dr_peepee
21/08/2005, 10:53 PM
I know he got some reasonable post match reports but I have to say i was bitterly disapointed in him again. Not that he was a disaster or anything, but i really thought this was the time for him to live up to the impression he made in '02.
I expected a tenacious, energetic, box to box display with a couple of efforts from distance. Especially given that there was a holding midfielder in Holland/O'Shea. But, as with the last few times I've seen him for club and country he looked like he couldn't get out of first gear. I've wondered for a while now if he's just paying the price of over catious tactics from managers, I honestly don't know.
He looked wary on the ball and low on confidnce which is strange since he finnished last season and started this as first choice for his club. Plus I felt he went down too easy a number of times searching for the free.
For an athletic player with his physique and raw abillities he should be making his presence felt at both ends of the pitch. I felt he was annonomous for alot of the game last week. I seen more bottle in him when he stood up to a Burnley fan who invaded the pitch to get at Robbie Savage last season. He really needs to apply that to his game.
I expected a tenacious, energetic, box to box display with a couple of efforts from distance. Especially given that there was a holding midfielder in Holland/O'Shea. But, as with the last few times I've seen him for club and country he looked like he couldn't get out of first gear. I've wondered for a while now if he's just paying the price of over catious tactics from managers, I honestly don't know.
He looked wary on the ball and low on confidnce which is strange since he finnished last season and started this as first choice for his club. Plus I felt he went down too easy a number of times searching for the free.
For an athletic player with his physique and raw abillities he should be making his presence felt at both ends of the pitch. I felt he was annonomous for alot of the game last week. I seen more bottle in him when he stood up to a Burnley fan who invaded the pitch to get at Robbie Savage last season. He really needs to apply that to his game.