Player Watch Player Watch: Oliver Skipp

[vegassd]

Agree. We are fortunate to have fairly good squad depth, but it’s wasted if Conte doesn’t rotate a player or two here and there. As being game sharp can only happen if you play regularly.

Rotation is an interesting problem. How much game time would we consider to be playing "regularly" and therefore enough for players to keep sharp? Do we really want to play weaker players for that amount of time if we don't have to? Does the benefit of the squad players staying sharp outweigh the lack of consistency you get from a settled side? Is it worth risking dropped points now in order to be better prepared for potential injuries in the future?

If we look at Arsenal this season, they have 5 players who have started all their games (Gabriel, Ramsdale, Saliba, Saka, Xhaka) and a further 3 players who have missed only one start (Odegaard, Marinelli, White). Jesus started every game he was fit for, and Partey and Zinchenko have started all but one game they have played in.

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Whilst that is only a sample size of 1, I think it does show that you don't need to rotate in order to be successful. We could say they have been lucky with injuries and might see a drop in performance due to fatigue later on, but it's hard to argue against their output so far this season.

I think a lot of it is down to the context of the squad. What are the performance levels of our backups, and how sensitive are they to game time. I would say players like Sanchez and Moura can perform at their levels without needing to consistently play... but their levels are quite a drop on Romero and Deki so it makes sense to not use them regularly.

I suppose the other thing is that at the top level it's on the players to be ready to go. If you can only do a job if you are playing every week then perhaps you aren't ready for that level yet. Like Conte said, it's up to the players to impress him, not the other way around.

 

[Led's Zeppelin]

That’s the goal which caused me to mention the Perryman/Skipp resemblance, as well as the hustling bustling midfield donkey work.
I was there at WHL that night.
It was so busy at that time, we played Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday before that Wednesday semi final- 4 games in 6 days and I was at all of them.

We must have crossed paths at some point!

And I’ve also been thinking of how much he reminds of of Stevie P, which is a thoroughly good thing.

 

[littlewilly]

We must have crossed paths at some point!

And I’ve also been thinking of how much he reminds of of Stevie P, which is a thoroughly good thing.

I only saw Perryman in his younger days - maybe his first four years in the first team - but I see little resemblance in style, build, looks, gait, in fact anything. Those two goals were similar though - Park Lane, just under bar, keeper got a touch.

 

[nailsy]

This isn’t really an accurate comparison though is it. Skipp hasn’t broken into the national team and won the World Cup, yet.

It bonkers how much Chelsea paid for this kid, but he’s clearly a talented youngster. Chelsea seem to be a mess right now, I doubt they’ll see the best of these purchases until they’ve had another two or three managers yet.

So by the end of the season? ?

 

[C1w8]

Rotation is an interesting problem. How much game time would we consider to be playing "regularly" and therefore enough for players to keep sharp? Do we really want to play weaker players for that amount of time if we don't have to? Does the benefit of the squad players staying sharp outweigh the lack of consistency you get from a settled side? Is it worth risking dropped points now in order to be better prepared for potential injuries in the future?

If we look at Arsenal this season, they have 5 players who have started all their games (Gabriel, Ramsdale, Saliba, Saka, Xhaka) and a further 3 players who have missed only one start (Odegaard, Marinelli, White). Jesus started every game he was fit for, and Partey and Zinchenko have started all but one game they have played in.

2022-2023 Arsenal Stats, Premier League | FBref.com

Check out Arsenal's latest scores, goals, shooting, passing, defense, possession stats and more for the 2022-2023 Premier League.

fbref.com

Whilst that is only a sample size of 1, I think it does show that you don't need to rotate in order to be successful. We could say they have been lucky with injuries and might see a drop in performance due to fatigue later on, but it's hard to argue against their output so far this season.

I think a lot of it is down to the context of the squad. What are the performance levels of our backups, and how sensitive are they to game time. I would say players like Sanchez and Moura can perform at their levels without needing to consistently play... but their levels are quite a drop on Romero and Deki so it makes sense to not use them regularly.

I suppose the other thing is that at the top level it's on the players to be ready to go. If you can only do a job if you are playing every week then perhaps you aren't ready for that level yet. Like Conte said, it's up to the players to impress him, not the other way around.

This excludes the cup games as Arsenal have rotated heavily in the europa and have exited both domestic cups very early. Compare this to us where we've played seven champions league games at full strength and are still in the cup (and hopefully will still be in both at the end of next week!).

For me there's no need to rotate for rotation's sake, however if the stats show that someone is suffering fatigue, or someone is off form, that's when rotation should be in play. Son > Richarlison being the obvious one, Sons definitely the better player (to me at least!) but when the starters are not playing well the case to be rotated increases significantly,. We're not talking about rotating out peak Son, it's a very low in confidence/in poor form Son that is being rotated out. Conte does need to be impressed to put someone in the team, but that also applies to Son, who had not been impressive by any measure in almost all the games he has started, yet managed to keep a starting berth almost every week until recently. He should need to earn that spot as much as anyone else does.

Referring back to Arsenal again, Arteta has done this with Martinelli just recently - benched him because he was not firing the way he had done earlier in the season. He did this a lot quicker than we did with Son.

