Hey guys, I hope you are all keeping well during this difficult time.
First off, how good is Hakim Ziyech? That left foot would scare the shit out of me if he was playing against us! He also makes such a menace of himself by randomly popping up on all areas of the pitch. It’s like he has a free role in there and I think a couple of others do as well, to an extent. it’s confusing our opposition and even me too, at times, but I love it! The other thing I like about Hakim is that he has that passing ability where you feel chances are being created almost out of nowhere. This is a such a breath of fresh air when you compare it to a lot of the route one, side to side passing that we had to endure so much of last season.
Someone else who is impressing me, even more so than usual, is Mason Mount! He plays like he’s in turbo mode nearly all of the time and I love the sense of urgency about his game. You can tell how passionate he is for the team and the club, by the incredible shift that he puts in every week. It’s not just offensively, but defensively as well. You get the distinct feeling he’s going to be a world class player in years to come! I can see him as the England captain too, one day.
I love listening to the fan cast each week. You guys regularly have me laughing out loud and I feel that as I get to know each of your personalities better, everything becomes all the more amusing! I love how Chidge is (Generally) the patient, forgiving and often level headed fan, whilst J.K can be…….. well let’s just say…. a little less so! I do have to say however, that as a supporter, I often find my feelings and frustrations aligning with that of J.K‘s. I look forward to the rants and can’t help but wonder if there should be a place for them in the running order of the show…..?
You mentioned how Mason Mount was the Square peg with the 4-2-3-1 formation and though this is possibly controversial, I often feel like perhaps Timo Werner is the square peg with the 4-3-3. I guess if Christian Pulisic and Hakim are both fit then Werner will plays as the striker but while he’s on the left, I feel he often goes missing for large parts of the game. He makes a habit of always wanting to play more central. whilst it’s nice to feel like we often have two strikers, and I know he has scored goals from central positions, I can’t help but wish he would sometimes just stay out wide and that we perhaps miss that build up play/overlap from the left. Imagine, for example, if Werner and Ben Chillwell began linking up down the left as well as Hakim and Reece James do on the right. I think with Werners pace as well, surely he could do some damage out there on the left… unfortunately, my personal feeling is that, Callum Hudson-Odoi is simply not good enough right now.
I think it’s great that Edouard Mendy is doing so well, but I do think it’s a shame that whilst everyone sings his praises, it’s not often done without slaying Kepa Arrizabalaga at the same time. I haven’t heard it much from you guys to be fair, but elsewhere, I do think enough is enough and that we should perhaps remember he is a human being going through a tough time and having to do so whilst very much in the public eye. It almost feels a bit like Cyber bullying to an extent. I hope he makes a comeback and proves us all wrong.
Finally, I think Mateo Kovacic needs to start instead of Jorginho and I get the distinct feeling that Billy Gilmour is going to play a part when he returns.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the above.
Much love to you guys, always! My Tuesday mornings wouldn’t be the same without you!
Jake
