Perez

[nufcwelsh93]

I hate to be that guy to point out a negative in a what was a great performance

But **** me Perez has to be one of the most frustrating players to watch. I like Perez i never question his work ethic or desire but his decision making has to improve. So many times in that game he picked the wrong pass or he tries some stupid shot or he would try and beat the defender when there was a pass on, i thought for a second there he was going to screw up the counter attack for the Kenedy goal but tbf he did well.

That being said we broke really well and we looked a threat on the counter attack but i must say after watching that game i thought if we had a better number 10 we could of won that game +5 goals imo.

anyway again im trying not to be critical but i had to vent.

[tooslomofo]

His grandmother passed away last week
He dedicated his match to her.
Hopefully she was looking down on him and a little more impressed than you.

Hats off to the lad for pulling on the shirt
Can’t be easy after the death of a loved one.

[coastferret]

He was very slow in his decision making on the ball, but the death does explain a lot. In fairness he broke really well for the goal and worked hard, so credit to him overall

[Zippity]

It's to his credit that he played while he was grieving (I remember Peter Lovenkrands scoring the day after (I think) his Dad died).

A separate issue is his decision making which is consistently flawed. He will often run down blind alleys when he should have released it earlier or get caught in possession far too frequently and easily.

He's just not very good, imo. A big disappointment given the player we thought he might turn into.

[pboromag]

Being played out of position he aint a number 10

[trinitoon]

Perez has been awful long before last match, which can be excluded because of the bereavement.

He adds negligible attacking threat so I don't know what Rafa sees in him and continues to play him so much.. The furthest he should ever make it is the bench.

[HughieG]

Being played out of position he aint a number 10

I would agree with you there. I think he's a natural striker because he's much more dangerous when he's closer to goal, and when we knew Mitro wasn't going to get played I did stop to wonder why Rafa didn't consider Perez for the striker position.

[ghostrider]

When you change the playing style of a player it can drop them back quite a bit in terms of progression.
I believe this is what happened to Perez.
He's primarily a striker, pure and simple.
He's proved what he's capable of but if he gets played in other positions and is kept in those positions, then there's a number of reasons as to why he generally gets picked.

1. He's Spanish.

2. He's willing to adapt to orders given in whatever position asked of him.

3. He's willing to graft for 90 minutes plus.

The lad should have progressed in his natural position but to do so requires that position to be used to it's full potential with him at the helm. It wasn't and that's why he looks to be struggling when in reality he isn't struggling. He's actually doing what Rafa has set him out to do and is doing it.

He cannot be expected to take on players and do mazy runs and get away with them all of the time when (as I've said) his primary function is to finish off good moves or be a part of them in terms of assists.

I think there's too many players asked to do too many different jobs and in many cases it generally kills half their game. Only in some cases does a player actually find their niche, so to speak.

He did score 16 in 34 appearances for Tenerife before he came here, even though they were our championship equivalent at the time.

I still believe the lad has what it takes... but, as I've been critical of, many a time... Rafa needs to get the team to play to his (Perez's) offensive strengths as much as focus on defensive strengths.

[smorgan86]

I feel the same way as most here. I still think he's capable of a bit of skill but then lacks the speed to finish it off. He seems to have a natural sense for knowing where the ball is and an instinct for goal which is why he should be played as a striker more so than anywhere else. Does anyone remember how he did as a left winger? I think he was ok there but his crossing isn't the best.

If anything, this just makes me realize that we don't even have a number 10 in the team...

[pboromag]

I feel the same way as most here. I still think he's capable of a bit of skill but then lacks the speed to finish it off. He seems to have a natural sense for knowing where the ball is and an instinct for goal which is why he should be played as a striker more so than anywhere else. Does anyone remember how he did as a left winger? I think he was ok there but his crossing isn't the best.

If anything, this just makes me realize that we don't even have a number 10 in the team...

we do shelvey