23 Apr 2024 20:26:00
Mudryk doesn't want to be in the game. He doesn't make runs, doesn't sprint in support of our counter attacks, doesn't close down passing lanes. The other players don't want to pass to him. Why is he on a football pitch? Interested to hear your thoughts G8.

1.) 23 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 22:01:45
EdW, he wasn’t very good and when he plays it just exposes whoever plays LB.

2.) 23 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 22:02:58
See above Edw.

3.) 23 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 22:04:12
He’s attacking minded unlike poch and this embarrassing team.

4.) 23 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 22:20:46
Nib, he's not attacking minded. He's nothing minded from what I can see. Literally doesn't appear to understand how the game works. Didn't attack at all, didn't defend at all.

5.) 23 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 22:28:56
Nib, are you watching the same player (Mudryk) as the rest of us?

6.) 24 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 23:15:24
Yes I think if we let him attack and give him that freedom to attack and not worry about defending and having to get back and worry about cucurella and chilwell because there rubbish at defending I think he would be a different player. We play and set up around are weak players to protect them just tell cucurella not to go past half way line and let the midfield players attack. Half the time tonight you saw him in front of Mudryk so he couldn’t push on he had to stop he’s not the issue the tactics and the players we have are the issue where fitting bad players into the team and build the rest round them. After 45 minutes how are the likes of Gallagher Jackson BB gilghrist still on the field I tell you why management the root cause of why we are awful and still playing the same bog standard players. Every manager will have there favourites but that then means you stand by them look at mourinho he had is, conte he used to pick Moses all the time I thought he was awful by the way but what do I no. I no this much we never asked robben malouda and duff to defend and help out they had the freedom to attack to do what they were good at we are so awful and slow and it’s stopping other players ability to shine due to them having to protect the rubbish we have. Watch his games before joining us get the ball attack get the ball attack we play boring football we also try to play a possession game and we are garbage at that 57 goals this season so it shows we are no good at attacking and even worse at defending. Half this team must go or we are not winning anything in, it will be another 50years the Americans must go as well the people they are trusting to recruit aren’t the right people they got gusto and palmer right the rest as been a nightmare I no injuries have played a part in some but the others that have had plenty of playing time have shown there not up to it, the manager isn’t right and I wanted him but I was wrong but I don’t know who.

7.) 24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024 06:39:39
So, we are “rubbish, ” “garbage, ” tha manager should be sacked, the owners should go and the recruitment team should be replaced but Mudryke is ok.

I will be giving Mudryke more time but let’s remember this is his second season and he has only played ok a few times and yes I am remembering he had a tough personal time last season. He along with BB were our worst players yesterday. He has done very little to deserve a place in the team. When given the chance in a team players have to take that chance, he hasn’t.

8.) 24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024 12:11:21
Nib, I appreciate what you're saying, but the flaw in your argument is, firstly that Mudryk didn't even try to defend last night. He made a show of pretending to, whilst letting players waltz past him. Secondly, that when the team were in transition going forward he showed the same amount of effort as in his defending – zero. Whether the ball was going past him one way or the other he was jogging, disinterestedly.

Yes, defensive work might not be someone's skill. But we've all played football, and a player who gives a toss about the result does NOT do what Mudryk did last night, regardless of what position on the pitch they are playing. Players who care sprint. Players who care close down. Sorry, it's just the case, regardless of instruction. He was like a car stuck in second – his speed didn't change in the whole game. He's a fit young man, not a veteran. To me, this suggests that either a) he doesn't understand the game of football in the slightest b) he really isn't a smart lad, and is confused by an instruction he's been given to conserve his energy about when to conserve it c) he's a petulant child and doesn't care d) he's lacking confidence to the degree that he's actually afraid to touch the ball. A combination of all four seems likely.

Those players that you mentioned, Robben, Duff, Malouda – if they didn't defend (and I don't agree with you on that; I believe they all pressed with energy, especially Duff and Malouda)  – all of them would come alive in transitions. Your team is counter-attacking, and you're an attacking player? Bang. Straight up there with play. I watched Jackson try to take on three defending players in the first half last night at 1-0 at least three or four times. Where was Mudryk? Jogging near the halfway line. Didn't want to be involved. Their first goal – first part of the move Mudryk simply let their player run past him. Every loose ball that was anywhere near him he simply ignored. What can Poch do about it if he's been bought a £60million player who doesn't want to play? A more brutal manager would have hooked him at 25 minutes in – and risked killing his confidence entirely.

Ed001, do you have any comments to add to this?

{Ed001's Note - I didn't see the game, so can't comment on his performance in that match, but I have been reading up on Mudryk and listening to what previous coaches say about him. I think you are closest on D judging by that. He is a very quiet, shy lad apparently and suffers badly with confidence issues. I think he is having problems settling.}

9.) 24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024 12:44:11
Hi Ed001, I prefer to swing towards a positive view where possible, so I'll say I feel for the kid if it's D. I did see Pochettino have a very soft word with him that looked like he was trying to motivate him. I can see the lack of confidence meaning he'd be afraid to join in attacks/ not want to receive the ball. But what about the defensive side of things? They do rondo drills, presumably – he can't be like that in training or he simply wouldn't get picked. Even if you're not confident surely you can't just let players walk past you with the ball, or not try to kick it when it's loose, if only to stop the opposition getting it? He was worse than a training cone in that game – at least a training cone makes the tackle one time out of fifty or so.

