Country: USA
Player:Saliba
This was a nice little test and there were good positives as well as negatives. Was quite an engaging friendly.
Defense really is a problem and I didn't realize just how much. I think the difficulties with full-back is more pertinent than CB though - Sokratis and Mustafi had fewer problems the longer the game went on. The full backs are seeing a lot of possession of the ball, likely because of how wide our spacing now is, but they just don't have enough about them to do anything substantial with it. Kolasinac is certainly braver on the ball than present-day Bellerin, but he's pretty brutal at times. Bellerin is the big disappointment though, as he frequently chooses the wrong choice in possession.
It pains me to say it but AMN will end up getting more games at full back than at CM, not just due to the bodies we still have in that position (I'm looking at you, Elneny) but because he can actually contribute to the attack consistently in that position. My only qualms is that he's quite bad at defending laterally in the way a full-back would. He's a CM through and through despite his versatility and we should really consider recruiting a couple of LBs. RB I'm not too worried about - with Jordi Osei-Tutu and Vontae Daley-Campbell, we have two fast improving young RBs with technique and physical skill.
Disappointed to see Elneny get so much time aswell. I wish him no ill will, but he's a player we really should sell. He is of no use for us anymore IMO, he should go somewhere that he can be useful.
Still, there were positives - our possession game is so much more structured than before. We still carve out pretty good chances for ourselves on top of that so those are small encouraging signs! Guendouzi in particular looks seamless in his role as roaming DLP, but he's got to work on his defensive game and perhaps be a little sharper about when he releases the ball in deeper areas. He's far more resistant to the press than Xhaka but that overconfidence can be flaw. Xhaka does not overestimate in that regard.
Özil looked really good aswell, made some good runs off the ball, pressed well and was effective whenever he got the ball in dangerous areas. Auba wasn't bad either but he's a bit like Theo in one regard - ineffective when the balls not in the final 3rd. Smith-Rowe was a bit overawed at times but grew in stature as the game went on and he looked like he could hang.
On a personal note, I'm really happy Nelson got another assist. We really need to see more of him if we aren't spending on a winger, and he has to get a chance to build some confidence. He was still looking a bit subdued today, he was game but could have been braver, particularly one instance where he made a good run into the box but when he received the ball, did an overhit cross rather than shoot for the far corner.
Excellent summary and I agree with everything except the bold part. I don't think Guendouzi is overconfident, he just needs to improve marking a little. He adjusts his body and releases the ball much much quicker than Xhaka, which was critical to the tempo of our game. His first touch, agility and technique sets him up for the pass.
Xhaka often masks his lack of confidence with safe passing for the sake of safe passing and this is a huge hindrance, especially against teams that sit deep. I remember many occasions against weaker teams where we struggled because we took too long to transition the ball out of defence.
I'm incredibly excited to see Guendouzi next to Torreira, as both play crisp, incisive passes with relatively good consistency.