Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

adamsky said:

Think he has been the biggest victim once the squad lost faith in Mourinho’s methods. At the start of the season when we were getting results the players were prepared to follow the defensive style. Hojbjerg perfectly suited this style as we defended in numbers. Once the results dried up the players started to drop the intensity and it leaves Hojbjerg more exposed. As he isn’t the quickest he can get passed around relatively easily.

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SlumDilla said:

He's exhausted. He's been our main DM and is expected to clean up after our CM's and FBs. Plus he's featured in 48 games across all competitions for us this season and will probably get to 53 games before the season is out ( the most he ever got for Southampton was 38 games ) not to mention international duty. All those minutes in a team that leaks goals with players who aren't really good defensively is bound to tire him out. Thankfully, we have Skipp to call on next season.

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WhiteDane said:

Wanted by Mourinho at Roma according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Eric Dier also.. A poor rumor that.

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BringBack_leGin said:

Italian sports media makes the British equivalent look credible.

Hell, it even makes adiepf look credible.

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dontcallme said:

He’s had a good first season. Very good start but struggled more in the second half of the season. Could be tiredness or maybe just struggled more as the team got worse.

My feeling is he won’t become world class but could be a very good player and leader for years to come.

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coopsieyid said:

Unpopular as this will be, I have a feeling that, if we get a manager who likes a more technical approach to the game, Hojbjerg will struggle to fit into the plans.

For Mourinho-ball, he's practically perfect. He's a wrecker, nothing wrong with that, he's pretty damn decent at it. But I've said before, what I (personally) see, is a player who's kind of a blend of Dier & Winks. Loves a tackle & keeps things simple, but is often glided past by technical players & resorts to petty little fouls to stop them.

I'll look on with intrigue next season. But if Skipp continues the upwards trajectory that his loan has put him on, I have a feeling Hojbjerg will be looking very cautiously over his shoulder.

Also, although Italian media are full of shit. I'd imagine, if the rumours about Mourinho wanting him are true, they would have to pay significantly more than the £15M we got him for. Again, that could appeal to the new manager, should he feel he wants a more technical option, but with the understandable financial restrictions due to Covid.

Before I get the expected abuse. I've not once said he's a bad player, or that we should be looking to sell him. He's very good at what he does do.

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BringBack_leGin said:

I think you do him a slight disservice. He’sa little agricultural in some respects but he also hits some very nice passes, intelligent ones which progress play, and has actually made a few goals too. I’d like him to be a bit more nimble, but I think, though Dembele he may not be, he’s a very good all rounder who will complement most midfield partners.

Where he’s been bypassed this season is that we’ve often been set up a) to let the other side have the ball and b) with him doing the work of an entire midfield. Had we been set up to keep possession and play further from our goal, I think he’d have had a better time of it in those games where he struggled. I think if you’re going for the single pivot, you have to do so in a situation where that player isn’t constantly called into action because you’ve got under 40% of the ball.

I do agree on Skipp, I think he may show that he can do anything Højbjerg can do but with more athleticism and pace. I also think that, had Lo Celso been fit this season, he’d have been the most common partner for Højbjerg and while I suspect GLC is more suited to a 3 (save as Ndombele, Sissoko, Winks), he’s also the best rounded of Højbjerg’s potential midfield partners and both players would’ve benefited from playing together.

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BringBack_leGin said:

I think you do him a slight disservice. He’sa little agricultural in some respects but he also hits some very nice passes, intelligent ones which progress play, and has actually made a few goals too. I’d like him to be a bit more nimble, but I think, though Dembele he may not be, he’s a very good all rounder who will complement most midfield partners.

Where he’s been bypassed this season is that we’ve often been set up a) to let the other side have the ball and b) with him doing the work of an entire midfield. Had we been set up to keep possession and play further from our goal, I think he’d have had a better time of it in those games where he struggled. I think if you’re going for the single pivot, you have to do so in a situation where that player isn’t constantly called into action because you’ve got under 40% of the ball.

I do agree on Skipp, I think he may show that he can do anything Højbjerg can do but with more athleticism and pace. I also think that, had Lo Celso been fit this season, he’d have been the most common partner for Højbjerg and while I suspect GLC is more suited to a 3 (save as Ndombele, Sissoko, Winks), he’s also the best rounded of Højbjerg’s potential midfield partners and both players would’ve benefited from playing together.

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BringBack_leGin said:

I think you do him a slight disservice. He’sa little agricultural in some respects but he also hits some very nice passes, intelligent ones which progress play, and has actually made a few goals too. I’d like him to be a bit more nimble, but I think, though Dembele he may not be, he’s a very good all rounder who will complement most midfield partners.

Where he’s been bypassed this season is that we’ve often been set up a) to let the other side have the ball and b) with him doing the work of an entire midfield. Had we been set up to keep possession and play further from our goal, I think he’d have had a better time of it in those games where he struggled. I think if you’re going for the single pivot, you have to do so in a situation where that player isn’t constantly called into action because you’ve got under 40% of the ball.

I do agree on Skipp, I think he may show that he can do anything Højbjerg can do but with more athleticism and pace. I also think that, had Lo Celso been fit this season, he’d have been the most common partner for Højbjerg and while I suspect GLC is more suited to a 3 (save as Ndombele, Sissoko, Winks), he’s also the best rounded of Højbjerg’s potential midfield partners and both players would’ve benefited from playing together.

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coopsieyid said:

Unpopular as this will be, I have a feeling that, if we get a manager who likes a more technical approach to the game, Hojbjerg will struggle to fit into the plans.

For Mourinho-ball, he's practically perfect. He's a wrecker, nothing wrong with that, he's pretty damn decent at it. But I've said before, what I (personally) see, is a player who's kind of a blend of Dier & Winks. Loves a tackle & keeps things simple, but is often glided past by technical players & resorts to petty little fouls to stop them.

I'll look on with intrigue next season. But if Skipp continues the upwards trajectory that his loan has put him on, I have a feeling Hojbjerg will be looking very cautiously over his shoulder.

Also, although Italian media are full of shit. I'd imagine, if the rumours about Mourinho wanting him are true, they would have to pay significantly more than the £15M we got him for. Again, that could appeal to the new manager, should he feel he wants a more technical option, but with the understandable financial restrictions due to Covid.

Before I get the expected abuse. I've not once said he's a bad player, or that we should be looking to sell him. He's very good at what he does do.

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