JayRod and Lallana, how and how not to use them

[Saint86]

There has been a lot of talk on here recently about lallana needing to make the step up and not doing enough in matches. There has also been talk since Saturday over jayrods performance on the weekend.

 

Lallana -

 

For me, he is a very good player when attacking box, taking on fullbacks or cutting inside, basically when he has the opposition on the back foot and can use his skill and agility to turn them inside out and beat players.

 

In comparison when we are deeper in our own half, he seems to have more time and loves doing the tidy turns (reminded me of Fernandes) where he will happily keep the ball but not really do any damage with it or go anywhere. He also seems complacent like a lot of the team, when we are under no real pressure in our own half. Passes go astray, slower tempo etc.

 

This was illustrated on Saturday in the two halves against sunderland. First half we sat back a bit, not enough urgency and no real tempo. As a result lallana wasn't able to get at Sunderland players and spent a lot of his time in the middle 3rd of the pitch. Second half we went for them, more attacking, stretched them out and lallana was able to get on the ball in and around their box and take put the defenders on the back foot, using his skill to beat men, get crosses in, win corners and also get one cracking shot away.

 

Jayrod -

 

Jayrod in my honest opinion is made for either counter attacking football or Pooch's high press style of game where we can intercept the ball high up the pitch and he can then run at defenders when they are out of position. He is all about quick bursts of speeds and running into space.. That is when he is most dangerous... As he did against Liverpool and co last season.

 

 

 

 

Sunderland - against Sunderland, first half especially, we were not able to play either counter attacking nor a really effective press (Sunderland didn't play possession football) they just parked 11 men behind the ball and sat deep. And first half we did not attack enough but were content to pass the ball across the halfway line, not getting it into really dangerous positions and not really playing to the strengths of of our attackers who can beat a man and then get a cross in. Second half we did this and we created far more problems. And last week against west brom we went for them from the off and looked much more dangerous against an better team.

 

In short, I think we do have very good attackers and we should use them more and get at teams.

 

What are people's thoughts?

[The Kraken]

Lallana IMO is better when playing through the middle in the number 10 role, rather than out wide. Out wide he looks a lot more predictable, he's not able to take his man on so will look to cut back most times. Through the middle he can influence games a lot more.

 

As for JRod, I'm still not quite sure what he does. He had a purple patch for a few games after new year where it seemed to click for him and he was a bit unplayable; but since then he's regressed and I can't say that I think he deserves a spot in the first team on merit. He has an abundance of pace but we very rarely seem to look to make use of that. And I think he's often nowhere near composed enough in front of goal for a top striker; his "goal" was taken very well but his header from 6 yards out was powder puff stuff. There's clearly a good player in there trying to get out but something isn't quite clicking IMO.