With a typical lazy attitude towards our beautiful game, twinned with similar philosophies of Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz at Fulham, could it be a little bit too much attacking flair and talent and no grit at the Cottage?
I was sitting round my mate’s house with a couple friends, just shooting the breeze and chatting your normal football stuff – who’s going to win the league, who’s got the best player this year and Arsenal’s transfer policy etc – but then we all started talking about Taarabt, and as a group we can’t see him fitting in to Fulham. One of my friends who is a QPR fan was gutted that Taarabt was loaned to Fulham, especially after the last time the Moroccan midfielder was in the Championship and he absolutely tore it up and he never really got out of first gear. But on the other hand, he was relieved that Taarabt’s work rate wasn’t there as it can distil a bad taste in the mouth of fellow teammates.
My initial response to the loan signing of Taarabt was genuinely “Stevie Sidwell is going to have to run himself into the ground this year” and surprise, surprise, the little ginger midfield general issued a warning to his new team member saying that lazy play won’t be tolerated like it was at QPR.
Too right Sidders.
His interview was underlined by the fact that he says everyone has got to put the work rate in and Martin Jol will drill it in this season, so could we potentially see Berb chasing down full-backs? Hmm, I don’t think so. I then got thinking of the formation they may deploy, would they use all three of them at the same time? So Berbatov up front with Taarabt and Ruiz deployed behind him as left forward and right forward? I think that has the potential to be overpowering for some teams and they may get results against teams below and around them. But if they face a team that can maintain the ball and pass them to death (Swansea and Arsenal…sometimes) they may struggle due to the fact the defence will mainly be pressure-free until they enter the opposition half.
I think it will be a chop and change between Ruiz and Tarrabt this season, whoever impresses most in the week leading up to the start of the Premier League will be given the number 10 role behind the front man for first game of the season.