₦airaland Forum

Thecassanova:
Tackling is not everything, it's not a basic requirement for a DM.

“IF I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake.”
That is the sentiment of Italy legend Paolo Maldini, the greatest defender in football history. He can't be so wrong to agree.

That's why great DM like Gilberto da Silva & Xabi Alonso didn't need to tackle.

Choose your position and stick to it.

Thecassanova:
Actually I think what Pogba is doing now was what Kante did last season. Kante is just a workaholic that takes pleasure doing his job well.

Matic sit deep and let Pogba do the undertaker tackling work. Hence, that's why Pogba is more aggressive with tackling that get the fouls. Same what Kante did last season. Matic prevents direct run of opponent straight up, he escorts or confuse them towards Pogba or other teammates.

Core stability to the back 3 or 4 is what Matic provides, allowing the spare partnering midfielder to become free, run tackles, and go forward more. Conte & Mourinho sees that.

You said Pogba is doing the same work as Kante with an emphasis on tackling, and that Matic lets Pogba do all the tackling work.The stats say such an assertion is not factually correct.

Then you're quoting Maldini - What does Maldini have to do with Pogba and Kante? He's not even a black french midfielder who plays in England...

Ibime:
DM is about position on pitch, not about number of tackles. Kante was not DM last season, he was even more box-to-box than Matic.

Also to add, midfield has 3 elements - defence, control and attack. With enough control, you don't need to defend at all sef. That's what Xavi and Busquets built their career on - 90% control and only 10% defence. Replacing Matic with Baka means we have lost any control we had in midfield. That's why some of us are hoping on David Luiz for midfield.

4 eyes can see the exact same thing, but the two brains may not interpret them the same way. That's why I like to refer to stats when having these kind of discussions.

Tackles and Interceptions are defensive actions.

The stats say that Kante performed more defensive actions last season than Matic. The stats also say that Matic performed more offensive actions than Kante.

What I saw from Matic, I choose to interpret as an opinion that he wasn't the DM for us. The stats appear to agree with me.

Ibime:
Yes. It be like say you no know Bakayoko. You want draw blood from stone?

Total contribution was 8 goals. As long as Bakayoko contributes 8 goals this season, my canvass is confirmed. I like those terms.

Thecassanova:
Actually I think what Pogba is doing now was what Kante did last season. Kante is just a workaholic that takes pleasure doing his job and other people's.

Kante last season 3.6 tackles per game, 2.4 interceptions per game

Matic last season 1.5 tackles per game, 1.4 interceptions per game.
====================================================
Matic this season 3 tackles per game, 1 interception

Pogba this season, 1.5 tackles per game, 1 interception


I think it's obvious on these numbers alone who is doing what at both teams.

Ibime:
Bakayokos job is not to contribute as AM, and if it is, I will buy you Nike Airmax if he even equals Matics goals + assist contribution of last season.

Let me just get this clear, Bakayoko needs to equal 7 assists and 1 goal this season, and you will buy me a pair of Airmax sneakers?

Griffon:
Except that Matic is no Pogba.

Tell me about it bro.

That's why he had to go. We only needed one DM - Kunta Kante.

You see how vulnerable we look when it's Kante-Fab right there? That's the difference.

You mean like the FA cup final? or Against Manyoo at Old Trafford? or Against Spurs home and away?

Like I said then, Matic had very little defensive responsibility last season. His 1.5 tackle per game average last season compared to his 3 tackles per game this season tells the whole story. Kante and the CentreBacks should have freed Matic up, in exactly the same way he is now freeing Pogba up...but Matic only knows what to do when the other side have the ball. Give him the ball and watch bag of beans lumber around in confusion.

This is why he had to go. His skillset was no longer required. At least Fabregas still managed double Matic's assists and scored 5 league goals for us last season. And that's why Fabregas is still here.

You see what Pogba is doing now at Manyoo? That's what I was expecting from Matic last season.

When I was pointing out how Kante was our DM based on his tackles and interceptions numbers, I was hearing yarns like temple run, and big men don't tackle.

Now Matic is averaging 3 tackles a game, similar to Kante last year. It just goes to emphasize why Matic had to go - The only thing he's really good at is winning the ball back in midfield. When Kante took over that duty, Matic lost his purpose.

I am quietly confident that Bakayoko can play that Pogba role for us when fully integrated into the team. Looking forward to his debut.

Hernandez is such a sharp striker

sinizia:
Pogba will make me eat my words this season.

Rashford needs to sit up before he gets benched. See how Martial came on to take his chance clinically

Wow Pogba on fire

Just look at Abraham there

Rashford is deliberately not passing to Lukaku. Dem dey fight?

Pole Pogbar as usual.

sinizia:
Rashford is a bastard!!

I was waiting for your comment

Rashford smh

Mata is wasted on the wings mehn.

Bar!

Chai Ayew!

Come on Tammy. Do us a solid.

diggz:
2nd......I am of the opinion that Pep sorted out the areas which he felt were priorities to him during the transfer windows of last season.

Based on What evidence?

diggz:
Conte is not happy and we read it everyday,we see it through his body language etc.... however that wasn't the case for Pep last season.

If Pep can come out in the open to say cfc needed 10new players, you can agree with me be knew the number of players he wanted to get for city. He went out and got those players. Even raumdeuter was busy gloating over the way Pep was schooling teams after his first 4 games.

I have posted some past post from dayo here already as a proof.

So basically you have to hear the manager say he needs players before it's true that he needs players.

Not benching stones and playing kolarov, a left back in his position. Or benching clichy and playing fernandunho at LB. Not trying to buy Jonny Evans.

