Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
Probably just not up to speed fully yet hence him getting subbed.
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Stephenlloyd
Player Valuation: £40m
Yes probably. I thought they may have moved him to RB and took Coleman off , to give us pace and energy, but like you say. He’s probably not quite up to match fitness
Looked a little rusty, but an hour of football into his legs will be what he needed.
JohnJq
Player Valuation: £2.5m
But in possession he will not be impressing Benitez. He has the same habit as Holgate of turning around to pass backwards every time and that keeps thepressure on our defence. He needs to improve what he does with the ball.
ForeverBlue92
Player Valuation: £80m
If its true he had Covid before the international break it will take him a few weeks to get upto speed maybe longer when you factor in potential long covid.
Be our luck it would affect our quickest CB who relies on that burst of pace/energy
Andy McGurk
Player Valuation: £6m
Just amuses me reading the James thread complaining why he isn't match fit, when possibly our most athletic player in the squad is probably only 50% himself
BigDuncTributeBand
Player Valuation: £25m
Reminds me a bit of the hype around John Stones, praising everything he did to the heavens and blaming any goals conceded on the more reliable Jags. He’s got potential but nowhere near the finished article. Vulnerable in the air, positioning needs work and distribution isn’t great. Not as good as a lot of folk on here make out.
He’s got room to improve, of course, I think he will but he’s not our best centre back. Actually think both Keane and Mina are better than him at the moment, though that won’t be a fashionable opinion.
toffeeblue9
Player Valuation: £35m
I think he's got a lot to learn, but his strength and pace are huge assets - if he can improve the positional side of his game, having him at CB would allow us to play a much higher line when we want to dominate the ball against weaker sides. I wouldn't go as far as to say he's "vulnerable" in the air, but he isn't as good as Keane or Mina in that regard. Centre back has to be his position, because he isn't good enough on the ball to be a viable long-term prospect as a full back. Has a lot going for him, but you're absolutely right - he isn't anywhere near the finished article yet. Benitez will probably be a good manager for him though.
Rooney_Tunes
Player Valuation: £50m
Agree; his first thought is always back.
BigDuncTributeBand
Player Valuation: £25m
I agree centre back has to be his position, don’t want him wasted as an experiment at full back. Pace and strength are huge attributes as well and already elite level. I don’t think he’s aggressive enough in the air yet, doesn’t attack the ball. Re playing higher up the pitch, while true, I don’t think Rafael is going to play a high line, pressing, possession based game. He’s setting us up to be a more compact unit, protecting the back four and counter with pace.
I think I agree here.
He never quite convinced at CB, more to learn before that is his position.
Was decent at LB last season.
Saint Domingo
Player Valuation: £90m
Would like to see him and Holgate against Villa. Will be all about dealing with the pace of their front three. Cant be doing with watching Keane and Mina lumber around.
Charlie Sweet
Player Valuation: £35m
The full back position has changed so much though since the 90s.
Why would you drop our best CB???
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