23 - Jules Kounde

[jamrock]

Blaming a player for a coaches lack of situation awareness.

Classic.

Defenders didn't lose the game, the defending loss the game, because no reason for us to be searching for a 5 goal with 14 minutes left.

Possession and wait for a mistake is all that was needed.

 

[serghei]

There is this misconception that if you defend deeper you can't score goals on the break. Totally false. Atletico defended most of the time in 2 games vs us and scored 6 fucking goals. Why? Because their counters were very dangerous.

 

[Porque]

He's the best RB in LaLiga but also our weakest link.

I think that would be a fair statement with both sides being true.

It doesn't matter right now that he can play CB, as he is not considered there judging this season.

 

[Porque]

There is this misconception that if you defend deeper you can't score goals on the break. Totally false. Atletico defended most of the time in 2 games vs us and scored 6 fucking goals. Why? Because their counters were very dangerous.

Because we were on the half way line. So being deep is also being advanced

 

[serghei]

Because we were on the half way line. So being deep is also being advanced

Yeah, so where Benfica when we scored the 5th. To attack efficiently and push on the attack, you have to take risks. Why were we the ones who took those crazy risks 2 goals ahead is the question.

 

[jamrock]

He's the best RB in LaLiga but also our weakest link.

I think that would be a fair statement with both sides being true.

It doesn't matter right now that he can play CB, as he is not considered there judging this season.

If both statements are true, then our team must be goated Historically for the best RB in the entire league to be our weakest link.

I now expect a treble.

 

[Porque]

If both statements are true, then our team must be goated Historically for the best RB in the entire league to be our weakest link.

I now expect a treble.

Well, who is worse in the 11? Someone has to be the worst, right?

For the style we want to play, Kounde is not consistent on the ball, but not as terrible as he looks per the eye test either.

Same details why Araujo is our best one on one defender yet currently behind Eric.

Best RB in France is Hakimi, best in Spain is Kounde. Just as an example.

Tell me who would be better for us?

 

[serghei]

Best would be to tweak the tactics. Help the defenders to be better by not having them out there in huge risk all the time.

Everyone in the backline is bad defensively, sometimes Kounde, sometimes Balde, sometimes Cubarsi, Araujo and others. Inigo is the best defender this season probably. Least amount of fucking up compared to the others.

 

[jamrock]

Well, who is worse in the 11? Someone has to be the worst, right?

For the style we want to play, Kounde is not consistent on the ball, but not as terrible as he looks per the eye test either.

Same details why Araujo is our best one on one defender yet currently behind Eric.

Yea and it's definitely not him, definitely not if we are talking about this season or since he's been at the club.

Our goalkeepers are worse easily.
Balde hasn't been better than him this season.
Martinez is getting a bit overrated, good but not as great as being made out.
De jong

Only players that can be said to be definitely better than kounde this season is the front 3, Pedri and cubarsi.

He's right there in the mix with everyone that would be apart of the core 14 players, with casado being the best & kounde after.

 

[Porque]

Yeah, so where Benfica when we scored the 5th. To attack efficiently and push on the attack, you have to take risks. Why were we the ones who took those crazy risks 2 goals ahead is the question.

I agree. We closed the game with unnecessary risk.

Didn't have the players to perform what Flick wanted to do. Hopefully next season we are able to improve the depth and Gavi improves.

 

[serghei]

I agree. We closed the game with unnecessary risk.

Didn't have the players to perform what Flick wanted to do. Hopefully next season we are able to improve the depth and Gavi improves.

No team does that really. There will always be a technical gap from Pedri, Olmo, De Jong to others from the bench. We don't have the funds to make that gap smaller, so the manager has to adjust. Sure, I'd like Kimmich for depth in midfield.

We need to insist on the things which are realistically possible. And that's making the team more flexible to the players we have currently. We do that, we easily kick it up another level.

 

[Porque]

No team does that really. There will always be a technical gap from Pedri, Olmo, De Jong to others from the bench. We don't have the funds to make that gap smaller, so the manager has to adjust. Sure, I'd like Kimmich for depth in midfield.

More about having that Nico Williams/Lookman/Diaz rotation for Raphinha or Lamine than the midfield breakdown, to keep Atletico honest on the counter. Would usually be Ferran which has been fruitful, but he started.

That option allows for Fermin never to touch the wing in a high profile game bar injury crisis.

 

[Porque]

Yea and it's definitely not him, definitely not if we are talking about this season or since he's been at the club.

Our goalkeepers are worse easily.
Balde hasn't been better than him this season.
Martinez is getting a bit overrated, good but not as great as being made out.
De jong

Only players that can be said to be definitely better than kounde this season is the front 3, Pedri and cubarsi.

He's right there in the mix with everyone that would be apart of the core 14 players, with casado being the best & kounde after.

Fair enough. I think for the high line, possession game that Kounde is the least reliable outfield player, as seen in his gaff costing a goal.

But something I will add that I half joked about yesterday. Benfica 4 goals and Atleti 4. The common demoninator in both was bad weather conditions. We can't ignore that our high risk style suffers immensely on the defensive end with these conditions.

And a last point, I don't really care about the early goals that much. That is down to the players and concentration and setting into the game and plan quickly. But the late goals, those are the bigger issue how we closed. But better to have to concentrate and plan how to open and close, than the whole middle of the match being a disaster. The xG says it all and Atleti have bigger margins to work on than we do.

 

[jamrock]

Depth wasn't the issue, flick just made the wrong subs and the wrong approach.

One can understanding the thinking behind subbing in gavi, because he will defend more and better than olmo.

But gavi has been a bit slow lately.

I don't remember who I was listening to, who said that's how ACL injuries tend to be, you come back strong initially, then you start to slow down again, in a 18-24 months kind of injury.

We should have subbed in Casado for olmo or De Jong then be more conservative and hit them on the counter.

But the casado mistake crippled flick from doing the right thing.

Goals had nothing to do with kounde individually just poor situational awareness from the coach.

 

[Raketa10]

He is a good player. However, he really needs to stop having this kind of blackouts. A mistake like this one can easily cost you a title.