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Alexander Isak


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1 minute ago, Joey47 said:

Can’t blame Howe for hoping he could start his strikers for 3 games in a row without them getting injured.

 

Maybe something to say about the club being willing to take the gamble on 2 injury prone players being our only strikers for the season?

Of course, you can. You have to know your players and work around their limitations. You can't demand something of someone that they have proven they literally can't do. That's basic management.

 

Isak wasn't injury-prone before he joined. So there's likely something in the demands of the player that is causing injury. I've said for a long time, Isak isn't physically capable of playing Howeball for 90 minutes 3x a week. He gasses by 60 minutes so often to the point he can barely move. I think Isak needs to improve his conditioning. Until that happens, Howe has to reduce the physical demands on him one way or another or else the cycle will continue.

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15 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Well we've had Gordon, Ritchie + 1 the entire time so that would be the first route.

 

As I've said.. the alternative is not having Wilson at all for a longer period. Which is what we have now.

 

This is basic logic and risk management. You suffer a little in the short term to the benefit of the medium long-term. Not doing that is what we've done and we're stuffed for the entire season based on a high-risk short-term approach to injury management.

 

I don't disagree with that. I just see the "play the kids" line in pretty much every match thread and regularly in the Howe thread, so I was wondering what the basis was?

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I do worry that Isak’s body is not suited to our the high press intensity.

 

I have nothing else to go on with this concern other than his repeated soft tissue injuries. 
 

I saw him at Dortmund and RS. He was always a player who played in fits and bursts. Never one to be involved the whole game but would choose good moments to get involved. Either from deep or from the shoulder.

 

Always felt he was more the sniper type rather than the ‘over the top and at ‘em’ that seems to be our prevailing game mindset (which has worked pretty well).

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Just now, Shearergol said:

 

I don't disagree with that. I just see the "play the kids" line in pretty much every match thread and regularly in the Howe thread, so I was wondering what the basis was?

I’m guessing people would say try a reserve team player to save a 1st team players legs but we don’t have any reserve team players. Especially in that position. It’s more 1st and then kids these days (for all clubs it seems).

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3 minutes ago, Lotus said:

I’m guessing people would say try a reserve team player to save a 1st team players legs but we don’t have any reserve team players. Especially in that position. It’s more 1st and then kids these days (for all clubs it seems).

 

I remember Pardew doing that with Adam Armstrong at Man Utd and it must have been demoralising as fuck for the kid. Lone striker, wasn't even feeding off scraps, 17-years old. Can't do anything for your confidence that man. 

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2 minutes ago, Optimistic Nut said:

 

I remember Pardew doing that with Adam Armstrong at Man Utd and it must have been demoralising as fuck for the kid. Lone striker, wasn't even feeding off scraps, 17-years old. Can't do anything for your confidence that man. 

 

There's a difference in a Pardew team at Old Trafford and a Howe team at home to Luton/Forest/Bournemouth

 

 

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3 minutes ago, RobsonsWonderland said:

What's Nile Ranger upto... Still remember his first few games and I thought he would be a great young option.

 

Not sure if that is my bad judgement or him being a knacker lol


he’s about 46 though now isn’t he? Obafemi Martins is younger. 

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2 minutes ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

There's a difference in a Pardew team at Old Trafford and a Howe team at home to Luton/Forest/Bournemouth

 

 

 

The profile of people are talking about matches the kid we put on at Chelsea, who were loaned out to the Scottish lower leagues. Pretty sure if the players were there we'd be giving them a shot. They're not though. 

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I don't think Isak's in-game work has been much this season. His defensive work per 90 in the league this season is way down on last campaign, and I'd wager the amount of sprints & general distances are down as well.

 

Maybe it's down to half-fitness skewing the numbers but, even in games 2/3/4, there were comments that our pressing intensity from the front seemed less iirc.

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3 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

I don't think Isak's in-game work has been much this season. His defensive work per 90 in the league this season is way down on last campaign, and I'd wager the amount of sprints & general distances are down as well.

 

Maybe it's down to half-fitness skewing the numbers but, even in games 2/3/4, there were comments that our pressing intensity from the front seemed less iirc.

 

Can't remember whether it was a pre or post match interview, or which game it was, but last time he came back from injury Howe said he has to manage his workload due to not being 100%, so you're probably correct in your wager.

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26 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

I don't think Isak's in-game work has been much this season. His defensive work per 90 in the league this season is way down on last campaign, and I'd wager the amount of sprints & general distances are down as well.

 

Maybe it's down to half-fitness skewing the numbers but, even in games 2/3/4, there were comments that our pressing intensity from the front seemed less iirc.

I would say he's been exhausted/unfit/ carrying an injury for at least 20% of his minutes.

 

He has scored a lot of goals for a player I think hasn't looked fit or has been injured fro large portions of the season. Get him properly conditioned and able to play 34+ league games a season and we have a top top player on our hands.

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51 minutes ago, RobsonsWonderland said:

What's Nile Ranger upto... Still remember his first few games and I thought he would be a great young option.

 

Not sure if that is my bad judgement or him being a knacker lol

 

Selling fa cup tickets for profit the chavvy bastard

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18 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

I would say he's been exhausted/unfit/ carrying an injury for at least 20% of his minutes.

 

He has scored a lot of goals for a player I think hasn't looked fit or has been injured fro large portions of the season. Get him properly conditioned and able to play 34+ league games a season and we have a top top player on our hands.

.....who isn't just a through the middle centre forward.

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3 hours ago, The College Dropout said:

No he hasn't. This is not true at all.

 

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+ 90 minutes on 12/19 (keeping the format used here) against Chelsea in the league cup. A month injured, 26 minutes off the bench then completed 270+ minutes in 8 days then tried to go again 3 days later. Broke down. This is not how you manage an injury-prone 32-year-old coming back from a month's layoff. "Managed very carefully" - nonsense.

 

Likewise this latest injury - he wasn't match-fit for 90 minutes but Howe played him through exhaustion and then he got injured again.

 

 

The same thing happened to Isak. He returned too early when clearly not match fit. Played through exhaustion several times. Then injured again. And Isak is the one that is meant to be able to play close to 90 minutes back-to-back and he's nowhere near it.

 

Howe has to change how he manages Isak and Wilson. Neither has the physical capacity to play Howe-ball 3x a week for 90 minutes. Isak's long-term injury record will go the same way as Wilson's if Howe does not change his approach. It's already a mirror after 18 months.

 

 

It's not bad luck, if it keeps happening to several players.

 

 

 


I meant his training schedule. He doesn’t train for 3 days after playing. If that isn’t being managed carefully I’m not sure what is.

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3 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:


I meant his training schedule. He doesn’t train for 3 days after playing. If that isn’t being managed carefully I’m not sure what is.

Barely training and doing then 90 minutes of football to exhaustion 3x a week is a recipe for disaster. Pushing yourself to perform beyond exhaustion leads to increased injury risk. 

 

Part of training is helping to condition your body to perform for 90 minutes - increasing work capacity.  But we don't know the intricacies so I'll take it easy.

 

We do know that playing competitive football is the most strenuous element of performance. If you have an ageing injury-prone player - that should be the primary variable that is manipulated to preserve fitness and conditioning and Howe has not done that. To say his fitness has been "carefully managed" is not true. He has been constantly asked to push himself physically this season and he breaks down each time. It's poor management.

 

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