Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

[snakehipsspurs]

Davies getting hurt playing football is in no way Højbjerg fault.

Earlier in the season someone blamed Bissouma's dive and second yellow on Richarlison not scoring in the game.

The constant need to point fingers at players we don't like is ridiculous. And so tiring.

I’m incredibly supportive of all of our players personally. I’m not saying PEH is a bad guy, or even a bad player, he just isn’t right for our system and it’s costing us time and time again.

He put a player in a risky position they didn’t need to be in last night with his poor decision making. That’s a fact. The injury itself isn’t directly his fault, but the negative effects of his inability to play on the half-turn under pressure continue to build.

This isn’t the case of ‘give him time he’ll come good’ like our young players either. He is who he is, he’s not suddenly going to pick up Maddison’s passing ability overnight.

For his sake and ours, it’s time to sell and get someone who can grow into this system.

 

[Whazam]

I’m incredibly supportive of all of our players personally. I’m not saying PEH is a bad guy, or even a bad player, he just isn’t right for our system and it’s costing us time and time again.

He put a player in a risky position they didn’t need to be in last night with his poor decision making. That’s a fact. The injury itself isn’t directly his fault, but the negative effects of his inability to play on the half-turn under pressure continue to build.

This isn’t the case of ‘give him time he’ll come good’ like our young players either. He is who he is, he’s not suddenly going to pick up Maddison’s passing ability overnight.

For his sake and ours, it’s time to sell and get someone who can grow into this system.

I consider you one of the more level-headed posters on here, and indeed one of the more supportive, so I was in no way trying to single you out. But I still found your post very disappointing and the argument pointless.

If a wrong move is at fault for an injury in the next situation, the same logic would argue a player is then saved from injury every time someone does something correctly? It just doesn't make sense.

It's unnecessary negativity imo, because of what you are stating in your last paragraph. We believe it's time. The club believes it's time. He believes it's time.

For all the paragraphs in the middle of your post, that's on Ange for playing him, not on PEH.

 

[rossdapep]

Great block at the end from him to be fair

It was but he also lost the ball with a really sloppy Pass that had us in a bit of trouble.

That's why I havent been convinced as its not just about being able to play Ange's system.

He lacks consistency to be a regular at a team aspiring to be fighting for titles.

He makes a couple of good passes and you think "Great, maybe there is a chance" and then he will make aí absolute mess of others.

To get into that league of the very best, you need midfielders who only make mistakes like that every few games. Hojbjerg does it at least twice per game and when we play faster and more frantically, he struggled more with consistency as he just isnt nimble/technical enough.

He always looks like he is straining when passing or dribbling, like his body is struggling to make the pass. Then you watch Bentancur and he makes it look so effortless.

I can definitely are him at Atlético where the compact structure will help him

 

[mil1lion]

But you do accept that if PEH had done what he did it was unlikely that Ben would have got injured don’t you. Ben over stretched to help us keep a clean sheet. He should not have been put in that position. It was unnecessary.
You do get that don’t you?

Chances are Davies gets injured anyway just a bit later than he did. Hamstring injuries don't just occur in that one moment a player pulls up. It's the culmination of all the games he's played so I think any sprint late in the game or attempt to block would result in the same injury. It was a loose ball from Hojbjerg that he played blind. No doubt a poor one but to link to the injury Davies got is a bit out of order to be honest.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Yes, and you can go further back in infinity, connecting each moment up until that point if you like to as well. It is a pointless argument. It is a cynical argument with the sole purpose to blame someone.

And I'm sure you get that Davies actual job is to be on the pitch in case situations like this happen. He got hurt doing his job. It absolutely sucks, but it's not Højbjerg who inflicted the injury on him.

Also, Højbjerg is playing with much higher risk under Ange than previously. It doesn't really suit him, but those are Ange's instructions, which he himself says he is to blame for if we want to blame anyone. But that's the point, we don't always have to.

Not my point. To clarify his pass was not expected and put Davies in a position which caused his injury. Too many times PEH does this to his team mates causing them to react in a manner that can cause the players to sprint, twist, turn and challenge from a standing start. Which can lead to injury. What is more frustrating is that he does when he is not under pressure and there are better and safer passes to make. Did he cause the injury…no. Did he cause Davies to react in a manner that caused his injury…Yes. Otherwise he would not have got injured at that point. Hey ho just a difference of opinion.

 

[snakehipsspurs]

I consider you one of the more level-headed posters on here, and indeed one of the more supportive, so I was in no way trying to single you out. But I still found your post very disappointing and the argument pointless.

If a wrong move is at fault for an injury in the next situation, the same logic would argue a player is then saved from injury every time someone does something correctly? It just doesn't make sense.

It's unnecessary negativity imo, because of what you are stating in your last paragraph. We believe it's time. The club believes it's time. He believes it's time.

For all the paragraphs in the middle of your post, that's on Ange for playing him, not on PEH.

Absolutely fair enough. I should have worded better what I meant initially. I don't believe he cause Davies injury, I believe he's sloppy with possession and it causes dangerous situations.

On the Ange point, I don't think he's had much of a choice but to play PEH with the number of games Biss and Bentancur have missed. It's on Levy and the board that he's been forced to play a player who clearly doesn't fit his plans and wanted gone and replaced last summer.

I just hope for PEH's sake, and ours, he gets the move he needs and deserved this January. He's more than good enough to play regularly in a good side in Europe and seems like a lovely bloke to boot. Time to sort it out.

 

[leffe186]

Completely agree. Good block late on that Vic was probably saving but he gave away the corner with a sloppy pass and the one that caused Davies injury was just sloppy as hell.

