EagleEye said:
Don’t know what you have against Downes, anyone who has watched him live will tell you that he is quality. He’s 22 years old & a shining light in a pretty gloomy group at the moment. Plays himself & some of his team mates out of trouble. Also playing under orders from Martin. Think he needs to be given a lot more freedom to develop. Always looks like he has time on the ball, a sign of a quality player in there
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It's very simple Eagle. Pretty sure with your unique visual skills you too could spot it, up high in the Nth East, no doubt.
He has so much time on the ball because he sits too deep, whether playing DCM or CB.
He does this because he needs to give himself acres of breathing space to react. Too slow in thought and deed. If he read the game quicker he would be proactively on his toes. However he's always Reacting, slowly, rashly.
He consequently lunges, dives in, desperately, always. Not doing this is something which is drilled into young players. Stay on yer feet, they preach.
There's no wonder League 1 Ipswich had dropped him, and then happy to see him go at the first opportunity.
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