Whoscored PL FB statistics

[weststandvoice]

Sorry but these "rating algorithms" are hokum - the stats accrued from games - passes made, headers won etc are all good.

But this "characteristics" thing is wildly inaccurate and possibly aimed at kids? Walker likes to dribble. No. He does not. He like likes to run like a maniac, with ball in a straight line.

Evra likes to play short passes? Oh dear.

 

[markieboy]

Jose Mourinho must pay attention to these stats because Cole has been dropped at left back......by a right back.

 

[Gbspurs]

I really rate Kyle Walker. He does the "simple" things well like shepparding the ball out of play, clearing when under pressure, heading, passing. He then excels in attacking play too. His only downside is occasional concentration issues and the odd dodgy decision but he will grow out of these.

His positional play is already miles better than it was last system but don't forget he was playing a high line for the first time. One of my favorite players and I think he will be seen as one of the top Rb's in the league this time next year.

 

[sloth]

Sorry but these "rating algorithms" are hokum - the stats accrued from games - passes made, headers won etc are all good.

But this "characteristics" thing is wildly inaccurate and possibly aimed at kids? Walker likes to dribble. No. He does not. He like likes to run like a maniac, with ball in a straight line.

Evra likes to play short passes? Oh dear.

Tell that to my Quant!

 

[Spurs1960]

they also rate townsend as the 5th best player so far this season, ahead of ozil and aguero ...

Shows how statistics can lie.

 

[ShelfSide18]

I don't like the Whoscored ratings like this, the weaknesses and strengths bit is crap really.

Nothing wrong with stats, raw data is what it is and it's for coaches, fans (whoever) to look at that data and make a judgement or observation from, to challenge a viewpoint or to reinforce one. Data like this can't be used to make these sorts of judgements without a human element in there somewhere. Is Ashley Cole weak at tackling or just very good at intercepting? Is Kyle Walker a creative fulcrum or is he just passing it to Bale or Townsend who then go and shoot from 30 yards?

As I've said before, if you just use your eyes you're driving without a dashboard, if you just use stats you're not looking at the road.

 

[dvdhopeful]

Can't agree with any of that and intelligence is a word way over used on this forum.

Lack of 'intelligence' in a football seems like a bit of a buzz word to me.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

For Walker dribbling should be added to strengths and concentration to weaknesses

I like Walker, but by my definition of dribbling I disagree with this.

 

[Lufti]

I like Walker, but by my definition of dribbling I disagree with this.

I can imagine what you mean, because he's not a skillful dribbler of the ball like Lamela. But as speed isn't an option, which is what I'm really referring to, I put dribbling. It might not be pretty, but he has a similar dribbling style to Bale ie knock it past 'em and run after it. Might not involve step-overs and neat footwork but it's still beating a man with the ball and so I guess it's still dribbling..

 

[ShelfSide18]

When Walker accidentally shins it past an opponent, does this constitute a successful dribble?!

For me the kid has his weaknesses that get talked about over and over, but I think he is of the mindset where he will minimise them through his attitude to work hard and learn, he's obviously very good in the dressing room and this human factor is something AVB takes exceptionally seriously. For me, I desperately hope to see him improve and become a very, very good player for us because he's the kind that brings the players a little closer to the fans, great attitude and seems a genuinely good lad. I'm proud to see players like him wear our shirt, but you can't just rely on sentiment - he needs to improve at both ends of the pitch. I'm sure he will, just not sure to which extent.

 

[Legend10]

He is a very very good player already.

 

[Lufti]

When Walker accidentally shins it past an opponent, does this constitute a successful dribble?!

For me the kid has his weaknesses that get talked about over and over, but I think he is of the mindset where he will minimise them through his attitude to work hard and learn, he's obviously very good in the dressing room and this human factor is something AVB takes exceptionally seriously. For me, I desperately hope to see him improve and become a very, very good player for us because he's the kind that brings the players a little closer to the fans, great attitude and seems a genuinely good lad. I'm proud to see players like him wear our shirt, but you can't just rely on sentiment - he needs to improve at both ends of the pitch. I'm sure he will, just not sure to which extent.

If it goes past the opponent and he gets to the ball first, yes.

 

[ShelfSide18]

He is a very very good player already.

I've never really thought up the criteria of a good, very good and very, very good player to be honest L10, but at the moment he is to me a good young player who will get better, I'm just not sure to what extent yet. He makes typical mistakes that young players naturally will make but that should change, but some of his weaknesses I think are a bit more ingrained and will need a lot of effort, patience and good coaching to change.

Luckily he seems a hard worker, and we have a great coaching team - I am positive about his future.

 

[Legend10]

I despair sometimes, I just don't know what people expect of FB's, do they expect them to be like Messi at one end and Beckenbaur at the other and if not they lack 'intelligence'?

So much drivel spouted using buzz words like, intelligence, pivot, double pivot, the press, blah blah horseshit that just doesn't make people sound like they understand the game, just regurgitating shit they read on rubbish websites.

