Tamsheffield blueDolphHe’s capable of being the best player in the championship , he was also capable of being amongst the best ever players the SPL have had , he’s also capable of earning 50k a week and starting for the likes of Bournemouth and wolves every week.
But there’s a reason why he’ll be a journeyman floating around the championship.
Shame.
One of the biggest frustrations with this team is ball retention, there was a passage of play at Huddersfield when he gave the ball away three times in the space of a few minutes. Capable of scoring the odd goal and he's got a few tricks but on balance I would get rid.
He didn't have a good game, to be fair - but his goals and assists make him one of our more productive players.
What was it? 7 goals and 6 assists, something like that? in a relegated side, that ain't too shabby, is it.
Keep the beautiful bastard. He'll rip up League 1.
TamMike YOU ESS AYYnumber8Bacuna is miles better than Anderson at everything.
When he can be arsed/is interested.
I don't think that Bacuna can be accused of not being interested. He shows for the ball, never hides, tracks back and takes the ball in situations where others would struggle. Yes, he's inconsistent, but I wouldn't accuse him of not being interested.
Until the other team has the ball, then he isn’t interested.
Mike YOU ESS AYYTamMike YOU ESS AYYnumber8Bacuna is miles better than Anderson at everything.
When he can be arsed/is interested.
I don't think that Bacuna can be accused of not being interested. He shows for the ball, never hides, tracks back and takes the ball in situations where others would struggle. Yes, he's inconsistent, but I wouldn't accuse him of not being interested.
Until the other team has the ball, then he isn’t interested.
I don't think that's true. His workrate off the ball is pretty good.
TamMike YOU ESS AYYTamMike YOU ESS AYYnumber8Bacuna is miles better than Anderson at everything.
When he can be arsed/is interested.
I don't think that Bacuna can be accused of not being interested. He shows for the ball, never hides, tracks back and takes the ball in situations where others would struggle. Yes, he's inconsistent, but I wouldn't accuse him of not being interested.
Until the other team has the ball, then he isn’t interested.
I don't think that's true. His workrate off the ball is pretty good.
Not one game I watched where I thought that was true and I’ve been a reasonable amount this season. So many times I saw him walking or way out of position when the ball was given away. The only time he ran was if he was the one that gave the ball away.
Mike YOU ESS AYYTamMike YOU ESS AYYTamMike YOU ESS AYYnumber8Bacuna is miles better than Anderson at everything.
When he can be arsed/is interested.
I don't think that Bacuna can be accused of not being interested. He shows for the ball, never hides, tracks back and takes the ball in situations where others would struggle. Yes, he's inconsistent, but I wouldn't accuse him of not being interested.
Until the other team has the ball, then he isn’t interested.
I don't think that's true. His workrate off the ball is pretty good.
Not one game I watched where I thought that was true and I’ve been a reasonable amount this season. So many times I saw him walking or way out of position when the ball was given away. The only time he ran was if he was the one that gave the ball away.
We'll have to disagree about that then. I remember one game in particular - Boro at home, I think - and I remember remarking that Bacuna was absolutely everywhere. At the end of a particularly poor Blues performance, he was distraught at the end, completely knackered. I've really changed my thoughts on him over the past year.
But then people moan saying that they haven’t said anything or apologised. They’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t either way. I like bacuna, when he’s on it he’s brilliant, but he can be anonymous when he’s off it. If he wants to stay then I’d keep him easily, but if he wants to go, then let him.
'On it' he will look like Roberto Baggio, in League One. 😅 Listen, of all the players i do think has showed some willingness to put a shift in more often over the course of the season, he is one one balanced id probably keep. Because he would shine in a team than can do the dirty side of the game and let him be creative in league one.
Dembele probably is on the same sort of scale too, but hes pissed me off a few to many times. So im less keen. Tricky individual at start of the season but kept trying to do the same stopovers and spooning it into Digbeth.
If you look at his stats Bacuna’s major weaknesses are his pass accuracy of under 70%, lack of touches in the opposition box and he is dispossessed a lot.
He is an exciting enigma on his day but we can see that he doesn’t do enough of the bread and butter which we definitely needed more of away from home especially. But conversely he doesn’t do enough in the box to play further forward.
Will he improve on the basics with more time and quality in league 1?
I mentioned his low pass rate the other day, but the comment was that we should take pass rates in context to an extent which I thought was fair enough. By that, I mean that he would try the riskier pass, or in tight areas. Stansfield had (I think) one of the worst pass ratios, but we'd have been buried long ago without the things that he brought to the team. I think that there's some of that with Bacuna.
But i wouldn’t argue that this stat is lower than his peers and he has played further back still at times this season which should have artificial increased that %
Yes, that's fair, but I suppose that you could also apply context to that as well in as much as (and this is just a guess really) his figures would probably improve in a better side where more movement and options were being created, so maybe the riskier pass or no-option play might be less.
Of course, that could be utter cobblers and he might do it anyway. I decided a while ago that I liked Bacuna for what he brought to the team and accepted that he would also bring inconsistency and frustration at times.