Diego Rico

Saturday taught us that Mousset will struggle if playing upfront on his own. It's not that he doesn't work hard, it's more that he needs to be spurred on to chase down loose balls and harry defenders by a partner, a la vs Chelsea with Wilson.

Regarding Rico...he's a quality player. He looks like he's trying too hard atm, looks a bit panicky on the ball and while defending. Add that to the new culture, new language, new team dilemma, then its reasonable to see why he might be struggling; even well into January and beyond.

Lerma seems like a genuinely intelligent guy in general, which might explain why he's settled in quicker. He seemed to get his role and what he needed to almost immediately. Just look at how he adapted his play vs Watford so as to not get as involved in all the fouls.
Agree that Lys benefits from a better strike partner. He just looked lost up there with Ibe. I don't think Jordan knows what he's doing half the time, nevermind whoever's drawn the short straw to play up there with him. Lacked understanding between the pair.
 
I really like him as a player, but I have this nagging feeling in my mind that he'll be off next summer. He HAS been pretty poor recently, but I don't think EH did him any favours by refusing to put him in the team when Daniels was on that horrendous run of form. You can see that he's forcing his play far too much, he's probably desperate to make an impression and so is making stupid errors that he would never normally make (like that awful cross vs BHA, where he didn't even look up).

Hopefully this season will be treated as the bedding-in period, so that next season we can get Smith back to playing right back, sign someone to compete with him, and then have Rico and Daniels properly compete to start on the left. I think Daniels will have another season in him, and I think Rico is a far better player than what he has shown recently.

We need to get out of this habit of playing both of our available right backs in every game, because it will, as we've seen in the last few months, come back to haunt you.
 
I might be reading too much into body language but I watch all the videos the club posts on COWS and I get a sense that Rico hasn't really settled in England as easily as Lerma ( for instance ). He seems unhappy and withdrawn. I would imagine he thought he'd play more than he has, maybe he underestimated the standards Eddie sets. That's probably a part of it. He is upset that he is not getting to play very often. When he does get a chance, I think his own mental state is getting in the way a bit. Something about him just says to me that he's not really settled, not part of the team, not part of the project. I think he needs to be integrated into the group more, from what I have seen. Maybe then he will relax and begin to play as he can. I wouldn't say that he has a strop on because he's not playing. There seems more to it than that. He just doesn't seem to be happy to be here. Maybe it's not what he expected. I'm sure the club are doing all they can to help him settle, maybe he'll still come good. I personally think it is a mental/emotional thing with him at the moment and if that doesn't change I can't see him ever becoming a regular starter for us, unfortunately.
 
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That’s the risk of signing non-British players. It’s a dramatic life-style change, as well as a physically demanding style of play compared to most other leagues.

Lerma is the only player we have signed direct from a foreign club, who has justified the fee paid. Hence Eddie’s 3 recent signings are all established British players.
 
That’s the risk of signing non-British players.

I wouldn't say that necessarily. It hasn't done Man City or Chelsea any harm.

Some people just find it hard not living near their family, friends, culture etc. Even our own manager found this out and he didn't even move country.

In city's case, Gabriel Jesus hasn't done too badly but it'll be interesting to see if his form drops off now that his family have all had to move back to Brazil.
 
We should make up a song, or at least something to make him feel at home. Every time the camera points towards him, he has his head down and is looking really depressed. I was unimpressed with Eddie, playing Smith at LB. Although Smith is better at this moment in time, Rico's confidence was shot.
 
On Instagram he constantly has family over and seems to be back in Spain quite a lot.

I think for clubs like United/City when signing players from abroad it’s a lot easier. They are likely internationals and have travelled a lot before or may have been snapped up by a club abroad.
 
Some personalities adapt much more readily to massive change like living in a different culture and having to learn a new language. Some people don't learn language easily and for them it can be too much to take.
I doubt this is something scouts look into in great detail. But it would probably be helpful, when looking at a foreign player's CV, to see whether he had played in other countries, or could speak more than one language.
 
Also the big clubs who pay top dollar for the best international signings don't always get it right either. Just look at Chelsea and Morata. Excellent forward in Spain and Italy, £60m move, and he hasn't cut it to Chelsea's standard in the PL.

The PL is quite brutal, a real grind. The quality might be dubious in places, but the pace of play, the schedule of games, and the scrutiny of media and fans is relentless. Some players embrace and thrive on that (Lerma). Others wilt.

You can see why Eddie liked Rico, with his attacking intent and sweet left boot for shooting / crossing etc. Except none of our forwards are much good in the air attacking the swerving crosses he's capable of belting in. Except now we have Solanke, who is bigger and more known for his heading. So maybe there's one potential link up. But it'll take time.
 
Rico has showed plenty of ability... it's raw, but it's ability... He just needs time, and who's to say Eddie wasn't thinking of him as a back up, rather than an 'instant' replacement for Daniels?

IMO, Ricco was thrown in too early, as a result of Daniels' injury... He clearly wasn't ready for it and perhaps has set him back a bit.

He fits the EH mould though... Young, energetic, fast, willing to learn, and very attacking down the wing... There are just elements of his game that are still wanting, and bearing in mind we only paid £9m for him (I know... 'only' £9m) he could be a great signing still...

I'm willing to give him at least one season, flitting between the starting XI and training hard, and let's see where he is next year.

I bet you any money Eddie signed him, thinking Daniels has maybe got this last season in him and he'd slowly transition Ricco into his new LB... That hasn't happened due to Daniels losing form so rapidly.
 
I think the problem is we are comparing him to how Lerma has settled in. It takes a lot to move your life away from your family to a foreign country, with new team mates, playing a different style under a new manager with a completely new language, not forgetting he has often played out of position as a wing back or on the left of midfield.

I think he will come good just needs time. He’s only been here 6 months.
 
I think the problem is we are comparing him to how Lerma has settled in. It takes a lot to move your life away from your family to a foreign country, with new team mates, playing a different style under a new manager with a completely new language, not forgetting he has often played out of position as a wing back or on the left of midfield.

I think he will come good just needs time. He’s only been here 6 months.
I'm actually worried that he might start looking for a return home before he has had a chance to prove himself here ! To me it feels as if he doesn't want to be here. I hope I'm wrong and he just needs more time to settle. If it isn't working out for him nor the club I can see a situation in the near future where there is an amicable separation ( "by mutual consent", "for personal reasons" etc.).
 

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