Shaelumstash
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- Joined
- 30 Apr 2009
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Manc in London said:Shaelumstash said:If you are suggesting Nastasic's "anticipation" as you call it isn't up to scratch, I can only assume you're either on heavy drugs, or have not watched him play. He's one of the best readers of the game in Europe, and outrageously gifted at it for his age.
He's not naturally an aggressive front foot defender so he didn't really suit our style of play last season, but he's a very talented player. I think he was our best player the season before last (possibly second after Zabba). If you don't rate him, watch the semi final against Chelsea, he was outstanding.
Not a heavy drug user but I am a season ticket holder. However, I do appreciate your kind comments. I will keep it more simple: if you disagree with me, I will just accept that you have a different opinion.
I will state again, I do not believe Nastasic is rubbish, terrible, chronic, useless etc.. My opinion is that he is not good enough for us. That may be partially be explained by the point raised by yourself and Thaksinsoldier, in that he doesn't quite suit the way we play. In my opinion, we get players who can do the best job within the system we play.
I wasn't making a comment about his ability to anticipate. I was simply trying to get the previous poster to discuss the issue sensibly by discussing Nastasic's skills and abilities. Maybe you should have read my post.
I'll be honest, I cannot even remember his performance in the semi against Chelsea as I only watched the game once, with the gods in Block 532, and I spent the last 30 or mins or so with my eyes closed thinking that we, including Milner, looked like we were shattered and were going to throw away the game. I had also had a 'few'.
His anticipation, in my eyes, appears to be good for a player his age. It was helped by our style iof play in 2012/13. We did not appear to attack in the same numbers as we had done for much of the previous season. It is easier to for defenders to anticipate correctly when the team are playing fairly cautiously. For me, anticipation is one element of decision-making. Nastasic's decision making is not one of his overall strengths. You only have to look at the needless fouls he committed in dangerous areas. On a number of occasions he has been lucky to not give a penalty away.
I would disagree that Nastasic is one of the best readers of the game in Europe. Lescott is a better reader of the game and Joleon is far from being one of the best readers of the game in Europe.
I was only kidding about the heavy drug use mate, I didn't mean to insult you, so apologies if you took it that way.
I agree that Nastasic is not suited to playing a high line like we did last season. In that system it is more suited to players who are fast, aggressive, strong, none of which are attributes of Nastasic. That is not to say he could not improve on his strength and aggression though as he develops. DeMichelis is not the quickest, but he can play in that system because he's aggressive and reads the game well.
I am absolutely shocked to say the least that you think Lescott is a better reader of the game than Nastasic. I rated Lescott in our title winning season. He was poor last season though, again I think because his style didn't suit the way we played. He obviously has a woeful lack of pace so gets exposed when playing high up. He is strong and aggressive though, but the reason DeMichelis looked so much better than him is because Lescott isn't a great reader of the game, he relies on his physicality to out muscle players.
Obviously football is about opinions, but I've honestly not seen a 20 year old who reads the games as well as Nastasic since Maldini. He's that intelligent as a footballer for me. Again decision making is about personal opinion, but Nastasic always tries to retain possession, doesn't just hoof the ball long / out for a throw in. He's absolutely superb at picking a sharp, incisive pass in to midfield. His decision making is superb for a possession based team, and I really struggle to see how you could think differently? Perhaps you prefer the old fashioned "Better out than nowt" "Get it in row Z" style of defending. That's not for me.
I agree he made some silly fouls last year, but again I think that's down to him struggling to adapt to the new system. He needs to get to grips with it, but I would certainly not be writing him off yet.
You say it's easier to look good in a team that plays deep, but I think it depends on the player. Different players are suited to different styles, but I agree Nastasic looks far more comfortable playing deep. That doesn't make him a bad player. I didn't see Nesta and Cannavaro pushing up to the half way line and flying in to challenges very often, they stayed deep and defended, and they are the two best centre halves I've ever seen.