Reserves

[richwilks]

What's happening with the reserves this season? Another loss at home to Man City last night.

 

I haven't seen any of the games but it's a worry after the domination of last season.

 

Are there a lot of under performing individuals or is it just a case of the opposition stepping up in class? I noticed Benjani was playing for Man City Reserves last night which is obviously below his level.

 

I was hoping to see a few of the ressies pushing on this season and establishing a regular subs berth but it only seems to be El Zhar managing to do that and even that doesn't seem to be regular.

 

Is there anyone on here who watches the reserves regularly who can shed some light on this? Who's looking good, who's underperforming etc?

[Chili Palmer]

Nemeth is injured. The rest are underperforming. Lats nights game was really poor, our whole team look like midgets against the Man City boys. Pachecho should stop watching Yossi in training.

[Hassony]

Nemeth is injured. The rest are underperforming. Lats nights game was really poor, our whole team look like midgets against the Man City boys. Pachecho should stop watching Yossi in training.

 

I know he doesn't seem powerful enough, but I still think he can do a job coming of the bench for the first team, maybe against spurs in the league cup

[Chili Palmer]

I know he doesn't seem powerful enough, but I still think he can do a job coming of the bench for the first team, maybe against spurs in the league cup

 

 

not the way he is playing in the ressies so far this season. holds onto the ball just that second too long and gets caught too many times, you can see that he is a player, just needs more coaching. Plessis looks like a wooden one at the minute.

[Hassony]

another point why we have struggled this season, Lucas and Leto played a lot for the reserve last season as well

[Guest Ant]

No impetus?

[richwilks]

I know he doesn't seem powerful enough, but I still think he can do a job coming of the bench for the first team, maybe against spurs in the league cup

 

I thought he looked good in the pre season games. Certainly has the ability but worry that his size is always going to prevent him being a success in the premier league.

[Chili Palmer]

No impetus?

 

 

is that your word of the week?

[Hassony]

I thought he looked good in the pre season games. Certainly has the ability but worry that his size is always going to prevent him being a success in the premier league.

 

How does he compare to Owen at the same age?

 

Owen was a bit taller wasn't he?

[MarkD]

Have seen a few of the games and a some observations;

 

Bruna and Pacheco do get 'knocked off' the ball too easily

Both also need to lift their heads up when about to receive the ball and also when in possession - too often their final ball has been very poor

Plessis has been sleep walking in every game and has gone backwards

Nemeth has been badly missed - I think his goals helped cover some deficiencies last season

Insua needs to be tested at a higher level - but he is not ready to go into our squad as yet, same for Huth, who has gotten better also.

Spearing is an odd one - he is very busy so catches the eye alot but unlike last season when their was an end product to a lot of what he was doing, this season he's been as poor as the rest.

I saw the comments on Darby yesterday - overall will make a solid rb but at the moment doesn't offer enough to be a Premiership player - but again could be tested elsewhere.

 

Overall, confidence is very low but the team's technical abilities seem to have gone backwards also. Quite alarming to be honest.

[Hassony]

We should have loaned out Insua, San Jose, Darby and Spearing this season (to decent sides in england or spain), and promoted few from the youth team

[Ben 23]

Bruna has a brilliant first touch, better than half of the first team. I appreciate that nobody is discussing this.

 

Brouwer needs to be released into the wild.

[Chili Palmer]

Brouwer needs to be released into the wild.

 

missed a great chance last night.

[Hassony]

missed a great chance last night.

 

he was surprised that he managed to control it so well

[richwilks]

We should have loaned out Insua, San Jose, Darby and Spearing this season (to decent sides in england or spain), and promoted few from the youth team

 

 

I think a few probably go backwards if they aren't getting the reward for their performances. Plessis may fall into that bracket.

 

I'm not sure loaning always seems to work though. We seem to send players to a lower pre team or a championship team and that's the last we hear of them.

 

What's happening with players like N'gog, Vitor Flora etc? If Pacheco and Brouwer play for the reserves presumably they aren't getting regular action.

[_00_deathscar]

I think a few probably go backwards if they aren't getting the reward for their performances. Plessis may fall into that bracket.

 

That's hardly surprising considering what he's up against.

[richwilks]

That's hardly surprising considering what he's up against.

 

True.

[Maldini]

another point why we have struggled this season, Lucas and Leto played a lot for the reserve last season as well

 

Not really, they played a few games at the start of the season, but once Nemeth came into the team (November) Leto was already having passport issues and Lucas was with the first team.

[Paul_LFC]

Nemeth is the key for this side.

[lawrie]

Nemeth is the key for this side.

 

I think Nemeth is too good for the reserves and fear he will go backwards if he is not tested at a higher level

[richwilks]

I think Nemeth is too good for the reserves and fear he will go backwards if he is not tested at a higher level

 

 

Simple answer to that is to get him on the bench and start giving him the last 15 of games. We'd soon see how far off starting a game he was and he'd surely grow in confidence.

 

Both him and El Zhar should be regulars on the bench. The worrying thing for me is that Pennant still gets a look in ahead of El Zhar despite failing to impress and Benitez claimed ealier in the week that N'gog had played well against Villa so was an option when the truth is he looked out of his depth against Villa.

[longtimered]

Plessis has not only gone backwards but gives the impression of little effort or application(not just last nights game).You wonder if he now thinks he is too good for this level.Somebody needs to get him back on the right track quickly.

[richwilks]

Plessis has not only gone backwards but gives the impression of little effort or application(not just last nights game).You wonder if he now thinks he is too good for this level.Somebody needs to get him back on the right track quickly.

 

 

As someone else said it's not a great situation for him. Look at the quality he has ahead of him. When Torres is back Mascherano or Alonso may even be missing out if Keane continues to start alongside him and Gerrard gets pushed back.

 

Having said that given he has had a taster for it should drive him on to make sure more happens in the future. Although he did OK in the matches he's played in he hardly looks a world beater and I don't hold much hope for him.

 

From what I have seen of the reserves (and being honest that is very little this season) the players who look to be knocking on the door are El Zhar, Insua, Nemeth, Pacheco, Darby, Plessis. And from those I think it's only El Zhar and Nemeth who look like breaking through.

 

I'm very keen to see Nemeth in the first team squad but I just don't see it this year.

[alias75]

It a tricky situation because we have 5 or 6 reserve team players that had really good seasons last year but are still with the reserves, for their development they need to be playing a higher level either with us or out on loan.

 

I think a couple of the reserves are good enough to be part of the first team squad, Darby, Insua and Nemeth i think they are all good enough to be part of the match day 18 players if they don't figure they keep their sharpness playing with the reserves. We have other good players in the reserves but i think the players i mentioned have a better chance given the players we already have in the squad. There is room for someone like Nemeth because we probably are 1 striker short at the moment, Insua has always looked fine at PL level although the signing of Dossena is obviously working against him, it would be good for him to go out on loan to either a top Championship team or even another PL team. Darby looks pretty solid to me and is another one id loan out to either a PL team or top championship team if he isnt going to figure this season.

 

Others like Plessis and Spearing and Pacheco i think they need a fresh challenge out on loan, but as we've seen with other players its also important you loan them to the right clubs.