He's 18 years of age. Do you not think he might have some scope to develop his game? I'm trying not to be too sharp here as I don't want it to look like some kind of thing where I have a go at all your posts, but the issues you seem to have with Ward-Prowse and Wanyama just come across as a bit odd. Fortunately it's pretty much a unique perspective, but honestly how can you be writing either of them off as 'not good enough' at this stage?
I am also critical of davis for the same reasons. Its not a unique perspective, you need to do more with the ball and off it than these 3 to cut it at the top level. Of the 3 only wanyama has a realistic chance of playing champions league football.
JWP's searing crosses remind me of Frazer Richardson's and Danny Butterfield's ability to ping balls to the back post. Of course, he can do other things as well and he's only 18, but watching the highlights, it was a nice reminder of those past players at their best.
I seem to remember that a certain David Beckham excelled mainly in his ability to fire in dangerous crosses at the age of 18. Whatever happened to him as he got older?
I would actually compare him to Rickie Lambert. Lambert is good at direct free kicks and PK's but it's not like he's just developed some kind of special freaky method of taking them. He's good at them because he is in general, awesome at striking a football. He has great technique, period. Not great set piece technique. I think that most of us agree that what sets Lambert apart is his "intangibles." He's not the biggest guy or the tallest. Certainly not the fastest. But he has a good workrate (I mean at least for his size, age, and position), good positioning, good vision, good touch/technique, and good intelligence. All of the sort of fundamental skills you want in a player. It's really his generally high and broad range of skills that make him good. JWP is the same way. He takes corners from the left and the right. He can bend it different ways from different ranges. I think he even uses both feet. So that's just a function of good technique, which will be useful no matter where he plays. He can shoot as well, just hasn't had the opportunities quite yet. And that's also the way it seems Saints like to develop their players. Get those pure footballing skills down first, and then specialize in a position and the specialized skills for it later. Schneiderlin wasn't a good tackler or that good in the air when he first arrived, either. Now he's very good at both. It's possible JWP could go in that direction and become a deep lying playmaker. Or he could work on his dribbling skills and be an attacking mid. But all of our players have a broad set of skills and that fits in with the game plan. All of our defenders can get forward, all of our attackers can defend. You have to be able to go from offense to defense and back instantly. The fact that his natural position right now is sort of box-to-box midfielder isn't due to a limitation in his ability, but because that's how he was intentionally developed.
JWP's pinpoint crosses are aerial passes. So there are many already. Personally, I have never come across such a damning opinion, of one particular very promising player of 18 years, as yours that hasn't so much as an ounce of foundation in it. But you carry on and amuse yourself.
Rodriguez a player not renowned for his technical ability or creativity played a ball into lallana's feet that was more creative than any of jwp's passes in his entire career. It isn't a coincidence or a lack of opportunity that he hasn't scored or played a creative pass. Also dead ball skills don't translate into general play unless the ball is dead and under little pressure, even then it requires more talent from the player than in a dead ball situation. Tackling and heading the ball are relatively simple skills technically that require courage and commitment. Passing the ball creativley is the single hardest skill in football and when you have a player that isn't proficient at it at 19 you can write him off as an attacking midfielder, that is just the reality of the sport.
I agree. In other circumstance particularly in the circumstances of an attacking midfielder genuine creativity and vision are required something jwp hasn't demonstrated.
He put in a perfect diagonal cross to Lambert. Lambert tried to steer it a little too much. If he'd headed it harder and low, he might have scored. Alternatively, he could have redirected it to a wide open Rodriguez (as he did later) and it would have been a sitter. He made a beautiful short, diagonal pass to Rodriguez running into space between three defenders. Rodriguez had a bit of a sloppy first touch, then wasn't sure what to do. Eventually he tried a quick lob/shot from outside the box that was well off-target. Not a great goal-scoring opportunity but it was a very good pass and created a somewhat dangerous situation. He delivered the cross that Rodriguez almost scored on with a scissor kick.
Wigan away, last year. At a full run, countering off a Wigan corner, he slid a perfectly-weighted ball ahead of Rodriguez down the left sideline, who collected without breaking stride and thus beat his man for pace, squared for Schneiderlin and provided Saints lead. It wasn't a Hollywood ball by any means, but he made it with a player on his shoulder, at a gallop, and it needed to be inch-perfect to send Jay on his way; otherwise, he has to stutter to collect (or worse still, apply the patented Jay Rodriguez first touch), and the defender closes down the wing. And it's one that I've remembered because JWP does tend to have a fairly conservative range of passing, but in a moment where a goal-scoring opportunity might present with a little decisiveness, JWP provided exactly that.
He was playing on the right. If Fulham are going to give him space on the right to put crosses directly onto the head or feet of Lambert and Rodriguez, why shouldn't he exploit that the entire game? I would be extremely irate if someone of JWP's crossing ability kept trying to cut inside and play cheeky throughballs when it wasn't necessary. I don't care who you are. If Fulham is leaving Lambert pretty much uncovered in the middle, feed him headers all day. I don't think JWP is quite ready to be an everyday player, but I 100% absolutely guarantee you that lack of vision is not going to be what prevents him from being successful. I'll go even further. If JWP starts another five games this season you will see in those games 1) at least two killer through balls. Not just a good short pass or whatever. KILLER through ball, and 2) a goal.
Edit: that was a simple pass to be fair, good piece of passing but not visionary or creative. If he hadn't have been able to play rodriguez in from that close it would have been quite disappointing. He actually just tapped it a couple of metres forward with 2 defenders running back goal side.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xx8g93_wigan-athletic-2-2-southampton-hq-highlights_sport 1 minute in...I have no idea who else he'd be aiming for.
