[Albion] Gross and Mooy

A1X · Feb 10, 2020

Apologies if fixtures.

Watching us on Saturday I'm beginning to think a lot of our problems stem from trying to fit both players into our currently line-up. I get that they are probably in the best eleven players at the club right now, but to my mind they're essentially competing for the same / a similar position. This forces one (usually Gross) out to the wing, where he is not a natural player and keeps moving back inside. This means we're spending lots of time playing essentially without a right-winger, which exposes our right back (be it Montoya or whoever), a position we already know we have weaknesses in. I don't think it is a coincidence that in both of the last two games we've put someone on to play in that role (March at WHU, Ali J on Saturday) and we've looked a better team as a result. Especially as they both add pace over Gross.

I love both Gross and Mooy, and they're exceptionally talented players for a club of our level, however crow-barring them into the same team and trying to make it work feels like it's not working. In the same way it never worked when England tried to make Gerrard and Lampard play together. I'd much prefer we dropped one of them for someone like Maupay or Connolly to add the much needed pace up top alongside Murray.

Billy the Fish · Feb 10, 2020

Totally agree. They seem to cancel each other out.

It's about to get worse, our saviour from Argentina likes to play in the same position.

Stat Brother · Feb 10, 2020

I thought I knew the Mooy we signed on loan.

He arrived and was that player - begging the question 'why sign him?'
He then dramatically morphed into the player NSC's #TeamMooy fan club wanted to sign and the question was answered.

Now he seems to be reverting back into my Mooy, again.

T'is all very confusing.

Nobody was saying after Tottenham or Arsenal they can't play together.

Marshy · Feb 10, 2020

Playing both is a mistake in my opinion, I would leave Gross out if it came to a decision.

We need more game time for Alzate.

Titanic · Feb 10, 2020

Alexis Mac Allister will add some spice to this mix as well.

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ · Feb 10, 2020

While both very talented technically I think they are both just incredibly slow for Premier League footballers. A team like ours can carry one slow player, but having two in our midfield/attack does make us really easy to defend against. Has to be one or the other IMO.

Justice · Feb 10, 2020

What grinds me the most is not starting a game with our strongest 11 no wonder we always consistently concede first. Maupay clearly offered 20 x what Murray does, AJ is the only player that can cross into a dangerous area, I know the idiots prefer Duffy to Webster who can actually play a bit Duffy’s passes even I could read he’s so bad at them.

The Wizard · Feb 10, 2020

Justice said:
What grinds me the most is not starting a game with our strongest 11 no wonder we always consistently concede first. Maupay clearly offered 20 x what Murray does, AJ is the only player that can cross into a dangerous area, I know the idiots prefer Duffy to Webster who can actually play a bit Duffy’s passes even I could read gesso bad at them.

Strange I thought Maupay was dreadful when he came on, Murray is limited but I thought he did alright spent most of his game feeding off scraps from poor crossing and final balls.

fleet · Feb 10, 2020

Playing both is a mistake generally, and when one of them is intended to do the Stephens holding role them it is ridiculous. That was crying out for Alzate to start in holding midfield, with Mooy further forward.

JBizzle · Feb 10, 2020

Marshy said:
Playing both is a mistake in my opinion, I would leave Gross out if it came to a decision.

We need more game time for Alzate.

But not at full back...

fleet · Feb 10, 2020

The Wizard said:
Strange I thought Maupay was dreadful when he came on, Murray is limited but I thought he did alright spent most of his game feeding off scraps from poor crossing and final balls.

Agreed - I had no idea what he was trying to do when he came on in terms of position and influence on the game - sadly it looked like neither did he.

Gritt23 · Feb 10, 2020

Billy the Fish said:
Totally agree. They seem to cancel each other out.

It's about to get worse, our saviour from Argentina likes to play in the same position.

I would imagine that Potter sees him as someone who could full in at full back for the last half hour after we take off whoever started there.

Not Andy Naylor · Feb 10, 2020

Marshy said:
Playing both is a mistake in my opinion, I would leave Gross out if it came to a decision.

We need more game time for Alzate.

Exactly. Alzate was the obvious replacement for Stephens but GP wanted to get both Mooy and Gross into the starting XI so tried Mooy as a holding midfield player and it didn't work. Then he switched Mooy and Gross over at half time and that didn't work either. Only when he brought Alzate on for Gross did things really start to flow.

BensGrandad · Feb 10, 2020

Just bring Stephens back in place of either Gross or Mooy but do not replace them with Alzate, keep him to be used as a substitute later in the game as needed.

sparkie · Feb 10, 2020

BensGrandad said:
Just bring Stephens back in place of either Gross or Mooy but do not replace them with Alzate, keep him to be used as a substitute later in the game as needed.

Then we get back to the old problem of playing both Stephens and Pröpper in the same team - which doesn't work either.

BensGrandad · Feb 10, 2020

sparkie said:
Then we get back to the old problem of playing both Stephens and Pröpper in the same team - which doesn't work either.

That is your opinion but I think that if Propper was pushed forward into more of the Gross role as he does for The Netherlands, it would be successful.

A1X · Feb 10, 2020

BensGrandad said:
That is your opinion but I think that if Propper was pushed forward into more of the Gross role as he does for The Netherlands, it would be successful.

So we then have Propper and Gross / Mooy trying to play the same role and we're back where we started from?

Billy the Fish · Feb 10, 2020

The only viable solution is to sell our entire midfield in the summer and start again.

Stat Brother · Feb 10, 2020

Billy the Fish said:
The only viable solution is to sell our entire midfield in the summer and start again.

The plan would suggest in:-

Alzate
Molumby
Argie McJocko.

The club doesn't have to start again.

Jim Van Winkle · Feb 10, 2020

Gross does not seem to be the same player after his injury. He was not the quickest in the first place but really seems to slow down our play. Mooy is the better option and we don’t need both of them in the same team.

Alzate does seem to be a more dynamic replacement for Stephens but probably not what we need in a relegation dog fight. Also, Alzate is completely wasted in the right wing back role.

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