Romeo Castelen

[Valter43]

Like many people mentioned in the post-match thread, Adelaide had dug deep with their defences and that's something we'll need to work on (like everyone is saying in the post-match thread), but from what I've seen Castelen has the footwork skill required to keep the defenders worrying no matter what.

[Prydzopolis]

Yeah lol. He was really pissed when he got subbed off though...I had a good view of him and he did not look like a happy camper when he sat down.

 

I think he could've stayed on though, he surely would've gotten lucky eventually

  

Yeah, I know there was a lot of talk of adelaide doing a good job on him but I really felt him staying on would have paid off somehow, whether it be the double team freeing up someone or him breaking.

I think he had plenty of opportunities whilst he was on the field & I'd like to see him subbed around the 75min more often to see him start as often as possible. Towards the end of games, his legs run out & you don't see him doing as much defensive work. When you see how well Adelaide counterattacked then it was no surprise to me that he came off.

 

In all honesty, I think him being not happy on the bench was more to do with him not making the most of his chances on the field. He didn't have his best game, probably his worst since he came back from injury & we started our unbeaten streak. Another reason why he was hooked early & not given opportunity to make something happen in the dying moments of the game.

[EmMac]

Perhaps I don't understand football to the level of some on this forum, but when the opposition are targeting him/closing him down so intensely, I feel he needs to pass the ball earlier - rather than persisting with the very limited options he has with two or three defenders crowding his space

[Jukes01]

 

Yeah lol. He was really pissed when he got subbed off though...I had a good view of him and he did not look like a happy camper when he sat down.

 

I think he could've stayed on though, he surely would've gotten lucky eventually

Yeah, I know there was a lot of talk of adelaide doing a good job on him but I really felt him staying on would have paid off somehow, whether it be the double team freeing up someone or him breaking.

I think he had plenty of opportunities whilst he was on the field & I'd like to see him subbed around the 75min more often to see him start as often as possible. Towards the end of games, his legs run out & you don't see him doing as much defensive work. When you see how well Adelaide counterattacked then it was no surprise to me that he came off.

 

In all honesty, I think him being not happy on the bench was more to do with him not making the most of his chances on the field. He didn't have his best game, probably his worst since he came back from injury & we started our unbeaten streak. Another reason why he was hooked early & not given opportunity to make something happen in the dying moments of the game.

Great post Prydz. I saw it the same way. He is an awesome player but on this day it wasnt his best game. I know he can create some magic at any moment but it just wasn't happening.

[Prydzopolis]

Perhaps I don't understand football to the level of some on this forum, but when the opposition are targeting him/closing him down so intensely, I feel he needs to pass the ball earlier - rather than persisting with the very limited options he has with two or three defenders crowding his space

There is two ways to look at this:

- If he is being closed down intently it makes sense to pass the ball early. It is important however that he waits till the two players commit towards him before passing because this will mean that there will be a WSW player unmarked. If he makes the pass too early it will give the second player marking him (usually one of the 6 or 8) to move back into central position or shift to the unmarked player or space.

- Castelen is an insanely talented player who is excellent with his feet & has a very good burst of pace. Players with this type of quality can beat players especially in a league like the aleague without too much issue. Theoretically there should be an unmarked player as a result of beating his man. Too often he has done all the hard work in beating his man but let down by his final pass.

 

In all honesty I don't mind Castelen taking on players as the reward of beating the player outweighs the risk of losing the ball in the final third.

[marron]

^^^

 

Good points all, he would have run out of gas no doubt.

[Balkanite]

Renew this man's contract!

[MartinTyler]

Unfortunately he took too many wrong options last night. I'm sure he will bounce back.

[EmMac]

 

Perhaps I don't understand football to the level of some on this forum, but when the opposition are targeting him/closing him down so intensely, I feel he needs to pass the ball earlier - rather than persisting with the very limited options he has with two or three defenders crowding his space

There is two ways to look at this:

- If he is being closed down intently it makes sense to pass the ball early. It is important however that he waits till the two players commit towards him before passing because this will mean that there will be a WSW player unmarked. If he makes the pass too early it will give the second player marking him (usually one of the 6 or 8) to move back into central position or shift to the unmarked player or space.

- Castelen is an insanely talented player who is excellent with his feet & has a very good burst of pace. Players with this type of quality can beat players especially in a league like the aleague without too much issue. Theoretically there should be an unmarked player as a result of beating his man. Too often he has done all the hard work in beating his man but let down by his final pass.

