The Enzo Thread

[Number 6]

Just now, MPH said:

 

I think that’s a bit harsh. I probably wouldn’t have chosen Mahrez as a choice for a winger for example. 
 

just because someone is an option we didn’t think about, doesn’t make them a bad option

I think it was a good option in footballing terms, a really good one. It's more in the context of the financial issues that I'd question it.

[FOXSE]

Are there fans looking at Neil warlock leaving Aberdeen thinking 'what might have been?'

 

Ultimately, we are top of the league. So anyone complaining about the manager would be presumably complaining about any manager we might have got... as the best position we could have hoped for at the start of the season was to be top of the league going in to the last 9 games....

[LVFox]

Enzo is a young inexperienced manager who undoubtedly makes mistakes.

 

He's also a disciple to his principles and has a squad that is nowhere near as good as people on here think, at playing that style.

 

This is highlighted by the fact he's had to retrain Hamza as an inverted full back and we look so much better when Wilf Ndidi (who himself has been asked to play a role completely alien to him) is available. 

 

Now, that slavery to a system can be seen as a negative and this season, I think it is.

 

However, that identity and his ability to coach it to a group of players who do not really suit it (Ricardo, Vestegaard, Mavididi, Fatawu and KDH aside), are also a huge sign that he's highly talented and could go on to big things in the game 

[oz was my hero]

37 minutes ago, Nod.E said:

On paper, yes. But when we got relegated most people on here feared the worst. 

 

I'm not saying he's perfect, and there's still time to go yet, but we sit above Leeds and Southampton in the table who also have Premier League players in abundance. 

 

It isn't all bad.

 

Ultimately I think Enzo's game is highly dependent on having technically gifted players, and coaching. With the volume of fixtures recently, we'll have barely trained shape and routines.

 

Meanwhile, it's not surprising that the loss of Pereira has coincided with us looking a little ordinary. He plays a key role in the midfield. He's intelligent, nippy, and has real quality. Without him we can look sluggish, and it's an awful lot easier to double up on Winks with no Ricardo to worry about. 

 

I think we'll see an upturn in form after the international break. A bit of time on the training pitch, and hopefully N'didi and Pereira starting, will make all the difference.

 

Hopefully next season we'll be able to recruit a core of quality midfielders of the Sensi profile, potentially funded by a KDH sale. 

 

To write him off after a two week wobble is ridiculous.

💯 agree , ricardo is a huge miss. For me he's been player of the season. I think people underestimate how important he is to us. When missing it makes opposition pressing so much easier  as winks is the sole target. Having hamza in there is a massive downgrade on our ability to beat a press. The midfield  looks so lacking at the minute. 

[Stevosevic]

People definitely over estimate how good our squad is.

 

Yeh it’s good for this level but it’s not run away with the league with 120 points good.
 

Saying that I don’t feel Enzo has built on his strong start. Needs to get them going and I do not think we should be seeing as many flat performances as we do. 

[sdb]

24 minutes ago, jmono84 said:

Best footballing squad in the league by far but they sure are weak as piss.

I do think we should probably start Vardy, Albrighton, Coady for a run of games. Experience needed. 

[The_77]

6 minutes ago, FOXSE said:

Are there fans looking at Neil warlock leaving Aberdeen thinking 'what might have been?'

 

Ultimately, we are top of the league. So anyone complaining about the manager would be presumably complaining about any manager we might have got... as the best position we could have hoped for at the start of the season was to be top of the league going in to the last 9 games....

This is flawed logic on so many levels.

[Chelmofox]

14 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

But did we? Results were magnificent but there was always an element of built on sand about many games. Unlike the Mucky Adams and NP promotions. 

 

We ended many wins very shakily, Brum away. Millwall home. West Brom away. Watford away. Even Rotherham had three good chances in the last 10. Sunderland hone and away. Going back, wins at Swansea and Blackburn both came after near catastrophic gaffes at 2-1 but we ended with flattering scorelines.  Huddersfield and Rotherham away early doors both came out of unexpected late goals. 

 

The only games where I felt we had total, absolute control were games where the oppo had virtually given up; Cardiff away. Stoke home and away. Watford at home. 

It's a results business, and that list of results was no fluke.  Barely any games are complete one sided affairs. Pretending they should be is sticking your head in the sand and changing the goalposts as to what football is. We executed a plan that got those results - simple.

 

That same plan isn't working as well as it was. The is a strong chance that over the next 9 games it starts to work again. Small pieces of magic can make it click back into place again.

 

What annoys me, is that Ipswich (except for today) can be pretty poor and grind (or luck) out a result, and i have seen Leeds do the same. When they do that, we get  'they just don't know how to lose' or 'they make their own luck'. Yet we will turn our noses up at the achievements we have made to get where we are at the moment.

 

It has to improve if we are going to make it, but i wish we would get behind the team and help pull them across the line. 

Edited 9 March 2024 by Chelmofox

[Noahfence]

Whether we go up or not just feels like this relationship won’t last too long 

[Chelmofox]

2 minutes ago, Noahfence said:

Whether we go up or not just feels like this relationship won’t last too long 

We do people want this to fail?

[Tuna]

1 minute ago, Chelmofox said:

We do people want this to fail?

