youngsters and confidence

[DOUBLE-YOU]

Is it me or do the young players (other than Cesc) seem a little overawed when they get in the first team. Watching the games against Portsmouth , Newcastle and Charlton, whenever RvP or Flamini got the ball near the penalty box there was a tendancy to pass all the time in fear of losing the ball. There are also times when they seem happy to let the experience players take the ball from there feet. It's the same with Pennant. When they play with other youth team players they seem more confident.

it's not a snipe just an observation.

 

[malagar]

I would say RVP is a little overconfident at times, when he tends to keep the ball for too long.

 

[sabret00the]

I would say RVP is a little overconfident at times, when he tends to keep the ball for too long.

yeah i was gonna say the same thing, not that i'd agree but that the general consensus is that RVP wants to do too much with the ball.

 

[arnoldi]

I have Observed the more RVP plays, the more the tendency to do more with the ball will reduce as he is being transformed from an individualistic to a team player.

the younger players should not put the more experienced players on a pedestal but regard them as just some of their teammates and pals

Lets see how Hoyte and Senderos will cope with the pressure today

 

[KingReyes]

I would say RVP is a little overconfident at times, when he tends to keep the ball for too long.

yeah i was gonna say the same thing, not that i'd agree but that the general consensus is that RVP wants to do too much with the ball.

Sort of reminds me of Henry when he first joined, tries too much with the ball, misses good chances. He turned out alright though, I guess its normal when you are a 21 year old striker trying to impress your manager but he'll learn.

 

[informed1]

well I am with you on the Pennant issue he does look overawed at times but Cesc was like that in part sometimes, RVP was like that for a game or two and so was Reyes but I think after a while they snap out of it.

At first Reyes was a but fearless and sometimes can be selfish after a few bollocking from Henry he did start to change and passing a bit more, the same for RVP but now I notice that they feel a little more settled and confident.

 

[Mark]

I know what you mean. They're not relaxed enough which leads to them thinking too much and therefore not playing instinctively. I noticed it with Flamini at the start of the season, he didn't impress me at all but since he's been starting games recently he's looked very convincing. Fabregas looked convincing from the start, it has to be said.

 

[Gunner4life09]

I think there being a conservative, if you 17 to 19 playing in a squad with the worlds best in there own respective positions then you'd be a bit nervous and try to reduce mistakes.

I think Fabregas has more than proven his quality and maybe should not repress his creativity and stick to his instincts, remember against rosenburg when he scored? he showed so much composured, thats mind blowing . . .

 

[Ratinho]

I think the way van Persie hit that volley against Charlton showed just how confident he is, in his own ability.

How many players would have just brought that ball down and shot, or just skyed/sliced it miles off target?

 

[Mark]

Yeah with a good run of games, they do improve and relax a bit more. This has been shown by Fabregas in particular and also by Flamini and RvP.

Reyes also seemed to be past that stage at the start of the season but recently has gone back to looking quite tense, I'm not sure why.

 

[Jinn]

Probably because he's out of form and afraid of being dropped Mark. There's still competition to be Henry's striking partner and van Persie is doing some of the right things. Having said that, our first choice XI is never static: it's always changing depending on the opposition and the injuries we carry.

 

[Mark]

Yeah I suppose Pires and Van Persie playing well will make it tougher for Reyes, but I'd really expect him to show why he should be in the lineup rather than getting nervous about it. I can understand why he gets nervous, but as a professional I think he should try harder to fight for his place as he is immensely talented and could keep a few players out if he plays and scores like he did at the start of the season.

 

[gooner#1]

Probably because he's out of form and afraid of being dropped Mark. There's still competition to be Henry's striking partner and van Persie is doing some of the right things. Having said that, our first choice XI is never static: it's always changing depending on the opposition and the injuries we carry.

