I can't agree with this at all. Every time I have watched him this year he tends to drift all over the front third of the pitch making link up plays with his teammates. Most tactical analysis of him I have read as well say that his ability to play within the team is a huge strength. He even gave an interview this year where he said he thought that was one of his biggest strengths.
There’s definitely been an improvement this season but I think it’s largely systemic. His skill in terms of build up or actually making those plays isn’t in the top end of strikers from what I’ve seen and based on stats though it is better than what I thought it would be. Maybe he will carry that over to Chelsea but Lampard is no Nagelsmann. Still, i guess I misinterpreted what you meant originally comparing him to Giroud and you’re right about him being better than Abraham in that respect. My impression could be wrong too since I don’t watch Werner consistently so he could come over and do exactly those things and I’ll happily admit so.
But he's young and a player that has previously performed quite well and has good potential. So this seems more like him getting to grips with a new team/system/league than some random guy popping out and playing well. I would assume him playing well isn't some anomaly though.
Werner used to be way more static horizontally and mostly use his speed vertically on the pitch. This year under Nagelsmann he's definitely been expected to drift a lot more and to create chances for others. Seems to be doing a great job at it, and with how Lampard likes to structure his attack I expect that Werner will have the same expectations on him. Giroud is really good at this, but he's slower and not as much of a goal scoring threat himself. Where he's much better is being able to receive passes or long balls and just hold up the play until reinforcement arrive, then make a good play to transition into an attack. I don't think Werner is physical enough for that.
I think so, and I think that's really what they were looking for more than just a pure goal scorer. Lampard's offensive tactics really rely on fluid movement and quick passes to pull defenders out of position to open up channels for our guys to run into. You often see when we're in the final third our players end up in all sorts of different positions because they have that freedom to roam with the expectation that the next guy over will slide into that open space.
We'll find out. This year, Lampard had to deal with what he had, so I don't think we've really seen what his ideal tactics look like. Based on his targets, I could see a much more fluid, free-flowing system where attacking players move in and out of different spots. That's the perk with players like Werner, Havertz, Ziyech, they feel comfortable in many places, where many of the current Chelsea players are nowhere near as flexible. Mount is sort of fits that style and we know Lampard likes him.
Yea I really want to see the system at work with a full squad of players who are suited to it. I think that's part of the reason Lampard has brought in some of the academy players he has as well, because they are more suited to that free-flowing style than some of the older players are. I also think it's why Kovacic has had such a great season, because he is well suited to both passing and carrying the ball, and taking advantage of that movement and space with Mount. Last year Kovacic often seemed out of place because he wasn't supposed to roam, and his game really thrives on being able to do that.
I, a Chelsea fan, was also wrong about them. They have done better than I expected, I was just hopeful for a Europa League spot. Our youth has performed much better than most people expected, and Lampard has done a fantastic job in his first season here.
Personally I think that it just takes really special teams to separate from the ‘mid table’ teams and that’s only going to keep getting tougher as the talent gaps close. Management and coaching will be making a bigger and bigger difference (though that already has a large impact). Some really good football being played now by more than just the traditional big boys. I don’t necessarily think that all of the big teams were at their best but they never really are at a world beating level all at the same time anyway. Teams like Leicester, Sheffield, Wolves, etc. are making it harder for the ‘big teams’ who aren’t necessarily in peak form to collect points on talent alone.
Liverpool was historically great, and me saying the big 5 being weaker isn't a way to knock their accomplishment. And while the big 6 typically aren't all firing on all cylinders at the same time, you usually don't have 4 of them with pretty major issues. I do agree that there are other teams that are now much more competitive, and that's a great thing because it makes everything more competitive on a week to week basis and overall more challenging. There are significantly less gimme type games.
When I'm the only poster calling out another for saying Pulisic is much better than I rate him (top 5 Bundeliga player), then YEAH, he's overrated AND overhyped.
19-20 Liverpool with 7 games to go already have 2 more wins than the 03-04 Arsenal team did and have matched the most wins in a season Ferguson ever got with Manchester United. If they win 4 of the last 7 they will tie Manchester City's record of 32 wins.
I don't know that's accurate. At various points in time, there have been plenty to critique Pulisic. Heck, I'm one of them. There were way more people critical of him than praising in the beginning of the season.
I just mean from how good they are on the field. Even then, their production over the last couple seasons isn’t that dissimilar.
