Players are either world class or total shit after a few games, there is no in between on here.
He played well. No fuss, no bs, played out of position and just got on with it and did his job.
Can't really ask for much more than that.
Sofyan Amrabat | 2023/24 Performances
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Players are either world class or total shit after a few games, there is no in between on here.
He played well. No fuss, no bs, played out of position and just got on with it and did his job.
Can't really ask for much more than that.
He looked like a player who knows what he does well and should help us be more stable, which is a godsend considering the incoherent chaos that has been our football to start the season.
No panic on the ball, likes to pick it up deep, moved it fairly well (only found one pass through the lines and it was when he was wider on the left).
Basically the player we saw in that cup final against West Ham. Controls the pace of play by coming back very deep and does that well, but sadly without the line breaking ability that the top guys at his position tend to have.
But considering we have Mount, Bruno and Casemiro who are all fairly chaotic types, having a calm DM who wants the ball could really help us this year. Easy to see how this team could work well:
On the ball:
--Rashford-------Hojlund-----------------
-------------------Mount--------Bruno---------
----Shaw------Casemiro----------------Dalot
-Lisandro----Amrabat-----Varane---------
---------------------Onana-------------------------
defending:
-----------------------Hojlund-------------------------
Rashford---------Mount--------Bruno---------
--------------Casemiro----Amrabat-------------
Shaw------Lisandro------Varane------Dalot
-------------------------Onana-------------------------
which is easily transitioned because Amrabat likes to come really deep to collect the ball, so the CBs can go wider, Dalot goes high to give us width on the right and look to whip balls in to Hojlund and run off of Bruno's creativity and movement, and Shaw looks to get on the ball and create along with Casemiro and sometimes go wide (which Lindelof had space to do early in the 2nd half).
Everyone is in a good position for them, except Rashford having to actually defend RBs but trading that for some space in behind for him to run into isn't necessarily a bad thing. Bruno I'm sure would prefer to be a #10, but if Antony plays well and Mount gets dropped then he will.
I'm sure people will get mad when they see Amrabat dropping and we have games where we can't create because he's not Pirlo (every kind of pass you'd want a DM to make) or even Busquets (short passes forward), but he could be a big factor in turning us into a solid, difficult team to play against, and then the big question is Hojlund and Mount being able to score and create goals, since presumably Bruno will always do that and Rashford (or Garnacho, in that way they're similar) will score goals but not create very many.
On the other hand, Palace were super conservative, and we don't know how Amrabat will fare against a high press, and may not really have that properly tested until the City game at the end of October.
It’s exactly the latter, he’s an upgrade for sure and you can see he’s come from a possession heavy team. There will be sterner tests for him and he’s another player who is big and relatively built for a footballer which makes me worry he might get skinned a fair bit in any one on one scenario.
Great introduction and I still think there a lot more to come from him. It was a nice surprise to see that he can fill in at full back and still influence the team from deep. This is what excites me more than anything else. The tactical flexibility and intelligence. This is what we have missed as a team for since Carrick and Scholes. A pairing that appears in tune, even though it was only one game.
Even though the shot he had from deep was way off target I think he can get some goals from deep with well timed runs. Helped to set the tempo which I think the manger is looking for us to play at and timed his tackles to perfection.
Even though the shot he had from deep was way off target I think he can get some goals from deep with well timed runs. Helped to set the tempo which I think the manger is looking for us to play at and timed his tackles to perfection.
Now with our 3rd LB injured, should he continue playing as a LB or do we play Dalot there and move Amrabat to Midfield alongside Casemiro?
EDIT
Didn't realize AWB is also injured. Looks like it will have to be Amrabat as LB unless we play Lindelof RB and Dalot on the left.
EDIT
Didn't realize AWB is also injured. Looks like it will have to be Amrabat as LB unless we play Lindelof RB and Dalot on the left.
Last edited:
Who goes RB?
Dalot is our only fit rightback as well. Basically we have 5 natural fullbacks and 4 of them are injured. So it's Dalot on one side and somebody else out of position on the other, and with Amrabat looking so good there the other day I'd be surprised if it's not him.
