Painful to watch him now, really likeable bloke but if he checks back once more I won't have a TV to watch.
Antonio Valencia... | Will wear #25 shirt from this point onwards by request
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My wonder is why he came on rather than Young. We're really making every effort to bring him back to form but it's not working and the team is paying a price.
He's simply forgotten how to be a football player. I'm not sure if it's a mental block, confidence. I'm not sure it's even an injury. He is moving freely.
I just felt a bit sorry for him today. He's fallen so far in 12 months it's quite incredible. It was a truly awful showing from him, and to make things worse, I don't think anyone is that suprised by it.
I don't enjoy picking on one player in a bad team performance but he was beyond shit today. Shockingly bad, I couldn't believe how bad it was. Continually gave the ball away and offered nothing to us, and actually was more hindrance than help.
I actually don't want him to play for us again this season. Been given enough chances to play into some form and failed miserably.
I actually don't want him to play for us again this season. Been given enough chances to play into some form and failed miserably.
He's been found out and for a long time now.Stop him, double up and they know he runs back rather than use that left foot.
IMO he's at most threat from Zaha signing and at least you know Zaha will take on a player
But I don't think that's really the case, he's not taking people on and failing, he doesn't lack space to run in to, he simply just won't try it. He gets the ball and his first instinct is to stop and pass it to someone else.
Maybe it's rose tinted specs but being off form used to constitute five or six games, when did it become a season?
Yeah, don't think it's anything to do with being "found out". Just doesn't seem physically or mentally the same to me.
Even when he was pulverising Ashley Cole a few years back?
When we signed Garry Birtles.
...which means he's been found out. He no longer has the edge against good defenders. If he physically and mentally isn't the same to you, what do you think the effect is when faced with defenders?They aren't scared of him. He's limited at best but his best is far behind him and they know it.
The V-1000 has malfunctioned.
Do you rate Lennon?
For me it looks like he isn't able to get into the game mentally and I'm not sure we can afford to play him through this rut at the moment. As crushing as it may sound he needs some games out of the spot light against lesser opposition. I think it would do him wonders mentally to be able to work though this slump.
I honestly never rated him, he's an extremely limited footballer. Just my opinion though and I'm in the minority.
Last season, I got excited by him running with the ball. This season, I just fear no, know he's going to lose possession.
It has got to a point where I would rather see our RB play on the wing instead of Valencia.
Just seen this. I guess that's the mystery of his awful performances solved.
It's got to the point where I'd rather see Stephen Hawking out there.
To be fair, Hawking is a better dribbler than Valencia.
Well I was thinking today, maybe they should swap round.
I hate to say that I'm beginning to loose my patience with him, but I just don't get it. Bring back the Valencia we all know & love
What has happened to him this season? I wasnt the greatest fan of his prior to last season but when he came back from injury he was phenomenal. Hes been distinctly average this season, Nani coming back from injury has been a breath of fresh air.
I would be happy if he was even that! He's just been completely awful all year. Can anyone name the last time he had a good game? Even a 7/10 performance? Hasn't happened all season that's for sure.
I agree Cevno. Anyone remember when he was 1 on 1 with Cole? the same player he has terrorised for 2 seasons in a row. He just stopped. And then he hits a cross into row Z. The question for me is how long will we put up this shite? There really is no defending this. He had a few good plays but that is just not good enough. Whatever happened to Valencia, he's not the same player.
If you ask me, it may be time to cash in.
If you ask me, it may be time to cash in.
The problem seems to be Valencia wants to run straight ahead and cross the ball, but once a defender gets in his way, he has to either stop and go back, or run the ball out of play for a throw-in. Now if we make him start at left back, not over Evra, but just covering that position, he has the entire pitch ahead of him to run at and everytime he encounters an opposition player, he can veer right and just keep running straight, eventually to a dangerous position where he can get a cross in. Imagine a diagonal line from our left corner flag, to the opposite corner flag on the right side - that would be Valencia's unstoppable trajectory.
His other problem seems to be that whenever a defender blocks him on his right, he has to turn a full 360 degrees to get it back on his right again somehow. Usually by trying to traverse the entire circumference of the pitch. It's absolutely insane.
I don't know why he just doesn't swing one in with his left now and then. He did it once against Norwich and Kagawa opened the scoring but then nothing again.
He reminds me of Forrest Gump a bit, the poor lad.
I think he'll come back better next season. Defenders are positioning themselves better against him, and his poor form has totally sapped his confidence. Give the staff a bit of time to work with him and I'm sure he'll get back to form at some point.
What he shouldn't be doing is playing for us at the moment though. There comes a point when the risk of him losing even more confidence by being dropped is outweighed by the risk of playing him.
What he shouldn't be doing is playing for us at the moment though. There comes a point when the risk of him losing even more confidence by being dropped is outweighed by the risk of playing him.
So off it at the moment it's unbelievable, he was one on one with Mikel at one point and he checked back, just fecking run in straight lines forward Antonio and then cross it. He's unsure of his game which was never complicated in the first place. I can only think he's got an injury or something, I don't know.
Maybe he needs to stop buttering his toast.
His unwillingness to use his left is starting to irritate me to an irrational level. Today alone the world is full of injustice but nothing has pissed me off like watching a pro footballer do everything he can to keep it on his right side.
Yes, sometimes players have a nightmare season but come back stronger. I'd back him to do it. SAF clearly has a lot of faith in him. With Nani injured we'll be seeing plenty more of him this season tho, and it doesn't look like his form is coming back in a hurry.
Can't stand watching him at the moment, his time at this club is possibly coming to a close if Zaha adapts quickly next season.
The most depressing thing is those 'checks' he does. They never end. Run forward a few meters. Stop, then check 10 times before either running backwards, passing backwards, or occasionally run forward and lose the ball. Totally kills any kind of momentum. Now and again he'll cross the ball which is usually always completely non threatening and a lot of the time he'll manage to Bebe it into the crowd as well.
Ditto.
His unwillingness to do the things he's good at annoy me more, even if it doesn't come off at least try it, he's not even trying it!
I wouldn't want to sell him after seeing what he did last year, something happened to him between the summer break and it needs to be reversed, I might sound stupid saying this but to me the problem seems to be mental and not physical, maybe he needs to go see a shrink.
Andrei Kanchelskis mkII?
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