things I think he’s better at than Phil
Crossing, indirect free kicks, corners, work rate, pace on the ball, weaker foot
things I think he’s worse at than Phil
Finishing, direct free kicks, dribbling, through balls
Things he is comparable with Phil/just a different way of handling things
Taking players on - he is a weaker dribbler but is almost both footed and has similar agility and balance. Much like Phil he’s great at making that yard of space to shoot or cross in a tight situation.
Physical presence - he’s short but strong, nothing like Salah though.
Build up around the box - where Phil is more likely to snake through a tight space, shoot or chip a ball over the defence and in general not play a short pass or look out wide, Lemar will stand his marker up and look for an overlap or play a 1-2
Counter attacking - Phil might find a killer ball or swap the play quickly, Lemar will drive at players, make great runs in behind and stretch the opposition with pace
I like Lemar a lot, he is clearly not at Phil’s level yet but I’m excited at the prospect of him coming here and think he can reach it quickly. While he isn’t a like for like replacement it isn’t a bad thing. Lemar is so comfortable in counter attacks and should fit right in