Krafty
Well-Known Member
- May 26, 2004
- 4,797
- 2,139
I'm still unconvinced by the Parker - Dembele partnership. Both lack the positional discipline, which individually isn't a problem but collectively it is contributing to our defence getting woefully exposed.
Parker gets drawn too the bar like a moth to a flame, while Moussa can be lazy getting into a covering position. It means the opposition only need one pass (sometimes just one touch forward) and they are past our midfield and running at shit scared defenders.
For some reason we are seeing Parker bomb forward a lot more than Dembele, which is extremely alarming, and we get incidents like that missed open goal last night.
Parker's passing is also poor, and worryingly he turns into trouble rather than away from it. I don't mind him doing his 360/720 spins if he spins into the wide open space of the pitch, but he is turning back on the play and into crowded areas. For example, the left back has the ball, plays into the central left area of midfield for Parker. The space is on the right, if he can lose his man the pitch is open for him to run into, make a pass, get Lennon in one-on-one with a full back, for example. Instead, Parker does his spin and goes left, crowded in by the touchline, into the waiting opposition who were closing our LB, and the mvoe either grinds to a halt because now Parker needs to worry about keeping the ball rather than passing it, or he loses possession and we are at panic stations.
Parker doesn't have the game to make the play, that's fine, so he should be sitting deep, doing simple passess, and covering our roving full backs. Instead he is bombing up the field, into areas where he isn't going to do any good.
I'd be willing to give Holtby a go in central midfield against a weak team, see how it goes, see what his range and field of passing is like.
Parker gets drawn too the bar like a moth to a flame, while Moussa can be lazy getting into a covering position. It means the opposition only need one pass (sometimes just one touch forward) and they are past our midfield and running at shit scared defenders.
For some reason we are seeing Parker bomb forward a lot more than Dembele, which is extremely alarming, and we get incidents like that missed open goal last night.
Parker's passing is also poor, and worryingly he turns into trouble rather than away from it. I don't mind him doing his 360/720 spins if he spins into the wide open space of the pitch, but he is turning back on the play and into crowded areas. For example, the left back has the ball, plays into the central left area of midfield for Parker. The space is on the right, if he can lose his man the pitch is open for him to run into, make a pass, get Lennon in one-on-one with a full back, for example. Instead, Parker does his spin and goes left, crowded in by the touchline, into the waiting opposition who were closing our LB, and the mvoe either grinds to a halt because now Parker needs to worry about keeping the ball rather than passing it, or he loses possession and we are at panic stations.
Parker doesn't have the game to make the play, that's fine, so he should be sitting deep, doing simple passess, and covering our roving full backs. Instead he is bombing up the field, into areas where he isn't going to do any good.
I'd be willing to give Holtby a go in central midfield against a weak team, see how it goes, see what his range and field of passing is like.
, and playing Holtby in the middle could be the making of him as it was the making of little luke
