De Jong

[Freestyler]

I love these threads.


De Jong has a job, to win the ball back and then pass to another blue shirt. Forwards, backwards, sidewards any fucking way you can think of, just give it to the nearest blue shirt in space. Job done.

Gareth Barry is the player limiting us the most IMO. Too slow, immobile, passing has been shocking lately, and offers nothing going forward. If we replace Barry with a proper Centre Mid who suits our football then it's problem solved.

Next season we should play Toure next to NDJ as the 2 holding players it opens up another position attacking wise for someone better going forward than Toure and also improves us no end on the position Barry currently occupies

SPOT ON.

be saying this for what? 6-7 months? we need a driving force midfielder.

people laughed when i said Michael Johnson is exactly what were crying out for and what we need now.

 

[SWP's back]

is starting to remind me of Garry Flitcroft. He only ever passes sideways or backwards, and it really slows us down.

I just argued a point in another thread that none on here are nobs, we all just differ on opinions. Your OP is testing my new found theory.

 

[Freestyler]

This is the one, take your pick for the attacking role:

--------------De Jong----Y.Toure

-------------Sneijder/Schweinsteiger


exactly what we need.

 

[SWP's back]

I love these threads.

Then when he beasts Chelsea on Sunday and puts in a MOM performance against a World Class midfield, there will be countless threads saying how he's a god and needs to be captain.

De Jong has a job, to win the ball back and then pass to another blue shirt. Forwards, backwards, sidewards any fucking way you can think of, just give it to the nearest blue shirt in space. Job done.

Gareth Barry is the player limiting us the most IMO. Too slow, immobile, passing has been shocking lately, and offers nothing going forward. If we replace Barry with a proper Centre Mid who suits our football then it's problem solved.

Next season we should play Toure next to NDJ as the 2 holding players it opens up another position attacking wise for someone better going forward than Toure and also improves us no end on the position Barry currently occupies

I would agree with that. Barry has brilliant brilliant in half a dozen games this season (including Chelsea at home), but he has looked off the pace recently.

 

[without a dream]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/chalkboards/create" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/chalkboards/create</a>

Pick a game and have a look at his passing, there are plenty backwards yes but there's plenty of forward passes too.

 

[Joycee Banercheck]

bang on the money.

Actually this is not bang on the money. And their is a fact checker to use. He had games in which he was fantastic. Example City v. Newcastle at home. Where he was everywhere doing a yo man's job. And the stats support this. And he has games where he was nondescript. And often the stats show this too.

Yes, the stats can't show how he supports a defender and force a player to go back, and it can't show the levels of danger we were in on different tackles and interceptions. The stats can't show a lot of things. But to assume all the things the stat doesn't show, only favor De Jong is laughably childish. Considering the stat don't show this for the other players too.

But from the little the stats show, we can easily dissuade ourselves from the belief that De Jong does so much more than Barry. The stats consistently shows this not to be the case. Startling enough, in a lot of those early games, barry wasn't even getting consistent playing time. He'd be fobbed on around the 60th to 75th minute, and yet have a stat line just as good as De Jong, and sometimes better. If nothing else that is telling. If Barry can statistically match or even compare to DeJong in 30 minutes of play. How can he be considered so much worse off, if not a function of bias.

No. No we can't. I've seen it with my own two eyes.

Stats are pretty much tools for looking at things after they have happened, or to predict what may happen. In either case, nothing has changed in my view that NDJ is pivotal to how we play. To call upon someone getting subbed and still having these better 'stats' proves nothing. I could play for 5 seconds, play two compete passes and then stub me toe and be replaced by someone who comes on, makes 475 passes, 75 of which go astray - he'd have done better than me overall, but the stats wouldn't reflect this. Stick to mathematical modelling, mate.

 

[mcfcphil]

the only stat that you need is that we have missed De Jong BADLY since he's been injured and to have him fit again is an enormous bonus at this stage of the season

 

[billy_big_spuds]

Before the start of this season he did this all the time, and it really griped me. This season up until his injury, he became more adventurous and dynamic with his play, but the last two games he has gone back into sideways and backwards man. Come on Nige, you're better than this.

 

[johnmc]

The De Jong is the best defensive midfielder in the world brigade are out in force again.

He may well be, except there arent mmany about so its not really a great accolade. Its also true if you ignore stats which a lot of people do and dress it up by saying "stats dont show closing down space". Great

Also, the amount of times you read "De Jongs job is to break up attacks and give it to a blue shirt and thats what he does". Well yes he does do that. But a top team doesnt have players that are limited to just to that job. Unless you couknt Mascherano who will pass better and has the world best attack to give it to. And if thats his job and his only job, why play him against teams who arent having attack after attack to break up.

 

[Joycee Banercheck]

The De Jong is the best defensive midfielder in the world brigade are out in force again.

He may well be, except there arent mmany about so its not really a great accolade. Its also true if you ignore stats which a lot of people do and dress it up by saying "stats dont show closing down space". Great

Also, the amount of times you read "De Jongs job is to break up attacks and give it to a blue shirt and thats what he does". Well yes he does do that. But a top team doesnt have players that are limited to just to that job. Unless you couknt Mascherano who will pass better and has the world best attack to give it to. And if thats his job and his only job, why play him against teams who arent having attack after attack to break up.

I think the argument from the De Jong is the best midfielder in the world brigade TM is that he isn't limited to that. No footballer should be. If they are, how the golly gosh are they in the premier league?