Marcel Ritzmaier

Did I dream this or am I simply making it up BUT did I read/hear it commented that he had a,"not bad" game yesterday?

 

I don't like to single players out and I have really tried to support this lad as I think some of the criticism has been over the top. So yesterday, I took it on myself to try and watch him more closely that other players to look for positives. His performance was atrocious, it's hard to remember a player that looks that far out of his depth. He picked the ball up a few times towards the centre circle and on every occassion he looked clueless as to what to do next and mostly just passed it to them or out of play. I didn't realise how bad he was until I watched him more closely.

 

Can only echo that.

I watched him more yesterday because Woodrow wasn't playing (as I'm currently obsessed with how many times Cauley gets in the box - as you all know) and he was terrible.

When he gets it, he either plays an aimless ball forward or shats his pants and plays a 5 yard square pass to whoever is closest - often putting them under pressure.

Mowatt looked ecstatic in the second half when Wolfe came on and added some legs and dynamism in midfield.

 

We do far too much of the five yard passes sideways or back and it’s usually a midfielder giving it to a defender. Some teams can play like this and it works but we’re a long way off that standard.

I think it was Liverpool the other day who played half a dozen passes inside their own area seemingly getting nowhere But then one killer forward pass set up an attack. We need those kind of players!!

 

He can’t make a simple pass, cross or take a set piece. He can hit a 30-40 yard cross-field pass like Hoddle. He’d probably make a half-decent sweeper.

 

Dreamed it and made it up then.

 

That's why they play for Liverpool

 

I post this not to say he had a good game, because I don't think he did, but just to show that he doesn't give the ball away as often as people think. He's been poor in recent games but I don't think he was yesterday.

 

Watched him yesterday and can’t see what he adds to the team. But manager rates him

 

Key passes:-

Mowatt 4, Styles 3, Ritzmaier 0 - sums it up well.

 

Styles was brilliant again - he's really taken a step forward since restart. The match saving tackle just prior to the goal showed he has the ability and guts to do the dirty stuff too.

 

Nailed on to score the winner on Wednesday and write himself into BFC folklore.

 

He had a very poor game yesterday , but he was very unlucky not to score

 

Yup

 

I’ve been scathing about his contribution - or lack of it - since he arrived. But yesterday I thought he played a lot better than previously, although that’s not saying much. Still not enough forward momentum and a tendency to play passes which are too slow or just behind the man, thus slowing down our attack. Playing in the centre so we didn’t have to suffer too many of those atrocious “crosses”.

However, he did fade second half.

 

Sorry but if you are not part of the solution you are a part of the problem and I didn`t see him create anything for anyone else and he doesn`t offer anything defensively - I recall one golden chance in the 2nd half to put a ball into the box and he hopelessly put it long and out for a goal kick.

 

and Schmidt made 3 passes as well at 100% accuracy. the people who do these stats must have very good eyes because I only saw him touch the ball when he scored!