Douglas Luiz - Confirmed confirmed

[Keeno]

It is absolute insanity that we've had him for 3 years and 90% of the time he's been playing as the only defensive midfielder at the base of a midfield 3. That's on Smith as well as Gerrard - a huge failing of coaches that we've wasted his skill set.

He's always had massive talent but it's been obvious those talents are best deployed when he's not the only midfielder tasked with breaking up play. Having the physicality of Donk next to him yesterday is exactly what we should have been doing with him all along - again, I go back to the obsession from SG/DS with trying to make McGinn work in all possible lineups as a main reason why.

If he had ended up going to Arsenal, we'd have seen him consistently put in performances like the one he put in yesterday, next to Xhaka/Partey in midfield, and be thinking wtf were we doing. The fact he's signed that contract is absolutely massive.

Double pivot of him + Kamara when he's back, with Donck available to beef it up against stronger teams, is the midfield we should be building around. Fully believe that combo is good enough to take us to the top half and potentially higher.

[Risso]

Exactly right Keeno.

[eamonn]

It seems that we've accumulated decent players without thinking how they're all going to fit in and work as a unit. Which makes it all the more frustrating the odd time when it all clicks because they've been properly set-up.

[Steve kirk]

I’ve never been a fan of Luiz but he was excellent yesterday.

[chrisw1]

He's an outstanding player and I'm pleased for him that it's all coming together.  So glad he signed that contract. 

[paul_e]

Very nearly a third goal of the season direct from a corner as well. Keepers must be shitting themselves when we get a corner from their right hand side.

The one yesterday was the best hit of the lot, he hit it like the Ronaldo free kicks that dip but with a lot more side spin so it kinda wobbled and dipped in the air, keeper had no chance of judging the flight of it and it was maybe 1-2 inches away from going in off the post. The technique involved is incredible. My only quesrtion is why we don't ahve him taking free kicks in the same way. I reckon he's easily good enough to hit double figures from set pieces alone.

[Dave P]

It is absolute insanity that we've had him for 3 years and 90% of the time he's been playing as the only defensive midfielder at the base of a midfield 3. That's on Smith as well as Gerrard - a huge failing of coaches that we've wasted his skill set.

He's always had massive talent but it's been obvious those talents are best deployed when he's not the only midfielder tasked with breaking up play. Having the physicality of Donk next to him yesterday is exactly what we should have been doing with him all along - again, I go back to the obsession from SG/DS with trying to make McGinn work in all possible lineups as a main reason why.

If he had ended up going to Arsenal, we'd have seen him consistently put in performances like the one he put in yesterday, next to Xhaka/Partey in midfield, and be thinking wtf were we doing. The fact he's signed that contract is absolutely massive.

Double pivot of him + Kamara when he's back, with Donck available to beef it up against stronger teams, is the midfield we should be building around. Fully believe that combo is good enough to take us to the top half and potentially higher.

I agree with all this but I do seem to remember conversations around 2019/20 that he and Nakamba couldn't play together. 

[cdward]

He must be due to score another worldie from outside the box soon. He nearly scored it yesterday, i seem to remember when he first came he scored a few.
looking forward to seeing him keep improving.

[Ian.]

Very nearly a third goal of the season direct from a corner as well. Keepers must be shitting themselves when we get a corner from their right hand side.

The one yesterday was the best hit of the lot, he hit it like the Ronaldo free kicks that dip but with a lot more side spin so it kinda wobbled and dipped in the air, keeper had no chance of judging the flight of it and it was maybe 1-2 inches away from going in off the post. The technique involved is incredible. My only quesrtion is why we don't ahve him taking free kicks in the same way. I reckon he's easily good enough to hit double figures from set pieces alone.

He was taking our free kicks last season and they were pretty rubbish. No one could understand why he had them and not Coutinho. It was presumed he was doing something on the training ground that we hadn’t seen.

I can see why now, he has a wicked technique.

[Brend'Watkins]

His shooting has a fair bit of power behind it too. That first half effort if on target was unstoppable. On the corners we now have options to worry defenders as he will have a reputation for being accurate with deliveries to threaten opposing keepers, it gives us many options to try something different if we wish which is far removed from lobbing in there and hoping for the best. 

[olaftab]

Luiz was just awesome yesterday. I hope he makes the Brazilian  squad.

[paul_e]

Very nearly a third goal of the season direct from a corner as well. Keepers must be shitting themselves when we get a corner from their right hand side.

The one yesterday was the best hit of the lot, he hit it like the Ronaldo free kicks that dip but with a lot more side spin so it kinda wobbled and dipped in the air, keeper had no chance of judging the flight of it and it was maybe 1-2 inches away from going in off the post. The technique involved is incredible. My only quesrtion is why we don't ahve him taking free kicks in the same way. I reckon he's easily good enough to hit double figures from set pieces alone.

He was taking our free kicks last season and they were pretty rubbish. No one could understand why he had them and not Coutinho. It was presumed he was doing something on the training ground that we hadn’t seen.

I can see why now, he has a wicked technique.

Yes indeed, but he's clearly spent the summer working on it and is now delivering some of the most dangerous corners I've ever seen on a week-by-week basis, I'm going back to it again but I'm gutted yesterdays didn't go in because it was a truly stunning delivery, I'd bet that hundreds of hours of practice have gone into this, maybe this is what McPhee has spent his time under Gerrard working on.

[Risso]

Yes indeed, but he's clearly spent the summer working on it and is now delivering some of the most dangerous corners I've ever seen on a week-by-week basis, I'm going back to it again but I'm gutted yesterdays didn't go in because it was a truly stunning delivery, I'd bet that hundreds of hours of practice have gone into this, maybe this is what McPhee has spent his time under Gerrard working on.

Maybe MacPhee can organise where the other players stand to take advantage of them, but what he's doing is natural ability. Sure he'll almost certainly be practising them over and over again so his muscle memory knows exactly how to strike it, but don't think that's something a coach can really do do to be honest.

[paul_e]

Yes indeed, but he's clearly spent the summer working on it and is now delivering some of the most dangerous corners I've ever seen on a week-by-week basis, I'm going back to it again but I'm gutted yesterdays didn't go in because it was a truly stunning delivery, I'd bet that hundreds of hours of practice have gone into this, maybe this is what McPhee has spent his time under Gerrard working on.

Maybe MacPhee can organise where the other players stand to take advantage of them, but what he's doing is natural ability. Sure he'll almost certainly be practising them over and over again so his muscle memory knows exactly how to strike it, but don't think that's something a coach can really do do to be honest.

A coach can encourage it and stay back after training, etc.

Of course it's probably that he had a lot of spare time at BMH waiting for the missus...

[Smirker]

I want to see him shoot more, not side footing it but putting his laces through it.

SHOOT.