 

In all honesty I don't mind Castelen taking on players as the reward of beating the player outweighs the risk of losing the ball in the final third.

 

 

Thanks, I appreciate the explanation - don't want to give the impression that I doubt his skill, I definitely see the quality and level  he brings to the pitch, though I do agree on the bold. 

[Jukes01]

 

 

Perhaps I don't understand football to the level of some on this forum, but when the opposition are targeting him/closing him down so intensely, I feel he needs to pass the ball earlier - rather than persisting with the very limited options he has with two or three defenders crowding his space

There is two ways to look at this:

- If he is being closed down intently it makes sense to pass the ball early. It is important however that he waits till the two players commit towards him before passing because this will mean that there will be a WSW player unmarked. If he makes the pass too early it will give the second player marking him (usually one of the 6 or 8) to move back into central position or shift to the unmarked player or space.

- Castelen is an insanely talented player who is excellent with his feet & has a very good burst of pace. Players with this type of quality can beat players especially in a league like the aleague without too much issue. Theoretically there should be an unmarked player as a result of beating his man. Too often he has done all the hard work in beating his man but let down by his final pass.

 

In all honesty I don't mind Castelen taking on players as the reward of beating the player outweighs the risk of losing the ball in the final third.

 

 

Thanks, I appreciate the explanation - don't want to give the impression that I doubt his skill, I definitely see the quality and level  he brings to the pitch, though I do agree on the bold. 

 

 

Don't doubt yourself either EmMac. You raised a very good point. In fact its something a lot of players can take on board, releasing the ball a little bit quicker, especially in regards to that final pass. It is usually that fraction of a second that can be the difference between ecstasy and despair. 

[EmMac]

 

Don't doubt yourself either EmMac. You raised a very good point. In fact its something a lot of players can take on board, releasing the ball a little bit quicker, especially in regards to that final pass. It is usually that fraction of a second that can be the difference between ecstasy and despair. 

 

 

Thanks   And yes to the bold - experienced a bit of that on the pitch last night

Edited January 2, 2016 by EmMac

[hawks2767]

The lure of scoring and jumping the boards to come over to us for a group hug got the better of his judgement.

 

Can't blame the guy, we are very huggable.

[ManfredSchaefer]

Pryd and Em have done this re Romeo's work on Friday night:

 

[Guest mickisnot]

@Prydzopolis

It's not just his final ball, his decision making is not good.

 

I'd like to see Castelen do less. He grabbed his goal assists and looked most dangerous when he used that incredible acceleration to put the ball past defenders, starting at the top of the box, and then slot a cheeky ball across goal.

 

One other thing I'll say (In any conversation we're always a few degrees away from abusing the referees) is that he's not protected enough from the referees, players just foul him at will on the halfway mark with little to no consequence. It's becoming a joke.

[TehSmileyBandit]

@Prydzopolis

It's not just his final ball, his decision making is not good.

 

I'd like to see Castelen do less. He grabbed his goal assists and looked most dangerous when he used that incredible acceleration to put the ball past defenders, starting at the top of the box, and then slot a cheeky ball across goal.

 

One other thing I'll say (In any conversation we're always a few degrees away from abusing the referees) is that he's not protected enough from the referees, players just foul him at will on the halfway mark with little to no consequence. It's becoming a joke.

 

An unfortunate consequence of being so strong on the ball. It happens to Fornaroli too. They need to take a lesson from fathead, who is just about the strongest Aussie player on the ball, but knows how to let a ref know that he's getting held.

[WestSyd]

 

@Prydzopolis

It's not just his final ball, his decision making is not good.

I'd like to see Castelen do less. He grabbed his goal assists and looked most dangerous when he used that incredible acceleration to put the ball past defenders, starting at the top of the box, and then slot a cheeky ball across goal.

One other thing I'll say (In any conversation we're always a few degrees away from abusing the referees) is that he's not protected enough from the referees, players just foul him at will on the halfway mark with little to no consequence. It's becoming a joke.

 

 

An unfortunate consequence of being so strong on the ball. It happens to Fornaroli too. They need to take a lesson from fathead, who is just about the strongest Aussie player on the ball, but knows how to let a ref know that he's getting held.

