Actually I rarely post any stats but I admit I'm always on the lookout for crazy ones which prove nothing and this fitted the bill nicely thank you.
I don't think tackles are measured in the way that most of us would expect anymore. Hojbjerg and Skipp average less than two tackles a game, for example. Players like Kessie and Goretzka have the same "more fouls than tackles" stat, too. I know that moneyball is doing good things for Brentford and the like. I also know that I don't have enough knowledge of stats to understand them in their current form. I have to judge players by eye for anything other than goals, really.
Unlike half of our squad, his attitude is spot on. Unfortunately his best position in one of the very few that we have decent options for. He works hard but his end product is sketchy and he's an 'off the cuff' player, which isn't what Conte wants.. If we were better run, he'd be an option in a year or two...but that'd have to be based on a significant culture change and us not cashing in on an offer, when we're short of funds. For me, the least likely outcome is that he makes it with us...but we shall see.
I think in the 352 Skipp and Højbjerg are playing as 8s because they’re better suited to it than Winks and they’re the only 3 midfielders Conte likes/trusts. I imagine Amrabat takes Winks’s place and the other two remain unchanged. Long term I can see Højbjerg remaining in that position, because it’s similar to what he does for Denmark and makes the most of his fitness and pressing. Skipp can do it because he’s more dynamic and gets around the pitch better than Winks. But I also think Skippy is a 6 really, not an 8.
I can find the stats easily. They're everywhere now. I just don't know what they're telling us half the time. They're removed from context, so a lot of them don't really mean anything. Let's say Defender A and Defender B have 90% and 92% pass completion. Does that mean that B is a better passer than A? I don't know. He might be making easier passes or have different instructions to suit the system he's playing in. Tackles and fouls are equally vague. Is someone making tackles because he's out of position and having to jump in to rescue things? Is he fouling to take one for the team and prevent the break? No idea.
I also remember Højbjerg had the most ball recoveries in the league, or at least close to, at Southampton. But they were playing a heavily pressing-focused game to which he’s very well suited. So simple stats like tackles or ball recoveries don’t tell the full story because they don’t take into account there where and how of the actions.
Turns out I was talking bollocks but I did find one City player with more fouls than tackles....Jack Grealish....
Totally agree. I can't find it now but there was an academic paper about 10 years ago from the stats company that Arsenal use that claimed that there was little statistical difference between teams or players on passing ability in the Brazilian League once you took into account the difficulty of the pass attempted. The better players and teams were simply better at creating opportunities to make easy passes matter.
Do we have decent options though? We have Son and that's about it. Bergwijn? Could still be sold this window if Ajax make a good enough bid and he's hardly set the place alight, despite his heroics vs Leicester last week. We also don't have a natural left footed left winger either, so he's in a bit of a niche there unless we include Sess but I'd say he's more a WB. Son also isn't getting younger, he'll be 30 by the start of next season. Admittedly 30 in today's game is nothing to players who look after themselves (which Son does) but it is an age where a club generally begins planning for their long term replacement and that's what I think/ hope is the case with Gil, though I do also see a potential future in the David Silva role for him, behind a striker but that's a debate for another day. I think the lad's a very special talent and I hope we give him the right amount of time and experience to reach that potential, if one or two loans are needed for that then so be it.
Gil should be Sonny’s understudy and then play when Son can’t. The fact he’s not playing even when Son is injured shows Conte doesn’t think he’s ready just yet. I was joking the other day when I said he needs to join Burnley but in all seriousness he needs game time and to get used to the PL. Loaning him to France or Spain doesn’t really benefit anyone imo.
Excellent. You are saying that stat is not what we in data analytics call "actionable data" . And you are correct. So what we need in this case is what is called a "drill down" . Let us assume that the following aspects ( "dimensions" ) are known for each pass : 1. player role (GK, defender, MF, forward) 2. direction (forwards, backwards) 3. starting position (distance from your own goal line, x/y position etc) 4. distance of pass 5. pass recipient (see 1) Similarly assume that A and B attempted 100 passes all season. If A managed 90 "Toby ball" , and B did 92 back passes to the GK, then the absolute numbers are meaningless by themselves. The questions are then whether the "source data" is gathered in the form above, and whether said data is in the public domain (so you can do your own analytics) .
I have no idea why we want Toure but as I see it if Conte wants him then fair enough. We can not say the board must back the manager and then slag off the board for doing exactly this. But gotta be honest, this window looks more and more like a wasted opportunity.
Ally Gold and Pete O'Rourke (who's slowly becoming a pretty reliable source) have been talking about Clarke's loan to Sunderland. Gold says his medical is tomorrow, O'Rourke says the deal's been agreed.
A lot more journos are jumping on the Diaz story. Though it has been noted he has a release clause of €80m and so seeing as we've bid around €45m+bonuses, Porto could easily turn it down for their star player if they choose to only sell at his release clause price (or close too it). It has also been said however that Porto are in need of money due to FFP. Gotta feeling this is gonna drag on and... yeah, you know.
Ndombele's PSG talks are progressing well apparently. To be fair all PSG need to do is offer a box of Krispy Kremes for each goal or assist and Ndombele will sign that contract right now.