That's not what he said though

[Chelmofox]

Just now, Tuna said:

That's not what he said though

If you say a 'relationship' wont last wrong then are you not implying it will fail?

 

I'm very confused.  

[5waller5]

22 minutes ago, LVFox said:

Enzo is a young inexperienced manager who undoubtedly makes mistakes.

 

He's also a disciple to his principles and has a squad that is nowhere near as good as people on here think, at playing that style.

 

This is highlighted by the fact he's had to retrain Hamza as an inverted full back and we look so much better when Wilf Ndidi (who himself has been asked to play a role completely alien to him) is available. 

 

Now, that slavery to a system can be seen as a negative and this season, I think it is.

 

However, that identity and his ability to coach it to a group of players who do not really suit it (Ricardo, Vestegaard, Mavididi, Fatawu and KDH aside), are also a huge sign that he's highly talented and could go on to big things in the game 

Great summary, I entirely agree. My biggest concern is whether he and LCFC are the best “fit” and if he’ll be patient enough for the club to slowly evolve

[Noahfence]

1 minute ago, Chelmofox said:

If you say a 'relationship' wont last wrong then are you not implying it will fail?

 

I'm very confused.  

That absolutely doesn’t mean I want it to fail come on. I’m a reactionary overly emotional football fan but not a chance I want it to fail. 

[LVFox]

2 minutes ago, 5waller5 said:

Great summary, I entirely agree. My biggest concern is whether he and LCFC are the best “fit” and if he’ll be patient enough for the club to slowly evolve

I think that's a fair concern, I also wonder if he's now realising what a basket case of a club he's come in to and whether it's not the right environment for a "project style" manager.

 

Personally, I'm a fan. I don't think he gets enough credit for turning the squad atmosphere around from the shambles of last year. He's also developed plenty of substandard players into decent performers this year. 

[sbfox]

1 minute ago, 5waller5 said:

Great summary, I entirely agree. My biggest concern is whether he and LCFC are the best “fit” and if he’ll be patient enough for the club to slowly evolve

Ok, so this is interesting. I believe that both the club and our fans do need to 'evolve' to meet what is needed by modern football. Whether or not either the club or our fans have any desire to do so is a different matter. 

[Guest Kopfkino]

At this stage people are still just sleeping with him cos he’s not their ex. Rancid, entertainless football. Get up and get him sacked. 

[FOXSE]

38 minutes ago, The_77 said:

This is flawed logic on so many levels.

I'm happy for you to break it down....

Edited 9 March 2024 by FOXSE

[Nolucklcfc]

It’s genuinely embarrassing the amount of people that want to turn on him because of a bad patch. 

[Stevosevic]

1 minute ago, Nolucklcfc said:

It’s genuinely embarrassing the amount of people that want to turn on him because of a bad patch. 

Yeh it is a bit weird tbf. 
 

I certainly don’t think he actually has many players he would want right now. 

[5waller5]

8 minutes ago, LVFox said:

I think that's a fair concern, I also wonder if he's now realising what a basket case of a club he's come in to and whether it's not the right environment for a "project style" manager.

 

Personally, I'm a fan. I don't think he gets enough credit for turning the squad atmosphere around from the shambles of last year. He's also developed plenty of substandard players into decent performers this year. 

That’s pretty much how I see it too. I’m a massive fan of Enzo, I sincerely hope we get through this choppy water and we do get to see him complete the project

[Bob666]

2 hours ago, Paninistickers said:

He's been given 15 or so premier league players and the biggest budget ever at this level (by a mile) to play at a level below and finish in the top two. 

 

I'm not having a pop at him. But it's a stark reality that literally any normal manager should be able to win promotion when dealt  a hand like that. 

Are you Tim Sherwood in disguise? 

 

He made the same point on Soccer Saturday earlier today - as if TS would do any better.

 

We may have players who have played in the PL but there's a reason we're in the Championship.

[Ric Flair]

40 minutes ago, LVFox said:

Enzo is a young inexperienced manager who undoubtedly makes mistakes.

 

He's also a disciple to his principles and has a squad that is nowhere near as good as people on here think, at playing that style.

 

This is highlighted by the fact he's had to retrain Hamza as an inverted full back and we look so much better when Wilf Ndidi (who himself has been asked to play a role completely alien to him) is available. 

 

Now, that slavery to a system can be seen as a negative and this season, I think it is.

 

However, that identity and his ability to coach it to a group of players who do not really suit it (Ricardo, Vestegaard, Mavididi, Fatawu and KDH aside), are also a huge sign that he's highly talented and could go on to big things in the game 

This may well be true but given our financial issues it seems pretty surprising to opt for a manager who has a very set way of playing that requires serious investment. He's not a manager who focuses on mental robustness and shithousery either like you would expect of an Italian manager which can make somewhat for a lack of ability. 

 

I feel the benefits of Enzo are going to be less and less realised and add in him learning on the job and making mistakes, it's very much up in the air right now. I'm not convinced we get promoted from here...

[5waller5]

1 hour ago, coolhandfox said:

Based on? 

Expenditure

[MPH]

1 hour ago, Number 6 said:

I think it was a good option in footballing terms, a really good one. It's more in the context of the financial issues that I'd question it.

 

id imagine he’s on a much less wage than say Rodgers…