Left footed CB? Sven Botman is our guy. Tall, strong aerially and on the ground, good passing range, fast. He’s got the lot. A bit on the younger side at 21, but he’s impressive.
Pau Torres
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
If only it wasn’t such a poor team like Arsenal to make an assessment
Arsenal banter will never get old
Is he quicker, bigger and better aerially then Lindelof?
Peter Dinklage is better aerially than Lindelhof
About the same for speed and aerial ability. He's better on the ball than Lindelof, though.
Then not a player I want
Interested to see how his battle with Cavani goes.
I noticed on fbref today, Torres actually play more passes while under pressure than both Maguire and Lindelof. Is that imteresting? I think so, players like VvD, Stones tend to play a lot of passes while under pressure (you could say they absorb the pressure) while someone like Smalling avoid it. Torres makes 30 % more passes than Lindelof while under pressure.
Even if Pau Torres is similar to Lindelof - is he better in the air than him even if its only by 5%?
Going strictly by Pau Torres' game film, he does appear to be slightly taller and better than Lindelöf in the air (though in a league that is not as physically challenging as the Premier League on a consistent basis); but that begs the question: would minor incremental gain justify a sizable investment in a market that will be hampered by the COVID-related fallout, and might there be more fit-for-purpose left-footed centerbacks out there (if that is a serious consideration for Solskjær, that is)? For example, someone like Botman possesses a lot of characteristics that are desired by Premier League clubs, and has given a good account of himself at Lille (who boast the best goals conceded per match record in the Top 5 leagues while inexplicably sitting atop the Ligue 1 standings ahead of Paris Saint-Germain), and as such, represents a viable alternative to Torres (at least in theory)...
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/c...-tactical-analysis-tactics-lille-scout-report
Mind you, Botman isn't a perfect prospect either, particularly for a team that has Maguire — looks the part as an exceptionally imposing figure, resolute in the tackling department (specializing against center-forwards who pose a vertical threat) and competent on the ball in terms of progression plays (albeit lacking the flamboyance and precision of Torres)...but not the most agile and consequently has some frailties against dribbling artists that are currently favored by the metagame (which indicates that he might be sub-optimal for schemes where he is routinely isolated vs. nifty opposition forwards).
No, he is not. Not if you go by the statistics a lot in here rely heavily on, aerial duels won, aerial duels lost and percentage of aerial duels won. But that might be too simplistic.
Villarreal conced very few goals from corners (2, only Alaves and Getafe have conceded fewer). Furthermore, Villarreal, as a team, win very few aerial duels. Among the fewest in the league. But they also lose very few aerial duels.
Pau Torres is probably their most dominant aerial player (you could argue Foyth, but he barely has minutes). So why is that if Pau Torres is so poor in the air and he is their best defender in the air?
I think it is safe to say that it is a bit more complex than just looking at stats. Team effort is obviously a big part of it. It seems safe to say that Pau Torres numbers are «deflated» due to the team he plays for. It also appear evident that Villarreal dont really struggle much defending corners.
It would be interesting to see how many of the goals Villarreal conceded were due to a lost aerial duel.
That's a nice post.
I think you are right- there is most likely a better LCB left footer out there with more better pure defensive abilities whilst Pau Torres is more the finesse based ball player. Who we get is likely dependant on who Ole wants more an attacker or a defender.
I feel Botman maybe cheaper than Torres too but maybe I'm wrong.
Watching Lille at the top of the league does make you wonder about Botman.
I wonder if the best time to judge him is the internationals coming up.
La Liga does ease it out a little for more on the floor stuff.
Yes that’s interesting since it is a league with less pressure imo.
But as you say, some players absorb, or at least attract pressure and maybe that’s why he has more passes under pressure (1.5 more per game). Or it could be because the opponent put more press on him because they know he’s good on the ball.
Overall their stats are very much alike.
Torres wins 60.7 % of his aerial duels compared to Lindelof's 63.5 %. Torres improved from 47.4 % though.
