By Allen Cummings
The euphoria from last Sunday’s victory is still rich in our veinsand why not?
We’ve waited long enough this season to feel as good as we did when that final whistle blew at Goodison. There were so many plusses to come out of a performance we had all hoped for, but if we’re honest few expected.
Arnautovic, Rice, Obiang, Yarmolenko, Anderson, Obiang – all deserved, and rightly received special credit on the day. But one player that might have slipped under the radar somewhat was the enigma that is Michail Antonio. our very own ‘Marmite Man’.
There appears to be no in between with Michail. You either love him or loathe him. On Sunday Sky’s Jamie Carragher was one who was happy to sing Antonio’s praises, after coming on as a 62nd minute substitution for Arnie.
Carragher pointed out that Antonio had done everything Manuel Pellegrini had asked of him. “He held the ball up brilliantly,” said the ex Liverpool man. “Then used his pace and strength to really trouble the Everton defence.”
These are attributes most of us already know he had in his locker. Add to that his quality in the air, his dribbling ability on the ground, his shooting prowess in both feet and the capability to play in a number of different positions and roles.
Antonio, on the face of it, should be a prized asset in modern football. So why is it we seem to be split down the middle these days about a one-time favourite. Whether he should play or not – stay or go?
It’s fair to say Michail has suffered at the hands of injury over the past two seasons. But a re-occurring criticism has revolved around his attitude.
His body language hasn’t always looked the best and as a result some question whether he deserves a place in the team. What I saw from him on Sunday leads me to believe there’s renewed cause for optimism.
Pellegrini clearly asked Antonio to replicate the lone role of Arnie up front, occupy and stretch the Everton defence, just as Arnautovic had done. He did exactly that to perfectly. It would be foolish to say we didn’t miss Arnie in that final half an hour or so, but Antonio’s contribution was good enough to suggest the Everton defence found it no easier to handle him than they did our Austrian international.
The icing on the cake for me was a little game-management cameo close to the end, when Michail took the ball into the corner to run the clock down, and ended up winning a free kick into the bargain. Those who recall his recklessness in a similar situation at Selhurst Park last season, which resulted in a Palace equaliser, will also have enjoyed that change of intent.
So should Pellegrini find a starting pace for Antonio? Maybe not just yet. Possibly his best role at the moment will be as an impact sub – down either flank or up front as was the case on Sunday.
The signs around Michail were certainly encouraging. If Pellegrini can get him back to his best, surely we’re better off with him than without him.
Well said Allen , the question for me is why as fans we slate our own players. Surely we should support them they play for a team I love. Sometimes I think the media starts running players down and we jump on the bandwagon. Why if we didn’t respond to negative media comments the whole place would be more positive that can only help us. COYI
Antonio should just do what he did so well when he first joined us, run his socks off, bust a gut to help out defenders and instead of playing as a striker sneak in unnoticed at the back post for crosses, he is not very good in front of goal with the ball at his feet, I wish he was because he could score a lot more goals, he has a power game, he is strong physical and unpredictable, he certainly has a place in the squad and had it been last years you probably would have said first team regular even with his shortcomings but Yarmolenko and Anderson both offer more from a technical perspective than Michail does, I hope the competition means he will push himself to be better, he has a lot of room to grow if he has the desire.
Bang on 32…totally agree with that
If he could finish and had a footballing brain he would be fantastic, he needs the pace he has because his reactions are 2 yards slower than anyone elses. The game just goes on around him then he reacts. The amount of times he just runs the ball out of play as he is completely unaware of his surroundings and where he is on the pitch. However when we first introduced him he was a breath of fresh air with his hunger and running which is exactly what we needed and his unpredictability was key but now everyone just shows him down the outside and he runs out of pitch. He tries shooting through players when an easier pass is on but all of this can be worked on and if Pelle and the staff work with him and he gets his head screwed on right then he can surpass the player we saw a couple of seasons ago.