Post match Boro

[dmishra]

Enrique - looked fucked in the end, understandably and was at fault for the first goal, but his link up play with Lallana was excellent and encouraging. He's a good player and a reasonably good defender. We've got two good options there to cover the left now.

I don't think he was at fault for the goal. The ball was whipped in with pace, and had gone across him. It should've been Sakho or Mignolet attacking that ball, rather than Enrique being forced to scramble for it from the wrong side.

Not to mention Sakho's stupid handball which gave the free-kick away in the first place.

 

[peterhague]

IMO Rossiter is indeed best suited to the DM role, because he can read and dictate the game so well, he passes well, and is a real leader and organizer. He's never been very big for his age, but I think that's a positive because he'll grow and fill out and in the meantime it's just testament to his ability to have got so far so fast without any physical advantage.

Williams I'd indeed much bigger, but then he's primarily a centre half so that's hardly surprising. That versatility should really help him though.

 

[FoxForceFive]

I think if Rossiter can grow a few inches he'll have a body like C3P0.

 

[Jack D Rips]

People going way overboard about Markovic. He's a kid who looks like he'll need more time to adapt than you'd hope, but to start making judgements on him after a couple of starts?? Pretty pathetic.

As for his pace, why not look at some of his games for Benfica where he looked like one of the quickest players in the game? Isn't it unlikely that that would just disappear or otherwise fail to translate to a different league??

Agree with this. I didn't think he played that badly. The only thing that annoyed me about him was his reluctance to shoot. He had 4/5 opportunities but choose to take an extra touch each time.

 

[OLD_Lewy]

Markovic will be our Lamela, he'll take a year to settle.

Well fuck me that was a fun game to go to, I think. Some say that they're still out there, taking pen after pen until the end of days

 

[dmishra]

People going way overboard about Markovic. He's a kid who looks like he'll need more time to adapt than you'd hope, but to start making judgements on him after a couple of starts?? Pretty pathetic.

As for his pace, why not look at some of his games for Benfica where he looked like one of the quickest players in the game? Isn't it unlikely that that would just disappear or otherwise fail to translate to a different league??

It's a bit annoying. Especially the quick comparisons with Aquilani or Smicer or Kezman whenever any slightly lightweight or seemingly one-paced player seems to struggle in the PL.

We did the same with Sahin. Played him out of position at the tip of a midfield three despite the promise he'd shown in a deeper lying role, and then labelled him a 'shithouse'. It's pointless - some players just need time, and a confidence reposed by playing them in their preferred position.

My favourite examples are Pires and Silva, who took more than 6 months to get going in the PL, and were also frequently labeled as lightweight or shithouses.

With Markovic, I think we'll see him get better as the season progresses. We also need to start playing him centrally or on the left. He seems quite lost on the right.

 

[peterhague]

Agree with this. I didn't think he played that badly. The only thing that annoyed me about him was his reluctance to shoot. He had 4/5 opportunities but choose to take an extra touch each time.

Yeah, that was annoying. But easily fixed!

 

[Silver Sean]

Mignolet is shit.
Markovic winds me right up.
Lalana did ok.
Pleased for Rossiter and Williams.
Our movement is appalling.
We can't get Sturridge back in this team quick enough.
Lambert looks a forlorn figure.
We are a shadow of the team of last year but I recall Hull away and hope we turn it around this season like we did last.
Saturday is huge.

 

[Silver Sean]

It's a bit annoying. Especially the quick comparisons with Aquilani or Smicer or Kezman whenever any slightly lightweight or seemingly one-paced player seems to struggle in the PL.

We did the same with Şahin. Played him out of position at the tip of a midfield three despite the promise he'd shown in a deeper lying role, and then labelled him a 'shithouse'. It's pointless - some players just need time, and a confidence reposed by playing them in their preferred position.

My favourite examples are Pires and Silva, who took more than 6 months to get going in the PL, and were also frequently labeled as lightweight or shithouses.

With Markovic, I think we'll see him get better as the season progresses. We also need to start playing him centrally or on the left. He seems quite lost on the right.

