Semedo is not a defender

[WickedWolfie]

Sorry brother, I’ve been watching way too many episodes of Suits.

Sorry mate, the ginge has already got Meghan.....

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

Lead the way and leave Maitland-Niles through on goal?

Edit: here are the key moments in the build up.

Image 1: if he vacates that spot, it’s one pass and through on goal or a one on one (v Coady) in a more dangerous area of the pitch.

Image 2: just after the pass to the winger. That’s the moment he goes.

Image 3: he couldn’t make the ground up, but we need to add some context as to how much time passed between the pass and the cross. 2 seconds maybe?

The only other thing I will say here is that the ball in was very good, but look where Saiss in each moment. He needs to be all over and physical with the attacker. It’s not good enough to leave him free.


View attachment 21151View attachment 21149View attachment 21150

Image 1. He is not marking anybody. That is not how you mark anybody. You stay goalside. He doesn't have eyes on the back of his head and it ain't fifa. They can play the pass through to maitland-niles there, he probably won't cut it out and leave maitland-niles one on one with coady.

He's in the wrong position. He is marking nobody. Yet everybody else gets thrown under a bus for him not doing his job again.

Now nobody is arguing Saiss shouldn't do better, but again people refuse to acknowledge that semedo could possibly be doing anything wrong, when he is not in the correct position when, when 5 minutes patricio had to make a very good save after the winger went passed him like he wasn't there.

 

[SakosRightFoot]

Where’s this perception about not being a good defender come from other than a bad mistake against Villa?

Genuinely curious.. not trying to be a dick.

Havent got the time to go through all the individual examples but it basically boils down to technical flaws in his body shape in certain situations and his lack of aggression. If you compare to Jonny for example when Jonny goes to close someone down he fully commits and uses his relatively low centre of gravity to make him harder to go past. Semedo whilst being quick doesn’t commit fully and that means he’s often on the back foot. In a team like Barcelona it’s less noticeable, in ours it stands out.

Pretty similar argument made about Alexander-Arnold and the reason he’s down the pecking order for England

 

[Deleted member 11332]

If Nuno is intent on a back four in the future then spending £30m plus on Semedo makes no sense at all. As a wing back with three at the back fine, as his main qualities are found going forward and he is not a natural defender in the way Jonny is. Another one of those highly questionable decisions in our very poor summer transfer dealings which have cost us any chance of progress this season.

How many top fullbacks in world football are natural defenders like Jonny. Less of a premium is put on that old school mentality now as fullbacks are asked to push forward a lot more now and are involved heavily in attacking moves.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

Image 1. He is not marking anybody. That is not how you mark anybody. You stay goalside. He doesn't have eyes on the back of his head and it ain't fifa. They can play the pass through to maitland-niles there, he probably won't cut it out and leave maitland-niles one on one with coady.

He's in the wrong position. He is marking nobody. Yet everybody else gets thrown under a bus for him not doing his job again.

Now nobody is arguing Saiss shouldn't do better, but again people refuse to acknowledge that semedo could possibly be doing anything wrong, when he is not in the correct position when, when 5 minutes patricio had to make a very good save after the winger went passed him like he wasn't there.

If otasowie does his job and follows the fullback then semedo isn't caught in 2 minds on where he should be. He's putting himself in position to defend either player, I'd he just marks one like you suggest the other is completely free. This is pretty basic stuff coached to anyone who's played the game at any sort of level.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

If otasowie does his job and follows the fullback then semedo isn't caught in 2 minds on where he should be. He's putting himself in position to defend either player, I'd he just marks one like you suggest the other is completely free. This is pretty basic stuff coached to anyone who's played the game at any sort of level.

No, if he marks the guy he's supposed to, Coady picks aitland miles up. He isn't marking aitland-niles. He shouldn't be so narrow. I don't think he has a clue what is around him, which is par for the course for his defending.
And yet again it ends up in an easy cross and a goal and everybody's fault except Semedo's.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

No, if he marks the guy he's supposed to, Coady picks aitland miles up. He isn't marking aitland-niles. He shouldn't be so narrow. I don't think he has a clue what is around him, which is par for the course for his defending.
And yet again it ends up in an easy cross and a goal and everybody's fault except Semedo's.

Just completely incorrect.

