Kris Commons

Maybe but Commons was a disgrace last night I thought, if you want to watch the first half back look how much he is standing up front 5 yards from Griffiths while the likes of Bitton, Johansen and Boyata are scratching their arses on the ball in the middle of the park with no-one to pass to.

Lustig couldnt even get forward as Commons was never in front of him offering anything and he was probably * it incase we got countered and Commons was standing up front like a striker. So kept turning back on the ball.

The only outlet for us was Tierney and Armstrong.

Tactics looked like....
​

Gordon


Boyata-----------Simunovic

Lustig --------Bitton ----- Johansen----------------
-----------------------------------------Tierney
---------------------Rogic---------------
-------------------------------------------Armstrong

Commons
-----Griffiths

Commons should have been playing between Lustig and Rogic, offering movement to recieve passes.
​

 

Although I agree with the post in general. Lustig got forward alot in that first half. He was always looking for a ball between their CB and FB

 

Thought Commons movement into the middle was causing all sorts of problems, his passback for the Bitton disallowed goal, his shot that got cleared off the line via the defenders face, his volley for the Griffiths disallowed goal, his goal itself...

He was by far the biggest threat.

 

Maybe, I just remember being raging numerous times last night that Commons was just standing about like a dafty up front in the middle of the park when we had no options to pass the ball to.

It seemed every move went like Simunovic to Johansen/Bitton/Boyata to Johansen/Bitton/Boyata to Lustig back to Johansen/Bitton/Boyata to Simunovic/Tierney and then we could get forward once it got to Tierney.

We were going round in circles with almost every move to end up with Tierney on the ball and only then could Tierney via Armstrong or Rogic get us up the park.

Then we eventually lost it got the ball back and done the same thing again all the while Commons was hanging onto Griffiths coattails (who the ball never seemed to get near once). Instead Commons could have either played more as a right-midfielder, or more in the middle nearer Rogic or even drifted right across the park and nearer Armstrong, anything except shadow Griffiths who the ball was never getting near.

Then again Forrest replaced him and was also involved as little even though he did stay wider and deeper, so it might not have made much difference anyway.

 

Commons was playing as if we still had Van Dijk or Denayer, who in games like last night would have just took the ball themselves and breached the Molde line of midfield by going on a run through them but Blackett and Boyata dont have that ability. Boyata I think ran through them once but it came to nothing.

With Van Dijk and Denayer we could probably get 10 times a game from them where they could run through the oppositions midfield and bring the attacking players into the game.

Now without them we are left hanging about infront of the oppositions line of midfield with no ideas how to get past them.

 

I don't know why you're blaming him for the tactics? He played his role well, done his job, provided danger in the final 3rd and scored.

He was wider in the games prior, it was a tactical decision. Was the same way we played against Aberdeen.

 

Surely the reason Commons was in that position is down to the manager?

The same reason he is making our full backs look like * fools.

 

Interesting that you are blaming Commons for this shape. It is somewhat accurate but the defensive line need to be pushed way up.

 

He missed two sitters and its gets spun as he created two good chances for himself, decent run for the first one but he never created the chance and the second one was handed to him on a plate.

 

I find your position on Commons interesting. Bizarre but interesting nonetheless. I would hardly call it a chance handed to him it was blasted in his direction and he very skillfully used his guile to guide the ball into the net. Nowhere near an easy chance. He is involved in all our goals in Europe under Ronny or near enough anyway. I think he deserves a lot more credit than he is getting not just from you but from others too.

edit my mistake I thought you were talking about his goal

 

Sure mate

 

Scored his 90th goal for the club tonight

 

10 european goals aswel, just 25 behind the King

 

Strange thing to say. Just 25.:smiley-laughing002:

 

That header was first class. Top cross from Lustig as well, who has offered plenty of them at his best..

 

:icon_mrgreen:

 

He's certainly shown this season that he has what it takes to play at this level. The thing he has that none of our other flair players have at this level is gallousness. He has enough confidence in his own ability to try different things and pull them off. I don't see that in any of our other attacking players. Griffiths has that same arrogance when we play domestically but just looks unsure of himself when he steps up to the next level.

This has been a * poor European campaign and it would have been fully worse were it not for Kris Commons. It's not good for the future that we rely so much on a player who will be 33 next season to provide a creative spark for us.

 

maybe just give him a free role at times allow him to look for weaknesses in the opposition, or play up front when we havent got a strker hes shown more often than not that he knows how to instinctively score goals and get in the right positions, probably no good at holding the ball up running through on goal though

 

He'll still have his uses next season but I doubt we can rely on him to the extent that we have this season. Full Group stage just went through and their was only one goal Commons wasn't involved in.