I don't care how young a player is or how long he takes to settle, when you're an attacker and you run at the defence and it completely opens up and leaves you with a clear sight of goal 18 yards out on your favoured foot with the goal gaping FUCKING SHOOT!

 

[peterhague]

It's a bit annoying. Especially the quick comparisons with Aquilani or Smicer or Kezman whenever any slightly lightweight or seemingly one-paced player seems to struggle in the PL.

We did the same with Şahin. Played him out of position at the tip of a midfield three despite the promise he'd shown in a deeper lying role, and then labelled him a 'shithouse'. It's pointless - some players just need time, and a confidence reposed by playing them in their preferred position.

My favourite examples are Pires and Silva, who took more than 6 months to get going in the PL, and were also frequently labeled as lightweight or shithouses.

With Markovic, I think we'll see him get better as the season progresses. We also need to start playing him centrally or on the left. He seems quite lost on the right.

Agree with all of that.

My impression is that he's not really a winger, he's not particularly tricky or good one-on-one, but then I knew that before we signed him. He can play central, or left coming inside well enough.

But from the first few times I saw him I've wondered if he might actually be best playing one of the sides of the diamond. He's capable of carrying the ball quickly through the central areas, and has great athletic potential, no matter what people on here say.

 

[SummerOnions]

I think Markovic is deliberately not being played in his favourite position to make him a more well-rounded player, like how Henderson and Sterling played everywhere

 

[dmishra]

I don't care how young a player is or how long he takes to settle, when you're an attacker and you run at the defence and it completely opens up and leaves you with a clear sight of goal 18 yards out on your favoured foot with the goal gaping FUCKING SHOOT!

Look, it was frustrating, but take a step back. He's had a good scoring record through his career, so it's not necessary that he's diffident by nature. It could just have been poor decision making by a 20 year old playing in one of his first games for a new club.

I only recall two clear instances - where he both chose unnecessarily intricate options. In the first, he nearly put in Sterling clear on goal with a beautiful ball, and if that had come off, we'd have been praising his unselfishness and presence of mind. The second he should have really shot but tried to get too intricate with his dribbling.

He'll get his chances again - so let's see he what he makes of them instead of berating him straightaway.

 

[Hansern]

Those who say differently havent watched him play before and have made up their minds after 3 games.

A 20 year old kid is winding people up? FFS. We're the most impatient fans ever.

 

[rurikbird]

Anybody got a GOOD set of highlights? With all the penalties in full etc.

@Modo

 

[Mystic]

People going way overboard about Markovic. He's a kid who looks like he'll need more time to adapt than you'd hope, but to start making judgements on him after a couple of starts?? Pretty pathetic.

As for his pace, why not look at some of his games for Benfica where he looked like one of the quickest players in the game? Isn't it unlikely that that would just disappear or otherwise fail to translate to a different league??

They don't even need to go that far, just look at the Man City game, he was lightning.

 

[Mystic]

I think if Rossiter can grow a few inches he'll have a body like C3P0.

Hopefully he's just as good at opening doors in the oppositions defence.

 

[Mystic]

Anybody got a GOOD set of highlights? With all the penalties in full etc.

@Modo

http://www.goalsarena.org/en/video/...-liverpool-middlesbrough-capital-one-cup.html

Whodo?

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

People going way overboard about Markovic. He's a kid who looks like he'll need more time to adapt than you'd hope, but to start making judgements on him after a couple of starts?? Pretty pathetic.

As for his pace, why not look at some of his games for Benfica where he looked like one of the quickest players in the game? Isn't it unlikely that that would just disappear or otherwise fail to translate to a different league??

Agreed. I don't get the harsh criticism that's been thrown at him. I never saw him play at Benfica, and he shied away too much from shooting in this game for my liking, but there were glimpses of his ability with some of the passes he was trying to play which didn't come off. He reminded me of Henderson in his first season, when he'd often seem to defer to the more senior players a bit too much and did not seem confident or cocky enough to have a go at things himself. He needs to be encouraged to be more direct and to not be afraid to try; i.e. a bit more like his replacement Suso. So far, I think the tools are there.