 

[goldeneyed]

How many top fullbacks in world football are natural defenders like Jonny. Less of a premium is put on that old school mentality now as fullbacks are asked to push forward a lot more now and are involved heavily in attacking moves.

Disagree - defenders have to be able to defend and any manager worth his salt demands that. With three CBs at the back wing backs have a specific attacking role and while they still need to be able to defend it is not quite so crucial as when you are playing four at the back and more of your attacking impetus is coming from a midfield four or three. If Nuno is intent on four at the back then Semedo at £30m plus is not the right player, much as I like him as an attacking wing back to which he is much more suited.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

Disagree - defenders have to be able to defend and any manager worth his salt demands that. With three CBs at the back wing backs have a specific attacking role and while they still need to be able to defend it is not quite so crucial as when you are playing four at the back and more of your attacking impetus is coming from a midfield four or three. If Nuno is intent on four at the back then Semedo at £30m plus is not the right player, much as I like him as an attacking wing back to which he is much more suited.

Perfectly fine in a back 4 everywhere else he's been and played, maybe it's the fact he's playing with players who are much worse that causes issues, because having pique inside you to Coady is some comedown in support.

Modern fullbacks are expected to contribute offensively. I can't actually think of many in the premier League I think are good defensively. Robertson maybe. Walker relies on his pace too much, as does AWB.

The game has moved on, most sides move to a back 2 with one midfielder as a shield Infront and fullbacks high and wide when they have the ball as the game is so possession focussed.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

Perfectly fine in a back 4 everywhere else he's been and played, maybe it's the fact he's playing with players who are much worse that causes issues, because having pique inside you to Coady is some comedown in support.

Modern fullbacks are expected to contribute offensively. I can't actually think of many in the premier League I think are good defensively. Robertson maybe. Walker relies on his pace too much, as does AWB.

The game has moved on, most sides move to a back 2 with one midfielder as a shield Infront and fullbacks high and wide when they have the ball as the game is so possession focussed.

A quick Google and you can find people making the same complaints about his positional play at both Barcelona and Benfica.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

A quick Google and you can find people making the same complaints about his positional play at both Barcelona and Benfica.

Good for them. I don't really care for their opinion, if it's the same as people on here blaming him for being surrounded by 3 players because 2 of ours couldn't be bothered to track their runners then I'd have a good laugh at their stupidity and lack of understanding of the basic principles of playing football.

 

[SoCal_Wolf]

Image 1. He is not marking anybody. That is not how you mark anybody. You stay goalside. He doesn't have eyes on the back of his head and it ain't fifa. They can play the pass through to maitland-niles there, he probably won't cut it out and leave maitland-niles one on one with coady.

He's in the wrong position. He is marking nobody. Yet everybody else gets thrown under a bus for him not doing his job again.

Now nobody is arguing Saiss shouldn't do better, but again people refuse to acknowledge that semedo could possibly be doing anything wrong, when he is not in the correct position when, when 5 minutes patricio had to make a very good save after the winger went passed him like he wasn't there.

If you review the entirety of the goal move, then you will see that it really is (almost) entirely Saiss' fault for not marking Diagne.

At 60:50 in the game, the **** lump up a free kick after Vitinha is offside post-corner. Saiss clears the ball just past the half-way line on the right side of the pitch; Fabio falls down trying to contest the ball. Ajayi gets the ball and brings it to the center of the pitch and Otasowie jogs after him. At 61:04, Ajayi lines up a long semi-diagonal ball to Phillips on the wing (note where Otasowie is).



Phillips receives the ball on the wing at 61:07. Semedo is CLEARLY marking AMN, while Coady is marking Diagne. Donk is running back centrally.



At 61:11, Phillips passes to Townsend on the overlap. At this point, Perreira has shown up at the top right of the screen - so the defense now needs to shift over to the right in coordination: RAN needs to mark Perreira, Saiss needs to mark Diagne, Coady needs to shift to AMN, Donk needs to mark Phillips, and Semedo needs to get out to the fullback (Townsend). Who knows when the orders are barked out, but Semedo needs Coady to tell him that he's got AMN . When watching the video, Semedo does hesitate for a split second there, but again, we don't know when Coady let him know that it was safe to move and he simply cannot leave AMN until Coady is there, otherwise that's a 1v1 in the box (see below) - plus, he would have never stopped the cross anyway. Also notice, still no sign of Otasowie or Fabio tracking back yet.



