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10 years of FIFMy issue with Biraghi against Sassoulo is that he conceded and gave too much space to Berardi who basically had freedom to operate down our left side. I expected him to man mark or be closer to Berardi but attack after attack, Biraghi conceded space and was often too far away to catch up with or stop Berardi. I understand that there will be times in a match a when a player or a team concedes space to their direct opponent or the opposition but it felt that Sassoulo were attacking at will down our left side and there was little we could do to stop them.
I understand that building a team is a process and that it takes time. I also understand that a great team cannot be built in a single transfer window. But the match against Sassuolo is a good indication of where we are as a team: our starters are strong and they know exactly what is required of them. But once tiredness sets in and a few substitutions are made, our quality drops and the team loses is structure. Biraghi playing for Asamoah is good example of that and it shows that we also need to focus on squad depth and the players that are going to rotate with our starters as well as our substitutes.
With regards to Asamoah, I too feel that he is a little predictable. He is also quite conservative in the way he interprets his role. Conservative in the sense that he appears to to place a greater value on defending rather than attacking. Or maybe it is simply the case that he is getting older and cannot attack as well as he used to. When I think about our wing backs, I often think how Maicon would frequently attack and that was our best form of defence because his direct opponent was always on the back foot. But when I think of Asamoah, he is more content to defend and not concede as opposed to attacking and scoring.
One game does not make a season. But Biraghi has to significantly lift his game or the club needs to find a solid player that does not make our left side look like Europe's open and porous borders.
I understand that building a team is a process and that it takes time. I also understand that a great team cannot be built in a single transfer window. But the match against Sassuolo is a good indication of where we are as a team: our starters are strong and they know exactly what is required of them. But once tiredness sets in and a few substitutions are made, our quality drops and the team loses is structure. Biraghi playing for Asamoah is good example of that and it shows that we also need to focus on squad depth and the players that are going to rotate with our starters as well as our substitutes.
With regards to Asamoah, I too feel that he is a little predictable. He is also quite conservative in the way he interprets his role. Conservative in the sense that he appears to to place a greater value on defending rather than attacking. Or maybe it is simply the case that he is getting older and cannot attack as well as he used to. When I think about our wing backs, I often think how Maicon would frequently attack and that was our best form of defence because his direct opponent was always on the back foot. But when I think of Asamoah, he is more content to defend and not concede as opposed to attacking and scoring.
One game does not make a season. But Biraghi has to significantly lift his game or the club needs to find a solid player that does not make our left side look like Europe's open and porous borders.
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