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Crucial to our chances
With enough booze and a standard resolution broadcast, I can find it hard to tell Kane and Eriksen apart at times.
Think I'll just about be able to distinguish between Winksy and Sissoko though.
Indeed. Just chatting about him in another thread... Exiciting to have him back in the mix.
Great news of course, but why is that helmet Lyall Thomas reporting it like it's his own inside scoop or something? Winks himself said he would be ready ages ago and he's been pictured back in training for over a week. Pretty much every man and his dog knew he was going to be fine for the final ffs.
Our midfield when fit is as good if not better than Liverpool's.
Right now if Kane if all are fit there are 2 choices.
Aurier or Trippier, Son or Moura?
My view is Moura will start simply because he and Alli run beyond Kane.
I just think Moura will start.
Right now if Kane if all are fit there are 2 choices.
Aurier or Trippier, Son or Moura?
My view is Moura will start simply because he and Alli run beyond Kane.
I just think Moura will start.
And the thing is their fans don't even realise it.
Finally this lack of dues we've had could end up working in our favour.
Serious question: why is Winks so highly rated?
Don't get me wrong, I like seeing him play, because he clearly wants to put a lot effort in.
But, contrary to strikers which can easily be rated based on their goals, I am not able to pinpoint something that Winks is really very good at.
In my eyes he's not for example the athletic speedster, or the frequent dribbler or even someone with far reaching key passes.
I do realize he wont be dispossessed of the ball under pressure easily because he has an excellent pass percentage (even though to be honest his passes are seldom risky anyway).
So can anyone help figuring out why Winks is so highly rated, because I can't find a decent stat that tells so.
(It could well be his 'magnificence' doesn't translate into stats so that's why I'm asking)
Don't get me wrong, I like seeing him play, because he clearly wants to put a lot effort in.
But, contrary to strikers which can easily be rated based on their goals, I am not able to pinpoint something that Winks is really very good at.
In my eyes he's not for example the athletic speedster, or the frequent dribbler or even someone with far reaching key passes.
I do realize he wont be dispossessed of the ball under pressure easily because he has an excellent pass percentage (even though to be honest his passes are seldom risky anyway).
So can anyone help figuring out why Winks is so highly rated, because I can't find a decent stat that tells so.
(It could well be his 'magnificence' doesn't translate into stats so that's why I'm asking)
Not going to look through all the stats but I do remember there was one against RM where he out passed Modric.
Winks is by far our best passer (Eriksen for me is only better in the final third than Winks), that’s why he is so highly rated, we don’t function as a midfield that well when he is not around because we have no one who can dictate the game from the centre. He is good in tight space, retains the ball well under pressure (although Liverpool will be a big challenge) and can either slow the game down or speed it up with his passing range and football intelligence.
He is the closest thing we have to Modric/Carrick.
Short answer: He keeps things ticking in midfield and doesn’t lose/squander possession where other players in his position would (see Dier, Wanyama etc.)
He controls a game.
Quite simply that's what he excels at. In a year and a half he's controlled games against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man City and Chelsea to name but a few of the so called big clubs.
You only have to look at our results since Winks has been out injured to see where we've gone to absolute shit.
In our last 13 games of the season, Winks missed 12 of them through injury, here's how we did with him out:
Won: 3 (Huddersfield (20th), Brighton (17th), Ajax)
Draws: 2
Lost: 7
Stats can be useful when proving a point and they'll prove to you that Winks' tackle and interception stats aren't the best for a player who predominantly plays deep midfield (he's been played out of position practically all season), but his passing stats and pass completion will tell you that he's one of the best in the country at what he does.
Arthur over at Barcelona is another one where stats don't really do him justice. Fantastic footballer. Highly praised by many who have watched him this season yet he makes even LESS tackles and interceptions than Winks. Has been involved in the same amount of goals this season (1) and passing statistics in general are pretty much identical.
Getting the right personnel around him as well as someone to challenge him to be even better is essential this summer.
Though if you're going by stats, we could all sit here and wonder how the fuck Sissoko has been rated so highly by our own fans and how on earth he was in contention for our player of the year because his stats are dreadful.
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I was going to go into a more extensive list of Winks' injury history this season (and how it correlates with our form in a pretty stark way) but I see
Totti
covered that pretty well.While the 'we play better without Kane' narrative seems to pop up every time he gets injured, I think the unsung hero this season has been Winks. Sissoko's ever-presence and amazing improvement has overshadowed it massively, but looking at the timing of Winks' injuries is really interesting:
Harry Winks - Detailed stats
This is the performance data of Harry Winks of Sampdoria Genua. It shows the data (goals, bookings, etc.) at {vereinsZuweisung} in the 18/19 season.
He played every PL game until his groin injury at the end of February before missing every subsequent game other than the 2-0 win over Palace. His final two games in February were the losses against Burnley and Chelsea (however he may have been playing through pain during these) but if you look at the table before that (i.e. matchday 26 where we beat Leicester 3-1) we were doing fantastically: sitting in third on 60 points - 9 ahead of United and only 2 behind City. We know what happened next...
11 points from 10 games, and Winks helped get 3 of those in the first game at NWHL.
It used to be the case where we would go off the boil completely when Eriksen was missing from the squad, but I actually think we've looked like we can cope without him more now (good news considering how this summer transfer window may well pan out). Winks looks like he's taken up that mantle somewhat.
I'm honestly so much more focussed on Winks being fit to start the final than Kane. Kane only coming off the bench would be fine comparatively.
'Cant find a decent stat'
jesus christ
Yep correct. Simple really.
At his best Wanyama destructed play and moved it simply. Winks does not have that physical presence (see Sissoko now for that) but he gives and goes and usually retains possession which is crucial.
We need him to move the ball quickly, which release Eriksen and Alli to do their bit further forward.
In saying that Alli (unlikely) but could be the loser if all players are fit, which I had not previously considered.
I'd just like to echo everything else has said on here about Winks and to add that for me he always seems to inject a bit of pace in our play.
TBH I don't see that in Skipp, I know he's younger and can improve.
On saying all that I thought Holtby was a cracking player, so what do I know.
Let me be clear: I do rate Winks but I wasn't able to back it up with simple stats, because Winks likely is a player where stats don't do justice to the impact he's having. That's why I asked the genuine question.
Hopefully it didn't come across as "Why on earth do people rate Winks, he's garbage", because that's not what I meant
Excellent turning radius and skill in close quarters that helps him evade the opposition press. He passes efficiently and quickly and improves the first phase of our transition game tenfold. He’s well clear of all our other CMs in this regard.
Very mobile compared to your average regista so he’s quick enough to cover gaps, and dribble if he chooses to over 10-20 yards. Defensive awareness improving all the time. His passing variety is strong, a threat to hit a longer diagonal or acutely between the lines.
Tactically in attack, he acts as a conduit and a pivot so the team can change angles quickly due to his above qualities.
He’s a very talented individual but from an intangibles perspective, he’s so fully COYS.
Hopefully a viable alternative will afford him the chance to recover without one eye on rushing back..... We could really do without subjecting all our key players to Kane-syndrone.
Edit: This is another reason I object to selling Lamela without direct and EPL-ready replacement.... At least if CE ever get's crocked we have another player who can play as a classic #10 in a 4231.
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