Allan Saint-Maximin (now playing for Fenerbahce, on loan from Al-Ahli)

[Guest reefatoon]

Thought he started poor and was wasteful at first but got better in the second half. His problem is he is never fit. This is his chance to try and cement a place in the team but he has lasted a game and a half. He is just too weak physically and mentally. No use to us when he is never fit for a run of games. Not even sure what the problem with his knee was, he landed normally and didn’t jar it 

[gbandit]

It’s such a shame, I’ve always really liked him as a player but I think for both him and us, it’ll be a simple decision to part ways in the summer. For us, we’ll be looking for a consistent option that does the simple things right whilst also playing within Eddie’s system. 
 

For him, he’ll be looking at trying to play with the freedom he loves. 
 

It’s premature maybe to talk about it but I’d be surprised if he’s here in September 

[Lush Vlad]

I thought there were signs he was finding his rhythm a bit. Just a bit poor with his final ball, which has usually been the case over the years.
 

It seems his constant injuries are now more of a concern than fitting in with the system or not.  

[Heron]

He's definitely gonna bag the winner at Wembley.

[Scotty66]

Just so annoying because that performance against Man City was genuinely World class. He is still capable of that. 

 

Just isn't consistent enough and when he plays poorly it appears to have a negative effect on the team both going forward and defending. 

 

Would be a perfect player to bring off the bench and keep as a squad player but he doesn't have the attitude for that. Rightly so as he deserves to be a regular starter for a different system. 

 

Think I would cash in during the summer but his price is falling now. 

 

Really want him to turn it around though. Personally Love him as a player. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Scotty66

[greydos]

I watched him a lot today and his role in this team is so difficult. He’s basically being asked to play like a target man, he has to stay high and wide left with Willock upfront so in line with him and Burn miles away in the back 3. It means he receives the ball back to goal with a full back tight on him as the opposition have ages to read the pass coming (having pressed us out of a right-side possession). 
 

I think we saw him play better under Bruce as he picked the ball up deeper and ran at defenders, rather than receiving the ball back to goal and having to hold off the defender, turn them beat his man, with no-one to pass to.

 

I think this is one area where Howe’s tactics can be questioned. Maxi should be allowed to drop deep and get the ball on the half turn from Joelinton/Longstaff before progressing it on the dribble. 

[Jonas]

Interesting point by Scotty above about the price we'd get for ASM now. Which I hadn't thought about.

Its decreasing at a fair rate and opens up a debate about what selling him could actually fund now.

We'd probably be doing well to get £40-45m now.  Not to be sniffed at but not a snap their hands of fee.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Jonas

[80]

4 hours ago, Jonas said:

We'd probably be doing well to get £40-45m now.  Not to be sniffed at but not a snap their hands of fee.

 

 

 

I'd be doing cartwheels for that money.

[KaKa]

8 hours ago, reefatoon said:

Thought he started poor and was wasteful at first but got better in the second half. His problem is he is never fit. This is his chance to try and cement a place in the team but he has lasted a game and a half. He is just too weak physically and mentally. No use to us when he is never fit for a run of games. Not even sure what the problem with his knee was, he landed normally and didn’t jar it 

 

100% this!

 

Once he gets pushed off the ball a few times or starts losing the ball a few times he just gets worse and worse from there and starts falling over more and looking to the ref to bail him out.

 

We cannot play both he and Willock on the same side as they are both so physically weak with the ball a lot of the time and both also tend to be really careless in the same manner. That left side has completely died since Joelinton has had to drop deeper.

[loki679]

9 hours ago, Jonas said:

Interesting point by Scotty above about the price we'd get for ASM now. Which I hadn't thought about.

Its decreasing at a fair rate and opens up a debate about what selling him could actually fund now.

We'd probably be doing well to get £40-45m now.  Not to be sniffed at but not a snap their hands of fee.

 

 

 

 

We're not getting £40m for ASM

[Smal]

 

Again I would say it’s extremely difficult for any attacking player on our left side at the moment because they get absolutely no support and most of our play goes down the right.

 

Cannot wait for Bruno to come back so that Joelinton can go back to playing as a left-sided 8. 

[Lush Vlad]

Sounds like he’ll be fit for Liverpool based on Howe’s post match comments? Hope so. Need him if Willock is out for a while and no Gordon in the final. 

[Gallowgate Toon]

Looking back at Bournemouth, he seemed to largely be dribbling inside and going into congested areas. He's got a good left foot so I hope we encourage him to mix it up.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Gallowgate Toon

[sushimonster85]

If Willock is out and we do end up having to go 4-2-3-1 I'd actually like to see Max tried as the central 10 behind Isak/Wilson. Let him roam/make runs, and relieve him of some of the tracking back the wide forwards need to do. Play Gordon left and Almiron right. 

[huss9]

thats another game under his belt.

got liverpool next.

he'll peak in the cup final.

[The College Dropout]

Would like to see Isak behind Wilson or  ASM/Almiron behind Isak

[HawK]

Did anyone else think he wasn't looking at or wasn't aware where his teammates were when he tried to lay it off after beating a man? 

 

I might be reading too much into it, but it looks like he's been told to play in a certain way, e.g. when you go here and beat this man, pass it here and Longstaff/Almiron/Isak/Wilson will pick it up, but they're not there.