The thing is that Bridge shields the ball a lot better than Castelen does which gives the opposing player no option but to foul him if he wants to get to the ball. Castelen always has the ball out in front of his feet as this is how he is most dangerous. Therefore it is a lot easier to get the ball without fouling him. Bridge plays a different style where his back is towards the goal as this how he is most effective. Player can't get the ball unless he hacks Bridge from the back.

 

Castelen will never get a lot of free kicks with the style he plays. Similar to Hersi in a way.

[pushiepedlar]

I felt that if we could have isolated Elsey (the CB on Castelens side) Then it was goal time. But Adelaide seemed to have sensed this too and therefore had McGowan just man mark Pio leaving Elsey plus two of Elrich, Isias or Jeggo to come and help him out so it was Castalen V 3 adelaides players. Needed a coordinated effort from Neville to get beyond Castelen out wide which would pull Elrich away and some quicker ball movement with Nichols or Bridge to keep the DM away and it would have been Elsey cut to ribbons. As it was, this never really happened and Elsey gained confidence as most of his defensive work was in the air which he dominated. If we could've isolated him with Castelen with the ball at his feet, worst case would be a free kick opportunity. 

 

Adelaide picked up most of the second ball in midfield and took advantage of our slower ball movement to be well organised in defense and never let Castelen be 1v1

[Prydzopolis]

I felt that if we could have isolated Elsey (the CB on Castelens side) Then it was goal time. But Adelaide seemed to have sensed this too and therefore had McGowan just man mark Pio leaving Elsey plus two of Elrich, Isias or Jeggo to come and help him out so it was Castalen V 3 adelaides players. Needed a coordinated effort from Neville to get beyond Castelen out wide which would pull Elrich away and some quicker ball movement with Nichols or Bridge to keep the DM away and it would have been Elsey cut to ribbons. As it was, this never really happened and Elsey gained confidence as most of his defensive work was in the air which he dominated. If we could've isolated him with Castelen with the ball at his feet, worst case would be a free kick opportunity. 

 

Adelaide picked up most of the second ball in midfield and took advantage of our slower ball movement to be well organised in defense and never let Castelen be 1v1

Incredibly frustrating aspect of Neville's game is that he still can't figure out when to make the run on the outside of Castelen. The amount of times he will just hang back, not make the option or even run inside of Castelen was very annoying.

 

Don't get me wrong he is very solid defender, has plenty in the tank to get back/forward but just needs to sort out his runs. I know he is no Polenz but one area of his game that he can work on to help Castelen & the team be more effective.

[ManfredSchaefer]

 

I felt that if we could have isolated Elsey (the CB on Castelens side) Then it was goal time. But Adelaide seemed to have sensed this too and therefore had McGowan just man mark Pio leaving Elsey plus two of Elrich, Isias or Jeggo to come and help him out so it was Castalen V 3 adelaides players. Needed a coordinated effort from Neville to get beyond Castelen out wide which would pull Elrich away and some quicker ball movement with Nichols or Bridge to keep the DM away and it would have been Elsey cut to ribbons. As it was, this never really happened and Elsey gained confidence as most of his defensive work was in the air which he dominated. If we could've isolated him with Castelen with the ball at his feet, worst case would be a free kick opportunity. 

 

Adelaide picked up most of the second ball in midfield and took advantage of our slower ball movement to be well organised in defense and never let Castelen be 1v1

Incredibly frustrating aspect of Neville's game is that he still can't figure out when to make the run on the outside of Castelen. The amount of times he will just hang back, not make the option or even run inside of Castelen was very annoying.

 

Don't get me wrong he is very solid defender, has plenty in the tank to get back/forward but just needs to sort out his runs. I know he is no Polenz but one area of his game that he can work on to help Castelen & the team be more effective.

 

 

As much as I like Romeo what you've alluded to here Pryd is the effectiveness of the current Castelen/Neville combo versus Hersi/Polenz, and the latter pairing has a good lead on quality and effective results than the former. 

 

I don't want to turn this into a 'bash RC' post however there is a singular attitude within Castelen's game that seems to be bordering on egotistical. His self-belief and talent are all too easy to see, and he is real quality when it comes to taking on the opposition. Having said that I sometimes wonder if he has the ability to let go of his own desire to beat the markers, to stop the reliance on going forward with mono-maniacal glee, and do more to work with those around him.

 

Perhaps Neville isn't his best partner in that respect, insofar as he has a variable capability in getting forward himself and swinging in crosses. On the other hand Nev is doing arguably more defensive work because RC is so attack focused, which means that the two can be disconnected in those moments when Scott needs to scamper outside Castelen, looking for the pass that seems to rarely come.

