Some of you would be in for a shock to see what an able striker would give this team, seriously. I really don't have any ill will towards the kid, but playing with him is like playing a man down a lot of the time, and if you're watching other PL teams, let alone ones with good to very good strikers in them, you see how much they bring their whole team forward and into the play whilst preoccupying CB's, DM's and FB's depending on how they run and drift.
What I'm seeing in a lot of posts is damning with faint praise, which is putting Hojlund in a considerably worse light than intended. When the team actually plays well, those who aren't doing so stand out more, and there's no hiding from the fact that people have little hesitation in praising those who turn things around from previously having a bad game to coming good in another. Martinez is a good example, as he was on a similar run of poor performance to Hojlund who has really come out top trumps from Sunday's game with many - including myself who didn't even want him in the starting xi - holding their hands up and calling a good game a good game. Some people have been gunning for Mainoo prior to this game, too who were not hesitant in saying he played well. Point is, Hojlund is not being held to some unique scrutiny or exacting standard; people can see he isn't having good games nor doing much well or right, and in games like this one, he's fairly considered the weak link because with someone else in that position who is doing what you want/need your striker to do, it's no exaggeration to state it would be transformative for the team.
It's crazy how quick people have been to dump on Zirkzee, as if Hojlund is doing more or better. There's no denying that Zirkzee is not hitting the required standard either, but the way he's talked about in contrast to Hojlund really is something. It's not just that Hojlund only has 2 goals in 15 games, it's that he looks like someone who would and should have a low tally when he plays. The ongoing denial or defence of his poor movement is quite absurd when you can see many times a game that he is not making the right runs even as play breaks and the team is haring off in different directions. Subsequently, the amount of times his teammates are then remonstrating with him is evident. The blame for his poor movement used to be placed at the agreeably greedy feet of Rashford and/or Garnacho, who were more likely to do things that favoured themselves over *any* centre forward. Problem is, one will probably never kit up for us again and the other barely features of late. They clearly were not the reason why Rasmus was not making the runs you want to see from your striker.
I can't help but notice also that there is an excessive amount of comments on the runs he makes that are the right ones; his link up with Martinez for example. It's fair to say they have some sort of understanding going, but what I don't think people mentioning these correct runs realise is that the entire league (sans Southampton) have strikers making equally able runs, the difference is they are doing it far more often than not, and the better strikers, it's not something that is talked about much (unless they are godlike at it) as it's a prerequisite that should go without saying. The same goes with hold up play or team interaction, the really good strikers are not only taking the ball, they are twisting and turning and being a handful using guile as well as skill that has the game freeze for split seconds as nobody is entirely sure of what they'll do next, but their own teammates know that it's more than likely to be beneficial to them so they're already beginning committed runs; shooting off in different directions, or sprinting into open space, making themselves available for 1-2's or potential short passing chains. Even watching Wolves vs Forest, a low key game, you see this in abundance. It is not something you see with us. Our players don't really put faith into Hojlund's play and they're definitely not using him as a conduit to get their own game going. They should [be able to], but that element of uncertainty and perhaps distrust has good reason to be there - his play does not engender the kind of confidence that the team need for it to be relied upon and it's a genuine problem for our midfielders as they can't ping things up to a focal point and then play off it, where it's bread and butter throughout the league at other teams. The same goes for the flanking runs I mentioned earlier; he doesn't break from CB's enough for others to be certain a clever breakaway action is certain enough for them to wait on him, so invariably, he gets bypassed, much to his own frustration, but it's logical and by-product of how he plays.
To me, it constantly bounces back to him being raw. He is often called outright bad or incapable, but the overwhelming feeling I get is that he is raw and uncertain, hence why things are so erratic with him; once in a while, the ball will stick, or he will make a good run, but that 'once in a while' is why he shouldn't be the starter, as until it's 'frequent and certain', it's simply not the standard demanded of a PL striker. At the moment, I seriously doubt any side in the league would have Hojlund as their #9. He is par with Southampton's Adam Armstrong for goals and it's questionable whether he offers more than him in-game at the moment. There's nothing to Hojlund's game other sides are crying out for. Again, I don't say this to damn the kid, rather, to point out that he is very raw, and predictably unreliable because of it. Nobody would be eager to take on a 2 in 15 striker who is showing no attributes you can put the house on, so it is pretty surreal that some believe we should be doing so, perhaps unaware it's doing the kid more harm than good. He looks worse now than when he got here and that's because his confidence has been shorn as well as the education in Atalanta's system that was starting to bear fruit, where he was in and out of the team learning his craft at a pace that was constructive and beneficial
Of all the clubs in England, we're the absolute worst to be trying to find yourself and your game at. You get no grace period, and every flaw you have is on display to a global audience. On top of that, the media really aren't looking out for your best interests over what garners the most engagement. When you are as raw as Hojlund, is that what you need?
The upcoming run of games, as well as the January window will give us more insight. There's a bit more time for Hojlund to work with the coaches and try and modify his game, angling it away from what it currently is. It's also a weaker run of teams with inferior defenders, which means more breathing room. You'd like to think that this is when we'll see Hojlund up his goal tally and performance level and show the signs of improvement that buy him more time to outright stake his claim. If we've not got a striker in by the start of Feb, we're really going to give him the season to come good. Even those of you who don't seem to want to acknowledge reasons to be concerned will be of a different mindset if over the next 15 PL games we see the same output as the first 15. 4 in 30 with the same performance output would be a dreadful campaign. That's an output Armstrong - arguably the worst starting striker in the worst team in the division - would expect to outdo. You cannot be the lead striker at Manchester United with those numbers, so there's going to have to be a massive upswing.
We have 18 games left. An interesting question to pose is: what do people consider a healthy return for Rasmus to be in those 18 games, assuming he starts or features in them all?