 

Almost like playing to prove a point that the tactics don't 'suit him' or that he can't rely on the other players to be where Howe says they'll be.

 

Again, hopefully reading too much into it but I've certainly seen plenty a bloody-minded player do exactly that sort of thing before. Granted, wasn't at this level though...

[Kid Icarus]

Don't think it's about him proving a point, but I have noticed him beating a man to the byline and cutting it back to the same area and there being noone there like. You don't want to make assumptions, but you'd guess that if it's happened a couple of times, it's more likely that it's the midfielder not being there that's at fault. 

 

We all know Burn had a bad game on Saturday, but I also thought he was really bad in terms of giving ASM the ball. He ignored him so many times. 

[HawK]

Just now, Kid Icarus said:

Don't think it's about him proving a point, but I have noticed him beating a man to the byline and cutting it back to the same area and there being noone there like. You don't want to make assumptions, but you'd guess that if it's happened a couple of times, it's more likely that it's the midfielder not being there that's at fault. 

 

We all know Burn had a bad game on Saturday, but I also thought he was really bad in terms of giving ASM the ball. He ignored him so many times. 

 

Agreed 100% on that if I wasn't clear in my post.

 

But I can't help feel that there must be friction there because of it, with Maxi likely saying he needs to play with more spontaneity, and Howe wanting patterns of play rehearsed in the training ground. There's gotta be a happy middle, I just hope he wasn't laying it off knowing that no-one was there, just to prove a point. 

[Lush Vlad]

2 hours ago, HawK said:

 

Agreed 100% on that if I wasn't clear in my post.

 

But I can't help feel that there must be friction there because of it, with Maxi likely saying he needs to play with more spontaneity, and Howe wanting patterns of play rehearsed in the training ground. There's gotta be a happy middle, I just hope he wasn't laying it off knowing that no-one was there, just to prove a point. 

Bellamy and I think Gerrard spoke

about this under Benitez. Like it was a set move repped again and again. Where everyone had to play the pass at a certain point, attack a certain area etc. I’m sure it is common place at the top level. But Bellamy said how rigid it was and that it didn’t suit him at all. 
 

I can half see it with ASM. As he seems

to have the beating of his man at times. But where he would usually lose it trying to skin someone. He is losing it from a loose pass, instead. 
 

His passing and end product have often been poor, mind. His crossing is actually better than he’s given credit for. Just never used to do it enough. 

[ponsaelius]

3 hours ago, sushimonster85 said:

If Willock is out and we do end up having to go 4-2-3-1 I'd actually like to see Max tried as the central 10 behind Isak/Wilson. Let him roam/make runs, and relieve him of some of the tracking back the wide forwards need to do. Play Gordon left and Almiron right. 

 

Agree with this. Has he ever been played as a number 10 in his time here? I actually think he'd be dangerous there as so many of his best moments for us have been driving through the middle from deeper.

 

I remember him having games up top in a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 where he was basically a second striker in a hopeless endeavour - but never properly through the middle in a functioning system.

[Lush Vlad]

It seemed like Gordon got more of the free role the other night. But assuming he is fit, I would prefer ASM playing in a similar position. If as expected, Willock misses out and Wilson is on the bench/saved for the cup.
 

Gordon can help Burn at the back a bit more effectively. Whilst also being a threat cutting inside and also down the line. 
 

I’ve always though ASM Was far better out wide. But not counting his apps as some kind of makeshift striker. As Ponsaelius says, he has only ever played centrally under Bruce during his time here. So hard to judge. 

[kingxlnc]

13 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

It seemed like Gordon got more of the free role the other night. But assuming he is fit, I would prefer ASM playing in a similar position. If as expected, Willock misses out and Wilson is on the bench/saved for the cup.
 

Gordon can help Burn at the back a bit more effectively. Whilst also being a threat cutting inside and also down the line. 
 

I’ve always though ASM Was far better out wide. But not counting his apps as some kind of makeshift striker. As Ponsaelius says, he has only ever played centrally under Bruce during his time here. So hard to judge. 

TBH, I would prefer ASM on the right, Gordon on the left and Almiron in the centre, like he was for Benitez. He played as a 10 for Atlanta and so he is probably most suited if anyone was. 

[Holmesy]

It looks like Eddie is trying to change his game going forward and it's not working. The key to getting the best out of ASM is to eliminate the weaknesses - the tracking back is a great addition to his game - and then let him do what he does going forward. Don't try to over coach it. He's an instinctive footballer and he's at his best when not being asked to perform a rigid role, hence why he thrived under Bruce. Sadly, I just don't think he's an Eddie Howe type of player but he'll go somewhere else and thrive.

[Heron]

14 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

It looks like Eddie is trying to change his game going forward and it's not working. The key to getting the best out of ASM is to eliminate the weaknesses - the tracking back is a great addition to his game - and then let him do what he does going forward. Don't try to over coach it. He's an instinctive footballer and he's at his best when not being asked to perform a rigid role, hence why he thrived under Bruce. Sadly, I just don't think he's an Eddie Howe type of player but he'll go somewhere else and thrive.

For me. He'll go nowhere bigger and better than here, so whilst you may be correct he needs to learn if he wants to meet his own potential