Charlie Nicholas has once again been full of praise for Pompey, singling Jermain Defoe and David James out for special mention when talking on sky sports soccer Saturday yesterday.
He said that Villa’s inability to take their chances had cost them, whereas we took ours and he spoke highly of Defoe’s finish: ‘look at the first goal from Jermain Defoe, it was just class. That was why Harry went and sold Benjani because he would have missed that or he wouldn’t have got there.
‘The touch was exquisite and the vision to lob the goalkeeper was worth the admission money. It was a stunning, stunning goal and Villa were dominating at that time’.
His other man of the match was James, who he says performed another ‘master class’ of goalkeeping, with his saves thwarting Villa, he went on to say: ‘a master class from David James yet again; save after save after save. So agile, so comfortable now with his own performance and so confident. He is wonderful to watch at times.
‘He will still make mistakes because every goalkeeper makes mistakes but it is the quality of the saves that he is making.
‘I said a couple of weeks ago that he is as important as Ronaldo and Fabregas is to the top teams, he is playing that well. He really is a top drawer goalkeeper for me’.
All of this took place under the watchful eye of England coach Fabio Capello so Nicholas feels he must have been impressed with the pair, along with Glen Johnson too: ‘Capello was there today and he has seen another master class from his goalie, he has seen Glen Johnson play well and Defoe score a goal. That is quite a good bit of viewing for Capello today’.
As previously said before I have not always been a fan of Charlie Nicholas but I have been warming to him more and more in recent months – as for what Capello saw yesterday, all 3 of the players mentioned must have a fantastic chance of making his next England squad surely?
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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