Townsend sends the cross in at 61:12 as Semedo is rushing out to him - unless he's Flash or Superman; he ain't going to get there in time. Notice how the shift has happened and Saiss clearly knows he needs to mark Diagne.



At 61:13, the ball is on its way (just at the netting in the picture) and Saiss has completely lost sight of Diagne. There is no reason for him to suck over to the right other than he is ball-watching, while Diagne slips to the left and simply stands there for the cross.



At 61:14, Diagne is completely unmarked; RAN is marking Perreira (but not goalside mind you, so he might have scored if Diagne didn't). At the bottom of the screen, we finally see Otasowie in the picture.



I don't know how you can review this sequence and then still blame Semedo. I really don't.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

If you review the entirety of the goal move, then you will see that it really is (almost) entirely Saiss' fault for not marking Diagne.

At 60:50 in the game, the **** lump up a free kick after Vitinha is offside post-corner. Saiss clears the ball just past the half-way line on the right side of the pitch; Fabio falls down trying to contest the ball. Ajayi gets the ball and brings it to the center of the pitch and Otasowie jogs after him. At 61:04, Ajayi lines up a long semi-diagonal ball to Phillips on the wing (note where Otasowie is).

View attachment 21152

Phillips receives the ball on the wing at 61:07. Semedo is CLEARLY marking AMN, while Coady is marking Diagne. Donk is running back centrally.

View attachment 21153

At 61:11, Phillips passes to Townsend on the overlap. At this point, Perreira has shown up at the top right of the screen - so the defense now needs to shift over to the right in coordination: RAN needs to mark Perreira, Saiss needs to mark Diagne, Coady needs to shift to AMN, Donk needs to mark Phillips, and Semedo needs to get out to the fullback (Townsend). Who knows when the orders are barked out, but Semedo needs Coady to tell him that he's got AMN . When watching the video, Semedo does hesitate for a split second there, but again, we don't know when Coady let him know that it was safe to move and he simply cannot leave AMN until Coady is there, otherwise that's a 1v1 in the box (see below) - plus, he would have never stopped the cross anyway. Also notice, still no sign of Otasowie or Fabio tracking back yet.

View attachment 21154

Townsend sends the cross in at 61:12 as Semedo is rushing out to him - unless he's Flash or Superman; he ain't going to get there in time. Notice how the shift has happened and Saiss clearly knows he needs to mark Diagne.

View attachment 21157

At 61:13, the ball is on its way (just at the netting in the picture) and Saiss has completely lost sight of Diagne. There is no reason for him to suck over to the right other than he is ball-watching, while Diagne slips to the left and simply stands there for the cross.

View attachment 21156

At 61:14, Diagne is completely unmarked; RAN is marking Perreira (but not goalside mind you, so he might have scored if Diagne didn't). At the bottom of the screen, we finally see Otasowie in the picture.

View attachment 21158

I don't know how you can review this sequence and then still blame Semedo. I really don't.

It's the bit where the guy has all the time in the world to cross. The bit where he picks up maitland-niles rather than who he should be picking up. He should be aware of whats going on outside and call coady to have his man. You talk about him like he is a passive actor in all this. Like he is a victim of everybody elses misdemeanours. But he is picking up the wrong man in the first place, and doesn't do enough to adjust. It's not like he can't communicate with the other defenders. That side is his responsibility. If he's got an overload he can't deal with he has to speak up.

 

[SakosRightFoot]

If you review the entirety of the goal move, then you will see that it really is (almost) entirely Saiss' fault for not marking Diagne.

At 60:50 in the game, the **** lump up a free kick after Vitinha is offside post-corner. Saiss clears the ball just past the half-way line on the right side of the pitch; Fabio falls down trying to contest the ball. Ajayi gets the ball and brings it to the center of the pitch and Otasowie jogs after him. At 61:04, Ajayi lines up a long semi-diagonal ball to Phillips on the wing (note where Otasowie is).

View attachment 21152

Phillips receives the ball on the wing at 61:07. Semedo is CLEARLY marking AMN, while Coady is marking Diagne. Donk is running back centrally.

