| Yeni 00:29 - Aug 23 with 7998 views | Watford_Ranger |
We've had this bloke for over a year now. I've seen him play on the left, on the right and behind the striker and still don't know what sort of player he's meant to be.
Maybe there's some potential there that I can't see but can someone explain to me what he's good at? Is one year too soon to judge? |  | | |  |
| Yeni on 16:58 - Aug 24 with 933 views | WestbourneR |
I think he has some exceptional talents compared to a lot of the players in squad - really class player with a soft touch, glides across the pitch and can really strike a cross or shot or free kick.
My issue is his on pitch attitude is still parked on the pedestrian pace of Ligue 2 (France, keep up at that back) - he never grabs a game by the scruff of the neck and ups the tempo. He rarely tries to beat a man down the outside.
Only one game last year (at home, can't remember who against) did he come and play a decisive role playing at full energy. He scored a good goal I remember.
I think that if he applies himself he's one of our most talented forwards - but he'll never be a grafter (like Washington, who has little else...) |  |
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| Yeni on 17:56 - Aug 24 with 869 views | francisbowles |
| Yeni on 15:09 - Aug 24 by Hunterhoop |
You know what, Simmo, Francis, I'm going to completely disagree with you. I think it's an entirely inaccurate summary.
On the ball Yeni looks perfectly good enough for this level. His close control, shooting, crossing, etc, is absolutely fine. In fact, wherever we play him, he looks fine, once he actually has the ball at his feet (even head to a lesser degree). He can put crosses in like on Tues; he can go past players and put it in the net (home last season), and he can hit a good free kick.
However, and this is where he is completely different to Wszolek, and why he is completely inferior, off the ball he is woeful. Whether we have possession or the oppo have it, Yeni plays like he's never watched football properly, from within "the system" (professional clubs, etc" or even as a fan. He is completely unable to read a game. When we have the ball he stands still SO MUCH! He watches the game and players go by, he rarely finds space to revive a ball to feet. Countless times when he's been played wide he's failed to back out to the touchline to find space for a colleague to play him a pass, or make a run in behind, or go on the overlap if the fullback carries the ball past him. It's like he just genuinely doesn't know the basics about where to run when, without the ball.
It's the same when we play him up top or down the middle behind a forward. He never gets on the end of a knockdown. He's always in a crowd and very difficult for a team mate to find with a pass to feet. He just looks a yard away from where he needs to be as a forward.
Without the ball, he just doesn't get close enough to oppo players to win the ball. I'd love to know how many tackles he's made since he's been here. I reckon Luongo makes more in 3 games.
So good on the ball, a complete novice off it.
The problem for me is, whilst the latter can be trained, it's an awfully long process. If you haven't learn it all through a proper, professional youth team set up, you'll only learn it with game time at a professional level, not from playing U23s. They'll be too much time and the standard too physically weak for him to learn there. His technical ability will see him through.
In our situation, with our lack of funds, I'd either shift him on for a price, or send him out on loan to League 1 until Jan. He'd learn loads there and could come back a much better player equipped with thecawateness and positional sense to succeed. I just don't see how a combination of U23s, cup games, and sub appearances at the end of games in the Championship will teach him much.
There may or may not be an excellent player in there, but he needs to learn the game, IMO. I'm not sure we have the luxury of carrying him whilst he does.
Eze, for the snippets I've seen, seems to have far more of a "football brain".
Wszolek, whilst being too selfless for his own good, is a great example of a player who understands the game very well. He knows how to find space, where to be to be open for a pass, how to use his body when shielding the ball, when to cross...he actually looks up before crossing! In short, he has all the awareness and positional sense Yeni lacks. And it's that, not their technical ability to cross it onto a sixpence, that separates them out. It's usually that which separates the better players out.
And it's one of the main reasons, I rate Luongo so highly. His tackle count isn't so high by fluke. He reads the game and knows where to be. |
Thanks Hunter, all interesting points and very thought provoking. Can't find anything to disagree with and if we get through Saturday without any injuries to our forward players, it may well be a good idea to loan him out for experience of the 'English game'. | | | |
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