I can't imagine what it's like to come from a country that's at war, where you've only played at a much lower standard and are suddenly thrust into a team playing in front of billions (potentially), a team that's also massively unstable, so not exactly helping you, and you're already a shy person, being openly mocked (in a way you can literally see) by hundreds of thousands of people. A version of hell I can conceive would literally be that. But do recruitment teams at clubs not think about these things at all in their strategies – that young, inexperienced players will be prone to this stuff? That getting rid of all the established pros around them will do that? Do they not have pastoral teams that work to get players situated and comfortable? I feel like some clubs seem to do that much better than others –and (I'm not sure if I'm misremembering this) but Chelsea under Abramovich had some criticism in this quarter for some of their signings (thinking of Salah, perhaps, and his troubles adjusting, but also many of the young players we brought in over the years, and especially the famous loan army)? But you'd think spending £60 million plus you'd have these angles covered.

{Ed001's Note - I would have to say I agree with you that he should still do more. Maybe he just freezes up when the crowd is there? But then that is on the manager to deal with and he is meant to be particularly good at that, he was hired on the basis of being able to help youngsters develop. I think his reputation is not really deserved personally.

Chelsea certainly used to have people to help but I still don't think they, or any other English football club for that matter, do enough to help players. There is a problem with attitude of young men not wanting to talk about issues and wanting to keep it private though. That does not help. It is tough but Chelsea have not been the same since Eva Carneiro was sacked, because she was the sounding board for most of the players. Often men find it easier to talk about things that bother them with a woman. There is not the peer pressure problem of being judged, so it is a safe space to open up. There are very few opportunities for them to do that while at the club. If you have a psychologist, then you have the worry that other players know you are speaking to them. With a physio, well you are there anyway and no one is going to judge you for working on an injury issue.}

10.) 24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024 12:44:19
p. s. thanks for your reply!

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate, sorry I couldn't offer insight into the game itself.}

11.) 24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024 20:04:24
No worries at all mate.

Really interesting your thoughts about Eva Carneiro. The legacy of toxic Mourinho, and the main reason I would never want him back at the club. His treatment of her, and the club essentially backing it, was just appalling. So obviously destructive – you saw him lose the dressing room as well, because of what you've said, all the players had a very close relationship with her.

A bit shocking that you'd buy a Mudryk and then not make a massive effort to help him acclimatise, especially given everything that's going on in his homeland. You've got to feel for him. He must be so incredibly lonely here, and feel incredibly guilty to boot if his family are under sustained bombardment, or at least the threat of such. Just seems like very basic care to me, but more so with the money involved. Football is so far behind in terms of psychology anyway, and I feel like if someone could come up with a plan to help sort out young players' heads they'd be a billionaire. So much wasted talent from academy level on, across the board. The partying lifestyle I think is an emotional immaturity, and an inability to deal healthily with issues. It's striking how many people regret their early twenties, the fact of not having focused on their talents, and when you think of talented footballers who've frittered it away, maybe even just for having an issue with authority. a family friend of mine was the Arsenal team psychologist under Wenger, worked extensively with Henry. Mostly about coming back from long-term and short-term injury, and getting over the psychological 'blocks', but the team were at their most successful when she was there, before she moved on to Olympic stuff. I do think there's been a massive shift in football around this stuff, but never quite quickly enough – the players are also different now in terms of what they'll accept, how they view themselves. Again, given the amounts of money available you'd think these kinds of things would be well known.

Another aspect is the identity of the team within the group – that sense of seriousness of purpose and also belonging will limit someone's acting outside of its interests if you know what I mean (excessive partying, for example) . I guess City seem to have it pretty solidly sorted, and Liverpool too. At City, even players like Grealish and Walker who do the party lifestyle appear to be kept more in line than you might expect (although Walker tries hard, he also gives it all professionally, which I guess puts him a little bit above censure), and the culture there is firm – Mendy was basically fired even before his trial went to court; Cancelo, who seemed like perhaps the best right back in world football whilst playing for them, was shipped out as soon as it was clear he was a bad influence in the dressing room. Just gone – immediately, it felt like. At Liverpool, Klopp seems to be amazing at fostering the kind of team ethos that Pochettino dreams about – players fight for the group, and young players coming into that group immediately seem to feel taken care of so that when they come into the team they're a part of it, and the performances of players like Bradley reflect that. I can't imagine what training is like with a group of players who are all basically in their early twenties apart from Silva. I think I said this early in the season, but he must be so bored and frustrated at work – crap conversation, nobody training as hard or trying as hard as him.