Perfectly put. To beat VA in this form....only ways are 1)by being better at the net (which lcw is not, as VA is slightly better and has better cross net shots) OR 2) by having good defensive shots to neutralize his attacking initiative like momota's cross blocks and cross clears OR 3)As i found out today.... by speed badminton with lots of drives (lcw was successful as he tried it around 8-1 in the first set but not so much in the couple of ponts he tried in the 3rd game) OR 4) by grabbing initiative as much as possible with good smashes 5)Also using the drops and deception judiciously to twist and turn VA is a natural tactic. Only capable opponents i see are CL through his neutralizing shots and Momota through his superior netplay and neutralizing shots....and possibly KS through his natural attacking flair and maybe his netplay and deception....but boy does mulyo handoyo have to work on his netplay and deception ...coz then KS will be a real threat to VA But all those tough battles with LCW ,CL, Lin Dan ,SWH and KS have created a monster.Next few tournaments will confirm if VA's era has truly begun.
I think that was a close fight. VA was luckier to get the crucial points towards the end of both games. Well, it's not the outcome of KS or CL matches... It's who's got the realistic chance against the current perfect machine! Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
I hope O´Jorgensen comes back soon, I want to see Viktor playing him, it will be something like 21-5 21-2
VA's closest rival for the coming years is definitely Momota (1-6 in H-H), as both are around the same age and still active (no major injury scare, other than hobbies, eg gambling).
Axelsen is the best Denmark MS ever. If comparing his achievement by the end of his career to other DEN MS like PG and so on they will look like phoney compared to AXE
Yeah, VA just added a second SS title to his WC, still far from convincing yet. It may come next month, but, who knows, what other surprises may be thrown up by any one of the young guns, aside from the usual suspects. I'm looking forward to Chen Long vs Viktor Axelsen, and any one else who can surprise me.
We saw quality defense on display today from LCW today.... and there is no doubt CL's defense is better than LCW's ..... We saw a shaken CL in the WChamps similar to the CL we saw in Team event losses before... The Chinese have invested so much in CL ,so i dont think they will let him off that easy before the next big star comes about ...and CL is still 28-29 yrs old(considering he didnt lie abt his age) and is and will be a threat to VA ...but for now VA is the new King ...
CL is a nice bloke. But looking at his physique, don't think he can go on for too long before the wear and tear sets in. Those who play above 30 are the lean types.
Don't worry for Chen Long,and never rule him out, do so at your own peril. Wang Shixian is his greatest motivation and she will make sure he does it for her a few more times. And he will deliver. Watch out !
I do agree KS has a good chance ...but he has to work on his deception and variation and improve his netplay further with help from his legendary coach.... Also he seems to get nervous in big matches at crucial points for instance in Rio qf and WC qf and starts making so many mistakes .Maybe he can take a leaf from VA's book and start the match attacking like crazy and getting huge leads like VA did in Wssf against Tian houwei,against CL and LD in WC and here aginst LCW.Even if he is nervous,being a frontrunner will calm him down like it has done to VA. I personally would like to see KS as AE,AG,WC,OLY champion coz i am a big fan of his attacking game but if he will be ,only time will tell.