It continues to amaze me how daft some people are on the subject of Nasri. People sitting here trying to say he's a disappointment because he's not doing what Silva does clearly do not understand football very well. HE IS NOTHING LIKE SILVA AS A PLAYER. I really do not understand why he is ever played as a winger, and I don't even think he should be a CAM (although he can do a job there).
Nasri Best Traits: Passing accuracy and range, ball control, long shots, attacking intelligence (seeing the field, using 1-2's, making runs, ect.).
Traits best for a winger: Beating your guy 1 on 1, explosiveness to get down the outside, crossing, directness.
He doesn't suit playing on the wing at all. He has one of the highest passing percentages in the world for attacking players. He's brilliant at using and helping his teammates to retain possession. He always is looking to get a little space so he can see the field and make a positive decision.
When he's played on the wing, he goes for long periods without touching the ball and then is expected to create something when he gets it. But he doesn't do well in those tight spaces. He's not an instinctual player like Tevez or Silva, who can get the ball in tight spaces and quickly riggle their way through a couple people and find a pass.
Then we finally put him at CM in West Ham, and were more in control that game than any other game this entire season (it's not his fault the attackers couldn't get the ball in the net). We never gave the ball away in the middle, which has killed us SO many times, and we were transitioning from defense to attack very quickly.
I honestly think Samir could do for us what us what Pirlo was doing for Italy in the Euros this summer. And don't tell me he can't handle the defense, because he has worked harder than any of our other attackers defensively this year. He was running inside to cover Yaya and then back out to the wing to help the fullbacks against Ajax.
SUMMARY: Nasri is a very technically gifted player, which tricks people into believing his best contribution is as a playmaker. In reality, he is being completely misused on the wing, and everything he does well game in and game out is actually exactly what we need in the middle (Not CAM, but CM).
Nasri Best Traits: Passing accuracy and range, ball control, long shots, attacking intelligence (seeing the field, using 1-2's, making runs, ect.).
Traits best for a winger: Beating your guy 1 on 1, explosiveness to get down the outside, crossing, directness.
He doesn't suit playing on the wing at all. He has one of the highest passing percentages in the world for attacking players. He's brilliant at using and helping his teammates to retain possession. He always is looking to get a little space so he can see the field and make a positive decision.
When he's played on the wing, he goes for long periods without touching the ball and then is expected to create something when he gets it. But he doesn't do well in those tight spaces. He's not an instinctual player like Tevez or Silva, who can get the ball in tight spaces and quickly riggle their way through a couple people and find a pass.
Then we finally put him at CM in West Ham, and were more in control that game than any other game this entire season (it's not his fault the attackers couldn't get the ball in the net). We never gave the ball away in the middle, which has killed us SO many times, and we were transitioning from defense to attack very quickly.
I honestly think Samir could do for us what us what Pirlo was doing for Italy in the Euros this summer. And don't tell me he can't handle the defense, because he has worked harder than any of our other attackers defensively this year. He was running inside to cover Yaya and then back out to the wing to help the fullbacks against Ajax.
SUMMARY: Nasri is a very technically gifted player, which tricks people into believing his best contribution is as a playmaker. In reality, he is being completely misused on the wing, and everything he does well game in and game out is actually exactly what we need in the middle (Not CAM, but CM).