Truly great night at the Cottage! For all the slowdown of attack that Berge sometimes plagues us with, it was great to see him pick out Raul and get a goal contribution. Much needed.
Hammy End was loud tonight and Johnny Haynes had more energy than I can remember in years. Really fun for me after the goals to force high-fives and claps from the tourists in Putney End home seats despite their obvious support of Chelsea during the player intros :-)
Berge is a talented man, but a number of factors mean he's not always able to show it:
- he's typically viewed as less creative than Iwobi, Lukic and Cairney, his midfield partners, so is expected to do more defensive work than them
- he's taller than the aforementioned three, as well as Reed and all our CBs, so is useful in a deeper position to intercept aerial balls and break up play
- a good portion of our attacking under Silva comes from overlaps, particularly on the left with Robinson, or from Wilson's maestro-like abilities with the ball. If Berge making an attacking move loses possession, it may be interpreted as a wasted opportunity - he could have given the ball to a more attacking teammate
It's nice, therefore, that he can ignore some of these arguments and demonstrate what he can do when he puts his mind to it, as he did across the game. Great stuff!
I would be less generous to Traore, for me he pulled out of tackles, was often marking no one and did not try to hassle players. But that is a small point in another great display from this makeshift team. They have been incredible.
Truly great night at the Cottage! For all the slowdown of attack that Berge sometimes plagues us with, it was great to see him pick out Raul and get a goal contribution. Much needed.
Hammy End was loud tonight and Johnny Haynes had more energy than I can remember in years. Really fun for me after the goals to force high-fives and claps from the tourists in Putney End home seats despite their obvious support of Chelsea during the player intros :-)
Berge is a talented man, but a number of factors mean he's not always able to show it:
- he's typically viewed as less creative than Iwobi, Lukic and Cairney, his midfield partners, so is expected to do more defensive work than them
- he's taller than the aforementioned three, as well as Reed and all our CBs, so is useful in a deeper position to intercept aerial balls and break up play
- a good portion of our attacking under Silva comes from overlaps, particularly on the left with Robinson, or from Wilson's maestro-like abilities with the ball. If Berge making an attacking move loses possession, it may be interpreted as a wasted opportunity - he could have given the ball to a more attacking teammate
It's nice, therefore, that he can ignore some of these arguments and demonstrate what he can do when he puts his mind to it, as he did across the game. Great stuff!
Great read to sustain the magic of this evening. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it, it certainly was a night to remember!
Another great review.
I would be less generous to Traore, for me he pulled out of tackles, was often marking no one and did not try to hassle players. But that is a small point in another great display from this makeshift team. They have been incredible.
A joy to read