At times I think he’s still surprised by the step up in defending (which from my perspective has made it seem like the standard of defending in Scotland must really be poor these days; MLS defenders are improving rapidly on average, but…), but he’s a player, similar to Moutinho or Ruben, who has that inexplicable level of class with the ball under his control. There are things in his locker that only top, top players can do.
He’s so much fun to watch run at defenders; it’s always hilarious to watch opposing teams tilt their shape massively when Liel swaps wings with Vargas.
I love that he clearly holds himself to a higher standard (never the one pointing at others, always reacts like he’s the one who could have improved things, even if it’s not always the case). He has a real sense of ownership over his performance levels which you don’t always get from DPs (hello, and fuck you, Rafa Marquez).
Final note: I think he’d replace the turf at BofA with grass by himself, by hand of he could. I get the clear sense that he hates the way the ball is affected by the harder surface.
