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Hatem Ben Arfa (still a free agent)


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Prety sure I saw a another stat on Messi - losing the ball more than any other player in the Argentina/Bosnia game.

 

Would love to see Pardew justify not playing Messi due to lack of keeping the ball

That Bosnia game was the perfect example of why it's utterly retarded to bring off your best and most unpredictable player at half time if he's having a sub-par game.
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Messi was pretty rubbish first half but yes, it's precisely why you don't do that. Hatem's the same, could lose the ball 5 times in a row but on the 6th will create/score a worldy. Argentina are set-up for this exactly. Strangely enough, with our constant back 6/7, so are we, but it doesn't pan out like that.

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Messi was pretty rubbish first half but yes, it's precisely why you don't do that. Hatem's the same, could lose the ball 5 times in a row but on the 6th will create/score a worldy. Argentina are set-up for this exactly. Strangely enough, with our constant back 6/7, so are we, but it doesn't pan out like that.

 

Yep, this is the weirdest thing. In theory a match-winner like Ben Arfa is exactly what Pardew's hyper-cautious approach actually needs.

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I didn't see the game on Sunday but from experience, if Messi gives the ball away it's in around the area trying to play intricate 1-2s and things like that. Ben Arfa is often down to decision making, taking on one too many, over running it for a goal kick, not playing the simple available pass.

 

No excuse for why HBA shouldn't be in the team, he'd be first name on team sheet, but the Messi stat comparison is silly imo.

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Messi was pretty rubbish first half but yes, it's precisely why you don't do that. Hatem's the same, could lose the ball 5 times in a row but on the 6th will create/score a worldy. Argentina are set-up for this exactly. Strangely enough, with our constant back 6/7, so are we, but it doesn't pan out like that.

 

Yep, this is the weirdest thing. In theory a match-winner like Ben Arfa is exactly what Pardew's hyper-cautious approach actually needs.

 

That's the thing, though, his best position by far is RW and a defensive manager like Pardew won't let his RB get exposed like that. On the other hand, if you play him centrally/off the striker he's certainly not a match winner.

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I didn't see the game on Sunday but from experience, if Messi gives the ball away it's in around the area trying to play intricate 1-2s and things like that. Ben Arfa is often down to decision making, taking on one too many, over running it for a goal kick, not playing the simple available pass.

 

No excuse for why HBA shouldn't be in the team, he'd be first name on team sheet, but the Messi stat comparison is silly imo.

 

That's exactly what Messi was doing in the Argie game. He was losing everything, looked way off the boil.

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Ben Arfa also failed to reach his full potential last term and endured some shocking performances at Southampton, Everton and at home to Spurs.

 

:lol:

 

He was brought on when we were 2-0 down to try and save the king.

 

Almost certain HBA created more chances than any other player (4iirc) when he came on too. Some of the s*** that gets peddled is f***ing nuts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope that he's kept himself fit this summer and that he comes back and shows Pardew exactly what he is capable of, otherwise we are going to lose the only player we have with real technical ability and talent.

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I hope that he's kept himself fit this summer and that he comes back and shows Pardew exactly what he is capable of, otherwise we are going to lose the only player we have with real technical ability and talent.

 

Gosling is already gone. You have to let go.

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There's no way back for him under Pardew. Don't kid yourself to think so otherwise.

 

the absolute best case for HBA is that he forces himself in when thrown on as a sub a la that mackems game, he'd then get until our next crushing defeat whereupon he'd be immediately dropped as pardew's scapegoat

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There's no way back for him under Pardew. Don't kid yourself to think so otherwise.

 

Pards would like to think that, but Ashley won't give him away, and after losing Remy and Cabaye we don't have a lot of players who can create much from nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if after a month of sterile football he wasn't back in the team tbh.

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There's no way back for him under Pardew. Don't kid yourself to think so otherwise.

 

Pards would like to think that, but Ashley won't give him away, and after losing Remy and Cabaye we don't have a lot of players who can create much from nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if after a month of sterile football he wasn't back in the team tbh.

 

We struggled to create anything in the 2nd half of last season and had regular 3-0, 4-0 trashings. Didn't see Ashley ordering Pardew to play Hatem then.

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There's no way back for him under Pardew. Don't kid yourself to think so otherwise.

 

Pards would like to think that, but Ashley won't give him away, and after losing Remy and Cabaye we don't have a lot of players who can create much from nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if after a month of sterile football he wasn't back in the team tbh.

 

We struggled to create anything in the 2nd half of last season and had regular 3-0, 4-0 trashings. Didn't see Ashley ordering Pardew to play Hatem then.

 

Ashley still won't order Pardew to play Hatem, but apparently De Jong is not exactly a creator, so the side looks pretty sterile from that POV. Maybe we'll sign Cabella to fix that, but as it stands, we don't have any alternative options to provide what HBA does.

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