 

BTW notice Castelen doesn't swing too much over to the centre and left side nowadays as he used to last season? He has less roving commission now as Mitch and Fat-head have those areas pretty well locked down. Which is all the more reason for him to do better when distributing or defending on the right.

[WestSyd]

Castelen is a bit of an enigma. He can create chances and win you a game with his speed and skill. He can also destroy the game plan of a coach with the way he plays. We are just lucky we have depth in these positions to bring in players like Vidosic or Gol Gol if things go wrong. Don't even have to use Sortirio anymore.

[Prydzopolis]

Perhaps Neville isn't his best partner in that respect, insofar as he has a variable capability in getting forward himself and swinging in crosses. On the other hand Nev is doing arguably more defensive work because RC is so attack focused, which means that the two can be disconnected in those moments when Scott needs to scamper outside Castelen, looking for the pass that seems to rarely come.

I disagree that Neville is doing more defensive work, Andreu or Dimas do a pretty good job of covering Bridge/Castelen if they are a bit slow in getting back but agree that Castelen/Neville isn't the best partnership. Maybe swap wings for a half?

 

The thing with Neville, by making that run out wide he forces one of the two defenders on Castelen to move off him. Even if Castelen never passes to Neville, not even once after 15 runs, it doesn't matter. It isn't so much about Castelen hogging the ball or being attack focused, it is more about giving Castelen more room & space so he doesn't have to beat as many players (as mentioned above, sometimes up to 3 players on him in the Adelaide game).

[pushiepedlar]

 

Perhaps Neville isn't his best partner in that respect, insofar as he has a variable capability in getting forward himself and swinging in crosses. On the other hand Nev is doing arguably more defensive work because RC is so attack focused, which means that the two can be disconnected in those moments when Scott needs to scamper outside Castelen, looking for the pass that seems to rarely come.

I disagree that Neville is doing more defensive work, Andreu or Dimas do a pretty good job of covering Bridge/Castelen if they are a bit slow in getting back but agree that Castelen/Neville isn't the best partnership. Maybe swap wings for a half?

 

The thing with Neville, by making that run out wide he forces one of the two defenders on Castelen to move off him. Even if Castelen never passes to Neville, not even once after 15 runs, it doesn't matter. It isn't so much about Castelen hogging the ball or being attack focused, it is more about giving Castelen more room & space so he doesn't have to beat as many players (as mentioned above, sometimes up to 3 players on him in the Adelaide game).

 

 

Agree here. 

 

There are more than one way to skin a cat. We can recruit the players that fit the plan or we can adjust the plan to fit the players. 

Knowing that Castelen has a tendency to try and beat his man (men) the players around him (Neville etc) need to to their utmost to reduce the number of men around him by making runs into dangerous positions thus increasing the likelihood of Castelen beating his defender. With Andreu already pulling wider and deeper to fill Nevilles defensive role when he does push forward the system is already in place here just needs to be utilised more often.

I'd even go as far as to say that Castelen doesn't pass to Neville when he does overlap. For say 80-85 minutes. then in the dying stages of the game when the defender is now used to the pattern, becoming fatigued and perhaps complacent, the pass is made. Problem is Neville needs to attempt 20 crosses before one is any good so they 1-2 times a game he gets an opportunity under this scenario probably won't reap the rewards we are after.  

[Prydzopolis]

[West13]

Ummmm you ok prydz?

[Prydzopolis]

Ummmm you ok prydz?

I'm okay

[West13]

 

Ummmm you ok prydz?

I'm okay

Lol. Why al hilal man? What's happened to romeo?

[hawks2767]

Don't you dare say he's injured.

 

Don't even think about saying it.

[West13]

Whats going on here?

In the past week i've seen the al hilal preso above, read in match thread that people were suprised he was even playing last night, and suggestions he seemed disinterested and his mind seemed elsewhere.

Something behind the scenes.. he clearly isnt injured so im guessing transfer window exit.

[GunnerWanderer]

for me pretty much became ineffective last night when swapped over to the left. up until that point we were dominating. then he went out there was non factor. 

[tardotz]

for me pretty much became ineffective last night when swapped over to the left. up until that point we were dominating. then he went out there was non factor.

I agree, he also needs someone like Santa that is always on the move. We are to static and Castelen cannot go past the whole defense