View attachment 21153

At 61:11, Phillips passes to Townsend on the overlap. At this point, Perreira has shown up at the top right of the screen - so the defense now needs to shift over to the right in coordination: RAN needs to mark Perreira, Saiss needs to mark Diagne, Coady needs to shift to AMN, Donk needs to mark Phillips, and Semedo needs to get out to the fullback (Townsend). Who knows when the orders are barked out, but Semedo needs Coady to tell him that he's got AMN . When watching the video, Semedo does hesitate for a split second there, but again, we don't know when Coady let him know that it was safe to move and he simply cannot leave AMN until Coady is there, otherwise that's a 1v1 in the box (see below) - plus, he would have never stopped the cross anyway. Also notice, still no sign of Otasowie or Fabio tracking back yet.

View attachment 21154

Townsend sends the cross in at 61:12 as Semedo is rushing out to him - unless he's Flash or Superman; he ain't going to get there in time. Notice how the shift has happened and Saiss clearly knows he needs to mark Diagne.

View attachment 21157

At 61:13, the ball is on its way (just at the netting in the picture) and Saiss has completely lost sight of Diagne. There is no reason for him to suck over to the right other than he is ball-watching, while Diagne slips to the left and simply stands there for the cross.

View attachment 21156

At 61:14, Diagne is completely unmarked; RAN is marking Perreira (but not goalside mind you, so he might have scored if Diagne didn't). At the bottom of the screen, we finally see Otasowie in the picture.

View attachment 21158

I don't know how you can review this sequence and then still blame Semedo. I really don't.

Im going to start this by saying I’ve already said I don’t hold Semedo accountable for that goal. But there are examples in there about his technical flaws as a defender. In the pic where Phillips receives the ball and he’s running with Maitland-Niles you could make a point that he is too narrow, he’s not completely to blame for that, Saiss should be much closer to Coady to allow him to move across and then Semedo to be wider. But as the most experienced amongst that line up of playing in a back 4 you’d expect him to know his positioning a bit better

Then when Phillips cuts inside Semedos body positioning is wrong, he’s flat footed and got himself into a position where a better player than Phillips could still thread that through to Maitland-Niles and he’d struggle to cut it out and potentially have to foul or rely on Coady to save him. It’s a similar issue that allowed Phillips to run past him for the cross that Patricio saves from Gallagher, he got himself flat footed.

The final part is him turning his body away from the cross. Probably wouldn’t have made any difference but Dendoncker got pelters on here for pulling out of a block tackle last week so it’s only fair we highlight Semedo’s lack of aggression here.

As a wing back with a solid Bennett type no frills defender inside him it would be ok. But these issues he has are not going to go away in a back 4 and as others have said it’s been pointed out at his previous clubs and if we’re really honest with ourselves, it’s the reason he’s with us and not still at Barca or another big team

 

[Deleted member 11332]

The final part is him turning his body away from the cross.

This I agree with, drives me insane and loads of players do it. It's a ****ing bag of air not a cannonball.

 

[TheConcourse]

Havent got the time to go through all the individual examples but it basically boils down to technical flaws in his body shape in certain situations and his lack of aggression. If you compare to Jonny for example when Jonny goes to close someone down he fully commits and uses his relatively low centre of gravity to make him harder to go past. Semedo whilst being quick doesn’t commit fully and that means he’s often on the back foot. In a team like Barcelona it’s less noticeable, in ours it stands out.

Pretty similar argument made about Alexander-Arnold and the reason he’s down the pecking order for England

I see Semedo as quite unique in his tackling style. He definitely isn’t aggressive in style. He does have this ability to take the ball off an attackers toe - unique style.

I can’t recall too many moments where world class wingers have bullied him for 90 minutes. He gets beaten on occasion but it’s a very demanding role.

 

[TheConcourse]

Image 1. He is not marking anybody. That is not how you mark anybody. You stay goalside. He doesn't have eyes on the back of his head and it ain't fifa. They can play the pass through to maitland-niles there, he probably won't cut it out and leave maitland-niles one on one with coady.

He's in the wrong position. He is marking nobody. Yet everybody else gets thrown under a bus for him not doing his job again.

