Dobbs
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- Sep 2, 2015
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Even the assist was at an awkward height.Apart from the assist?
Physically brilliant with a great attitude but his final cross/decision is rank. Somebody needs to teach him a first time cross.
Even the assist was at an awkward height.Apart from the assist?
Agreed. His crossing is really bad. Aside from that, he really is brilliant.Even the assist was at an awkward height.
Physically brilliant with a great attitude but his final cross/decision is rank. Somebody needs to teach him a first time cross.
Oh Dear.Even the assist was at an awkward height.
Has been like this for years.As good as he's been, it's a bit worrying he's our main attacking threat in so many games.
Not sure if genius or botNoticed something from the game today that actually went more or less under the radar, although it was absolutely decisive in my book from Tony. Actually I don’t know if I’ve made enough posts to really be able to say ‘in my book’. Maybe it's more fitting to say ‘on my page’ (and just as valid I suppose). Well, on my page it was crucial so I figured I’d offer it up for your discerning perusal.
So it’s the 84th minute. There’s some business with Tony putting in the cross to Zlatan after Fellaini hit the post and so on (of minor importance – as with all my posts I like to keep it brief by including only the most absolutely essential information and never using any sort of unnecessary, irrelevant, pointless or unhelpful words to say something at greater length than it needs to be said. I repeat, that is a thing which I do not do). Now, speaking in the strictest terms, I suppose the ball had technically crossed the line for the goal from Zlatan’s header, but I personally was still in a great deal of doubt until Tony made quite certain of things by absolutely twatting the ball into the top corner. It says a lot about the quality of the net that it took such an impact without complaint. Admittedly, it was a close-range attempt, but Tony still deserves immense credit for the power he put behind the ball. While I appreciate that it may not be fair to award the goal to him, I’d at least like to see him get a medal of some description. Even if you take the view that you knew it was a goal when Ibra headed it in, I still think Tony deserves kudos for doing his utmost to try and get a second goal and turn a draw into a win.
It’s that kind of tenacity that makes me certain that he can keep doing this for years, although this is also to some extent because he’s an ageless cyborg created by the Ecuadorean government (initially for marketing purposes – they had to improvise when it turned out he hadn’t been programmed to smile). My cousin Vinnie has a mate who’s assured me that Valencia comes equipped with a state of the art sensor suite (he keeps editing Wikipedia to add Tony to the Ecuadorian Army page’s ‘Equipment’ section), but to be honest I’ve never trusted Paul since he didn’t pay me for five a side a couple of months back. It might not sound like a big deal but at the end of the day that sports hall’s £30 for an hour. To be honest the whole robot thing could be untrue, but at the end of the day isn’t the fact that you never really know with football exactly the reason why we love it so much?
I know what you mean, however it's a completely justified criticism that we've accepted is the norm (because of his other strengths) but just hope for better. By frequency of the opportunities alone when he gets into those areas, what 5-15 times a game (?!), he should be hitting at least 3-4 quality ones.Do people expect Valencia crosses like Beckham or what? He's a right back and a lot of right back crosses nowdays are worse than his.
Hes a right back now. He started as a right winger didnt he? Or at least an attacking right sided player?Do people expect Valencia crosses like Beckham or what? He's a right back and a lot of right back crosses nowdays are worse than his.
Completed 1 of 11 crosses. .That had to be one of the worst exhibitions of crossing you'd ever see at that level. An absolute beast physically as usual.
There's an awful lot of bollox in that second last sentence.Completed 1 of 11 crosses. .
He is absolutely diabolical in the final third for somebody who averages just over 20 touches in the final third per game. (26/97 crosses completion this season, 26.8% avg: 1.24 completed crosses p/g from 4.62 attempts. 97 out of 532 crosses for the team, accounts for around 18% of our crossing when the team is at about 30% completion). For such a low percentage play, crossing from wide areas remains a huge area of concern for the team as a whole, not just Valencia.
I get he has a bit of a **** status and is well loved (I love him and his attitude! He bleeds United) but people have to wake up and understand that this guy is absolutely rancid in the final third for the amount of time and space he gets on the ball. He rarely tries to get in behind defenses to greatly increase his chances of finding an open man and will often not even look up and just fennel a ball in anywhere he can.
It is extremely frustrating.
It was weird... he's been one of our biggest attacking weapons this season, yet in the first half we thought we'd basically just ignore his presence on the field. Bizarre.Biggest shame is we didnt use him more in the first half especially with him being vs Milner.
Rooney sub made sense.It was weird... he's been one of our biggest attacking weapons this season, yet in the first half we thought we'd basically just ignore his presence on the field. Bizarre.
