[Freeney]

Never rated him from the off and got pelters for it on here last season pointing out his many flaws. Most people see them now thankfully.

He's not a £50m player and he's not a PL title winning fullback.

DDG seems to have regressed massively and Lindelof n Maguire are a shambles as a pairing too. This isnt helping either.

Need to buy 2 new defenders this summer. World class CB and RB

That comes with the territory when you’re supporting a british club.
You still have this dinosaur mindset from sets of fans in this country who rate tackles more than footballing brain and technique.
AWB would've been hounded out by Real Madrid fans by now.

 

[Matthew84!]

Wait why is Wan Bissaka getting criticized? This is weird. He missed a header off a long ball set piece. It happens. Lapses in concentration also tend to be far more frequent (with anyone) when they're overplayed, and Wan Bissaka pretty much plays 90 minutes in every single game.

Wan Bissaka has improved loads this season IMO. He's answered the questions I had about him and has been excellent going forward. Will only improve in that aspect with a more natural right winger in front of him.

I really don't get it either, if our CBs were doing there job this wouldn't be happening, there are to slow,

 

[Freeney]

Wait why is Wan Bissaka getting criticized? This is weird. He missed a header off a long ball set piece. It happens. Lapses in concentration also tend to be far more frequent (with anyone) when they're overplayed, and Wan Bissaka pretty much plays 90 minutes in every single game.

Wan Bissaka has improved loads this season IMO. He's answered the questions I had about him and has been excellent going forward. Will only improve in that aspect with a more natural right winger in front of him.

Good grief.
” He’s answered the questions i had about him and has been excellent going forward”

 

[bosnian_red]

Good grief.
” He’s answered the questions i had about him and has been excellent going forward”

He has. He's been among the best in the league from fullback with his chances created and crosses completed percentages and especially the past month has improved that part of his game immensely. Unless you are expecting Beckham-esque delivery consistently, Wan Bissaka has been excellent in that aspect over the past few months.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

I really don't get it either, if our CBs were doing there job this wouldn't be happening, there are to slow,

Wan Bissaka gave the ball away yesterday more than any player in our team. Bad touches that went out of play and sloppy passes given away. Did you not see him try to find Cavani in the 94th minute and give it away? That got me so angry. All we had to do was keep the ball and run the clock down. He's just not good enough though.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Wait why is Wan Bissaka getting criticized? This is weird. He missed a header off a long ball set piece. It happens. Lapses in concentration also tend to be far more frequent (with anyone) when they're overplayed, and Wan Bissaka pretty much plays 90 minutes in every single game.

Wan Bissaka has improved loads this season IMO. He's answered the questions I had about him and has been excellent going forward. Will only improve in that aspect with a more natural right winger in front of him.

Well said. He's been good lately and has clearly improved going forward. He's got a decent cross on him now.

He does have a tendency to switch off in games. I think we would be doing him a big favour if we brought another RB in to compete with and if we rested him more. He's going to play a ridiculous amount of games this season.

 

[Lassitude42]

Good solid performance and looked one of our better players. Seemed confident on the ball.

 

[ivaldo]

Does he have control of his own legs? That clearance that nearly lobbed Henderson was atrocious. I'd be replacing him before either of the CBs. He's incredible in one on one but time and again he has been caught lingering behind the rest of the defensive, who all seem capable of playing as a unit.

 

[eire-red]

He has some strange moments, but I think he's improving all of the time and his general play and ball retention has improved this season.

I think the focus to improve his attacking play, and have him always on the front foot, has hindered his defensive abilities, but I think that can be put down to a bedding in period for this new role he has in the squad from an attacking point.

In general, he's been one of our better performers for the last couple months and if he continues to improve then he's going to be a very solid FB for years to come for us.

 

[Rolaholic]

 

[LuisNaniencia]

Did he get a knock yesterday? Went straight down the tunnel when he came off.

 

[Abhinav]

His biggest weakness right now is his positioning when the ball is delivered from the other flank and his heading. I think his attacking limitations are overplayed and he generally manages to keep possession of the ball and has been recently upped his contribution in attack.

 

[tomaldinho1]

His biggest weakness right now is his positioning when the ball is delivered from the other flank and his heading. I think his attacking limitations are overplayed and he generally manages to keep possession of the ball and has been recently upped his contribution in attack.

It's actually where Ole wants him to be, he tucks in narrow and it's a tactical choice. If a team scores from the left hand side scores, it doesn't always mean the RB must be at fault and you have to take into account our defensive system - it can be exploited if the opposition has enough quality and targets the longer ball to the back post but it's clearly a decision to help out our CBs and also it makes sense from a risk perspective: you'd rather give them that ball as an option (which is a hard pass to make accurately and with enough speed) and block off the ball behind Lindelof/through the CB gate.

Next game watch when we lose possession and the ball is on the opponents right flank, Lindelof shifts over, AWB tucks in and they form, for want of a better word, a loose sandwich around the attacker. Shaw will do the same in the opposite scenario. Agree on his heading, particularly as he's deceptively tall but personally I think he's doing fine overall.

 

[Abhinav]

It's actually where Ole wants him to be, he tucks in narrow and it's a tactical choice. If a team scores from the left hand side scores, it doesn't always mean the RB must be at fault and you have to take into account our defensive system - it can be exploited if the opposition has enough quality and targets the longer ball to the back post but it's clearly a decision to help out our CBs and also it makes sense from a risk perspective: you'd rather give them that ball as an option (which is a hard pass to make accurately and with enough speed) and block off the ball behind Lindelof/through the CB gate.

