been our weakness for some time. Not so much with making mistakes (though Fabian has been guilty of a few) but more from lack of cover or poor positioning. We tend to concede a lot from a switched pass over to the lb area where there is little or no cover more often than is normal.

But that's most often down to tactics. In our current set-up, the left back (be it Zinch or Delph) often tucks in and becomes another central midfielder when we're in the attacking half.

That said, he did lose his man a few times this season and misjudged some high diagonals that reach the winger he was supposed to cover. He'll learn though.

As for being a fullback ... I wouldn't expect him to do well in that role in a midtable team, but for us and our requirements, he's almost hand in glove (could be a bit faster).

A good example of this here



A lot of teams target him with these type of balls but I think he improved on this as the season progressed, take Leicester in the penultimate game, they were trying this ball but Zinch had his angles right and I don't recall them getting in behind him at all.

the perfect squad player