I have seen some Liverpool fans desperately trying to talk up Stewart Downing with claims that he is better than Ashley Young (creates and scores more goals, etc). Lets have a look at the stats from last season: Stewart Downing - Games:38, Goals:7, Assists:9 Ashley Young - Games:34, Goals:7, Assists:11 http://www.premierleague.com/page/Statistics Still, we all know the Scousers like to ignore anything that proves them wrong.
Don't forget that last season was probably Young's worst season in the Premier League, while it was easily Downing's best.
Here is a blog to explain why Downing will be better for Liverpool for all you people who prefer words over football (Link)
That is a blog based on opinion and predictions, I'm looking at the stats here. Last season was probably Young's worst at Aston Villa yet he ended the season with better stats than Downing who had probably his best season to date.
I agree. However my point is that they're both at new teams and both teams have different styles of play/end of season targets. They are individuals who have different attributes which benefit the teams they play for which is why they fit in well.
Point 1 in that blog is a pointless comparison, Young was usually playing further forward then Downing to support Bent and use his pace on the counter, having him running back to full back trying to win the ball all the time would of left Bent extremely isolated and made the whole idea of using his pace on the counter pointless. Point 2 I kind of agree with, Downing is more suited to Liverpool than Young, but then Young is more suited to United than Downing, so it is a pointless argument. Point 3 everybody knew Young would not be voted fans player of the year because he had already made it clear he would probably be leaving so winning the fans vote doesn't prove all that much. Point 4 also means nothing, Fergie has said Young will start on the left and Nani on the right, yes he will rotate players every now and again but thats what keeps players fresh and wins titles, relying on 1 player for 1 position leads to burnout. Point 5 is speculation, Fergie used defensive players on the wings when he was using the Likes of Scholes in the centre who wasn't very mobile, and to be fair Park and Valencia, who are both more defesive, are still more than effective going forward. Also, Young has been working very hard going forward and backward in United's pre-season games and against City and West Brom, so that is proving to be a pointless argument so far.
To be fair, if Downing's shot had dipped a little, we'd be talking about goal of the season already. I'm perfectly happy with Young and his contribution yesterday They are both decent players who have played in average teams up until now. They are now on bigger stages and we'll see who grows to fit them - maybe both will.
I still think that Young is the better of the two and will have more of an influence at Man Utd in terms of assists and goals. He has already shown his worth against Man City and West Brom.
Point 2 from Psycho renders this arguement pointless. Doesn't matter who's better, its about how they perform at their clubs and how they fit in. I respect both Ashley Young and Stewart Downing and wish them the best of luck with the above.
Obviously it's only early, too early to judge properly, but Young appears to have settled in well at Man Utd immediately with his early performances. Downing made one good run when he hit the bar but otherwise he was pretty quiet.
Downing actually had a good first half. I'm not saying for one second that it was amazing and I expect him to sustain the performance over a season but I'm just point it out.
Given the choice I'd rather have young.. I think he is a more complete player an far more versatile.. That's not to say I think downing is bobbins.. He is a good player without doubt.. Though if the signings had been the other way round I'd still say young is the superior player..
I agree. Young is much more versatile and has a range of abilities. My only point is that it only really comes to worth when they are out on the field. The points you make are the same we make about the Hernandez vs Suarez arguement. They, like Downing and Young, are completely different types of players and we have to appreciate it in our own ways. In that debate Suarez has a much more wider range of abilities but some United fans (I'm not saying you guys, you've been good so far) insist Hernandez is a better all round player. Different players with different styles suited to different teams.
Hernandez is a better finisher and quicker (he's quicker than pretty much everyone!) but Suarez has more skill and is likely to lay on more assists.
Saurez reminds me of tevez.. They are two different types of forward Hernandez is an out an out striker in the mould of a young Michael Owen.. I rate saurez he is captain of my dream team.. I'm not bias at all.. Saurez to me plays the similar role to Rooney..