 

[N'Obody]

I'm surprised this thread isn't anywhere near the top. I personally felt he was our best player today. He is another one who cares. Had great touches on the ball, some really well timed tackles and played on the half turn alot as well. He's definitely showing he's capable. More than some of the others on show today.

 

[isaac94]

I'm surprised this thread isn't anywhere near the top. I personally felt he was our best player today. He is another one who cares. Had great touches on the ball, some really well timed tackles and played on the half turn alot as well. He's definitely showing he's capable. More than some of the others on show today.

I like skipp, but dont really think he did anything of note today, Tonali was a level above

 

[N'Obody]

I like skipp, but dont really think he did anything of note today, Tonali was a level above

Which is saying alot about the rest of our guys.

 

[Flobadob]

I'm surprised this thread isn't anywhere near the top. I personally felt he was our best player today. He is another one who cares. Had great touches on the ball, some really well timed tackles and played on the half turn alot as well. He's definitely showing he's capable. More than some of the others on show today.

People are just down about the team right now. I agree he’s doing very well. He’s been excellent defensively and can also be trusted on the ball in almost any situation, he’s very quick of body and mind. Gonna be a really top player for us as a DM in a 3 but I doubt the board has the foresight to hire a manager that plays a system to our players strengths

 

[muppetman]

I'm surprised this thread isn't anywhere near the top. I personally felt he was our best player today. He is another one who cares. Had great touches on the ball, some really well timed tackles and played on the half turn alot as well. He's definitely showing he's capable. More than some of the others on show today.

I think he's quality and him getting plenty of game time is one of the few positives from this season.

 

[rossdapep]

Really loved this and it's something we lack. Under pressure and in a vulnerable situation but played through it and put us on the front foot.

 

[Flobadob]

Really loved this and it's something we lack. Under pressure and in a vulnerable situation but played through it and put us on the front foot.

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You can even see Tonali’s body language after he’d played that pass like “Fuck, he’s taken 3 of us out of the game with that”. Turned what could have been a dangerous scenario with 3-4 players closing in into a good chance for us to break. The lad has it all to be a really top DM. His football IQ is seriously high, he very rarely puts himself in a bad position, he sees the game quickly both on and off the ball and makes the right decisions in the same way I’ve been impressed with the way Sarr plays, on top of that he’s got a very good burst of pace and times tackles superbly. If we’d signed him from abroad in January and he’d performed like this people would be raving about it him. So here I am, raving about him. The lads going to be a superb player for us and I think Sarr is too

 

[Timberwolf]

Honestly don't think Skipp has been a downgrade on Bentancur at all so far since he's come in.

Bentancur's had a great season but I honestly think Skipp's floor is higher if that makes sense. His ceiling might not be quite as high as Bentancur's and he's not as silky but he makes fewer wayward passes - Bentancur had a few halves this season where he just passed to the opposition non-stop - and he's just as tenacious off the ball.

Also now that he's gaining confidence he's starting to show off his passing range. Some of the long balls today were absolutely glorious - the pass for the disallowed goal especially ofc.

 

[PLTuck]

Is there anyone left that still doesn't see it with this kid?

Apparently he's a really shy quiet lad. Comes alive on the pitch though. What a player we have on our hands.

 

[joey55]

In the match day thread his passing was compared to Gullit. But, overall, the player he most reminds me of is Edgar Davids. Because they look so different and have very different characters, it's not an association that seems obvious, but in terms of style, I see so many similarities. Skipp is such an aggressive player, but he just doesn't come across like that as a person, so it's not what you expect. But he puts himself around as much as Parker and Sandro, but he's better on the ball as those two. He didn't do it much today, but in the past we've seen he isn't affraid to drive forward with the ball. If he adds a few goals per season, then he really can reach Davids levels. I hoenstly think he can be a world class DM.

 

[Athenspur]

I was Bentancur was healthy, but for Skipp Benta's injury was a blessing in disguise.

 

[bubble07]

I was wrongly doubting him when he came back looking average after his injury but skipp has all the qualities you want in a CM. He needs someone more dynamic like Bentancur/Bissouma alongside him.

 

[bubble07]

Honestly don't think Skipp has been a downgrade on Bentancur at all so far since he's come in.

Bentancur's had a great season but I honestly think Skipp's floor is higher if that makes sense. His ceiling might not be quite as high as Bentancur's and he's not as silky but he makes fewer wayward passes - Bentancur had a few halves this season where he just passed to the opposition non-stop - and he's just as tenacious off the ball.

Also now that he's gaining confidence he's starting to show off his passing range. Some of the long balls today were absolutely glorious - the pass for the disallowed goal especially ofc.

Yea those long passes were quality and that through ball to richarlison was so good. I think if he was in a 3 man midfield he would be able to play one twos

 

[Flobadob]

When he’s fit and in form I really cannot for the life of me see how you can’t see what he offers. He’s everywhere, he competes so well in every situation, he’s an 8/10 for attributes of a CM across the board other than some of the attacking ones but that’s why you put someone with more about them in an attacking sense next to him. Skipp, Bentancur and someone like Ruben Neves would be a wonderful midfield 3 in terms of balance

 

[dtxspurs]

I was wrongly doubting him when he came back looking average after his injury but skipp has all the qualities you want in a CM. He needs someone more dynamic like Bentancur/Bissouma alongside him.

Yeah, same. I think he’s significantly better than Hojbjerg. In this setup at least.