Valentino Livramento on his FIRST start...

Since April last year, showing certain senior experienced costly counterparts how to defend 1-on-1 against champions elect:
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1707832653355925504/vid/avc1/576x576/RSLxSZfZ3edlRnB1.mp4?tag=14
Clinically lesson.
This isn't the only time he had the measure of Grealish either.
Technical quality at both ends of the pitch from day one (Reminiscent of Reece pocketing Zaha on debut).
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1707311488837238784/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/y6r6R6uikbnE2rM-.mp4?tag=12
Seamless ease, candy from a baby. That's the standard Cobham churns out and taken for granted.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F7D9bqpW4AAJOaA?format=jpg&name=medium
A masterclass.

Coming back from a horrendous injury and setbacks.
This is an academy player of the year that a certain manager would have one believe needed a pointless loan (essentially forcing him out of the club, see Gilmour & Colwill as reference), to favour his no longer serving a (competent) purpose experienced player.

I'm sure sanctioning the extension that came with a £30,000 increased salary (11m per annum), to prioritise a struggling non-impactful undynamic Azpi at the end of his shelf-life on a rapid downward spiral for experience purposes, losing Tino in the process was totally worth it.


Spare me the dumb rhetorics like "ran away from the challenge", or any other such words to that effect surrounding fighting for his place.
Manager will talk about the need to "fight" and "train hard" (cliched twaddle), when in reality they are working against an impossible task and fighting a losing battle (regardless of how they perform). Nothing to do with fight everything to do with favouritism.

That whole rhetoric is a misplaced simplistic reductive narrative, peddled by (far from reality) simple-minds.

The short reality was Tuchel had no care about integrating or offering a platform for our academy player of the year to challenge Reece at the time (irresponsibly favoured Azpi) and Livramento is a phonenomenal talent...that should have been prioritised, rewarded with assurances, pathway going forward and some PL minutes...tail-end of the season that he was in the matchday squad, at the very least as a starting point.
Very happy to dispatch useful homegrown players.
I resent and detest that type of non-meritocracy and unfairness.
Every fibre in his body should tell him that Livramento was ready waiting in the wings but common sense, viable succession plan and foresight never prevailed.

Those times Livramento was on the bench for Tuchel, just giving him minutes off the bench would have been helpful in the players mind.
It's the little things that often go along way to making young players believe and determine that there is a fair pathway for them to compete.

Make no mistake....James & Livramento could have co-existed in the same lineup, one example was to deploy Reece as the right CB in three man defence (he started matches in this position under Tuchel), with Livramento wingback (over a spent Azpi).
One should never ignore the talents of an obvious star coming through, particularly when that was a position that required dynamism and Livramento fitted the bill to a tee.

There are so many useful ways you can use both of them at the same time, the options are limitless. Managers that give a damn about youth products (and developing) will easily make it possible to find a spot in the team for a player with the ability of Livramento.

Livramento will have the choice / pick of whichever International team he wants to play for in future.
England, Italy, Portugal fighting over him shall ensue, going at it 🔨 and tongs.

Tuchel made no concerted enough to integrate a tremendous option (staring him right there in his face), which was foolish...bearing in mind he was playing Azpi, Hudson-Odoi out of position at the expense of our standout academy player that was ready to play wingback at that highest level & in his final year of contract.
Could have saved us a heap of money, as it turned out...we were on the search for a fullback / wingback due to that crass decision and error of judgement from Tuchel.