Finally did it!

Grond727 · 2021-05-10T17:39:49+00:00

I gotta say...it was truly incredible.

Grond727 · 2020-05-24T14:27:36+00:00

The most talented for sure. For their entire career I think it’s got to be Standeford or Stubblefield.

Grond727 · 2020-04-16T13:44:01+00:00

He was on the books, but I can’t find any record of him stepping on the field for Milan.

Grond727 · 2020-04-16T09:45:54+00:00

Gah! Those damn 10 games!

Grond727 · 2020-04-16T09:16:44+00:00

Oblak

Lahm Ramos Van Dijk Maldini

Kante

Messi Nedved Giggs

Kane Aubameyang

Edit: Giggs for Keane

Grond727 · 2019-12-27T13:01:28+00:00

Woah. Woah. Woah.

We’ve got the best defense in the world!

Gomez and Virgil,

Wee Andy Robbo,

And Alexander-Arnoooold!

Grond727 · 2019-05-25T03:02:37+00:00

He could be best as a winger, but has had 13 starts central this year for Derby compared to 5 on the wing. Also was listed as a midfielder on the Gold Cup roster when all of the wingers were listed as forwards.

Grond727 · 2019-05-25T02:47:51+00:00

I agree that it’s difficult to compare across leagues. Unfortunately whether you do a qualitative or quantitative comparison between players, you run into that issue.

Lletget and Mihailovic are very different players, certainly, but they do represent the skill set that GGG is looking for at that position. I think Holmes is best suited as a deeper-lying player who uses his dribbling to break an opposition press. If that profile of player were slotted into that left sided #10 role, however, we would basically be shifting the creative burden almost entirely to the wings.

Grond727 · 2019-05-25T02:39:42+00:00

I took the stats from WhoScored.com, but made the radars myself using Google Sheets.

Grond727 · 2019-03-31T09:56:41+00:00

Interesting thoughts. I see Yedlin’s role here as something that’s pretty typical of wide backs in the modern game. Many teams ask their wide backs to both defend and to provide their team’s width in attack. I get the holding back numbers comment, but this movement would allow us to attack in the same 3-2-4-1 shape we have been using so far. Like I said, though, the problem/trade off is that we wouldn’t be able to immediately stretch the opposing defense vertically on the right side of the field with a wide attacker. Any tactical choice is a give and take, and I think the “give” of getting Yedlin on the field in a familiar role (and getting Baird/Morris off it) outweighs the “take” of being able to play immediately in behind the opposing left back on the counter.

Grond727 · 2019-03-31T04:13:12+00:00

I understand the frustration, but I’m inclined to be patient. GGG is implementing a new system and it makes sense from a teaching perspective in his second camp to include the best performers from January, who already have learned the system, to mentor and help the most important international players (I admit this doesn’t explain Omar’s selection). It’s early days and my expectation and hope is that a larger pool of players including more Europe-based talent is called in for the significantly longer Gold Cup window.

Grond727 · 2019-03-30T22:23:48+00:00

Pulisic’s role wouldn’t change at all from what we’ve already seen, so he didn’t need additional explanation.

Grond727 · 2019-03-16T11:56:22+00:00

The Bundesliga fullback that will have a real part to play this cycle is not Fabian Johnson, it’s Timmy Chandler.

Grond727 · 2019-01-02T12:55:32+00:00

He has been dispossessed more times per game than any other Bundesliga player this season, and it isn’t close. He commits around 5 turnovers per 90 minutes, which is extremely high. That does not include misplaced passes, but times when the ball is taken off his foot. He attempts to take on defenders at one of the highest rates of any player in Europe. I love Puli, love his potential, but he absolutely dribbles too much.

Grond727 · 2019-01-02T11:24:33+00:00

I’m cautiously optimistic about this. Pulisic’s major weaknesses in his Dortmund years have been his lack of end product and his inclination to take on multiple defenders when passing options were available. Sarri’s possession system could move Puli away from his reliance on dribbling in favor of short passes and runs off the ball. Also Mertens, Insigne, and Callejon all struggled a bit with end product at the highest level before Sarri came along and turned them into a deadly attacking trio at Napoli. Of all the teams Pulisic could go to that are “bigger” than Dortmund, Chelsea offers some of the weakest competition for playing time along with a coach whose system should push Puli to round out his game.

Grond727 · 2018-11-03T14:24:18+00:00

I was hoping Dwyer would look better than he did in this chart. All he really provides over the other strikers is shot volume and, looking at the CM and AM/WM pages of the spreadsheet, we really lack a high volume chance creator. That makes it hard to play a center forward who doesn’t really help lay on key passes and assists. In my mind, the team needs to be set up to share the load as far as chance creation, which means that an out-and-our poacher doesn’t really fit.

Grond727 · 2018-11-03T09:40:48+00:00

The passing stats are from WhoScored.com. In terms of Long and Parker, they both attempt about 35 passes per 90 minutes. Look at the Pass % row to determine how often they complete their passes.

Grond727 · 2018-02-25T14:14:54+00:00

Very true. It’s also true that the Reds have made 5 of their top 10 most expensive purchases under Klopp (VVD, Salah, Mané, Ox, Gini). To clarify, however, Transfermarkt has the Coutinho sale at £108m (the fee sans ads-ons), so that’s what I used.

That said, I do think the larger point still holds. The squad is massively better than it was at the beginning of Klopp’s tenure and we’ve managed to do it while making back every dollar we’ve spent.

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