Yeah of course, all teams change a bit-look at Chelsea last season.
I think that the kids just need time.I am sure if Senderos has paitence and we get a few injuries like tonight, then he will get to play and will gain confidence every time he plays.
For example, Fabregas was a bit hesitant at the beginning of the season, now he plays, as if he has been playing in this team for years.

 

[Jinn]

Once he scores a couple and stops getting injured, I'm pretty sure he'll come back into form eventually. Hopefully that'll come toward the end of the season when we'll really need it.

Ditto for Bergkamp.

 

[gooner#1]

Yeah I suppose Pires and Van Persie playing well will make it tougher for Reyes, but I'd really expect him to show why he should be in the lineup rather than getting nervous about it. I can understand why he gets nervous, but as a professional I think he should try harder to fight for his place as he is immensely talented and could keep a few players out if he plays and scores like he did at the start of the season.

yeah, in a normal job he would get the sack !

 

[Jose_Reyes_2005]

Yeah I suppose Pires and Van Persie playing well will make it tougher for Reyes, but I'd really expect him to show why he should be in the lineup rather than getting nervous about it. I can understand why he gets nervous, but as a professional I think he should try harder to fight for his place as he is immensely talented and could keep a few players out if he plays and scores like he did at the start of the season.

I dont think that is the reason for Reyes's poor form as of late. This is just so typical of Jose Antonio Reyes - one week he'll be the star of the match, the next, he's nowhere to be seen.

He knows we payed 17 million pounds for him and he knows Arsène has very, very high hopes for him. I dont know if you remember but he was just horrible in his first few games for us, lost the ball on countless occasions and ALWAYS had his back to goal - yet Arsène never dropped him. He continued to play week in week out, he was slowly improving and beginning to settle. The fact that we scouted him for so long, payed a record breaking fee for him, and start him in games ahead of veterans like bobby and dennis even when he's in poor form is enough to convince anyone that his place is not in danger - so i have to disagree and say its not nerves.

He had this problem at Seville. He was just ridiculously inconsistent and that can be very frustrating for the fans as well as the manager. When he's at his best he's a joy to watch - i'd even go as far as saying he can be better than Robben at Chelsea - who is obviously extremely talented. Once Jose gets going there is no stopping him. I remember Zidane making a comment after Seville thrashed Madrid in a La Liga game when Reyes basically single handedly ripped madrid into pieces. I think Zidane's exact words were "Its as if the kid is playing on a motorbike"

He would then carry that form and confidence into his next game and have a blinder - until a few games later he has an average performance where he is not the centre of attention or does not have an impact on the game. He then completely loses confidence and looks like a shadow of himself in the next game. His touches would be very poor not due to lack of quality, but due to lack of confidence. He is a player that simply operates on confidence, if he does not have that then he cannot play his game.

It is very frustrating and i cant think of a direct solution to solve this problem but it certainly was my main worry when he eventually signed for us. If he can get it out of his system then i think he has the potential to be as good as Thierry Henry - i really do - but if he doesnt then i think he's let himself down because the talent he posesses is unbelievable and it would be such a shame to not make the most of it.

 

[Feanor]

Very good comments but I think you described every 20 year old with talent! He is still very young and the difference between promising players and superstars is consistency. I think he'll settle into rythm sooner of later and play at a high rate for a long time. Look at henry, most of the time he's amazing but he also can have off games. I know that it sometimes hard for us to understand but it is still a job for them and it is hard to show and give a 100% every single game even if you're making millions so everyone is going to have days off. Right now JAR is going through cycles of being amazing and then becoming invisible, I believe over time with AW's tutelage, he will be more consistent and his upswings will be far longer than his downswings. IMO.

 

[Mark]

Hoyte and Senderos did play very well today. Especially Hoyte.

 

[sabret00the]

Hoyte and Senderos did play very well today. Especially Hoyte.

hoyte had a ****e game.

 

[Mark]

The whole team had a **** game, mate. All I had was highlights and to me Hoyte looked really good.