Team for the reserves tonight

[mersey86]

Does anyone know how the player who came in with Arbeloa is doing? I think his name is Duran. He picked up a serious injury not long after arriving.

[mersey86]

To be fair no-one else on the left side seems to have staked a claim for a place.

Aurelio still injured, Riise ****, Fatty Kewell just returned from inury, Babbel still finding his feet.

Perhaps only Benayoun....after that what are the options..?

It would seem that our best left side could also be close to our best right-side - Arbeloa and Benayoun.

[Morph]

When Leto has played for the first team he has been poor.

he's played what 3 times? and he was very decent v reading, not vgood v marseille and indifferent v toulouse - so wouldn't agree with you there

[Biff]

It would seem that our best left side could also be close to our best right-side - Arbeloa and Benayoun.

at this moment.......

[Morph]

Does anyone know how the player who came in with Arbeloa is doing? I think his name is Duran. He picked up a serious injury not long after arriving.

he's only just returned from injury, don't think he's actually played any matches yet this season tho

[Biff]

Martin has good hands

[bazza76]

To be fair no-one else on the left side seems to have staked a claim for a place.

Aurelio still injured, Riise ****, Fatty Kewell just returned from inury, Babbel still finding his feet.

Perhaps only Benayoun....after that what are the options..?

Babel seems to be our best option there, Kewell may well stake a claim too.

[Morph]

wooo, pacheco comes on

[bazza76]

He's hardly had a lot of chances and look at the circumstances.

Toulouse at home - Was on the back of him only having 1 friendly in pre season due to visa problems or whatever it was.

Reading - got an assist and did ok.

Marseille - Was put into a team playing ****e.

Whether he'll make it or not ive no idea but its unfair to judge anything on his limited appearances so far.

I didn't mean it the way it xsounded, what I meant was, he is not good enough for the first team yet, be it his strength or his confidence or just even game intelligence against top sides.

[Morph]

Babel seems to be our best option there, Kewell may well stake a claim too.

wrong way round imo

[bazza76]

he's played what 3 times? and he was very decent v reading, not vgood v marseille and indifferent v toulouse - so wouldn't agree with you there

Ive watched all our games this season, I did noticed early on he started well a couple of times, but shortly after, faded or went missing or was just bad.

[bazza76]

wrong way round imo

what is?
for the record, I dont consider Kewell back yet, at present, Babel is our best option in left side of midfield.

[Morph]

Ive watched all our games this season, I did noticed early on he started well a couple of times, but shortly after, faded or went missing or was just bad.

that's more to do with his conditioning than anything, that will improve

[Morph]

what is?
for the record, I dont consider Kewell back yet, at present, Babel is our best option in left side of midfield.

I consider him back, and still think he's our best left sided player, if i had to pick a left sided player for sunday, as long as he came through the reserve game without any injuries, he'd be playing for me

[Red_Polo]

I do have a niggling doubt about Leto. Obviously it's too early to make any real judgment on him, but I get a bad feeling that he could be one of those players that looks great in the reserves because he's technically a level above the rest, but then at the highest level struggles because suddenly his technique isn't superior and he can't beat players with any regularity. In that respect I think his best attributes are deceiving when you see him for the ressies. Up against the best, his crossing, set-pieces and strength look to more than match up. But as for beating people, I get the feeling he's just not quite got the technique to play the kind of game he does at reserve level.

He's only 20 so he may yet become that player, but to do that he needs to play, and my gut feeling is that the most we can hope for with him in the medium term, is a neat player who will put in a nice cross if you give him the ball in space, can keep the ball moving well, and works hard. Not that my gut feeling as an amateur observer who hasn't really seen an awful lot of him is worth that much, but that's my feeling all the same. Hopefully when I see him play a couple more first team games, that feeling will evaporate.