This is absolute drivel

I've never been a fan, but he was good when he came on, and his challenge topped a good performance

Spot on mate.

Jairo done a decent job , linked up well , tried to get forward and made a good block. what more do people want?

Looks in good physical shape

You can see that Ajax pedigree in the way he picks a pass and sees space.

He's not really got the positional sense or raw pace to play at left back. But it looks like he'll get a run of games to find fitness and build on promising signs.

Hope he takes the chance and stays injury free, but carrying all that timber he'll struggle over a full 90 minutes.

Ended up at the feet of a Palace defender, who cleared it. So its a great touch - Not much else he could do with it, as he couldn't bring it down and control it, and you can't just let it go unless you get a shout, so you stick a legal part of you on it, push it wide, so that its harder for the opposition to get a shot off.

101 of Defending - Put pressure on the ball and the player. If he leaves that and someone is going onto it, it goes in the back of the net. If he puts something on it, it means the incoming player has to react to the change in trajectory, which means it might not end up in the back of the net.

No shout to leave it, you put what you can on it.

To score Messi type goals.....................

Well done Ayew :lux::lux::lux::lux:

In fairness, he doesn't have the positional sense of a left back, because he's not a left back. Given that, he had an exceptional game, and that block was the reason why that was three points, not one.

We need to remember that he is not a left-back by trade and he is getting on with it without complaint but you don't just pick up a new position and play as if you've always been there. Kouyate at centre-back is different because he's done that before. Kelly has played full-back before of course as well. Riedewald is making a decent fist of it but he is never going to replace van Aanholt because he's a midfielder. That block though was as good as anything Wan-Bissaka did here (and Wan-Bissaka BTW didn't have the best positional sense in the league but no-one would argue that he wasn't an excellent full back until Solshite got his hands on him).

It is telling that we continue to defend well despite all the changes and haven't conceded more than a single goal for several games, with clean sheets in there too. This is down to a solid system which is thoroughly mastered by all the players, and they not only know their own jobs inside out but everyone else's as well. That can't entirely compensate for physical strengths and weaknesses such as pace, but most teams with this number of men missing from the back line and attack would be going steadily down the table.

Which is why Hodgson is so good.

This is actually true. The lack of ONE creative player in the midfield drives me mad. But in Roy's defence it mostly works and we're a solid 13th to 10th team. IF we had a 1 in 2/1 in 3 striker to go with Wilf and Jordan we'd probably be in the next bracket up.

When you say he isn’t a left back by trade:

At Ajax, through his later development phase he played at LB, CB and DM. When he broke into the first team at Ajax it was at LB and he played there for a while. He also played as a CB for a while and again in midfield. He played at LB in the Europa cup Final. So prior to Palace I am pretty sure he considered LB as a valid position for him. For Palace first team (cups/PL) he has played LB, CB and DM.

I think you can challenge his quality/effectiveness as a LB but having made it into a Europa Cup Final as a LB it just seems wrong to say he isn’t a LB by trade somehow,

What minute did he do the block everyone is talking about? I was at work and couldn’t watch the game

It was when the score was 1-1, if that helps.

(86m13s now that I've had a chance to check)

brilliant. Thanks very much :p

Like all players he’ll only get better with proper match interaction. You seen it with Meyer and he’s no different.

Was he not a wing back in a three-at-the-back system? I thought that was why de Twat wanted him.

They played 433 in the final with Jairo playing LB but maybe the point is that he isn’t a flying winger that can tackle a bit, he is a defender who can play a bit :) :)
FDB liked 343 but sure he said in interview once that 433 was his favourite with the right players.

I quite like the look of him as a DM and given a run with the right people around him I suspect he could do very well but I understand why he isn’t displacing Luka etc. Thought he did OK at LB but he won’t offer PVa’s charges forward. He will remain composed and pick intelligent passes up there. Binding him into the back 4 will take some work and isolating him without cover won’t help him.

I was impressed with the way he came forward as a fullback. Not roaming like PVA but at one point he was the one pressuring their keeper. I think there is definite potential there