Stephen Eustaquio

[lamptern]

1 hour ago, costarg said:

What's he doing still running around with #46, this ain't preseason, for gods sake Porto, give the man a real number, he's earned it.

It’s all good for me so far. Even the doggy pirates streaming was so blurry, I could tell where he was on the pitch by a big chunk of number shown on the back of his jersey.

[VinceA]

Eustaquio might not be 100%

[dyslexic nam]

If there is any question whatsoever, rest him.  I would be fine with slotting in Piette to get him an extra game in case we need him - and the main thing is to get Staq fully fit.  

[canuckgbp]

[mpg_29]

37 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Eustaquio might not be 100%

Hopefully this is the head fake towards opponents...

[RJB]

This is unsurprising given the amount of games these guys have played.  Normally they get a short break before the tournament, no?  I think that the guys who have played regularly like Eustaquio could use the extra rest.  I'm fine with this.

[jonovision]

Eustaquio is coming off back-to-back weeks with 2 matches. Let him rest.

[The Beaver 2.0]

From what I understand, the Japanese squad has been plagued with injuries and will likely be without several key players, some of whom will be questionable for the first game (against Germania!) If we need to give some guys a much-needed rest, then let's frickin do it. We will not be the only side scrambling to get their players healthy before next week. Several of our fringe guys would benefit from another game. I would love to see Kone start in the center of the midfield, to be honest. Hutch might come on at 60 minutes, and I'm not convinced MAK is an upgrade on Kone, even with all his experience. Give Kone a chance to adapt to the pace NOW, before we need him as sub against Belgium et al. 

[Obinna]

Dear Lord we cannot lose Eustaquio. 

[JBR]

19 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Dear Lord we cannot lose Eustaquio. 

I think hes now equally as important as Davies. So much so we should change the thread name to "The Importance of the Stache"

[jhoops__]

39 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Dear Lord we cannot lose Eustaquio. 

Likely just a maintenance thing.   No reason for him to play v Japan since he’s played so much recently …

[trc2014]

49 minutes ago, JBR said:

I think hes now equally as important as Davies. So much so we should change the thread name to "The Importance of the Stache"

I would argue much more important.

[JBR]

2 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

I would argue much more important.

This week will be a good litmus test. LFG

[InglewoodJack]

3 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

I would argue much more important.

Steph is higher floor lower ceiling, Davies is (somewhat) lower floor (insanely higher) ceiling. I think for a team of our skill level, Eustaquio is more important, despite AD being by far our best player.

[sebdeserio]

 

7 minutes ago, trc2014 said:

I would argue much more important.

Yup the drop-off from Davies to Tajon isn't that big on the wings. The drop-off from Eustaquio to the rest of our centre mids is much much bigger especially as they're recovering from injuries/haven't had many minutes recently.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, InglewoodJack said:

Steph is higher floor lower ceiling, Davies is (somewhat) lower floor (insanely higher) ceiling. I think for a team of our skill level, Eustaquio is more important, despite AD being by far our best player.

One of the thing we've seen, oddly enough, is a lack of harmonious pairings and threeing in key spots on the field. The whole question of whether David and Larin play well together: mostly they seem like two guys who can score, doing their own thing. Goal vs US in Hamilton was an exception.

Davies: same deal, like vs. Uruguay, did not look like he and Adekugbe were really working in synchronicity. Little details I'd like to see improved.

Same in the middle. We have yet to discover a duo or three that we are able to say, "those guys really click". Considering our success qualifying that is a bit surprising. But we do need to have Eustaquio and then the guys around him complementing, and bringing out the best in each other. We have not seen this yet. I'm not sure if that means Eustaquio is the bridge between a DM and a more AM, or if we need a double pivot where Stephan has more freedom and the guy beside him is more stay home. In any case, whatever it might be, have not seen it yet. Any examples of where I'm wrong?

I'd say the back line and keeper are on the same page and in qualifying they covered very well for each other, they ensured none of them were exposed, the iffy moments were contained. 

[P-O]

We don't have enough quality in the middle to afford playing with 2 strikers. We need Eustachio to be the link between a Hutchinson/Piette and a Kone/Osorio.

Do I want Larin to play as an Inside Forward on the left versus Belgium? Ok But I am not comfortable putting him there versus the Maroccan's wingback. And I still believe that LW is still Davies' spot.

 

We need to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1

 

The only questions left to answer are:

1- Who will play as a 6? Hutch or Piette?

2- Who will be our AM? Osorio or Kone?

3- If we play 4 at the back, who is our RFB/RWB? Johnston or Laryea? 

