Quote Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Just been watching some clips for a couple of years back.

The guys seems fatter there than now. But his movement of the ball before striking it is so much quicker.

They're all snap shots. All switching the ball quickly and getting the shot away powerfully and early before the keeper or defender can position themselves.

What a waste of talent.

Look, I know the guy is lazy, and admits so himself. But he's not a defender, he's one of those infuriating players that strolls around, but wins you games.

What has happened? I don't think it's fitness...as he looks trim to me, and he's still got pace.

To me it's confidence. In everything he does.

I wish we could get him back to his best. We need him.
He's lost a lot of pace, or else everyone else in the Russian leagues are slow. He was a hell of a player in that league and even looked like he was picking up where he left off when he first joined us. Was it against Portsmouth where he rifled that goal from his once typical impossible angle? Right into the roof of the net. The calm finishing. The mazy dribbles at intense speed. All gone. I did notice at Zenit they had this weird way of playing where when they had the ball the forwards would head towards the box at pace and give him options, or at least drag markers away from him. We've moved away from that old fashioned type of play. Now when we get the ball in dangerous areas we slow it down and pass backwards. We've become more adept at this since he joined so maybe he's just become incompatible with our sophisticated style of play. Same with Ox, the poor kid just charges towards goal, beating his men and trying to score or set people up. Naive.