I think mainly because we went so many weeks without any healthy or available wingers. Almost all of January because of AFCON and injuries.
1 Like
You’re 100 percent right. That was an unfair statement.
1 Like
It does seem to have got a bit stale, and he’s been transitioning away from that these last few games. He still uses Salas at LB/LCB for added flexibility, but Suazo & Juanlu have been our wide midfielders in a 4-4-2. Oso has been better going forward, so i wouldn’t mind seeing him & Suazo double-up on the left.
Offensively, i think we have problems on the right. Carmona hasn’t been as good as he started the season, and Juanlu is very slowly recovering. Januzaj has surprisingly been a breath of fresh air, being the only player allowing the team to breathe while in possession. He knows he fills a void; his case is just complicated with the injuries. I can’t rely on Vargas, knowing he’s not likely to take risks ahead of a World Cup (which kinda helps us with his transfer value). It only leaves Ejuke, who’s perhaps better left as a guarantee off the bench, with our lack of options.
The main issues, as always, are in central defense, and it’s become a game-by-game basis. We’re missing Marcão’s presence (but certainly not his rash tackles.) He is much better than who’s filling in right now. The quality drops considerably after him & Azpi. Nianzou’s too much in his own head to have another good game here, Castrín’s still a bit inexperienced, while Cardoso & Gattoni are just waiting for our Segunda matches to get starts.
But i’m at least grateful that Almeyda isn’t just stubbornly trying to make the same strategy work like Pimienta did. He’s constantly adjusting his teams to cater to its strong points. Mendy hasn’t been providing anything different in midfield, and so Agoume & Sow have been a decent pair. And the fact Akor is always playing with a partner now is also evidence of that.
2 Likes