My choices are in bold.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

35 minutes ago, P-O said:

We don't have enough quality in the middle to afford playing with 2 strikers. We need Eustachio to be the link between a Hutchinson/Piette and a Kone/Osorio.

Do I want Larin to play as an Inside Forward on the left versus Belgium? Ok But I am not comfortable putting him there versus the Maroccan's wingback. And I still believe that LW is still Davies' spot.

 

We need to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1

 

The only questions left to answer are:

1- Who will play as a 6? Hutch or Piette?

2- Who will be our AM? Osorio or Kone?

3- If we play 4 at the back, who is our RFB/RWB? Johnston or Laryea? 

My choices are in bold.

You can play three at the back and three in midfield, it is actually the default 3 at the back formation. 352 or 3511 (my preferred).

Vitoria and Miller alone in the middle have massive problems I think.  They are targetable and susceptible in different ways by good strikers or strikers supported by great midfielders, I think you need a third man in there as well. 

Edit: And with Hutch and Orsorio seemingly back I feel better about that formation. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[Bertuzzi44]

Says nothing about injury. Eustaquio's assessment is to determine if he is even human or an angel sent from the soccer Gods.

Results pending.

[InglewoodJack]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

One of the thing we've seen, oddly enough, is a lack of harmonious pairings and threeing in key spots on the field. The whole question of whether David and Larin play well together: mostly they seem like two guys who can score, doing their own thing. Goal vs US in Hamilton was an exception.

Davies: same deal, like vs. Uruguay, did not look like he and Adekugbe were really working in synchronicity. Little details I'd like to see improved.

Same in the middle. We have yet to discover a duo or three that we are able to say, "those guys really click". Considering our success qualifying that is a bit surprising. But we do need to have Eustaquio and then the guys around him complementing, and bringing out the best in each other. We have not seen this yet. I'm not sure if that means Eustaquio is the bridge between a DM and a more AM, or if we need a double pivot where Stephan has more freedom and the guy beside him is more stay home. In any case, whatever it might be, have not seen it yet. Any examples of where I'm wrong?

I'd say the back line and keeper are on the same page and in qualifying they covered very well for each other, they ensured none of them were exposed, the iffy moments were contained. 

My very simplistic and uneducated take on Davies and Canada is simply he's too good for us. Many of his best moments for Canada have been singular efforts, like the Panama goal, and many of his worst have been when he tries to do too much, like against Uruguay. This works with Bayern, not only because he plays a different position, but because the players around him can pick up the slack, support him and also cover up his mistakes. As a elite world class player, you play a game against Uruguay or Belgium, and there comes a point where in his head he's thinking like, man, I might be the only guy on this team who can actually beat these guys so I'm gonna have to put the team on my back".

 

I also think it's tough for us because our players play in such different leagues. You're trying to make a midfield out of Steph who has experience in champions league and playing for a Portuguese Giant, you have Kone who has experience in the MLS, you have Liam Fraser who is doing his thing, so on. We don't have the privilege of having 3 or 4 guys who play in the same league or developed in similar systems and generally see the game the same way. They have to learn to find a common ground each time this team comes together.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, P-O said:

We don't have enough quality in the middle to afford playing with 2 strikers. We need Eustachio to be the link between a Hutchinson/Piette and a Kone/Osorio.

Do I want Larin to play as an Inside Forward on the left versus Belgium? Ok But I am not comfortable putting him there versus the Maroccan's wingback. And I still believe that LW is still Davies' spot.

 

We need to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1

 

The only questions left to answer are:

1- Who will play as a 6? Hutch or Piette?

2- Who will be our AM? Osorio or Kone?

3- If we play 4 at the back, who is our RFB/RWB? Johnston or Laryea? 

My choices are in bold.

If you look at how he moves, he has incredible fitness, so you have to liberate Eustaquio to follow the play forward. So I agree, can't ask him to hold. And since he is scoring at a higher level than Kone or Osorio, who both have goal, how do you justify that he's the guy feeding them while they follow the play into the box, and not the other way around?

Maybe we'll just line up across the field, because our rivals are throwing talent at us across the middle in attack.

Then there's the opposite problem: playing out of the back, which we tend to do. Miller plays flat footed and is slow deciding what to do with it, neither Johnston or Vitória are great passers, so you need the outside outlets, where we are fine (Adekugbe, maybe Tajon on the other side, or Hoillet). And then need your mids to be there to receive and turn and build out in support through the middle. And who does that the best? Gosh, the guy whose thread we're on. So that is a tough one, but he can't do it all. 

