I think there's more to come from Wijnaldum, but really can't see Can taking his place. Even if Gini has lacked an edge at times, particularly when closer to the opposition's goal, for me he's much more suited to the sort of passing game we try to play - always a classy first touch, good movement, quick feet, good passing. Can, in my opinion, is not on the same wavelength, and his introduction tonight was probably a mistake in hindsight.
I think Can is a good option for if we ever want to play match ups in the middle of the park. Say against United with Fellaini for example. He still needs to work on offloading the ball quicker and making quicker decisions but that'll come in time.
I wasn't too impressed with the start Wijnaldum made to the game tonight but he grew into the game nicely. He seems a bit hesitant to go into a challenge, he sometimes just dangles a leg out and that could get him seriously hurt.
Completely agree with both of you. Thought some of the critisism he got in the live match thread was a bit over the top. He didn't have a great first half, but neither did Henderson and Lallana. Both Klavan and Lovren had to bail us out numerous times. Lallana and Wijnaldum are lightweights, but they're brilliant in tight spaces and have great one touch passing. That's the way we play. The main problem I have with Can is that he always needs at least two touches to get the ball where he wants it and when he tries to play one touch football, his passing is usually not top notch. That may not be a problem when playing in a lower position (Henderson's) but when we're high on the pitch and trying to play our way through two defensive lines, it is a problem.
He was much better in the second half and made some difficult stuff look easier than it is. He often had two or three players surrounding him, but always got out of it. He keeps things moving and I think he's a very important player. With regards to his shooting and his lack of goals, I'm not too bothered. People are too focused on his numbers for Newcastle and PSV. He isn't playing in the same position. People should have a look at the goals he scored. Pretty much all of them come from inside the box because of his well timed runs and quick, incisive passing around the box. He plays a bit lower for us, but he is still getting in the right positions and we always look dangerous when he arrives in the box. That's the most important thing for me, as long as he keeps getting in the right positions, the goals will follow, I'm sure.
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