Next game watch when we lose possession and the ball is on the opponents right flank, Lindelof shifts over, AWB tucks in and they form, for want of a better word, a loose sandwich around the attacker. Shaw will do the same in the opposite scenario. Agree on his heading, particularly as he's deceptively tall but personally I think he's doing fine overall.

I agree that is tactical and natural that the RB tucks in to protect the centre of defence but in a lot of instances he is caught in a no man’s land where he is marking no one and cant affect any defensive action. I think it is his inability to position himself correctly to snuff out the danger. Shaw on the other hand is normally always in the right place to clear the ball away or make it harder for his man to get a clean contact when the ball comes in from the other flank.

 

[Ekeke]

Not a surprise. Neither is Fred being bottom left

 

[golden_blunder]

I agree that is tactical and natural that the RB tucks in to protect the centre of defence but in a lot of instances he is caught in a no man’s land where he is marking no one and cant affect any defensive action. I think it is his inability to position himself correctly to snuff out the danger. Shaw on the other hand is normally always in the right place to clear the ball away or make it harder for his man to get a clean contact when the ball comes in from the other flank.

It’s only a few years ago that Jose was moaning about having to tell Shaw where to position and move. It’ll come for AWB too

 

[tomaldinho1]

I agree that is tactical and natural that the RB tucks in to protect the centre of defence but in a lot of instances he is caught in a no man’s land where he is marking no one and cant affect any defensive action. I think it is his inability to position himself correctly to snuff out the danger. Shaw on the other hand is normally always in the right place to clear the ball away or make it harder for his man to get a clean contact when the ball comes in from the other flank.

He's definitely still learning, that's for sure but also factor in Rashford is a decent LW positionally - one of the few things I think Jose did for us - whereas Greenwood RW is very suspect, usually drifts infield and is still learning that role. If I was an opposition coach I'd definitely target our right hand side because there's usually not a huge amount of cover for AWB, which is probably a big part of why Ole plays a double pivot, and Lindelof, who is generally seen as weaker than Maguire, is also usually on that side as well.

 

[Devil may care]

It's like his attacking gears have locked since the 9-0.

 

[InspiRED]

It is hard to criticise him because his effort levels are always good. He is a fantastic full-back, incredibly consistent, committed and defensively as solid as it gets.

But.. He is not a league title winning full-back in my opinion. It's plain as day and against these low block shitshow teams like today that's when you need more from your fullbacks if you are going to break them down. I just fear that he does not have the football intelligence to be the kind of player that can find the lines and spaces with his offensive play that can penetrate the block. Always committed and reliable but we need a better first choice right back that offers more going forward.

 

[Sylar]

We need an alternative rb for games like this especially given how much he sees the ball. Now that might be a tactic by opposition but getting somebody in might negate that too

 

[MattofManchester]

I'm pretty sure even he knows he's awkward on the ball, so why doesn't he pass it quicker?
He's another one who tends to take too much time on the ball, only to pass it backwards.

Also needs to spot players making runs for a pass as he tends to almost always ignore them.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Must be incredibly difficult for him not having a consistent partner on the right. Made even worse by our wide players generally woeful defensive efforts.

 

[Bastian]

Think he's improving quite a lot.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

My only thought yesterday regarding him was, you know that drill you do in football training where Player A throws the ball in the air and Player B heads it back to them? Well when AWB is Player B I feel sorry for whoever Player A is.

Other then that totally pointless thought, I thought he was broadly OK.

 

[Bebestation]

His attacking is getting better but its leaving him more open doing the basic defensive things.

Needs a RW partner to build a seasonal understanding with.

 

[AltiUn]

Must be incredibly difficult for him not having a consistent partner on the right. Made even worse by our wide players generally woeful defensive efforts.

He and Greenwood need to be given time to learn each other's games. He'll never build chemistry with anyone if his partner is always changing.

 

[Devil may care]

Solid game, didn't give an inch on his flank.

 

[Lassitude42]

A bit shaky at the start but was resolute defensively for the majority of the game. 7/10 for me

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

There was a beautiful one on one in our box in the second half

 

[Red & White]

Pretty solid display. He’s got some minutes under his belt this season! Hopefully gets a rest for the return leg and give Tuanzebe or Williams a run out.

 

[Bobcat]

Solid game, didn't give an inch on his flank.

He almost never does. He gets a lot of shit on here for his lack of attacking output but he completely locks down the right(left) side

 

[golden_blunder]

Anyone else urging him to shoot on that late run into the box?

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Just rewatching the match with the sound on. That challenge on Monreal...even Monica Seles was blushing

 

[acnumber9]

Anyone else urging him to shoot on that late run into the box?

Definitely. He probably has the best shots to goals ratio in the team.

 

[Sylar]

His yellow was too funny. His first touch meant his second had to be a tackle and it wasn't pretty

Otherwise a solid game. Do think we need another rb to allow him rest which would only help him I think

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I thought he was quite poor in the first half, but improved markedly in the second.

Whats with us and right backs who act like they'll incur the wrath of the gods if they dare to use their left foot though!? (well him and Tony at least)

 

[Devil may care]

Hasn't pushed on from the Southampton game, he was ok though against an unpredictable Saint Maxim.

 

[Lassitude42]

I thought he did well yesterday. His passing was assured and he kept Saint Maximin pretty quiet

 

[DannyCAFC]

Yesterday looked to be back to norm. Solid game against a very difficult opponent to defend against in Saint-Maximin, showcasing his 1v1 ability in the process. But offered next to nothing going forward, James was very isolated on that right-hand side.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

He used his left foot twice!! Once for a shot!

I nearly fell off my chair.