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Jonathan David


Vince193

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Lille don't play on the counter like Gent, I think this is part of the problem. His quick combination play in and around the box needs to improve. I think Lille did a bad job of scouting. They'll probably win the possession battle in like 90% of their Ligue 1 games.

Worryingly though, he has not even looked good in transition. Hoping he can stick with it and succeed at Lille.

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12 minutes ago, El Diego said:

Lille don't play on the counter like Gent, I think this is part of the problem. His quick combination play in and around the box needs to improve. I think Lille did a bad job of scouting. They'll probably win the possession battle in like 90% of their Ligue 1 games.

Worryingly though, he has not even looked good in transition. Hoping he can stick with it and succeed at Lille.

I think it goes both ways. David repeatedly said Lille was where he wanted to go because of the playing time he would get, but what about the style of play? 

It has been said that maybe he underestimated the level of play in France, but I believe he didn't give enough consideration for the style of play and whether he would be a fit for it. Or, maybe he did consider that and saw it as a chance to round out his game. "With guaranteed playing time I can learn to play in a different way", he may have figured. Only he and his advisors know. 

Either way, I cannot help but wonder where he would be had he joined Leeds. Can't go back now though, he must make the most of it. He must succeed. 

Edited by Obinna
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17 minutes ago, RS said:

What did you mean by "getting a little older" then? He's been at Lille for 2.5 months.

Maturing a bit might have actually made him self-conscious in a way he wasn't before, considering the price tag and the expectations placed on him. Considering composure under pressure is his hallmark and a psychological trait, this seems plausible. Don't know how anyone could interpret that to mean that a 20 year old is moving past his prime.

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I recall being disappointed with David's lack of involvement in the USA games last year.  He was a non factor in those games.  

He really doesn't see much of the ball with Lille. You dont see him running at the defence with the ball or making any nice passes.  The only time he seems to get the ball its to pull the trigger, and its not going in.  

Anyway, its not easy being a record signing for the first place club in a top 5 league, at striker no less.  He needs our collective support.  

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1 hour ago, El Diego said:

Lille don't play on the counter like Gent, I think this is part of the problem. His quick combination play in and around the box needs to improve. I think Lille did a bad job of scouting. They'll probably win the possession battle in like 90% of their Ligue 1 games.

Worryingly though, he has not even looked good in transition. Hoping he can stick with it and succeed at Lille.

I'm not sure that I've seen Lille attempt any exchanges of short, quick passes anywhere near the opposition box in the 5 games I've watched this season. So, I'm curious how/why you've come to this conclusion.

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It's been a rough landing for him, that much is certain.  However Lille know what they signed up for, it's up to the coach to discuss with David what is going well and what is not going well.  What he's comfortable vs what he's not comfortable with.  The coach needs to go back to the videos to see what kind of player he has in his hands.  He needs to look at the spider chart to see and understand what David does well and what he doesn't.  Where did most of his goals come from?  Where was he getting the ball to rack up those assists? etc.....

At the moment it looks like a 16 year old bought a Ferrari and can't get it out of 1st gear.  

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Two thoughts.

Missing that penalty, and it was a miss, absolutely brutal, but that was probably just the universe injecting some justice into the play.  Or David was feeling guilty about the whole thing and subconsciously tanked it.  Don't know.  Same result. U-G-L-Y.  In all caps.

And for those who haven't been paying as much attention as I do, EVERYBODY is scoring against Celtic these days.  Least it feels that way.  So...YEEESH.  Also in all caps.

I'm not sweating anything yet and neither should he.  The man is an investment and Lille is winning but it might be worth trying a reset sooner rather than later if for no other reason then the pressure to perform may become overwhelming in the New Year and resetting will become that much more difficult.  So maybe a third thought.

Start him on the bench.  Give him the last 25-30 minutes.  Dumb it down.  Go out there and run around like an idiot for the final period.   For a couple of matches anyway.  Might clear the fog out of his head and make him seem less a prop for other peoples plays and more of an ingredient in a winning side.  At least to his team mates.  That would be a big step forward.    

    

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5 hours ago, Obinna said:

Either way, I cannot help but wonder where he would be had he joined Leeds. Can't go back now though, he must make the most of it. He must succeed. 

At Leeds he would not be getting the chances and patience he is getting at Lille... he would have been out of the squad after a handful of games with no production. 

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Worth remembering, he was on a high and in a very busy  period with Gent when his mother died.  He could just throw himself back into what he did best.  He then had too long with COVID and his transfer to just sit think about that.  

Amateur head-shrinking I know but as much as professional sports people get paid, professional sport is often ruthless, brutish and short (to paraphrase Hobbes).  Just feel bad for him and hope there is a blowout sometime soon when he can net a few. 

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15 hours ago, SthMelbRed said:

I'm not sure that I've seen Lille attempt any exchanges of short, quick passes anywhere near the opposition box in the 5 games I've watched this season. So, I'm curious how/why you've come to this conclusion.

That's sort of my point. Burak has been doing it better, but not well, either. I think Lille have a bit of an identity crisis. They want to be a sort of defensively solid, two banks of four and quick strike team, but they are better than pretty much everyone else in France and have to break teams down. The wingers cut inside, naturally, to combine but everyone defers to the full backs too much. David (or any other Lille attacker) isn't really a physical presence in the box so this is problematic. From memory, it does seem like the full backs do hit low crosses (Celik moreso than Bradaric), but I don't think it's a super fruitful avenue regardless. Everyone on the team, including David, needs to become better in central positions when approaching the box. It's not just David, but the whole team. And it's not just what Lille want to do, but what they need to do. His (sort of) assist against Strasbourg was really encouraging -- good movement and that icy cool composure in the box that was becoming his hallmark.

I think the way they are currently playing can get them top 3. Their talent, ability on the counter, and set pieces will get them enough goals. But to go next level, they need another way to attack.

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I don't know if it's been mentioned but Lille are top of the pops, undefeated, eight matches in. They have won the league once in the last 60 years, and looking good in Europa to boot. Are we the only one's worried about this? 

Looking forward to Lyon on TVA on Sunday. I think I've had this channels for years and never noticed Ligue 1 lol. What a miss, worse than anything David has flubbed lately.

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1 hour ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

I don't know if it's been mentioned but Lille are top of the pops, undefeated, eight matches in. They have won the league once in the last 60 years, and looking good in Europa to boot. Are we the only one's worried about this? 

Looking forward to Lyon on TVA on Sunday. I think I've had this channels for years and never noticed Ligue 1 lol. What a miss, worse than anything David has flubbed lately.

TV5 by the way.

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3 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

I don't know if it's been mentioned but Lille are top of the pops, undefeated, eight matches in. They have won the league once in the last 60 years, and looking good in Europa to boot. Are we the only one's worried about this? 

Looking forward to Lyon on TVA on Sunday. I think I've had this channels for years and never noticed Ligue 1 lol. What a miss, worse than anything David has flubbed lately.

The reality is that Lille are doing well despite their record signing.  That is not a good thing for David.  And if you listen to commentators during the games you will know it isn’t just us being overly sensitive to it - they regularly reference the underwhelming performances he has been putting in so far.  I am sure we fixate on it more than most but it is most definitely something that gets lots of attention far outside our circle.  

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