The start of this season looked like it might be something of a breakthrough for Hamza Choudhury. With Brendan Rodgers still working out his best players and formation, along with some difficult-looking fixtures and the fact that Ndidi had had a busy summer with little pre-season, he got his foot in the door and got some starts under his belt. His performances got some praise; he did fairly well.
Yet his current situation is that he's barely played for the first team in weeks and he's spending his time being switched back and forth for a place on the bench with Kelechi Iheanacho. So what's gone wrong?
Well, there's the obvious answer that the players he's competing against are doing a fantastic job. Plus there's Praet on the bench as well whose level is deserving of a start except that the competition on the pitch is too high. But maybe also a sizable part of it is that he's significantly injured two opposing players this season. Mo Salah hasn't returned to full fitness since, while Newcastle's Matt Ritchie has just had a second operation on the damage that Choudhury gave him.
Our current midfield situation gives Rodgers the opportunity to take Hamza out of the limelight, after both players' managers criticised him for the injuries. Whether such criticism was fair or not is another matter (and to me the Salah one looked more overeager than malicious), but mud can stick, particularly to a player who stands out as much as Choudhury does. Opposition fans, mangers and players - and indeed officials - would doubtless note the presence on the pitch of the guy who likes to fly in with slide tackles and has caused two notable injuries this season in the process.
If we do start getting injuries, or maybe with considerations of a mini fixture pile up in December and a League Cup match against Everton, we will likely start seeing more of Hamza again. And perhaps the rest will do him some good. But I'd be interested to know how much work is being done with him behind the scenes, not to lose the great big tackle completely, but to try to temper it, hone it, and perhaps make it less dangerous to his opponents in the future.
Hamza Choudhury's great big tackle
posted on 29/11/19
I thought his tackle was modest to be honest.
That said I think another great point raised by this article is how good Ndidi is. We said Kante was unique and could never be replaced. Wrong.
What for me is the biggest failure of the Puel era was falling to get the best out of two of our best players in Ndidi and Vardy. Massive credit to Rodgers for seeing it, and doing something about it.
posted on 29/11/19
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 9 minutes ago
I thought his tackle was modest to be honest.
That said I think another great point raised by this article is how good Ndidi is. We said Kante was unique and could never be replaced. Wrong.
What for me is the biggest failure of the Puel era was falling to get the best out of two of our best players in Ndidi and Vardy. Massive credit to Rodgers for seeing it, and doing something about it.
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Exactly. It used to drive me bonkers. You'd look at our match day team and think, great, definitely enough to beat these today...then it would all go Puel ball. There was a period of about 15 games where we only scored once in the first half...that was ridiculous itself. Then we were always left chasing the game with literally no other option but the kitchen sink...week in week out.
BR has simply done the obvious thing, yeah you give him credit, but it aint rocket science. Play to your strengths, win the game, then have the luxury of substitutions not the need for them and running out of options.
Anyway, I think HC has massive potential. He'll be very valuable in a few years
posted on 29/11/19
Cheese are you ever going to comment without mentioning Puel you might of noticed my Pearson days are long behind me and which one is employed ?
As for Hamza he is the obviously the replacement for the God that is Ndiddido if he gets injured
posted on 29/11/19
You forgot to mention the France U21 player whose leg Hamza broke in the summer!!
The problem will be how he mentally deals with this, will he start backing away from making challenges, will he go too conservative. I would say he needs more experience and a loan when James is fit would be much better for him.
posted on 29/11/19
You're right Foxy Boy, I had forgotten that. More evidence that he needs to review the way he challenges. That's three significant injuries caused to opponents in a matter of a few months.
posted on 29/11/19
comment by Nevsaysagoal2city (U5194)
posted 3 hours, 6 minutes ago
Cheese are you ever going to comment without mentioning Puel you might of noticed my Pearson days are long behind me and which one is employed ?
As for Hamza he is the obviously the replacement for the God that is Ndiddido if he gets injured
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It was Mersey who brought up Puel, I was quite happy going about my day...
posted on 29/11/19
Who said Pearson?
What. A. Legend.
posted on 29/11/19
From what I've read, Claude Puel also had a great big tackle back in the day.
posted on 29/11/19
As big as Soyuncu’s tackle Dunge?
posted on 29/11/19
He doesn’t get his out much so I could only go on hear-say.