I can't see the sense in considering any CB who isn't genuinely fast. I don't really care how good he is at anything else, it should be a simple red line before starting to weigh up other qualities.
How quick is Varane?
I have not watched him this season but he used to be absolutely rapid. Hard to find anyone faster.
Since we have no left footed centre backs it might be prudent to buy a couple over the next few years. Maybe Torres this summer and Botman next?
Yeah you might well have a point there
People still saying he's not quick? He's rapid for a defender.
I would imagine we will sign one, but those sound like starting players. They dont need to be. Torres at least will expect to be starting with the amount of money it would take to sign him
If he was moving slower in these clips than he is, people would question his pace. Its fine nothing to shout about
Personally I want a starter to partner Maguire rather than someone to rotate with Bailly/Lindelof/Axel
He looked quick every game I've watched him. Especially for Spain. He man marked Sane for a bit.
Botman would be interesting too, Torres edges it for me.
I certainly didnt watch that game. But in the ones I have I can never remember him matching a speedy player going at full speed or anything like that. Can you find clips where he is?
Being an aerial monster isn't the be all and end all if you've got a partner like Maguire (or Vidic) doing a lot of the work for you.
Rio's aerial success was 63.8% so similar to Lindelof and Torres isn't that far behind, which lots of room to improve.
Rio's aerial success was 63.8% so similar to Lindelof and Torres isn't that far behind, which lots of room to improve.
What I don't get is why are we prioritising a Left footed CB when Maguire prefers the left side?
Perhaps maybe this is purely down to the fact he's more comfortable on that side compared to Lindelof and Bailly, but it seems odd to move his position in the back 4.
Even for England and Leicester he seems more comfortable on the left side.
Perhaps maybe this is purely down to the fact he's more comfortable on that side compared to Lindelof and Bailly, but it seems odd to move his position in the back 4.
Even for England and Leicester he seems more comfortable on the left side.
Lazy reading but reminds me of Lindelof. Would prefer a more dynamic and imposing CB. Maguire himself has little mobility.
Yeah, if Maguire wanted to play as the RCB he already would be, plus Lindelof played as LCB for Benfica and for us when he partnered Smalling so that wouldn't be an issue.
As far as I'm aware the main reason for having a left footed LCB and a right footed RCB is how it changes how you can play from the when the CBs split in possession. So if we were to sign someone like Torres whose primary strength seems to be ability on the ball anyway, I would imagine that's the driving benefit they have in mind.
I am not sure Maguire will be as effective from the right, specifically his running with the ball. Just like you have inverted wingers, i think Harry prefers that left side
The question of winning aerial duels is a bit misleading.
Think about Leicester's winning goal on Tuesday. To all intents and purposes, Rashford lost that duel. But the stats say otherwise.
What we need is a central defender who can use his physicality to stop duels off the ball before they even happen. Ideally, somebody like Pau Torres would have blocked the run or positioned his body to prevent Soyuncu from jumping in the first place.
Whatever the stats say about Lindelof, he doesn't pass the eye test on set pieces and aerial balls.
Think about Leicester's winning goal on Tuesday. To all intents and purposes, Rashford lost that duel. But the stats say otherwise.
What we need is a central defender who can use his physicality to stop duels off the ball before they even happen. Ideally, somebody like Pau Torres would have blocked the run or positioned his body to prevent Soyuncu from jumping in the first place.
Whatever the stats say about Lindelof, he doesn't pass the eye test on set pieces and aerial balls.
Does seem very similar in style to lindelof. I'm not a fan of such passive CBs (Lindelof's 'Never dribbled past' stat comes to mind.. ) and would prefer someone more aggressive such as Botman or Kounde.
As Izec said I'm not sure that that would benefit Maguire, he likes to drive inwards and his main long pass is the crossfield, plus I don't think playing out from the back is as big of an issue for us as lack of pace to cover the ball in behind when we push higher up is.