1: GG’s strength is his strength. His hold up play and ability to just shield defenders off the ball is so key to the player that he is. It’s how he scored his goal in this match. He’s just such a big strong Greek that there’s not many players that can outright win the ball off of him. 

2: Firmi-yes!! Of all our “new” signings, that is exciting, Firmino should be right at the top of everyone’s list. He was electric for the 2’s and had a magical moment for the first team. He’s very neat and tidy on the ball and that showed in his goal. 

3: Aiden was impressive. Sure not super sharp, but he wasn’t lacking in confidence and aggression. Love to see the kids playing some first team minutes and giving it loads. The academy group did really well to hold their own as well.

4: We’ve got our Irishman back, we’ve got our ginger back, are we back? It was really nice to see some cohesion and understanding this early on. Having a full and mostly healthy pre season sans visa issues will be a big help. 

5: The goal we conceded in the first half was soft & down to communication. There’s not much more to say about it this early with such mixed lineups, but we can’t let soft goals be the story this season. So let’s hope that’s emphasized and corrected by the time we go to Ohio.