I don't get the lazy part either. He's only 20, playing in his third team in three years in three different countries, and adapting to a league that's probably faster and more physical than anywhere he's played before. What looks like laziness could simply be just him adjusting to how physically strong opponents are and how quickly the ball moves from one end of the pitch to the other.

Prematurely ejaculating cynicism and criticism is what some SCM guys really enjoy these days it seems.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Lucas had a great game, at the back and supporting the attack, that's probably the best I've seen him perform since before his injury. Great passion for the penalties too.

Agreed. Thought he was better in the first half than the second, when he played a few passes in midfield that gifted possession and started their counter attacks, but overall, he had a very good game. It seemed like he was shouting "Com'on Simon!" to encourage Mignolet after he'd taken his second kick.

While on that - I recall Mignolet seemed to make a run to the touchlines just before Lucas' second kick and that actually worried me a bit, as I was afraid the delay in the kick would disrupt Lucas' rhythm. Fair dues to Lucas for sticking it in neatly. I was wondering if Mignolet had run over to the coaching staff to get instructions on which direction to go for the next kickers coming up.

 

[jan]

Not that it matters, but I just released that the Boro team we faced actually had 4 players loaned from London clubs:
- Chelsea: Blackman, Omeruo, Bamford
- Spurs: Fredericks

Bamford is the shit haired one who scored a penalty for them in extra time and then had the first one saved in the shootout, isn't he? Watching the game I was actually thinking he looks like the type of cunt that would fit right in at Chelsea.

 

[Buddha]

Markovic is going to make you haters look like right cunts in time.

Have you forgotten he's called Lazar?

 

[Best Believe It]

Does Sakho in this picture remind anyone else of Sagat?

 

[Ryan]

People going way overboard about Markovic. He's a kid who looks like he'll need more time to adapt than you'd hope, but to start making judgements on him after a couple of starts?? Pretty pathetic.

As for his pace, why not look at some of his games for Benfica where he looked like one of the quickest players in the game? Isn't it unlikely that that would just disappear or otherwise fail to translate to a different league??

It's hardly surprising though is it? SCM loves to castigate a signing after 2 games. I see Oncy's done his usual "he's shite, waste of money" after about 17 minutes of looking at him. We know how that usually works out for him, so the omens aren't all bad for Lazar.

 

[Silver Sean]

I'm not being a hater. I hope he starts to look half as good as his clear technique, pace and footballing brain suggest. But last night he annoyed me when he could have taken the game by the scruff of the neck and didn't. Like many others on show.

 

[Ryan]

This time last season Raheem was fucking rubbish, things change quickly.

 

[Jack D Rips]

Also it was a bit strange to see the players all run to Mignolet at the end, after he had saved one out of fifteen penalties.

 

[tony]

I don't think he was at fault for the goal. The ball was whipped in with pace, and had gone across him. It should've been Sakho or Mignolet attacking that ball, rather than Enrique being forced to scramble for it from the wrong side.

Not to mention Sakho's stupid handball which gave the free-kick away in the first place.

Hows that - the ball was booted so hard at him he could hardly get him arm out of the way ! The ref was a right twonk, how he never gave the peno on Lallana RIGHTINFRONT of him or the blatant handball at the end of the second half makes you wonder

 

[tony]

It's hardly surprising though is it? SCM loves to castigate a signing after 2 games. I see Oncy's done his usual "he's shite, waste of money" after about 17 minutes of looking at him. We know how that usually works out for him, so the omens aren't all bad for Lazar.

Just got back from Lisbon and the general consensus from the ( admittedly small sample ) Benfica fans I spoke to was a big fat meh. They were not unhappy with the fee either despite getting less than half the reported £20 mil

 

[kingjulian]

Im liking Ryan's post in this thread....

 

[Modo]

Lallana played well but he was very wasteful, he was holding onto the ball for far too long...When he didn't do that we looked a better team which was shown in suso's goal.

Our movement was again shocking up top, sorry to say it but Lambo is shite...

This