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2018/19 Dominic Calvert-Lewin

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catcherintherye said:
I am surprised by the responses in this thread. Not because we won the game (players can and should be criticised when we win) but because I thought he was quite central to how we played.

His finishing was a bit array that much is true. I don't think he missed many guilt edged chances though, it was more that he he didn't make the best of a number of half chances he had. There are some caveats as well, the one where he is slipped through from Michael Keane the ball is just a bit underhit, if you watch it he actually has to slow down to wait for the ball which means he allows the defender to get back at him. Had the ball been the right pace he's in on goal with a clear opportunity.

Likewise he was inches away on a number of occasions from connecting to crosses. He keeps improving every week. Last season he was a fair bit off being even in the right place, now he's inches away. A lot of that will come with maturity but other bits of it with familiarity with other players. In the two years in the team he's improved say 50% and he only needs another 5% in my view to be able to start flying in on those whipped in balls. IN fairness some of the time the issue was with the crosser as opposed to Calvert-Lewin himself. I'd also add, the attempt in the first half to Fabianski's near post was not a poor effort at all and there was another he took really quickly and nearly scored which again was a very good effort.

So while his finishing can be a bit hot and cold I don't feel it's as poor as people make out. Particularly with his head, his ix now extremely potent at finishing but probably needs to catch up a bit in terms of chances on the ground.

More broadly though, myself and @Eggs were discussing the other day measuring strikers on chances/shots they get per game is as useful as measuring "finishing". He makes lots of chances for himself. No other striker in the squad gets the range of chances we made for him yesterday. While he will never be a natural goalscorer, he's improved substantially his finishing this season and if it can get a bit better he will score a reasonable amount of goals.

More broadly though, take the goals out of the game, he is central to how we want to play. His hold up play is now very good, he wins lots of high balls with his head, gives us a target off crosses and increasingly is adapting his game to run in behind. It allows for Sigurdsson to turn balls around the corner (sometimes aimlessly) and they are made something of and he gives an effective out ball for the centre backs and goalkeeper when they are stuck.

He also "transitions" the ball quickly on the counter which is central to how we play (particularly away from home). He terrified West Hams defence yesterday and in doing so gave space to other players to do the damage.

Some of Moyes's best teams did not have a prolific goalscorer, but a player up top who helped the others. I thought our best football actually came with Fellaini/Cahill up top, who caused such a menace it allowed others to prosper. Likewise our 1987 winning team didn't have a single striker scoring all the goals, but a team of attacking options and strikers who were unselfish in how they helped the team.

It wasn't a "great" game for Calvert Lewin yesterday but I was impressed with him. There are things he can do to get better but he improves game on game for me. I look back to even 6 months ago and he has come on enormously. And he contributes to the team. It's pleasing to see him timing his runs better, thats the best it's been for us. If he can continue to work on that, alongside his aerial threat he will be a real danger to opponents.
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The positive is that he doesn't let his head drop if he misses. Keeps trying at goal. I guess where I'm coming from is even the top strikers continually practice their finishing. And you are right, he didn't have a ton of clear cut chances, but the likes of Kane, Lukaku, Vardy stick some of those away. Practice makes perfect. Only by working will he get even better.
 
degsy said:
This, exactly this.
He's getting there, if he keeps on learning and improving, next season I can see him doubling his tally for this season.

He has a strikers instincts to get on the end of those balls slung in both high and low...which is more than Lukaku showed sometimes, but they are different types.
Yesterday he seemed to get taken out a few times before the ball even reached him.
One of the goals he scored in the WC Final was Lachford-esque, it bobbled, rebounded and he toe poked it in, you can't teach that.

How far he can or will go we can only guess, but I like the direction he's going in.
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There's still major questions to be asked, for me. He seems to lack the killer instinct, which is usually evident, even when a player is young and inexperienced.

Yesterday was as easy as we will have it. More often than not, he will have 1 or 2 chances in a match, which he will need to take.

I hope he keeps improving, but I just don't see him developing the skills needed to be a top striker.
 
trueblue84 said:
There's still major questions to be asked, for me. He seems to lack the killer instinct, which is usually evident, even when a player is young and inexperienced.

Yesterday was as easy as we will have it. More often than not, he will have 1 or 2 chances in a match, which he will need to take.

I hope he keeps improving, but I just don't see him developing the skills needed to be a top striker.
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Opinions innit
 

degsy said:
This, exactly this.
He's getting there, if he keeps on learning and improving, next season I can see him doubling his tally for this season.

He has a strikers instincts to get on the end of those balls slung in both high and low...which is more than Lukaku showed sometimes, but they are different types.
Yesterday he seemed to get taken out a few times before the ball even reached him.
One of the goals he scored in the WC Final was Lachford-esque, it bobbled, rebounded and he toe poked it in, you can't teach that.

How far he can or will go we can only guess, but I like the direction he's going in.
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I agree completely, he has improved every season since he arrived from Sheffield Unt. for a relatively small fee, this season with more game time he has got better and better and will continue to improve, ten times the money we paid for him wouldn’t buy him now.
 

Good enough for a front 3.

Not good enough yet to play isolated and still be a scoring threat, but fixing other issues around him will make him even better.

He’s won me over, but we need options.
 
Dom was good. I’m glad to see he didn’t shy away from taking his chances either- even if they were woeful or tame. The lad has a great attitude and I can see him taking a huge step in the summer. It would be one giant leap forward if Dom becomes reliable. Striker is one of the hardest positions to fill
 
Definitely a good option off the bench but I don't think he'll ever score enough to be first choice unless we decide to play a system that gets plenty of goals from all over the team. Would be a good player as 2nd striker if 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 ever came back into fashion.
 

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