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Kolarov and Johnson, the key to winning the league
- Thread starter Fame Monster
- Start date
cleavers said:The only flaw in the argument is that Johnson rarely crosses, because he's on his wrong foot every (rare) time he beats a fullback. He played well on Saturday, but he put in next to no decent crosses, he rarely does.
Doesn't really matter. He's so incredibly overhyped that opposition defenders stick to him like flies on shit.
Almost every time Kolarov got the ball on Sat he turned back inside. The balls from Silva and Pizzaro forced him to venture beyond the full back. Without those passes he would never have got there because he is unable to beat the full back - simply not good enough. Slow going forawrd and slow going backwards, an asset at set pieces but beyond that nver a first choice.
I agree both have played well recently, but disagree with the OP's arguments. I don't think either player is consistent, thus hoping they are the key is perhaps a dangerous proposition.
Kolarov was great last week, but lets be honest hear, that is not the average Kolarov. That is Kolarov having a blinder. And that happens to everyone sometimes. The key is to figure out what the average expectations are, based on how well they have played on average. Kolarov has been below par in most games.
Both defensively and offensively. I know the great game last week has got many proclaiming his superior offensive input vis a vis Clichy. But this is a fallacy. He makes so many mistakes offensively, and gives up possession (something we cherish in our style) way more often than Clichy does. His crosses, which were amazing this weekend, have over the course of the season, been inferior to Clichy's. Who himself isn't a great crosser.
Yes, he can whip a mean cross, and yes he can hit a mean shot. But his consistency is atrocious at both. Lets not confuse the beauty of his best efforts, for his mode efforts. Without knowing who is hot or not in practice (seeing as I am not there) based on performances in the shirt, I'd always pick Clichy unless he has played midweek or is nursing an injury. He is just a superior footballer to Kolarov. PERIOD!
As for AJ, yes he can beat a man, but often to no avail. He doesn't cross much, and his style suggests he wouldn't even if he were on the left. He just doesn't play the whip the ball in style, no matter the wing. I have seen a host of players playing on the inverted wing and still whip in mean balls after a switch to the superior foot. AJ's just doesn't do this. And worse still of all our players who play wide, he is the worst at feeding a FB who overlaps him. Can't count how many times he wasted Zaba as an option last week. Zaba was frustrated on one of the misses. He just diddles on the ball too long, and takes too long to see the play.
He too, cannot be key to our success.
However, I agree with the OP's overall assessment that an improvement in stretching the field wide will be key to us winning the league. I do however disagree on the personnel choices to achieve this end.
In my opinion, Yaya switching field like a pendulum, and Pizzzaro's searching pass to an overlapping FB in stride are the real keys. get the ball to an open and wide fullback and you are likely to see more crosses into the box, and more Dzeko, Balo and Aguero attacking the goal area.
The key isn't the crosser, but the guys who are able to find the crossers early and often.
Kolarov was great last week, but lets be honest hear, that is not the average Kolarov. That is Kolarov having a blinder. And that happens to everyone sometimes. The key is to figure out what the average expectations are, based on how well they have played on average. Kolarov has been below par in most games.
Both defensively and offensively. I know the great game last week has got many proclaiming his superior offensive input vis a vis Clichy. But this is a fallacy. He makes so many mistakes offensively, and gives up possession (something we cherish in our style) way more often than Clichy does. His crosses, which were amazing this weekend, have over the course of the season, been inferior to Clichy's. Who himself isn't a great crosser.
Yes, he can whip a mean cross, and yes he can hit a mean shot. But his consistency is atrocious at both. Lets not confuse the beauty of his best efforts, for his mode efforts. Without knowing who is hot or not in practice (seeing as I am not there) based on performances in the shirt, I'd always pick Clichy unless he has played midweek or is nursing an injury. He is just a superior footballer to Kolarov. PERIOD!
As for AJ, yes he can beat a man, but often to no avail. He doesn't cross much, and his style suggests he wouldn't even if he were on the left. He just doesn't play the whip the ball in style, no matter the wing. I have seen a host of players playing on the inverted wing and still whip in mean balls after a switch to the superior foot. AJ's just doesn't do this. And worse still of all our players who play wide, he is the worst at feeding a FB who overlaps him. Can't count how many times he wasted Zaba as an option last week. Zaba was frustrated on one of the misses. He just diddles on the ball too long, and takes too long to see the play.
He too, cannot be key to our success.
However, I agree with the OP's overall assessment that an improvement in stretching the field wide will be key to us winning the league. I do however disagree on the personnel choices to achieve this end.
In my opinion, Yaya switching field like a pendulum, and Pizzzaro's searching pass to an overlapping FB in stride are the real keys. get the ball to an open and wide fullback and you are likely to see more crosses into the box, and more Dzeko, Balo and Aguero attacking the goal area.
The key isn't the crosser, but the guys who are able to find the crossers early and often.
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Anonymous
Guest
finally a positive thread on them, i must be dreaming
robertsuki
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2010
- Messages
- 388
kolarov looking good and some of his crosses are spectacular.
Johnson is looking fairly one dimensional and I hate to say this but thought his contribution on saturday was pretty poor.He avoided tackles,pulled out of tackles and has now been worked out by opposing defences.
don't get me wrong but I was a great fan of his until the last few months.
Johnson is looking fairly one dimensional and I hate to say this but thought his contribution on saturday was pretty poor.He avoided tackles,pulled out of tackles and has now been worked out by opposing defences.
don't get me wrong but I was a great fan of his until the last few months.
Denis Law Back Heel
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 5 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 221
I would loved to have said after satarday that Johnson really took his chance to stake a claim to the first team but unfortunatly I don't think he did. Would quite like to see Johnson played on the left a bit more at least when he dose beat his defender he can put a cross in on his stronger foot I think we may see more joy from him there. I thought Kolarov did quite well ( when he wasn't hitting row Z every time he shot ) I think he did stake him claim how ever even though he has Zero defensive positional awareness take the rags fist goal against us in the F.A cup for example he was almost holding hands wit our CB not stopping the cross coming in the first place instead he was ball watching and marking our own CB.
SuperKevinHorlock91
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 13 Feb 2012
- Messages
- 138
As long as we match rags results we will win te league. Simple. Let's just Concerntrate on our own games instead of theirs. That's their job to worry about us!
salfordblues
Well-Known Member
Johnson's been given a fair few chances and he's failed to deliver on most of these opportunities.
As I've said earlier Kolarov for "easy" home games, Clichy for the rest
As I've said earlier Kolarov for "easy" home games, Clichy for the rest