Now nobody is arguing Saiss shouldn't do better, but again people refuse to acknowledge that semedo could possibly be doing anything wrong, when he is not in the correct position when, when 5 minutes patricio had to make a very good save after the winger went passed him like he wasn't there.

Sorry, but this is BS. He has enough awareness to know that AMN is on his left shoulder and he’s clearly in a position to intercept a pass to him.

I’m always up for debate but to suggest he isn’t in a position to affect whether Maitland-Niles gets the ball just isn’t correct.

You’ve made your mind up on Semedo. Nothing I say is going to change your opinion so let’s see what happens when Nuno finally signs a semi-competent CB.

 

[TheConcourse]

If you review the entirety of the goal move, then you will see that it really is (almost) entirely Saiss' fault for not marking Diagne.

At 60:50 in the game, the **** lump up a free kick after Vitinha is offside post-corner. Saiss clears the ball just past the half-way line on the right side of the pitch; Fabio falls down trying to contest the ball. Ajayi gets the ball and brings it to the center of the pitch and Otasowie jogs after him. At 61:04, Ajayi lines up a long semi-diagonal ball to Phillips on the wing (note where Otasowie is).

View attachment 21152

Phillips receives the ball on the wing at 61:07. Semedo is CLEARLY marking AMN, while Coady is marking Diagne. Donk is running back centrally.

View attachment 21153

At 61:11, Phillips passes to Townsend on the overlap. At this point, Perreira has shown up at the top right of the screen - so the defense now needs to shift over to the right in coordination: RAN needs to mark Perreira, Saiss needs to mark Diagne, Coady needs to shift to AMN, Donk needs to mark Phillips, and Semedo needs to get out to the fullback (Townsend). Who knows when the orders are barked out, but Semedo needs Coady to tell him that he's got AMN . When watching the video, Semedo does hesitate for a split second there, but again, we don't know when Coady let him know that it was safe to move and he simply cannot leave AMN until Coady is there, otherwise that's a 1v1 in the box (see below) - plus, he would have never stopped the cross anyway. Also notice, still no sign of Otasowie or Fabio tracking back yet.

View attachment 21154

Townsend sends the cross in at 61:12 as Semedo is rushing out to him - unless he's Flash or Superman; he ain't going to get there in time. Notice how the shift has happened and Saiss clearly knows he needs to mark Diagne.

View attachment 21157

At 61:13, the ball is on its way (just at the netting in the picture) and Saiss has completely lost sight of Diagne. There is no reason for him to suck over to the right other than he is ball-watching, while Diagne slips to the left and simply stands there for the cross.

View attachment 21156

At 61:14, Diagne is completely unmarked; RAN is marking Perreira (but not goalside mind you, so he might have scored if Diagne didn't). At the bottom of the screen, we finally see Otasowie in the picture.

View attachment 21158

I don't know how you can review this sequence and then still blame Semedo. I really don't.

Excellent summary.

 

[TheConcourse]

Sorry mate, the ginge has already got Meghan.....

Oh mate. She’s class in Suits. So is Donna.

But.. and this might be controversial.. Jessica. World class!

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

If Nuno is intent on a back four in the future then spending £30m plus on Semedo makes no sense at all. As a wing back with three at the back fine, as his main qualities are found going forward and he is not a natural defender in the way Jonny is. Another one of those highly questionable decisions in our very poor summer transfer dealings which have cost us any chance of progress this season.

Modern full back. Look at city and Liverpool, neither have a full back who is good defensively. Get the right CB in and play the full backs high up the pitch with neves playing the fernandinho or fabinho role

 

[Stourport wolf]

A quick Google and you can find people making the same complaints about his positional play at both Barcelona and Benfica.

You can find posts saying he was the wrong Barca player to be sold, on the Barca forums. You can find almost anything on football forums.

 

[Stourport wolf]

If you review the entirety of the goal move, then you will see that it really is (almost) entirely Saiss' fault for not marking Diagne.

At 60:50 in the game, the **** lump up a free kick after Vitinha is offside post-corner. Saiss clears the ball just past the half-way line on the right side of the pitch; Fabio falls down trying to contest the ball. Ajayi gets the ball and brings it to the center of the pitch and Otasowie jogs after him. At 61:04, Ajayi lines up a long semi-diagonal ball to Phillips on the wing (note where Otasowie is).