As for RWB, I'd go for either Tajon or Hoillet. Hoillet also can support in the middle and has a midfielder's skills, more than Laryea or even Tajon.

Davies: I'm in minority here, have been for years, but this will be the winning formula when we get there: right side of the attack turning in to his good foot.

 

[Alex]

5:32 of the most recent training uncut video, looks to be him sprinting.

[Kadenge]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

My very simplistic and uneducated take on Davies and Canada is simply he's too good for us. Many of his best moments for Canada have been singular efforts, like the Panama goal, and many of his worst have been when he tries to do too much, like against Uruguay. This works with Bayern, not only because he plays a different position, but because the players around him can pick up the slack, support him and also cover up his mistakes. As a elite world class player, you play a game against Uruguay or Belgium, and there comes a point where in his head he's thinking like, man, I might be the only guy on this team who can actually beat these guys so I'm gonna have to put the team on my back".

 

I also think it's tough for us because our players play in such different leagues. You're trying to make a midfield out of Steph who has experience in champions league and playing for a Portuguese Giant, you have Kone who has experience in the MLS, you have Liam Fraser who is doing his thing, so on. We don't have the privilege of having 3 or 4 guys who play in the same league or developed in similar systems and generally see the game the same way. They have to learn to find a common ground each time this team comes together.

Davies set up goals in WCQ... Larin USA away, Oso Mexico away. Vs  Uruguay  he set up Larin perfectly but Cyle took an extra touch and the defender was on him. He sometimes tries to do too much... that's probably frustration setting in. Our forwards/mids including Davies, have to take the shot at goal more often/quickly instead of looking for that extra touch/pass. That was very evident vs Uruguay. You don't get the luxury of time at this level.

[The Beaver 2.0]

20 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

Davies set up goals in WCQ... Larin USA away, Oso Mexico away. Vs  Uruguay  he set up Larin perfectly but Cyle took an extra touch and the defender was on him. He sometimes tries to do too much... that's probably frustration setting in. Our forwards/mids including Davies, have to take the shot at goal more often/quickly instead of looking for that extra touch/pass. That was very evident vs Uruguay. You don't get the luxury of time at this level.

yeah, I think the problem isn't that Davies is too good for the players around him, but that he hasn't yet figured out HOW he can use his strengths in such a context. He does too much sometimes, not necessarily because his teammates are incapable of hanging with him, but because he feels he has to carry this team on his back. He needs to trust his teammates and learn how his skillset can be used to optimize theirs.  Superstars do this all the time. Messi is a great example: he'll take on a couple of players with incredible pace and dexterity, but then lay the ball off to an open player who has a clear shot at net.  Davies was drawing two, sometimes three, players v. Uruguay, but did not use this opportunity to lay the ball off to an open teammate. 

If he did that at Bayern, they'd bench him. Or at least give him a stern German lecture. I'm all for giving Davies room to express himself, but he needs to play smarter for us.  He's not the general of this team, and he need not carry that pressure. Eustaquio is far better suited to play that role, or Hutch. (And, some day, Kone).  That should free Davies up to get forward, get behind the backline, maraud down the flanks etc.

[Bigandy]

1 hour ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

yeah, I think the problem isn't that Davies is too good for the players around him, but that he hasn't yet figured out HOW he can use his strengths in such a context. He does too much sometimes, not necessarily because his teammates are incapable of hanging with him, but because he feels he has to carry this team on his back. He needs to trust his teammates and learn how his skillset can be used to optimize theirs.  Superstars do this all the time. Messi is a great example: he'll take on a couple of players with incredible pace and dexterity, but then lay the ball off to an open player who has a clear shot at net.  Davies was drawing two, sometimes three, players v. Uruguay, but did not use this opportunity to lay the ball off to an open teammate. 

If he did that at Bayern, they'd bench him. Or at least give him a stern German lecture. I'm all for giving Davies room to express himself, but he needs to play smarter for us.  He's not the general of this team, and he need not carry that pressure. Eustaquio is far better suited to play that role, or Hutch. (And, some day, Kone).  That should free Davies up to get forward, get behind the backline, maraud down the flanks etc.

I’m pretty sure Davies drew defenders to him and laid the ball off to larin against Uruguay.  Larin doesn’t have the ability to finish that first time.  
 

at Bayern, that would be a goal 9/10 times. For canada, we need Davies to do something special to create the chance. Then we need him to play a perfect pass, then we need our teammate to finish it.  
 

Other than staq and David (maybe Buchanan soon) our guys are no where near the speed of play that Davies sees the game at.  Against concacaf, phases of play are much slower so guys like larin are dominant.  Against top talent, not of our guys won’t cut it.