Brwned
Have you ever been in love before?
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It doesn't seem to stack up very well with the figures that I've come across, nor with my own subjective impression when watching games. Which makes this kind of attitude kind of puzzling to me...
Toure would be in many people's lists for one of the best midfielders in PL history, at his peak. As far as I can see the conversation people are having about Pogba now is almost exactly the same as the one about Toure a few years ago, other than the fact Pogba's about 5 years younger and has immaturity added on top. Thankfully he also has more talent, and hopefully he's more receptive to coaching.
The below article is a really good summary on some of the facts about Toure's running - it paints a much more nuanced picture of the story than many of us really consider. Some of the figures are surprising, some illuminating, and ultimately what it shows is there are pros and cons to the approach and it depends on the manager to decide how to weigh the up. The similarities to Pogba are very apparent.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...s-and-the-truth-behind-his-man-city-work-rate
I don't know where you can find distance covered stats for the whole season, but here's his distance covered stats in the UCL. It works out at about 10.7km per 90 mins, which is more than Toure in 15/16 (10.4km) and in between the likes of Fernandinho (10.9km) and Casemiro (10.5km) this season. I think that seems like a fair reflection of their average distance covered in all games, rather than that sample. It'd be interesting to see the sprint figures to add more nuance to the story in the way it did for Toure in the above. I think Pogba's probably not doing so bad on that front either.
If you look here, de Bruyne is covering about 12km per 90 mins, so there's no question that attacking players can contribute more as individuals (which based on the above statistics, has always been one of de Bruyne's strengths) and systems and managers can get that bit more out of players (which is evidently one of Guardiola's strengths).
I think it's reasonable to expect Pogba and Mourinho to improve on the latter. The way we're currently set up simply doesn't demand players to cover the kind of ground Guardiola teams do. I don't think it's reasonable to expect Pogba to improve on the former. Some players just aren't built that way. The idea that Pogba is the only player that has ever been afforded the luxury of running less than their midfield partners is absolutely ludicrous.
*For the record, Messi runs about 8km per game these days. The intensity of their running is very different, but it's worth establishing just how wide that range of distance covered is. 8km for Messi, 12km for de Bruyne - I'd imagine they're at the upper and lower limits. Pogba is much closer to the upper limit.
Thoughts?
At best, what many people are saying is to let him play like Zidane or Yaya Toure, not to have Messi-like* freedom in midfield.Absolutely spot on from him , despite being scouser he is one of level headed pundit out there.
There is no CM in this world , in this history of football whom are free from defensive duty , whole "free pogba" by putting top DM beside him so he doesn't need to defend at all are bollocks
...
Pogba only stroll around when we didn't have the ball nowadays & that's unacceptable
Toure would be in many people's lists for one of the best midfielders in PL history, at his peak. As far as I can see the conversation people are having about Pogba now is almost exactly the same as the one about Toure a few years ago, other than the fact Pogba's about 5 years younger and has immaturity added on top. Thankfully he also has more talent, and hopefully he's more receptive to coaching.
The below article is a really good summary on some of the facts about Toure's running - it paints a much more nuanced picture of the story than many of us really consider. Some of the figures are surprising, some illuminating, and ultimately what it shows is there are pros and cons to the approach and it depends on the manager to decide how to weigh the up. The similarities to Pogba are very apparent.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...s-and-the-truth-behind-his-man-city-work-rate
With Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini defending Yaya Toure’s work rate, we examine the stats.
Yaya Toure. Everyone has an opinion. A Champions League winner with Barcelona, a two-time Premier League champion with Manchester City and a four-time African player of the year, his quality is beyond question. And yet, he continues to attract criticism for his apparent lethargy.
That ambling stride means that if City slip up he's rarely far from people's thoughts when it's time to apportion blame. Even in games where a moment of majesty is produced, as was the case on visits to Arsenal and Watford either side of Christmas, the compliments tend to come with a caveat.
"Yaya gives very good play to our team," Pellegrini told reporters. "He does not only score important goals. I think he is a very important player. A lot of media criticise his body language and the way he runs, but, if you had all the statistics of Yaya after every game, he is the one player that runs more."
So what is the truth? Premier League tracking data suggests Toure is covering the ground. He averages a perfectly respectable 10.42 kilometres per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Man City midfielders - Premier League 2015/16
Player Distance per 90 mins
That's the same as attacking full-back Aleksandar Kolarov. It's also more than midfield partner Fernandinho and even flying forward Raheem Sterling. It's an indication of Toure's deceptive ability to haul those long limbs around the pitch. He might look like he's strolling but he's not standing still.
