Zubar is ready to play
Ronald Zubar today speaks to the official Wolves site and says that he is ready to play against Everton come saturday:
“For me, I’m ready now. I’ve spoken with the gaffer and he’s happy with me. We have a very good squad of players and there are a lot of games. But I’m ready and I’m sure there will be opportunities for me. I play centre-back, but I can also play right-back or left-back or even midfield.“
I remember Zubar commenting on how fast the tempo was in his first match on English soil – a pre-season game against Walsall or was it Kidderminster? So I think the adjustment to the English pace is the main reason for Zubar being left out of the first team for so long. But the language difficulties is another:
“I know the Premier League is fast, but so the Championship and even League One are the same – everything in English football is very quick. But I like it. I am quick myself and I know what the gaffer wants from me. I’ve spoken to the gaffer and to Terry Connor a lot and now I understand English more too, I understand what they want. I speak to them before and after training and I’ve got a good idea of what is expected of me to progress into the first team. If I’m picked for Everton, I’ll be ready.“
Ronald Zubars view of his progress and chances of joining the first team in action seem to correspond with Mick McCarthy’s. In an intervew a few days ago he said about Zubar;
“Ronald has looked great in training – it might be that he’s ready to play against Everton. When he came here, it just didn’t happen for him and he didn’t look as sharp as he’d have wanted. He wasn’t ready to play because if he was, I would have played him. But he’s looking a helluva lot better now. He’s training brilliantly and he looks a far, far better player. He’s now looking like the player I bought when I signed him. The players in central defence haven’t done badly, but as I said to them, ‘it doesn’t matter how well people are doing, we can’t keep losing games’. We’ve got a squad of players and Zubar has played everywhere across the back four when he was at Marseille – right-back, left-back and centre-back – he can play them all.“
It’s a no ‘brainer’ to come to the conclusion that Ronald Zubar will play against Everton on Saturday. The thousand pound question is in what position?! I have friends who has seen him as a defensive midfielder when he played in France and say that he looked very good in that position. But maybe that would be to much of experimenting with the team in such an important game?
My guess is that he will play on the left back. I’ve said that in articles below and i stand with that. We miss Wardy’s stability in that position and Zubar is faster and more experienced than Elokobi. And I don’t think McCarthy wants to break up the cooperation between Berra and Mancienne, although it doesn’t work as smooth as you could wish for. But it may well be that with the left-back problem solved the stability will return to the mid pair as well. Let’s hope for that!
Paddy
Ronald Zubar – Now he speaks English and he’s quick
I don’t understand why people insist on keeping Mancienne in the team. Berra’s a rock and Mancienne’s mistake-prone.
Which one would you rather have?
So for me as long as Mancienne’s not starting I’m fine with the back four.
Foley-Berra-Zubar-Malone would actually be a line-up I could live with. Malone seems like a good player, can’t be any worst than Elokobi against Pompey anyway.
I’m not sure that Malone could do a job already in the first team. And it’s easy to brake a young players spirit if you give them to much responsibility to early. I would lone him out to a Championship or top league one team if I were McCarthy. He needs to play competitively, like he did in Hungary.
Mancienne makes mistakes, but so does Berra. Every centre-back do, especially the young ones and especially in a league with the best strikers in the world. It’s not an easy task.
But you asked me if I have to choose between Berra and Mancienne. I’ll take Berra, like you. But I would like to give the two of them another chance.
Yeah Malone’s a bit hopeful but Mancienne at left-back where mistakes are punished so severely could be a solution.