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Sven Botman back late December/early January 'at the earliest' (Howe)


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If we can get this handsome bugger back playing well then, if we do have any money to spend in Jan, perhaps we can put it towards a RW/playmaker type, instead of an overpriced Marc hates-the-Guehis

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My expectations are low as I hope most should be for his level of performance when he returns. 

 

I know with hindsight now he was likely still struggling with something wrong in his knee last season, but when he returned from that first 3 months out he was awful. Painfully slow, making mistakes etc. He claimed at the time his knee was fine during that spell but I'd like to think he was covering playing through a problem. 

 

If he does eventually return to the player we had in 22/23 then he has a massive impact. I truly believe that part of why we don't press so aggressively now is because Burn can't do what Botman does. Botman used to press super aggressive and steal the ball high. Burn can't do that or when he tries he doesn't get there and gets exposed. Likewise now with an aging Schar who is a yard slower aswell now and we keep seeing going sliding in to tackles and missing them because his body can't do the thinks his head things it still can.

 

So I feel we consciously try not to expose the back 4. Although somehow we still look easy to play through, so clearly this hesitation to press isn't working. 

 

A fit healthy Botman will impact the whole team positively  🤞

 

 

 

Edited by alexf

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7 hours ago, alexf said:

My expectations are low as I hope most should be for his level of performance when he returns. 

 

I know with hindsight now he was likely still struggling with something wrong in his knee last season, but when he returned from that first 3 months out he was awful. Painfully slow, making mistakes etc. He claimed at the time his knee was fine during that spell but I'd like to think he was covering playing through a problem. 

 

If he does eventually return to the player we had in 22/23 then he has a massive impact. I truly believe that part of why we don't press so aggressively now is because Burn can't do what Botman does. Botman used to press super aggressive and steal the ball high. Burn can't do that or when he tries he doesn't get there and gets exposed. Likewise now with an aging Schar who is a yard slower aswell now and we keep seeing going sliding in to tackles and missing them because his body can't do the thinks his head things it still can.

 

So I feel we consciously try not to expose the back 4. Although somehow we still look easy to play through, so clearly this hesitation to press isn't working. 

 

A fit healthy Botman will impact the whole team positively  🤞

 

 

 

 


He clearly was playing through a problem. It was the same knee that was operated on. There was conflicting advice about whether he could rehab and not need the op or if the operation was required straight away.
 

They went with the former. He came back and looked miles off it. Then ended up having to go under the knife, anyway. 
 

 

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3 hours ago, Lush Vlad said:


He clearly was playing through a problem. It was the same knee that was operated on. There was conflicting advice about whether he could rehab and not need the op or if the operation was required straight away.
 

They went with the former. He came back and looked miles off it. Then ended up having to go under the knife, anyway. 
 

 

Agree with you. Just saying at the time all the sound bites coming out of him and the club were that his knee was fully recovered and he was 100%.

 

But to the eye he was clearly a shadow of what he was previously and then with the reoccurrence in that arsenal game I think it was proof his knee was never right. Felt like a shit show from the medical team at the time and still does now to be honest. 

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44 minutes ago, alexf said:

Agree with you. Just saying at the time all the sound bites coming out of him and the club were that his knee was fully recovered and he was 100%.

 

But to the eye he was clearly a shadow of what he was previously and then with the reoccurrence in that arsenal game I think it was proof his knee was never right. Felt like a shit show from the medical team at the time and still does now to be honest. 

 

He started the season well.  Then looked nothing like he did previously when he returned at the beginning of the year, last Christmas or whenever it was. 

 

I doubt the club would come out with "dropped a massive bollock here.  He's not right and will need an op to sort it out.  We should have done that in the first place."  :lol: not that I listen to much from the club or players.  Howe is notorious for his lies to the press or straight batting everything.   

 

 

Edited by Lush Vlad

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59 minutes ago, alexf said:

Agree with you. Just saying at the time all the sound bites coming out of him and the club were that his knee was fully recovered and he was 100%.

 

But to the eye he was clearly a shadow of what he was previously and then with the reoccurrence in that arsenal game I think it was proof his knee was never right. Felt like a shit show from the medical team at the time and still does now to be honest. 

I think it transpired that the medical team were advising that he get the surgery done, but Botman himself was adamant that he felt OK and he could play through it, with the ‘expert’ opinions that were sought being split on whether doing so would result in it going completely.

 

In hindsight it was obviously a massive error to let Botman get his own way, but having said that, effectively forcing a player to have surgery when they feel they don’t need it is probably easier said than done.

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I think Hall offers so much with his progressive passing, especially in contrast to Tino that I think having 2 non ball playing FBs would be awful unless we changed the way we’ve been playing ,completely abandoning the horse shoe build up and somehow found away to always play through the middle.

Introducing all those stylistic changes with just adding one player is some makeover so I don’t expect it.

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Great to have him back but we should be realistic about expectations. Took VVD a full season almost to regain the form he showed in previous seasons and he's still not quite at that level.

 

Botman has youth on his side more so but give him time.

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11 hours ago, Lotus said:

I think Hall offers so much with his progressive passing, especially in contrast to Tino that I think having 2 non ball playing FBs would be awful unless we changed the way we’ve been playing ,completely abandoning the horse shoe build up and somehow found away to always play through the middle.

Introducing all those stylistic changes with just adding one player is some makeover so I don’t expect it.

Agreed. Howe loves Burn, Botman & Schar but one will have to sit it out.

 

Honestly, I expect Botman to sit on the bench and get minutes from there (probably for Hall) for a while—well into February—before eventually replacing a CB. I assume it will be Burn, but Schar hasn't covered himself in glory recently.

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