- Fabian Delph 11.7km
- Jesus Navas 11.6km
- Kevin De Bruyne 11.4km
- Samir Nasri 11.3km
- Fernando 11.2km
- David Silva 10.7km
- Yaya Toure 10.4km
- Fernandinho 10.4km
However, Pellegrini's defence of his player does not tell the whole story of the statistics. Where the difference lies is in the intensity of the work that Toure is doing. This Premier League tracking data defines a sprint as a run of over 25.2 kilometres per hour and the results are revealing.
For example, while Sterling covers less ground in a game, he sprints far more. The England international averages 70 sprints per full match. Kolarov makes 57 such sprints and even Fernandinho breaks into 47 of these high-intensity runs for every 90 minutes on the pitch.
Toure is the anomaly. Despite his role at the heart of the action, he is averaging only 26 sprints per 90 minutes this season - the fewest of any outfield player at the club. Manchester City's goalkeepers do sprint less often than that - but not by much.
Man City midfielders - Premier League 2015/16
Player Sprints per 90 mins
Against Sunderland recently, Toure made just 10 such sprints in 62 minutes. Fabian Delph, who replaced him, managed twice as many sprints in less than half the time on the pitch. These numbers aren't just unusual at City. These are standout statistics among the entire Premier League.
- Fabian Delph 79
- Jesus Navas 68
- Kevin De Bruyne 64
- Samir Nasri 60
- Fernando 47
- David Silva 46
- Fernandinho 45
- Yaya Toure 26
Toure's age is a mitigating factor but comparisons with other veteran midfielders do not flatter the Ivorian. The 34-year-old Gareth Barry, hardly the sprightliest of players even during his City pomp, has made more than 26 sprints in each and every one of his appearances for Everton this season.
Clearly, Toure's lack of intensity is no myth. But what will matter to Pellegrini is whether this approach is the right policy for the individual, particularly at this stage of his career. There is some evidence to suggest that the midfielder is managing his body reasonably well.
Toure has made at least 44 appearances for club and country in each of his five full seasons as a City player. He's 33 in May but has already featured 27 times for City this season and with the club still in three cup competitions, he's on course to top 50 games again in 2015/16.
Yaya Toure has started 27 games for Manchester City this season - no team-mate has been in the starting line-up more often.
These are not insignificant numbers for a player of his age and invaluable experience in a Premier League that already appears to be troubling Jurgen Klopp when it comes to demanding a high workload from players. Getting Toure onto the field and keeping him there is half the battle.
Tellingly, Toure's ability to pace himself has meant he's still been there in the big moments. Four of his last five City goals have come in the final 15 minutes of matches. Some have been penalties but others have been sublime strikes - namely those recent goals at the Emirates and Vicarage Road.
There are alternatives. The prospect of utilising Toure in shorter bursts, as Pellegrini did with Frank Lampard, must be tempting for the bigger European matches where City cannot afford the luxury of playing the waiting game for their star man. But right now, Toure simply remains too important.
Only four players in the country have completed more passes in the opposition half than Toure this season and City's record without him is not encouraging. A five-game winless streak while he was on Africa Cup of Nations duty this time last year ended City's Premier League and FA Cup ambitions.
"He is the midfielder where there are the most amount of passes, trying to make the last and decisive pass," added Pellegrini. "So I think he is very important." The midfield powerhouse who cannot sprint. And the Manchester City club legend that his manager still cannot do without
I don't know where you can find distance covered stats for the whole season, but here's his distance covered stats in the UCL. It works out at about 10.7km per 90 mins, which is more than Toure in 15/16 (10.4km) and in between the likes of Fernandinho (10.9km) and Casemiro (10.5km) this season. I think that seems like a fair reflection of their average distance covered in all games, rather than that sample. It'd be interesting to see the sprint figures to add more nuance to the story in the way it did for Toure in the above. I think Pogba's probably not doing so bad on that front either.
If you look here, de Bruyne is covering about 12km per 90 mins, so there's no question that attacking players can contribute more as individuals (which based on the above statistics, has always been one of de Bruyne's strengths) and systems and managers can get that bit more out of players (which is evidently one of Guardiola's strengths).
I think it's reasonable to expect Pogba and Mourinho to improve on the latter. The way we're currently set up simply doesn't demand players to cover the kind of ground Guardiola teams do. I don't think it's reasonable to expect Pogba to improve on the former. Some players just aren't built that way. The idea that Pogba is the only player that has ever been afforded the luxury of running less than their midfield partners is absolutely ludicrous.
*For the record, Messi runs about 8km per game these days. The intensity of their running is very different, but it's worth establishing just how wide that range of distance covered is. 8km for Messi, 12km for de Bruyne - I'd imagine they're at the upper and lower limits. Pogba is much closer to the upper limit.
Thoughts?
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