Didn't realize AWB is also out injured. It's becoming hard to keep track at the rate at which our players are getting injured.
This injury crisis with our fullbacks sucks, I was really looking forward to see Amrabat in midfield especially because it worries me that either Eriksen or McTominay will start if Amrabat has to fill in at LB.
And Eriksen hasn't played since Bayern, you know he is due a start.
Would love it if he played lindelof at right back and Dalot at left back to release amrabat but maybe he feels that exposes our centre half’s to potential injury. If amrabat is in left back then Hannibal / Mount over Eriksen after last performances.
could put Lindelof there if Dalot isn’t fit.
My god he was was bad. Left back or not, you cant commit that many fouls
Poor match
Started left back but when we had the ball he spent most of the game in central midfield
Constantly fouling and a couple of handballs on the floor when the ball is running away from him and one in injury time. Wasnt comfortable defending and Bruno had to cover him on the left several times which is hardly what we want from Bruno.
Too few ideas when he had the ball. Sideways a few yards at a time. A couple of successful long passes were his highlight and there were several failed ones too.
Started left back but when we had the ball he spent most of the game in central midfield
Constantly fouling and a couple of handballs on the floor when the ball is running away from him and one in injury time. Wasnt comfortable defending and Bruno had to cover him on the left several times which is hardly what we want from Bruno.
Too few ideas when he had the ball. Sideways a few yards at a time. A couple of successful long passes were his highlight and there were several failed ones too.
Yeah he can't be our left back moving forward
Braindead.
The only 3 games he has ever played before as a left-back were under Ten Hag 7 years ago. He was giving the run around by fecking Ayew unsurprisingly.
But sure, a couple Fiorentina fans know better.
They clearly do, he was shocking today, an absolute foul machine that didn’t move the needle at all. He has fallen off quite a bit since the World Cup but many people who actually watched him could have told you that.
I’m sure he’ll improve as the season wears on but he hasn’t been the same since the WC.
Looked exactly what he was, a midfielder playing left back.
Sluggish and poor balance.
If that's him against a team barely trying I dread to think what he's like against a side who really turns the screw.
Referee had a massive horn for this lad. Ayew spent the game fouling him yet the ref only noticed anything when it was the other way round.
Another one of his mediocre players form his Ajax tenure.
Bad but he is starting as a left back because 3 other prefered options are out. Not writing him off as a potential good siging as a midfielder. As a left back i dont think he will be a great addition to the squad.
Everything Palace did this match was a result of him misplacing a pass or fouling.
Well, he's not a fullback or a winger.
The cheap fouls is what irritated me the most.
The cheap fouls is what irritated me the most.
Fiorentina fans think he was one of their best players, so that's an odd take. By the way, he hasn't had a pre-season and also played left-back.
Worked very hard, but not the smartest decisions defensively. Gets on the ball tons but he only really started passing forward in the last 10-15 mins, before that it was almost entirely sideways and the occasional switch. Good footballer, but not a left back, and maybe a bit one paced.
Amrabat played for Feyenoord actually but other than that.. great post.
Looked decent on the ball I thought.
But off the ball worries remain, cant be his casual self being clumsy trying to win the ball back like usual. He will get punished in the PL more often than not
But off the ball worries remain, cant be his casual self being clumsy trying to win the ball back like usual. He will get punished in the PL more often than not
Maybe he’ll do better in midfield. Looked very slow, and much more like the type of player I did overall expect (I.E. a central midfielder starting for a midtable Italian side)
Wouldn't be overly harsh as he's playing out of position, but committed far too many dumb fouls.
At times certainly. But he spent a lot of time in central midfield when we had the ball.
We’re in trouble if he’s at LB for an extended period of time
Rubbish today
Rubbish today
Has the sultry eyes of a woman.
Was also awful at the actual football.
Was also awful at the actual football.
Yep - can't criticise his poor mistakes! He was incredible!
Fouling machine
Can’t blame him too much, he’s not a left back simple as.
Can't fault him at least. He is not a full back.
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