- May 20, 2005
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There's no way JJ will play the DM role, it would be a waste. I'm going to be very interested to see his progress next season, as others have said I think this is crunch time for his Spurs career.
Interestingly I think we saw what a seriously fit JJ is capable of in the period that begun shortly b4 Christmas and culminated in the CC Final. With Alvaraz et al we'll see a very different approach to our fitness this year, I know people said we did a pre-season, mid-season but that's not really possible, it was more of a sticking plaster to compensate for our complete lack of fitness on arrival. I also think that Jol's approach (and you have to say it was successful) was to start gently and let the season's rigours toughen up the side meaning a strong finish ala 2007. Ramos' philosophy is very different, he likes to hit the ground running and keep sprinting throughout the season, using a strict and scientific training regime coupled with rotation in-match to keep his player's fit. It was the mis-match of the two - Jol's pre-season, with Ramos mid-season - which led in part to our burn-out and lacklustre performances late on imo; you could visibly see the difference, it was as if the players used a burst of energy in the middle and couldn't sustain it until the end.
Anyway, if JJ can maintain fitness and stamina for an entire season I for one won't be surprised to see him nail down a role in the CM, both for us and possibly even for England.
According to Chris Houghton (and pro zone), JJ ran further per game than any other player in the Prem during the 2006/7 season. So, in terms of seeing how he'd do at peak fitness, I think we've probably seen it. Also, he made more tackles, created more chances and made more passes during the first 10 games of the season than at any other time of the season. So, it's unlikey his fitness in anyway effected his game. A more plausable explanation would be that he suffered from the same inconsistencies that he has throughout his entire career.
Every season we seem to have the same JJ debates and opinions on him change like the wind. This is because his form also changes like the wind. Every season we talk about him becoming that quality goal scoring midfielder we lack, but every season he stagnates at around 5 or 6 goals. It was suggested that this season will be a crunch season as he is 3- or 24, but infact he's 25. I made the same suggestion about him last season, as did others. He's certainly our best midfielder and doesn't deserve the criticism he gets at times, but he's definitley one of those players that people spend too much time theorising (if that's a word) over, rather than judging him what he actually does. DC Boy touched on when he mentioned it's unfair to say he should be a world class player. People talk too much about what JJ could be or should be, rather than what he is and will probably remain - decent but not fantastic.