Last night and today was like 2 different teams, like day and night. Brooks looks good but don't expect him to be a regular from the off. I know it was sweltering and we played at a high tempo for much of the match but he was cramping up towards the end. Eddie like's to wait until they can play that sort of game without risk of muscle damage. He can't half cover ground quickly and obviously lied about his age, he looks like he hasn't done his GCSEs yet : )
It appears white plimsoles are in this season, only 2 weren't wearing them today during the game : )
Ake took a knock 5 or 6 minutes before halftime, first it looked like his back, then his knee but my theory is someone stamped on his foot. He tried to run it off, still didn't look comfy at the start of the second half, so I wasn't surprised he went off. Not sure about any other injury scares, some of them must have been knackered, playing at that tempo in that heat.
The starting defensive 5 and midfield appeared determined to keep a clean sheet but when Ake was replaced by Hyndman it changed the dynamics and started to become a typical pre season friendly.
A lot of positive signs over the 2 games but then again it's what I look for : )