Yup. And everything else he did was terrific. Carried the ball positively, some great passing, then covered for Davies.

 

[leffe186]

Don’t get me wrong. It’s clear that he’s on his way out and doesn’t seem to fit the system. I just think he made a really good positive impact on a game coming on as sub, something that he’s done repeatedly. I feel like some people are just waiting to leap on one mistake from certain players without seeing the bigger picture. Has happened with Davies, Royal, PEH and countless others.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Nice condescending tone there. I get what you're saying, and you're right in the fact that without PEH making the mistake, Davies wouldn't have got injured. But you can't attribute every bad thing to happen to us as an overanalysed game of pointing fingers. It's a game of millions of different outcomes being decided in split seconds. And let's be honest, if Son gave it away further up the pitch and say, bissouma stretched and pulled up trying to rectify the mistake. You wouldn't be bringing it up.

Just asking a question not meant to be condescending. Not talking about every bad decision made on the field, although he has made too many of these this season for my liking. Your point on Son is interesting as I do think he is just as guilty of doing the same as PEH which has led to us conceding a goal and could easily have led to injuries.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Chances are Davies gets injured anyway just a bit later than he did. Hamstring injuries don't just occur in that one moment a player pulls up. It's the culmination of all the games he's played so I think any sprint late in the game or attempt to block would result in the same injury. It was a loose ball from Hojbjerg that he played blind. No doubt a poor one but to link to the injury Davies got is a bit out of order to be honest.

My point was if he had not have made the unexpected pass the likelihood is he doesn’t pull his hamstring.

 

[WiganSpur]

It was but he also lost the ball with a really sloppy Pass that had us in a bit of trouble.

That's why I havent been convinced as its not just about being able to play Ange's system.

He lacks consistency to be a regular at a team aspiring to be fighting for titles.

He makes a couple of good passes and you think "Great, maybe there is a chance" and then he will make aí absolute mess of others.

To get into that league of the very best, you need midfielders who only make mistakes like that every few games. Hojbjerg does it at least twice per game and when we play faster and more frantically, he struggled more with consistency as he just isnt nimble/technical enough.

He always looks like he is straining when passing or dribbling, like his body is struggling to make the pass. Then you watch Bentancur and he makes it look so effortless.

I can definitely are him at Atlético where the compact structure will help him

He just lacks athleticism (pace, balance, agility) for me and you can get away with that if you have some silkiness as you say but he doesn't really have that either. He reminds me of Eric Dier a bit when he played in midfield (I never once rated him there), although he does offer more going forward.

He's a jack of all trades but master of none, a good pro and can run all day but that's about it. I wouldn't be averse to keeping him around as 6th choice as he's been useful as a sub but if we can cash in to strengthen elsewhere then it makes sense.

 

[nialsy2005]

Just asking a question not meant to be condescending. Not talking about every bad decision made on the field, although he has made too many of these this season for my liking. Your point on Son is interesting as I do think he is just as guilty of doing the same as PEH which has led to us conceding a goal and could easily have led to injuries.

Ok thats fair, but we know the way that Ange wants to play actively encourages players to take risks, which naturally will lead to more mistakes. I don't think you're necessarily wrong in that making up for those mistakes could lead to injury, but I don't think they're any more of a risk than any other aspect of quick turnaround football.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Swap him and money for Chiesa

imagine.

 

[yido_number1]

Swap him and money for Chiesa

Juve would never deal with us again after that lol.

 

[TropicalYid]

Guess we cant sell him before we got a new midfielder in.

 

[Thenewcat]

But you do accept that if PEH had done what he did it was unlikely that Ben would have got injured don’t you. Ben over stretched to help us keep a clean sheet. He should not have been put in that position. It was unnecessary.
You do get that don’t you?

I get it, it’s just ah absolutely ludicrous way of looking at a situation and assigning blame. The way people are blinded by their dislike of players is just laughable

 

[Thenewcat]

That's fair he can pass the ball when given time and space. I'd say it's actually his ability to defend coupled with mobility that is his biggest problem. For a player bought as the defensive man of the two he's pretty bad at it.

Well if that’s the case it’s on our scouts and managers. He has always been better further up the pitch (see hiw he is used for Denmark). There is a reason clubs like Juve and Atletico are interested in him, and it’s not because the people on here who say he’s awful understand football and they don’t. He’s a good player who doesn’t fit our system

 

[Snuzzy]

Guess we cant sell him before we got a new midfielder in.

Nah I think it's entirely temporary due to Afcon.

No chance we sell him before United and FA Cup 4th round I'd have thought. But we're fine for midfielders once Bissouma and Sarr are back.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

I get it, it’s just ah absolutely ludicrous way of looking at a situation and assigning blame. The way people are blinded by their dislike of players is just laughable

Not what I was saying at all. In the past I have been a fan of PEH. It’s just this year his choice of pass when not under pressure has been awful. His blocking is superb and he has been the last man standing. So no I don’t dislike him at all. So I am not blind and his pass last night caused Ben to stretch his hammy.

 

[yido_number1]

Well if that’s the case it’s on our scouts and managers. He has always been better further up the pitch (see hiw he is used for Denmark). There is a reason clubs like Juve and Atletico are interested in him, and it’s not because the people on here who say he’s awful understand football and they don’t. He’s a good player who doesn’t fit our system

He's a limited footballer there's no two ways about it. Players like bissouma and bentancur shine a light on that. Both can play, both can defend and both are mobile.

Glad Ange has spotted this instantly and chosen to make him expendable. He hasn't suited any system we've played since we signed him and best of luck to him when he goes.