View attachment 21152

Phillips receives the ball on the wing at 61:07. Semedo is CLEARLY marking AMN, while Coady is marking Diagne. Donk is running back centrally.

View attachment 21153

At 61:11, Phillips passes to Townsend on the overlap. At this point, Perreira has shown up at the top right of the screen - so the defense now needs to shift over to the right in coordination: RAN needs to mark Perreira, Saiss needs to mark Diagne, Coady needs to shift to AMN, Donk needs to mark Phillips, and Semedo needs to get out to the fullback (Townsend). Who knows when the orders are barked out, but Semedo needs Coady to tell him that he's got AMN . When watching the video, Semedo does hesitate for a split second there, but again, we don't know when Coady let him know that it was safe to move and he simply cannot leave AMN until Coady is there, otherwise that's a 1v1 in the box (see below) - plus, he would have never stopped the cross anyway. Also notice, still no sign of Otasowie or Fabio tracking back yet.

View attachment 21154

Townsend sends the cross in at 61:12 as Semedo is rushing out to him - unless he's Flash or Superman; he ain't going to get there in time. Notice how the shift has happened and Saiss clearly knows he needs to mark Diagne.

View attachment 21157

At 61:13, the ball is on its way (just at the netting in the picture) and Saiss has completely lost sight of Diagne. There is no reason for him to suck over to the right other than he is ball-watching, while Diagne slips to the left and simply stands there for the cross.

View attachment 21156

At 61:14, Diagne is completely unmarked; RAN is marking Perreira (but not goalside mind you, so he might have scored if Diagne didn't). At the bottom of the screen, we finally see Otasowie in the picture.

View attachment 21158

I don't know how you can review this sequence and then still blame Semedo. I really don't.

I think you have proven his innocence, not guilty. I am surprised someone hasn't done a poll about it. Hahaha

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

Modern full back. Look at city and Liverpool, neither have a full back who is good defensively. Get the right CB in and play the full backs high up the pitch with neves playing the fernandinho or fabinho role

Zinchenko isn't good defensively? Tell that to PSG. Robertson isn't good defensively? Alexander-Arnold is a top defender on his day, he just has had a few days off every now and then.

And neves or dendoncker don't have the pace of fabinho or fernadinho, so I don't see him being able to do that role.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

I can’t recall too many moments where world class wingers have bullied him for 90 minutes. He gets beaten on occasion but it’s a very demanding role.

Noone has bullied him for the whole 90 minutes? Wow. He must be a top defender then. I mean 5 minutes of good defending here and there is what you need at this level.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Zinchenko isn't good defensively? Tell that to PSG. Robertson isn't good defensively? Alexander-Arnold is a top defender on his day, he just has had a few days off every now and then.

And neves or dendoncker don't have the pace of fabinho or fernadinho, so I don't see him being able to do that role.

My argument is they are all attacking full backs and not traditional ones in a Gary Neville/Stuart Pearce way. Semedo is no worse defensively than any of the City or Liverpool ones.

Fernandinho is way slower and less mobile than Dendoncker or Neves. Check his running stats per game compared to theirs.

 

[TheConcourse]

Noone has bullied him for the whole 90 minutes? Wow. He must be a top defender then. I mean 5 minutes of good defending here and there is what you need at this level.

I don’t recall a winger who has got the better of him over the course of a game.

It shouldn’t be a shock to you that some players beat him on occasion.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

My argument is they are all attacking full backs and not traditional ones in a Gary Neville/Stuart Pearce way. Semedo is no worse defensively than any of the City or Liverpool ones.

I'm sorry but he is a lot worse. Positionally he's all over the place and he switches off too often. Great that he wins a few tackles in the middle of the park, but that ain't is job.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

Zinchenko isn't good defensively? Tell that to PSG. Robertson isn't good defensively? Alexander-Arnold is a top defender on his day, he just has had a few days off every now and then.

And neves or dendoncker don't have the pace of fabinho or fernadinho, so I don't see him being able to do that role.

Zinchenko is awful defensively and not even their main left back as is Trent. Robertson is good though.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I'm sorry but he is a lot worse. Positionally he's all over the place and he switches off too often. Great that he wins a few tackles in the middle of the park, but that ain't is job.