Agreed.There's an awful lot of bollox in that second last sentence.
Who the feck judges anyone on cross completion? Not a stat I've often heard bandied about. Maybe name a bunch of other fullbacks who got more crosses into the box over the weekend, and completed more of them?
This ranks with another post by another poster in the Fellaini thread: "He played well but still must be sold" as the funniest post made in the forum today.Even the assist was at an awkward height.
That stat can't be true, as he completed two crosses in the build up to our goal.Completed 1 of 11 crosses. .
I also suspect getting 20 crosses in the box is a remarkable stat for a fullback. Yet it's used as a means to slag him off. Textbook agenda posting.Agreed.
If you look at Milner's crosses and set pieces, they are all lofty, slow crosses but somehow manage to find their way to a teammate. To me, it seems that Valencia can hit them pretty much which ever way, but we never manage to get on a cross. There was one instance where there was a cross perfectly placed 45 degrees out in the middle of the box, but we had four players all inside the goalies' area. We are rubbish at taking up good positions in the box. Ibra and Mata are the only ones good at it, and when Lovren had Ibra's number all game, there wasn't much danger anywhere else.
If Valencia is able to get 20 or so crosses into the box, it really speaks volumes that so few of our players get on the end of them.
In the second half as well most of the time he was standing alone at the other side while the left side was crowded, if someone just switched the sides it would've opened so much space for us.It was weird... he's been one of our biggest attacking weapons this season, yet in the first half we thought we'd basically just ignore his presence on the field. Bizarre.
He's playing a right back right now that what counts. Most right back crosses always inconsistent. Hardly we see a good quality full back can cross the ball like Baines in his prime.Biggest shame is we didnt use him more in the first half especially with him being vs Milner.
Hes a right back now. He started as a right winger didnt he? Or at least an attacking right sided player?
I would say he needs to be less predicable with his crossing, but that wont change at this stage of his career.
Shouldnt be an excuse, cos it was always a criticism when he was right wing (cept that one season where he always found Rooneys head hmm).He's playing a right back right now that what counts. Most right back crosses always inconsistent. Hardly we see a good quality full back can cross the ball like Baines in his prime.
I'm not making excuse but as a right back most of his crosses aren't worse than what a lot of right back's crosses nowdays. It seems that you are the one who makes an excuse of him used to play as a right winger but right now he's playing right back so don't expect a right back to deliver crosses like a right winger.Shouldnt be an excuse, cos it was always a criticism when he was right wing (cept that one season where he always found Rooneys head hmm).
His position has nothing to do with it, he can either do it or not. As a RW converted to a RB he should be more to do it than others.
What?I'm not making excuse but as a right back most of his crosses aren't worse than what a lot of right back's crosses nowdays. It seems that you are the one who makes an excuse of him used to play as a right winger but right now he's playing right back so don't expect a right back to deliver crosses like a right winger.
Came in to post exactly this. It seems our first thought when starting an attack is getting it wide to Valencia. We need some attacks down the left but that isn't going to happen with Darmian there.As good as he's been, it's a bit worrying he's our main attacking threat in so many games.
That stat is wrong.Completed 1 of 11 crosses. .
He is absolutely diabolical in the final third for somebody who averages just over 20 touches in the final third per game. (26/97 crosses completion this season, 26.8% avg: 1.24 completed crosses p/g from 4.62 attempts. 97 out of 532 crosses for the team, accounts for around 18% of our crossing when the team is at about 30% completion). For such a low percentage play, crossing from wide areas remains a huge area of concern for the team as a whole, not just Valencia.
I get he has a bit of a **** status and is well loved (I love him and his attitude! He bleeds United) but people have to wake up and understand that this guy is absolutely rancid in the final third for the amount of time and space he gets on the ball. He rarely tries to get in behind defenses to greatly increase his chances of finding an open man and will often not even look up and just fennel a ball in anywhere he can.
It is extremely frustrating.
You have to wonder why he was moved to right back in the first place. Lets face it, he wasn't good enough as a winger anymore and got places at right back. You can't judge him by winger standards after he changed position because he wasn't good enough on the wing.What?
So youre saying if David Beckham moved back to RB, I shouldnt expect him to continue to cross at the same ability he was because hes moved position? That makes no sense at all.
Tony V is not somebody thats always been a RB, he was always a RW. The reason its relevant is because his crossing when he was a RW wasnt the best either. Why should it change when he gets into the same positions when down the byline? If hes not getting into the positions, fair enough, but thats clearly not the case.
Theres absolutely nothing wrong with that criticism, even though imo hes been our most consistent solid player this season.