01-19-2016, 09:09 PM
I've always said this, Witsel will be a huge upgrade for this midfield. A physical, two way player who has that commanding presence in the midfield is exactly what this team need, even more so than a pure skilled passer like Banega. Looking at our midfield, we have good players, but almost all of our players are one dimensional. They are either good at attacking or defending, but not both. This has created a problem for Miha to field players, because opponents can easily expose the deficiencies of our midfielders' games. For example, when we play De Jong, opponents can close down the other midfielders and force De Jong to pass or dribble on offense. When we play Monto, opponents will attack relentlessly at him on offense, because he is not a good at defense. Our squad has such a poor balance because of this. Witsel would be a huge help, but in all honesty, Zenit is not going to sell for anything less than a huge sum of money now that they are in CL final 16. Next summer is more realistic, and Galliani dragging his damned feet last summer is what got us in this mess again. Fellaini is kind of similar, but is definitely a poor man version of Witsel.
El Ghazi is a great prospect for us to get, but we should also keep our expectations in check. At age 20, and having played in Netherlands his entire career, his learning curve in Italy could be a long and grueling one. He has to adapt to a new team, new culture, new language, new coaching staff, new teammates and heightened expectations from the fans and management alike. That is a lot for a 20 year old to handle. Not to mention, Italy is known for being a tactic heavy league, which is not going to do young players any favors. Those tactical knowledge take years to accumulate and a 20 year old might struggle with it. In all honesty, even if we signed El Ghazi, I am expecting minimal contributions from him this year. There just isn't enough time for him to settle in without a training camp. Look at how much Depay is struggling in Man U, and he is playing for a coach who knows him, and is the older/more polished player than El Ghazi is right now. It's going to take time, and we better not put too much pressure on the kid from the get go, or else he could turn into another ELS.
El Ghazi is a great prospect for us to get, but we should also keep our expectations in check. At age 20, and having played in Netherlands his entire career, his learning curve in Italy could be a long and grueling one. He has to adapt to a new team, new culture, new language, new coaching staff, new teammates and heightened expectations from the fans and management alike. That is a lot for a 20 year old to handle. Not to mention, Italy is known for being a tactic heavy league, which is not going to do young players any favors. Those tactical knowledge take years to accumulate and a 20 year old might struggle with it. In all honesty, even if we signed El Ghazi, I am expecting minimal contributions from him this year. There just isn't enough time for him to settle in without a training camp. Look at how much Depay is struggling in Man U, and he is playing for a coach who knows him, and is the older/more polished player than El Ghazi is right now. It's going to take time, and we better not put too much pressure on the kid from the get go, or else he could turn into another ELS.