11-20-2014, 02:39 PM
Okaka's the latest to be linked to the club. Not a personal favourite, but he's got a lot of hype following some good performances for club and country in the past month.
I agree, he's a good prospect and has achieved nothing so far. That said, my frustration is he's been given pretty much no chances to prove himself for almost a year and a half now. I respect maybe he's not trying hard enough or something in training, but this isn't the way to develop a young talent and I think his treatment at Milan was a disaster, while so far at Benfica it's not particularly better. Going back to Milan, is he really any worse than what we've been watching?
Thanks, I'll watch it later. I was impressed with Piccinocchi due to his movement off the ball, he's shown a lot of intelligence for a guy his age (I know some Barca youth trainers said the same). I'm not going to try and call the future for these guys, but it's worth remembering we're talking about kids here. They haven't matured physically so there's a possibility they will become better athletes. A couple of good examples of this are C.Ronaldo, who was very skinny back in his sporting days, but is now a very built athlete, while Neymar remains thin, but compared to a few years ago, he's also much bigger. You also can't fast track the process either, as you'll end up with Pato like situations.
Mastalli's generally done well when given chances. I don't see him as a future starter or anything, but these sort of guys are useful to have as squad players to give depth. Going back to physical development though, I'm not too concerned about players showing high physical and athletic development until they're into their 20s, at younger ages it's more about technical ability and in the older age groups, tactical growth. Plus, these days players are protected much better than in the past, meaning athleticism and strength are no longer as important as they once were.
On De Santis, as I said before it seems more about his recovery speed, as I can accept at his age he's going to make positional mistakes. I will keep an eye on him though, as I still hope to see him as a future CB in Milan (well, if the club ever decides to give fair chances to youth).
(11-19-2014, 07:01 PM)Jay Crisp Wrote: He's a good prospect nothing more yet , he's done nothing to make me think he's unique.Now Im not suggesting hes poor or average.But there are other players in his position in that 18-21 range that are far better.I do think he's been overhyped .But I also think he'll get better and be a valuable player to whatever team he is at.I just think after the amount of gametime he has he get way overblown as a talent.Ive seen some fans say he's the best young mid in Europe...he's not , not even close.
I agree, he's a good prospect and has achieved nothing so far. That said, my frustration is he's been given pretty much no chances to prove himself for almost a year and a half now. I respect maybe he's not trying hard enough or something in training, but this isn't the way to develop a young talent and I think his treatment at Milan was a disaster, while so far at Benfica it's not particularly better. Going back to Milan, is he really any worse than what we've been watching?
(11-20-2014, 12:57 PM)Jokka Wrote: Just re-posted the link. Piccinocchi's very similar to Modic, both have a good skillset (though nothing extraordinary) but fragile physiques. I don't see any of these guys making the first team. I also don't think Mastalli's anything special either. For me, the 2 elite youth mids are Locatelli & Mastour followed by Felicioli & Torrasi. All 4 of these guys have exceptional technical skills and well developed physiques. It's a shame we sold Cristante as he had a man's body and better technical skills than most Serie A mids.
Re De Santis, I've always considered him to very well coordinated & quick. The example you're talking about is a positioning error. He tried to shoulder barge the guy but failed then failed with a quick interception. I believe he let the guy past to avoid lunging in and conceeding a penalty. A better example of his speed would be 4:30.
My opinion of Mancini couldn't be more different than yours. Let's agree to disagree.
Thanks, I'll watch it later. I was impressed with Piccinocchi due to his movement off the ball, he's shown a lot of intelligence for a guy his age (I know some Barca youth trainers said the same). I'm not going to try and call the future for these guys, but it's worth remembering we're talking about kids here. They haven't matured physically so there's a possibility they will become better athletes. A couple of good examples of this are C.Ronaldo, who was very skinny back in his sporting days, but is now a very built athlete, while Neymar remains thin, but compared to a few years ago, he's also much bigger. You also can't fast track the process either, as you'll end up with Pato like situations.
Mastalli's generally done well when given chances. I don't see him as a future starter or anything, but these sort of guys are useful to have as squad players to give depth. Going back to physical development though, I'm not too concerned about players showing high physical and athletic development until they're into their 20s, at younger ages it's more about technical ability and in the older age groups, tactical growth. Plus, these days players are protected much better than in the past, meaning athleticism and strength are no longer as important as they once were.
On De Santis, as I said before it seems more about his recovery speed, as I can accept at his age he's going to make positional mistakes. I will keep an eye on him though, as I still hope to see him as a future CB in Milan (well, if the club ever decides to give fair chances to youth).
