In his fifth start, Lavia became the first player born in 2004 to score in the EPL, netting a beautiful banger against Chelsea. In that debut, he had 66 touches, 96% passing, 7/8 (88%) ground duels, 11 passes into the final third, and 13 recoveries. If you turned on his first match against Tottenham, you may have thought to yourself - “So I’m supposed to believe Pep is a genius for noticing that this guy is talented? Hell, I can do it, and I’m the guy who dropped my iPhone in a urinal last November.” Not only did Lavia lead Premier League teenagers in minutes, he looked plenty promising and fairly comfortable from the jump. I’ve watched a fair bit of him this year, but for this, I did late-night speed-runs of ~10 matches, going back to his youth days for Man City. But how “raw” is he? How ready is he? Where does he still need patience and development? Can he earn enough minutes in a side looking to win trophies? Thus began the season that we’ll cover in some depth here.Īnyone who has watched him for a moment will know he’s plenty talented. Armed with that aforementioned “strong character,” and the sneaking suspicion that he was ready for every-week Premier League starts, despite his age, he pushed for a transfer, betting on himself again. He turned to the more seasoned Kalvin Phillips - signing the Leeds midfielder to a six-year deal and a £42 million transfer fee. Being the sole cover for a player as important as Rodri was a hell of a task, and Pep ultimately judged it too gnarly of a responsibility to lay upon the talented feet of the 18-year-old. It was a fruitful experience over 18 months: studying Fernandinho’s game, mostly playing a Rodri-ish incarnation of the 6, earning a few senior team call-ups as a 17-year-old (including a start in the Carabao), and once making the squad for a Champions League game.īy 2022-23, Fernandinho was set to leave, and reinforcements were necessary for the senior squad. There, with the EDS team, he won the club’s first Premier League 2 championship and got voted Player of the Season in a side flush with budding stars a year or two (or three, or four) his senior. But thanks to a “very strong character,” he wanted to make the jump.Īfter a handful of appearances for the U18’s, he quickly moved up to the U23 level. It was certainly understandable considering the difficulties of navigating such a stacked system. The 19-year-old is likely to leave Southampton after their relegation from the Premier League and is valued at £45m.Ĭhelsea have registered interest in the Belgian, who has also been watched by Manchester United and Liverpool, but there is growing belief he will end up at Arsenal.īack where our story began, reports suggested that there were ample voices, even from the City side, that recommended Lavia stay in Belgium at the time. Talks have been held over moving for Lavia. Reports have linked the midfielder with Arsenal : If we were to look for a similarly pithy way of describing the real subject of this article, it’d be this: Roméo Lavia bets on himself.
OH FUCK I CANT BELIEVE YOUVE DONE THIS GIF PROFESSIONAL
Accepting Kevin de Bruyne’s invitation to attend the KDB Cup, an international youth event, he soon locked his eyes on a 15-year-old midfielder who was orchestrating play, keeping the ball, and eventually winning the tournament.Ī year later, that player - Roméo Lavia, as you’ve already surmised - signed his first professional contract with Man City. He did some noticing a year later in Belgium, too. The guy was like “uh, they play rugby here too.” Ah.
He wanted to know, among other things, the strategy behind their pitch markings, and what tactical benefits they offer. Before long, the conversation turned to information-gathering. Pep invited their coaching staff to join him for a post-match meeting, showering them with his usual Peppy compliments. For now, I’ll be more obsequious, and say this: Pep Guardiola notices things.Īs a small, terrible example, I remember stumbling upon an anecdote from a Bristol City assistant after a Carabao Cup tie. If his outfit had successfully pulled off a late swoop of Declan Rice, I’d have a few more things to add. Or: George gets edged on stream.Much can be said about Pep Guardiola. It should be fine in front of ten-thousand people, right? Dream decides he wants to test it out…while George plays MCC. At least, that’s what Dream gathers from the embedded youtube video and the laundry list of descriptions and specs on the product page.ĭream caves in and buys a new computer chair for George. Sleek design and all, it uses mattress technology to cushion the fattest of asses. The seat height raises to over sixty inches to be compatible with most standing desks. Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF).
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