Forum's gone a bit dead, no threads, so resurrecting things a bit...

So I have to say, I hate this guy. Every time I see him play I'm amazed by how totally awful he is. He's slow (mentally and physically), has bad technique, and is just all round shit. Maybe he'll be better at some point, but he's far from where he needs to be currently. I know Mourinho only uses him in a pinch, but when injuries hit I'd rather see Blind in the centre back role. He's undersized, but he makes less mistakes. That first goal from Newcastle today wasn't a slip, it was Lindelof getting his footing all wrong, and slipping as a result.

Every time he plays something new, something shitty.

I wouldn't be so critical of him. It takes time for some to adjust to Premier League if you come from a weaker league. Remember how Vidic and Evra struggled at first? I'd give him some more time before judging.

What about his pass forward into Lukaku (?) - a lovely ball into the box
I'd like to see him bring it forward more often, but you can see he is playing safe, within himself

PIE-EdWeatherall wrote:

What about his pass forward into Lukaku (?) - a lovely ball into the box
I'd like to see him bring it forward more often, but you can see he is playing safe, within himself

That was a nice pass and could have been a goal, had Lukaku's timing of jump been slightly better (about a half second earlier).

I think it's way too early to write off Lindelof, but to be honest, at the moment he is not showing even a hint of something potentially great. I just hope he's still playing with his brakes on and should gain more self-confidence (to start with). He was a bit unlucky to slip at the occasion of Newcastle's goal, but what I didn't like was him hiding his head, when he was already on the ground. Some other players (Vidic comes to mind) would try to block the shot with their head, rather than hiding from it.

Anyway, not all the players are the same when it comes to getting used to a new league and a new style of football. For example, Bailly didn't need much time to get used to EPL football, while Vidic or Evra were not that great right at the beginning.

Looking at our current "reserve" options in defence, I currently don't see Lindelof as better than Rojo, Tuanzebe or Blind. Maybe Lindelof will be better than all of them, but I'm just saying for the moment.
Concerning Blind, the problem with Mourinho is that he just doesn't seem to be keen to putting him on the centre back position.
Imo, especially when we play with three at the back, Blind could be useful as a left sided centre back, with maybe Darmian as a right sided CB and Bailly or Smalling as the central one. Neither Blind nor Darmian are exactly the players suitable to play attacking wing backs in a 3-4-1-2 formation, so I'd rather try them as the left and right sided central defeenders in that formation, while Shaw/Young and Valencia would be the external players running up and down the pitch. Also with the 4 at the back, I'd always rather put Shaw and Valencia as LB and RB, much before Blind and Darmian, as the latter just don't offer enough in attack.

New Jonny Evans :)

Johnny Evans > Victor Lindelof

Buggle wrote:

Johnny Evans > Victor Lindelof

Evans ended Stewart Holden's career and couldn't stay healthy.

While I'm not his greatest fan yet, jury is still out on Lindelof IMO.

BTW he got man of the match against Brighton. Generous.

I an not a fan og Lindeløf. But i think he is improvisere now.

Kaffenyteren wrote:

I an not a fan og Lindeløf. But i think he is improvisere now.

He is looking a lot like Blind with more strength and less range of passing. Central defenders are expensive, and he is young, so I'm ok with letting him mature and hang around. Lord knows I would have cut loose Jones by now for health reasons, but he might be top 5 English center halves when healthy.