Why can’t Nwakali get a start?

I’m not sure why he can’t get a regular start, from what we’ve seen he offers something that we don’t have at times and that’s someone who can put the foot on the ball and pick a simple pass…….going with that 3 up top tonight was stupid IMO, whilst we could’ve won it at the end with Philips we were crap for 85 of the 98 minutes tonight if truth be known……our passing and defending at times reminds me of junior football, it’s absolutely abysmal.

Our season is far far from other but we need to get our **** together asap or we run the risk of turning into a mid table team who’s season will be over for Easter!!!

 

If you look who he’s started against Clarke clearly doesn’t trust him against the better sides. I think we can all see he’s an excellent passer so it must be the defensive side of his game that he feels needs work.

By the time Clarke puts him into the starting 11 against a top side he’ll have probably improved so we’re never likely to know whether he was right or wrong not to trust him against better opposition.

 

Because he was f***ing crap on Saturday. Just like he was when he started against Leyton Orient before Xmas. You might have noticed that the team struggled a bit both days.

Like everyone else, I'm seeing quality there and wanting him playing, but so far it's hard to work out when and how he's best deployed for the team. I'm damn sure DC is wrestling with the same dilemma.

 

At last! Someone who saw his performance for what it was. He was garbage. Even worse against Orient. Genuinely don't get the love him for him. Yes, he can pass. And he can give the ball away, put us under pressure, fanny out of tackles and hide.

 

Fortunately I wasn’t there Saturday

 

I think he's great with the ball at his feet. Definitely has the ability to pick a pass. The problem is what happens after he's done that. All too often the good pass ends up with the other player not retaining possession and then Nwakali begins to look a bit of a liability because I just don't think he's any good when we're not in possession, he's only a minor upgrade on Russell in terms of winning the ball back and tracking a runner.

In short he's a good player, but a luxury one. And I'm not sure we're good enough to be carrying a luxury player in most, if any, of our matches at the moment.

 

He wasn’t ‘crap’. He was the only hint of quality in a very poor side.

 

I’m disappointed in you Jay. I think your posts are generally fair, but this one isn’t. Not by a long way.

 

To be fair he was no worse than connell on Saturday.

 

Nwakali did get a start. In the last game in fact. And was absolute babba against Stevenage. He truly was.

He’s a great player - of sorts - but he has clear limitations. He’s got little to no defensive awareness. When he plays well he looks great, but he doesn’t always do so.

Phillips was dropped tonight. Russell has had good games and others where he looks like a raffle winner. Connell has been poor - but I can sort of see why he hasn’t been dropped thus far as there’s nobody else who consistently grafts - even if they’re playing badly. I suspect Connell may be benched soon though.

Nobody is standing out and demanding a shirt.

 

He shows for the ball and can pick a pass, but he doesn’t seem that mobile to me. Very Jan Molby-esque in that he tends to be seen more in the centre circle and if he moves forwards or back it again seems to be within the width of the centre circle from box to box. At this level we need someone who can get round the pitch more. I think Connell shades it for that, and stronger in the tackle, however I’d take Nwakali’s passing, and ability to play his way out of trouble over Connell’s.

Connell’s best position appears to be in front of the defence, as further forward he doesn’t appear to have the skills, passing or ability to go past his man that’s needed. So like with Craig, any other defensive midfielder plus Connell won’t work, and will the captain get dropped? If not I don’t know how Nwakali can get into the side.

 

We are too lightweight in the middle of the park, we have no one who is prepared to do the dirty stuff and boss the midfield. We are crying out for someone to control the middle of the park and have been for a few seasons

 

Clarke doesn't like him for some reason

 

He didn't have a nice holiday by the pool in Mauritius .

 

I think with Nwakali he's a good player tidy on the ball great at passing but him and connell can't play in the same side as the both need to play in the defencive midfield role was obvious Saturday connell can't play higher up the pitch. Also I think Clarke expected Wycombe to be very physical.