Ok sir.

diggz:
I mentioned Pep lost 4-0 to Everton and 4-2 to Leicester. As a defence for Pep, you said he didn't have the players to play is style of football after he went out to sign a 50mil defend in stones and a ball playing keeper.

I am telling you Pep decided he had enough players to start the season with. And Pep actually addressed the areas he thought were necessary not minding if those he failed to change were in their 30s.

I am telling you the coach called Pep is not a steeewpid man for buying and going after players who are about to turn 30.

So Conte is happy with his squad now.

diggz:
Bros we are talking about last season here and not this season. It is obvious he is looking for someone who can come in when kompany gets injured as usual.

Stones issue is not about being decent or not to you. Pep deemed him a very good player to fit into his style of play to buy him and that is good enough for me.


Meanwhile, do you mind explaining to me why Pep is after a 29yr old whose career should be ending when he turns 30? Or maybe you guys are the ones creating the age factor here...

This is veering wildly off tangent now and I'm struggling to understand the point that you're driving at ....unlesd You're saying Pep should win the league because he signed John Stones.

pharod:
Nihilist, this fight that you people advertised as weekend blockbuster between Hoopla and Raumdeuter, no sweet at all... I demand a full refund or you give me my money's worth.
Ginger dem, u know nah, we need blood, intestines, and brains splattered everywhere...

Raumdeuter won't give you that, so if any of those cobhams boys sold you tickets outside, sorry is your name.

Caveat Emptor. Buyer Beware.

diggz:
One of your earlier post was about manCity bringing in people from barca to implement a certain style of football. Same people were on ground when they purchased mangala for a record fee before he was shipped out the next by Pep. But that is not even the focus of the discourse.

Nihilist, you claimed pep didn't have the players to play peps style. What happened to 50mil stones and the highly rated otamendi?

I'm still not following your point. Somebody is in the market pricing Jonny Evans and you're asking me if Stones and Otamendi are adequate. Clearly Pep is questioning at least one if not both of the pair.

I mean nobody ever accused Stones of being a decent defender before

diggz:
Pep bought stones for 50mil. Had otamendi and kompany(tho not fit most of the time) and could have kept mangala which the people manCity brought in from barca saw fit enough to splash a record fee on but Pep chose to let him go.

I'm not sure what this proves.

If Mangala is not good enough for his system, then why should Pep keep him?

diggz:
Ok we are to believe that the players he met and bought couldn't play his type of football so they lost ridiculously to Everton 4-0 and Leicester fighting for survival 4-2. That's just the 2matches I can remember,not to forget arsenal.

Please I hope you have taken into account not all the players from 30 and above featured in this matches?

Gimme sometime pls, I will be back to state my opinion on this matter.

Yes pep didn't have the players to play a high line and it showed when Vardy ruthlessly punished City on the counter.

VivaLaByke:
Two weeks until the transfer window closes...Expecting Memphis Depay and Jack Colback to be presented at the Camp Nou soon,as new signings.

That would be a glorious day.

Capello arrived at a Real Madrid side in 2006, suffering one of the longest spells without a trophy in their history.

He quickly drew the disdain of Real's ardent supporters because of his defensive playing style.

In interviews, Capello responded to those critics by saying that the beauty of attacking plays was old. He said that results were much more important than playing beautifully. He also added that "those days are over".

His remit was to bring the title back to Madrid, a task that had been too much for five other coaches since 2003.

Real Madrid won their 30th league title on the final day of the season by beating Mallorca 3–1 at home. The victory was achieved after Capello substituted an injured Beckham and brought on José Antonio Reyes. Real had been 1–0 down prior to the substitution and Reyes turned the match scoring two goals.

Despite winning La Liga, Capello was sacked on 28 June 2007 due to Real's pragmatic style of play at a club with recent memories of the individualistic and free-flowing, but ultimately unsuccessful, Galácticos era

Diggz any more qxns?

diggz:
I specifically asked you that qxn bcuz it is actually the origin/basis of the entire age discourse. Dayo clearly said Pep failed due to players from age 30 and above without considering any other factor. He blamed it strictly on age and no other factor.

Are you ok with age being the only factor that led to peps failure in city last season?

Depends on how you want to look at it.

Man City had been chasing Pep for almost a decade. They went and signed several Barca staff in preparation. Infact they poached the Barca backroom so aggressively, that the Barca president was forced to shout Kilode in a press conference.

Combined with Peps comments that he would have been sacked at any other big club, it becomes apparent that league victory isn't the only parameter Pep is being assessed on by his superiors.

Don't be fooled into thinking that league title regardless of tactics equals success. Fabio Capello will tell you that such thoughts are fallacious in nature. Carlo Ancelotti will laugh you out of the room.

Pep was brought to play a particular style of football. The players he met were too old to play that style. So yes, old players were a key reason he did not win the league playing flamboyant football.

Of course, there's a counter argument that he could have adapted his tactics to suit the players he had, but if Sheik Mansour prioritized a league title at any cost, he would have kept Pellegrini or hired Tony Pulis.

The transfer trends at Etihad, and the fact that Pep is still in a job supports Raumdeuter's argument.

In conclusion, I think that there are really two questions you should be asking.

1. Could pep have won the league any which way with that squad? Possibly.

2. Could pep have won the league in the manner he is known for with that squad? NO.

diggz:
You failed to answer the qxn Bros. Their cbs were very much age ok without company.i. e stones and otamendi. Also the times kolarov had to play as a CB was down to Pep decision, no one else!

If I am to summarize or conclude on your lady post you are actually blaming Peps failure on is players age,right?

I answered you na?

Nihilist:
Man City's weakest unit was their defence. Kompany was injured most of the season, and Pep was often forced to play Kolarov, Sagna and Clichy in a 4 man defence.

Of course, there are several reasons why Pep failed, but age of the players he had was definitely a key reason.