Re: Summer transfer thread, do NOT believe everything SSN "understand" #Levytime
We don't especially need team intelligence any more than we need other team qualities.
What we need, to state the blinking obvious, is to win more points.
And, I venture to suggest, although our remaining players might not have as much football intelligence as some of those who have left, we won't rely on our players to provide 100% of that intelligence under the new regime.
Harry's MO was to allow good players to do their thing and not to interfere.
AVB will give his team more structure and tactical awareness. And that will, to an extent, compensate for the loss of some intelligent players.
Dribbling is not the same as intelligence. Dembele created a third as many chances as Modric did last season, for good reason - if you watch him regularly and follow the Fulham forums, you'll notice that they say he's brilliant in everywhere but the final third, where he's hopeless and more likely to run up blind alleys instead of spotting the key pass. Hence, he has flourished as a deep player, after starting out as a headless chicken of an AM. I'm not saying he is a bad player by any means, I am saying he has his advantages but you cannot demand him to play a role he's not suited for.
We need team intelligence. We need players who can transition instantly from defense to attack. We need players who can circulate the ball with Modric's passing range. Right now, there is no one capable of doing so, and I can only point to Liverpool's incredible fall from 2nd to 8th due to the loss of one Xabi Alonso, a player who could see past corners. (Yes I know Torres's fitness issues also played a role, but he wasn't the main reason.)
We don't especially need team intelligence any more than we need other team qualities.
What we need, to state the blinking obvious, is to win more points.
And, I venture to suggest, although our remaining players might not have as much football intelligence as some of those who have left, we won't rely on our players to provide 100% of that intelligence under the new regime.
Harry's MO was to allow good players to do their thing and not to interfere.
AVB will give his team more structure and tactical awareness. And that will, to an extent, compensate for the loss of some intelligent players.