He was like that in his first 5 games. Since then he's been our most consistent performer

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Im not going to convince the nay sayers on Semedo no matter what i say but i will say this
TAA has been touted as one of the best in the Prem,ive seen him totally dismantled in several games this season, the only reason its not cost Liverpool dearly is their CBs have covered his ass
I havent seen Semedo be taken apart consistently,its once or twice a game, then the CBs fail to deal with it,and its cost us a few goals
Everyone points to TAA assists and cross conversion rates,which are great,but look at the forwards he has for targets,Mane Salah Jota plus the midfielders that make the runs
We have a bloke that cant head a ball and one that cant jump,thats when they are even in the box to aim for,and our midfield are generally too deep to get there
Lets judge when we have Raul and Neto back,perhaps another forward that can read a game,then if Semedo still cant get assists ill change my mind,possibly

 

[Black Coffee]

I sort of get the point considering Semedo was an 'upgrade' on Doherty and cost (potentially) double and to be brutally honest defensively is not much better than Doherty.

I think Semedo is decent going forward and with the right winger could link up well he's quite comfortable on the ball.

I have to say though he was a Barcelona player with 100+ games, established International and has good pedigree fans rightly should expect better. If this was Hooever for example making these errors I would be more forgiving

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

He was like that in his first 5 games. Since then he's been our most consistent performer

I'm not seeing it myself. I'm not alone in that assessment.

 

[Deleted member 11332]

I'm not seeing it myself. I'm not alone in that assessment.

Suppose it's the same as a proportion of our fans who think Adama is hugely overrated and neither side will really agree on it.

 

[Bill McCai]

There was a cross that came in from that area just before (or after?) which should also have been a goal but for some dismal finishing.

 

[LetTheBullLoose]

He's playing as a modern full back. He's playing in exactly the place id expect him to be. The days of a flat back 4 have gone. Where do Zinchenko and Walker play for City? The difference is they have Dias and Stones inside of them and we have coady and saiss.

This is spot on.

I sort of get the point considering Semedo was an 'upgrade' on Doherty and cost (potentially) double and to be brutally honest defensively is not much better than Doherty.

I think Semedo is decent going forward and with the right winger could link up well he's quite comfortable on the ball.

I have to say though he was a Barcelona player with 100+ games, established International and has good pedigree fans rightly should expect better. If this was Hooever for example making these errors I would be more forgiving

Not much better defensively than Doherty?? Seriously? I loved Doherty and he had many strengths, but being a defender, especially in a back 4, was not one of them. Ask anyone at Tottenham. Or even our own fans when we were in the Champ.

Some people on here will never admit that Semedo is a good defender. Own agendas for whatever reason. But anyone who knows anything at all about football, positioning of players, recovery runs, etc knows he is much better than what we had previously. Not as many goals and assists, but a significantly better defender.

 

[JonahWolf]

This is spot on.



Not much better defensively than Doherty?? Seriously? I loved Doherty and he had many strengths, but being a defender, especially in a back 4, was not one of them. Ask anyone at Tottenham. Or even our own fans when we were in the Champ.

Some people on here will never admit that Semedo is a good defender. Own agendas for whatever reason. But anyone who knows anything at all about football, positioning of players, recovery runs, etc knows he is much better than what we had previously. Not as many goals and assists, but a significantly better defender.

Doc would like to know what you mean by ‘recovery run’.

 

[LetTheBullLoose]

Doc would like to know what you mean by ‘recovery run’.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

This is spot on.



Not much better defensively than Doherty?? Seriously? I loved Doherty and he had many strengths, but being a defender, especially in a back 4, was not one of them. Ask anyone at Tottenham. Or even our own fans when we were in the Champ.

Some people on here will never admit that Semedo is a good defender. Own agendas for whatever reason. But anyone who knows anything at all about football, positioning of players, recovery runs, etc knows he is much better than what we had previously. Not as many goals and assists, but a significantly better defender.

Recovery runs better? Haha. Now we are in the realms of science fiction.
Bit clearly I don't know anything about football.

 

[LetTheBullLoose]

Recovery runs better? Haha. Now we are in the realms of science fiction.
Bit clearly I don't know anything about football.

Clearly.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Semedo could be off to Roma 25m