- Jan 11, 2013
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i think he's fine where he is for now. not meaning to play him down here but it is only two months of good form, it's not like he's been knocking on the door for the past couple of years - he's shown flashes in that time but has been far too inconsistent and frustrating. i'm glad he's now putting his talent together but i don't think he's at the point yet where he should be thrust into the first team picture, granted i think you can make a case for him considering tob is there but then i think tob himself has been pushed up prematurely.
While Bennetts is the topic of conversation I'll say my piece and bounce off this post. I largely agree with you about not hyping him up too soon but he is definitely one I would bring on as a sub for LC minutes to see how he does but as we got West Ham that is unlikely. It would useful if we had EL football at this point.
I think you're being slightly harsh on him and you make a good point comparing him to TOB. As an u16 and in academy Bennetts was very very good and exciting. I was looking forward to seeing how he translated it to u18s. I mentioned before that he would make good runs and get into good position but get ignored, so when he eventually got on the ball he always felt he had to do something, and would lose the ball. Consequently his confidence waned and he got dropped and eventually moved to LB And generally didn't play very well for u18s for the rest of the season, however as you said he played a few games for u23s and actually performed really well, he also was playing well for England before he was dropped.
Last year I thought he played decently and actually had a good 2nd half of the season. I was pelased for him as he started to show what I had seen at u16s. Skill, pace, power and impressive 2 footedness. This season he has gone to another level and is playing with incredible confidence again. I'd argue he could be rewarded for his perofrmances but don't see him as being ready to contribute regularly atm, though, who knows if he performed well.
Re: TOB, I actually think Bennetts had a better first year than TOB. Which when you see how TOB is still considered either means people are really harsh on Bennetts or going off the understandable hype for TOB. They both put in underwhelming performances for the u18s, both played well for England however, Bennetts actually also played well for the u23s whereas TOB didn't.
I hope Bennetts does go back to being a winger, I'm not happy with a player of his skill at LB. I remember when Rose was moved to LB it made sense as he never did anything as a winger, but by comparison Bennetts is doing very well, and his decision making and final ball has really improved. Either way he is developing well and I'd like to see him rewarded, especially if TOB has been bumped up. I'm interested to know if Poch goes off talent, match performances or how well they train when considering them to bring into the first team