slakeywith lennon on leftmid

16.12.2008

Robert O'CarlosI could only comment on the real team.
Bent is erratic, Pavlyuchenko has been disappointing. I'd go with Pavlyuchenko up front alone and bring in a defensive midfielder. Modric and Jenas aren't going to get too many tackles in.
Come the end of January, I'd expect to see new names where Gomes and Bent/Pavlyuchenko are now. I've also heard, on the rumour grapevine, that Downing is off to White Hart Lane in January.

17.12.2008

nvrI guess, anyone would look erratic after Berbatov. Credit where it's due, Pavlyuchenko turned out to be a lot better then I thought. He had no break since winter of 2007 and no experience in a top level league. I was thinking he would be disaster.

17.12.2008

Robert O'CarlosI get the impression that Pavlyuchenko is the Berbatov that Berbatov never was. Errrm ...
By that I mean, everybody expected Berbatov to be hanging about up front waiting for the ball to come to him and generally not moving around much, which he disproved to great effect. Pavlyuchenko, on the other hand, doesn't seem in the match until the ball turns up at his feet. The goals I've seen him score are the result of passes into him while he stands and waits.
:-)

17.12.2008

nvrI wonder if this is due to the game plan. Berbatov used to play in a 2 forward setting. Kaene(or Defoe)was quick and could run into spaces he opened up.

Pavlyuchenko plays as the single man up front. The midfielders would not able to make runs to his space if he wanders too much.

18.12.2008