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He didn't look out of place last night did he ? He just as easily drifted past players and made long surging runs againt top class players as he does in the championship. Maybe his final ball would be more effective with players who are more on his technical level ?
I think he has the ability of a Premier League footballer. Although, I think he should prove himself by being more dominant in games for us, firstly. I think that we may have found his position last night as a box to box midfielder; it gives him the ability to use his physique. I'd been starting to wonder if his feet are quick enough to play the 10.
Sadly its going to take a move away from Cardiff for this lad to realise his full potential.
Sooner he gets out of the club the better for him and his career.
I've been thinking for a while that he could thrive in a different league with a different style/pace of game. Maybe Spain or Italy.
No.
Colwill needs to establish himself properly in the Championship before he does anything else. Seven City players have made more league starts than him this season. Hes scored just one league goal.
Bellamy doesnt pick him for the national side. That should give an indication of where hes at right now. Lots of talent, lots of promise, but he needs to nail down a place in the City starting line-up and deliver end product on a much more regular basis before we start talking about him moving upwards.
I know what you're saying, in that playing with better players would undoubtedly bring out some of his qualities.
Of course the better quality around him would also horribly expose other aspects of his game that he hasn't quite developed just yet.
I think he has had a good season, involved far far more. I'm just still none the wiser as to where he should play. He has fantastic technique and can almost glide around but his final ball or decision making just isn't there at this level let alone the league above.
Would he have the work rate and defensive ability to be an 8?
He certainly wasn't horribly exposed by a team in the Champions League last night.Originally Posted by Trigger
He'd obviously benefit from better coaching and players.
Saying that someone like Koumas could destroy teams at this level. Rubin is miles from that.
Well, commentators on both Tv and Radio were suitably impressed last night. I had to pop out towards end of game and listened to last knockings on the radio and Andy Townsend was very impressed. But hey, what does he know about being a midfielder or more importantly a Cardiff City footballer where since god was a boy any player who runs around like a headless chicken and flys into tackles is far more adored and revered than anyone with grace and technical ability.
Indeed. And what does Craig Bellamy know?
Sadly, agreed
Last night was pivotal.
He definitely isn't a wide player. His end product just isn't good enough and not quick enough and bad decision making to be a 10 at a decent level.
As an 8 however.......ideally alongside a tough holding midfielder and a proper number 10 with fast wide players outside of him. Yes I can definitely see that.
He's always been very similar to jason fowler. I remember Frank burrows did the same with him played him attacking midfield, defensive midfield and even put him as sweeper when that was a thing! Just to carry the ball out from defence.
Colwill as sweeper anyone?!
Ps RIP the sweeper system. Think leggy had his best season for us as "sweeper". Wonder what will be the next "thing"?
I've said for a long time that he is better from a deeper position, most players are, o dowda is, that's not a criticism, it's just that the game is in front of you as a player, you can see everything, it's much easier. The special players can play with their back to goal, paint pictures in their mind, incredibly difficult thing to do, and usually players with the highest intellect on a football pitch can play that way, i think that Colwill struggles when he's expected to play that way, although most players would, but i do think that he can exploit space in the middle third of the pitch with the game in front of him. I think that Villa offered us space last night as they just didn't see us as a threat, they knew that we would eventually go long or lose the ball because of our inferior players. Why chase it when you can get the opposition to do your work for you?
Is Colwill a premier league player? No, he isn't. but if you break his game down then there are elements that are top level, but more that aren't. It's all well and good us having these debates, but we really do have to break his game into segments before we can just say that he is a premier league player, because that's what premier league clubs would do, and for him to be given that opportunity he would have to be so very good at the thing or things that he does well in order to compensate for the things he doesn't do particularly well. That takes some doing, a player has to be very special, and it's not the 90s anymore, the game is completely different now.
A great player he will come good
This is a really good post. We have been judging him when the team has players in positions that are either poor or don't fit the system. A number 10 or even an 8 need fast and mobile runners ahead of them. Willock, El Ghazi and Meite have not offered that this season. Colwill has always looked best when the direct Tanner has been on the pitch. Futhermore, Siopis didn't offer much of a shield behind him. Mannsverk and Chambers offer so much more in that regard. The signing of Mannsverk and getting rid of Siopis (who wasn't good enough and was a high earner with 18 months left on his contract) is a very underestimated success of the January transfer window.
On balance this is most aligned with what I think. Tuertos comments about him playing with the game in front of him resonate too some of the balls he played yesterday were special and his feet are sometimes next level. Hes perhaps not a paints pictures with his back to the game special player, that feels like its an innate talent, but he is more special than most Ive seen in a City shirt.
