JSL

Yep. Thought he was decent yesterday.
Grafted, his link up play was better than it has been.
Think he will do well, given games.


He's a good honest bloke who
gives his all for the shirt. He puts himself about and tries his arse off, his hold up play needs to improve a tad but it will come.
I like him and hope he bags a few for us this season.
 
I think he and Pino are playing well together. Still not sure about the fee but he doing fine.
Yeah I’m enjoying the two of them together.

He didn’t score yesterday but he played a decisive part in two goals. Looking forward to having him and Mateta on rotation but Mateta’s going to have to do well to become clear first choice again
 
Yeah I’m enjoying the two of them together.

He didn’t score yesterday but he played a decisive part in two goals. Looking forward to having him and Mateta on rotation but Mateta’s going to have to do well to become clear first choice again
He's a team player and generally knows whether he should take the shot himself or pass to someone better placed. He caused their defence problems for most of the game until he got tired. I thought Sage left him on for 10 minutes more than he should have but then what do I know?
 
All this may be true...but there were three very scoreable chances that he missed. We need our striker taking at least one of those. Top class strikers would take two of them. He took none. Jury is out for me still. Generally you don't buy strikers for their link up play (although I accept it's a really handy skillset to have, in addition to scoring goals.)
 
Yeah I’m enjoying the two of them together.

He didn’t score yesterday but he played a decisive part in two goals. Looking forward to having him and Mateta on rotation but Mateta’s going to have to do well to become clear first choice again
Think mateta injuries will stop him being 1st choice , and I dont think he his play acting now
 
All this may be true...but there were three very scoreable chances that he missed. We need our striker taking at least one of those. Top class strikers would take two of them. He took none. Jury is out for me still. Generally you don't buy strikers for their link up play (although I accept it's a really handy skillset to have, in addition to scoring goals.)
Watch them again , even smith said he just about got his studs to one reaching , maybe 1 out of the 3 he could have done better with
 
Haters will hate. JSL appears to be more active and involved as the season has progressed and is part of a side that is actually scoring goals, a part in most of the action and directly responsible for 2 of the goals against Forest. He has a growing understanding with those around him and will I believe reach double figures this season.
Matata, no thanks. He would be gone already if his move to the Milan club hadn't fallen through and has shown his true colours, a snide fraud who wanted out.
 
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All this may be true...but there were three very scoreable chances that he missed. We need our striker taking at least one of those. Top class strikers would take two of them. He took none. Jury is out for me still. Generally you don't buy strikers for their link up play (although I accept it's a really handy skillset to have, in addition to scoring goals.)
Mateta was about 1 in 10 before he got injured and wanting out, he really was missing a lot of chances, so JSL is still an improvement 🤣
 
He's a clumsy, useless heap with the turning circle of Jupiter.

But there are three things he can do well.

Charge at the keeper when kicking out to put him off.

Require the oppo to field an equally immobile lump of a centre half to leave spaces elsewhere for the more mobile players. (Sunday's version had JSL in his pocket)

And heading in a decent cross. He narrowly missed one on Sunday that would have notched up his tally. Dived just too soon.
 
I'd love to see a Palace team that built it's attack around supplying the centre forward. I'm not sure the 343 system naturally achieves that. Instead, it seems to place the emphasis on getting creative inside forwards on the ball in central areas. That, in turn, tends to require the centre forward to play with his back to goal sometimes to bring the No10s into the game. It's interesting how often, for example, Pino puts Khalaili through rather than Larsen. I think at least some of that is to do with the forward struggling to both hold the ball up and make runs behind in the same move.

The other thing the system seems to lend itself to is narrowness. Dribbling wingers tend to want to play on their wrong side now and go inside. Even our wingbacks are popping up in central areas rather than hugging the touchline. None of this gets many crosses in the box, much less a steady stream of them.

Of course, chances still get made for the centre forward. I'm just not sure it's the system of play Larsen, Nketiah, or Mateta would pick if it was up to them. I've seen little to suggest McNeill is a particularly good player but I do wonder if Larsen would prefer to have him on the left and Sarr on the right, crossing it rather than Pino and Kamada floating around behind him.

Thing is, it's one thing to build your whole attack around servicing the forwards quickly and often if you've got Ian Wright and Mark Bright, who you know will both get 15-20 league goals. Can the same be said of Larsen?

It's a bit chicken and egg. We will probably get more from Larsen if we change the shape of the team to suit him, but we need more from Larsen in order to justify changing the shape to suit him.
 
All this may be true...but there were three very scoreable chances that he missed. We need our striker taking at least one of those. Top class strikers would take two of them. He took none. Jury is out for me still. Generally you don't buy strikers for their link up play (although I accept it's a really handy skillset to have, in addition to scoring goals.)
Our XG figure (at less than 2.5) suggests you're wrong. IMO JSL did well to get a boot on the cross from Khalaili and the angle for the shot (well) saved by Sels in the 2nd half was tight. I obviously missed the 3rd what you term "very scoreable chance" even though I was at the game.
 
Our XG figure (at less than 2.5) suggests you're wrong. IMO JSL did well to get a boot on the cross from Khalaili and the angle for the shot (well) saved by Sels in the 2nd half was tight. I obviously missed the 3rd what you term "very scoreable chance" even though I was at the game.
Yes I liked the way JSL attacked the ball in the area and did well to get on the end of that cross, I was at the game also and although he had chances, not one did I put my head in my hands screaming ‘how did he miss that?’ Where as Mateta on many an occasion……….😩
 
Yes I liked the way JSL attacked the ball in the area and did well to get on the end of that cross, I was at the game also and although he had chances, not one did I put my head in my hands screaming ‘how did he miss that?’ Where as Mateta on many an occasion……….😩
...whereas i was opened mouth with wonder and relief when Ndoye (header) and Delap missed their sitters. and the last 5 minutes or so of the first half also brought wonder and unbridled joy to my senses.
 
JSL is certainly winning me round - I think he lacks a little bit of quality/finesse but his work rate is great and he makes himself a nuisance for defenders. He's shown previously that he can be fairly clinical with chances in the box.

Certainly happy for him to have the starting spot at the moment - he's shown a lot more than Nketiah and who knows what sort of shape Mateta will be in.
 

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