What an impact the guy had when he arrived in January 2017, he has done well for the club. It is also clear he has had recent off-field personal problems, for which he has our sympathies. He remains a decent bottom 5 Premier League defensive midfielder.
However, our "skipper" is responsible for almost everything that was wrong against Burnley, and will continue to be an issue moving forwards. Firstly, his mobility is going, as we started to find out last season. He struggles to cover the ground. That means the other centre mids cannot push forwards to press high up the pitch without leaving us exposed. That is why Kouyate is better for us in Vieira's new system because he has the pace to play the holding mid position on his own, and cover in behind. Secondly, he isn't very good in the air, so is of little help when we are defending set-pieces, something we need help with. Thirdly he is increasingly sloppy and also often slows the ball down when we have the ball, which is a shame as he should be up to the speed of the Premier League by now, and actually he is capable of breaking the lines with accurate 15 yard forward passes - probably his greatest strength along with solid positioning. Lastly it annoys me that he continues to take the set-pieces when he is on the pitch. That's not leadership, that's a sign of weakness in his personality.
I'm afraid I think it's time to thank him for his services and move him on. We've moved on, and it's time he moves on too, but would be interested to hear other people's thoughts. I would imagine his wages are fairly hefty, given his age and the length of time it took to sign him onto a new contract.
However, our "skipper" is responsible for almost everything that was wrong against Burnley, and will continue to be an issue moving forwards. Firstly, his mobility is going, as we started to find out last season. He struggles to cover the ground. That means the other centre mids cannot push forwards to press high up the pitch without leaving us exposed. That is why Kouyate is better for us in Vieira's new system because he has the pace to play the holding mid position on his own, and cover in behind. Secondly, he isn't very good in the air, so is of little help when we are defending set-pieces, something we need help with. Thirdly he is increasingly sloppy and also often slows the ball down when we have the ball, which is a shame as he should be up to the speed of the Premier League by now, and actually he is capable of breaking the lines with accurate 15 yard forward passes - probably his greatest strength along with solid positioning. Lastly it annoys me that he continues to take the set-pieces when he is on the pitch. That's not leadership, that's a sign of weakness in his personality.
I'm afraid I think it's time to thank him for his services and move him on. We've moved on, and it's time he moves on too, but would be interested to hear other people's thoughts. I would imagine his wages are fairly hefty, given his age and the length of time it took to sign him onto a new contract.
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