The gap for me is work rate which Id guess is where Bellamy wants more but I saw hints of that too yesterday.
Don't pretty much all top defenders start off as strikers then move back through the pitch ending up eventually in defence?
Colwill won't be a centre half but more likely to have a successful career deeper in midfield than higher up.
Interestingly though don't pretty much all footballers think their best position is just behind the striker?! Even as a fan it's the position you could imagine yourself playing in.
It may have changed a bit now, defenders are coached from a young age i think, but there's no better grounding fora young player than to be creative, comfortable on the ball, brave in possession, and that's more prevalent in more advanced positions. It's so much easier playing a more withdrawn position, with the game in front of you, playing with your back to goal is hard, and it takes a completely different set of skills. One thing that makes me chuckle is when defenders are praised from the rooftops for reacting or just stopping good players, it's not that difficult to do in most cases in my opinion, just stopping players isn't really technical, it's reactive, and by having the game in front of you it's easier. Being creative is the hardest job on a football pitch, taking responsibility, etc.Don't pretty much all top defenders start off as strikers then move back through the pitch ending up eventually in defence?
Colwill won't be a centre half but more likely to have a successful career deeper in midfield than higher up.
Interestingly though don't pretty much all footballers think their best position is just behind the striker?! Even as a fan it's the position you could imagine yourself playing in.
I have been impressed with his stamina last few games and last night particularly. He put a right shift in and usually hes either taken off or blowing a bit.
Still feel he holds onto the ball longer than he needs to and the momentum of a movement and possession is usually lost
Craig Bellamy wants his football played a certain way , it would appear Colwill doesnt fit that particular style .
Colwill wont suit ever club in the premier league , but he has the talent to play there .
Rangers recently had Cantwell who plays with a very similar style to Colwill .
The manager didnt want him because he wouldnt play to his rigid style .
Like Colwill I liked watching his skills every time he played .
I am happy to pay my money just to watch these youngsters developing ( not Colwill , cant be a youngster at 22) .
Why would you think that ?
We are playing a much more open style these days, which should suit him ?
It's because he likes to travel with the ball, and sometimes he doesn't need to, two touches are enough, because when he goes on those runs he sometimes doesn'r really have much of an idea where he's going to end up, or what will be at the end of it, then he has to start the thinking process all over again when he finally arrives at his destination. That's why we see him (On times) wasteful in possession, it's because he hasn't thought things through or taken the right option earlier in the move. That's why people say that his final ball can sometimes suffer etc, he sometimes needs to release the ball much earlier, change the direction of play etc. People blame others around him, but if you have no idea what someone is going to do then it's difficult to legislate for them.
Poor old Rubin, it seems he's always playing in the wrong position / wrong team / wrong division / wrong country / with the wrong players / under the wrong manager (delete as applicable).
I speak as someone who generally enjoys watching Colwill play, but some of the excuses that are made for him are frankly ridiculous.
I’m glad someone else has noticed this. When Colwill first broke into the under 18s it looked like a lack of stamina was an issue with him and, speaking for myself, it’s a feeling I still had a few weeks ago. However, in the last month he’s played 120 minutes at Stoke (he was out on his feet at the end mind, but still scored the match winning penalty), 90 minutes against the wurzels and last night he went on a forty yard run down the right wing, beating a couple of opponents and knocked a great cross field pass to Isaak Davies I think it was - this happened is the ninetieth minute.
I’ve also heard it said on a podcast that Colwill’s figures for winning the ball back in the opposition’s defensive third are the best at the club - I don’t have access to such stats, so cannot confirm that this is the case , but he’s definitely improved in this facet of the game in the last year in my view.
Colwill had a poor spell in the lead up to Christmas, but I think he’s played well lately and am wondering what people are thinking of as of now when they talk about the weaknesses in his game? For me, he put an awful lot of work in for very little reward against the wurzels, so I can understand people saying he shouldn’t be taking as many touches as he does. However, I strongly believe that over the course of this season, he’s established himself as someone who should be in our strongest team on merit.
Is he good enough for the Premier League at the moment? Probably not, but he’s a lot better than bottom six in the Championship.
In general, I agree he has had excuses made for him when, in truth, he needed to improve aspects of his game.
Last night however, in a position that may well suit him better, he put in the best all-round performance I have seen from him.
No goal, no assist, no clinical passesjust effectively chasing back and carrying the ball back upfield with poise.
I really hope he gets another opportunity to try that againand develops into that role.
Premier league? Nah, not yet.
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