Just in case you think it's at you because you made the previous post it's not at you SS18

 

[weststandvoice]

If it goes past the opponent and he gets to the ball first, yes.

Ouch.

 

[Legend10]

I've never really thought up the criteria of a good, very good and very, very good player to be honest L10, but at the moment he is to me a good young player who will get better, I'm just not sure to what extent yet. He makes typical mistakes that young players naturally will make but that should change, but some of his weaknesses I think are a bit more ingrained and will need a lot of effort, patience and good coaching to change.

Luckily he seems a hard worker, and we have a great coaching team - I am positive about his future.

And what are these weaknesses? I remember BC saying last year that he was a technically poor player, when I asked him what he thought was technique he gave some absurd answer about the ability to be able to manipulate a ball between blah blah, it was just ridiculous.

 

[Lufti]

And what are these weaknesses? I remember BC saying last year that he was a technically poor player, when I asked him what he thought was technique he gave some absurd answer about the ability to be able to manipulate a ball between blah blah, it was just ridiculous.

Decision making
Concentration
Crossing

He can do pretty much everything else and in a few years time I think he'll be one of the best right backs in the world, honestly. He has the physical and to a large extent technical attributes to be world class, he just has to put the work in.

 

[ShelfSide18]

And what are these weaknesses? I remember BC saying last year that he was a technically poor player, when I asked him what he thought was technique he gave some absurd answer about the ability to be able to manipulate a ball between blah blah, it was just ridiculous.

BCs not here at the mo L10, don't bring him into it!

I'll give you my idea on technique and intelligence, if I use any buzz words then I apologise, to me they're just words I'm not entirely sure why they offend you so much! I know what you mean in a way I guess, lots of armchair theorists and this is why, as I've discussed with you, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is as a coach!

Walker is fine technically, as are most Prem level players, for me player intelligence is decision making, the ability to scan the pitch, particularly before receiving the ball and when defending before the ball is a danger to you, so you are aware of space. This ability informs your technique, because if you know xyz is 10 yards away then you are relaxed when you take your touch, because you've built up a picture in your mind. This is why the very best players seemingly have so much time when they get the ball, because they are always building a better picture every time they look around the pitch. Ball watchers can have a good technique, but it's undermined when they don't have an appreciation of space, they are less relaxed and panic more on the ball. It's why Huddlestone and Alonso are where they are with very similar technique, it's football intelligence that separates them.

That to me is what I would define as football intelligence. Good players react to whats happening on the pitch well, the best players know what's going to happen next on the pitch. For me, Walker is in the former category at the moment.

Walker can be a bit of a ballwatcher at times, not always, but this is why I think he makes sometimes basic mistakes like bad passes, defensive lapses, arriving in the final third and not looking once to see where he's crossing it. This is not scathing criticism by the way L10, I've noticed an improvement in some of this kind of play and he is certainly not a bad player, a liability or anything, but there are areas for improvement there.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

And what are these weaknesses? I remember BC saying last year that he was a technically poor player, when I asked him what he thought was technique he gave some absurd answer about the ability to be able to manipulate a ball between blah blah, it was just ridiculous.

If technique (in the footballing context) isn't what a player can do with the football what is it ? I'm intrigued. Please give me your "non ridiculous" idea of what it is.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Whoscored has a rating algorithm which calculates an over-all performance score for players. Facxtors which the consider include on field actions such as tackles, passes, dribbling success etc, and also other factors such as concentration. It keeps a data-base of these factors with which it can then compare individual players to their peers in the PL, from which they can then say whether compared to the average they're Strong, Very Strong, Weak, or very Weak, or simply unremarkable. Given the debate on here I thought it would be instructive to look at the whoscored ratings for FBs in the PL. Because I have a stake in the debate I'll not to put a slant on the facts in this OP and debate with the best of them in the comments section.

In no particular order:

Leighton Baines

Branislav Ivanovic

Pablo Zabaleta

Kyle Walker

Bacary Sagna

Ashley Cole

Patrice Evra

As I have said several times now, in the context of the EPL Walker generally comes out OK. What does that mean though. How many top quality RB's are there around right now in the EPL. Whoscored's rather arbitrary rating system has Villa's RB Bacuna as better than Walker, and Glen Johnson as the best in the league, even the rooky Clyne is scoring almost the same as Walker, as are others like Coleman, Ward and Rangel etc. Surely any arbitrary ratings system that says Walker has no weaknesses and is scoring "better" than Cole, Zabaletta, Sagna has to be treated with a liberal dose of scepticism.

As we can see from other samples of Whoscored's fb's ratings, Walker's rating not exactly extraordinary and I think could also be enhanced by the club he's at and the players he's playing with as well.

Nathaniel Clyne 7.24

Seamus Coleman 7.25

Leandro Bacuna 7.32 RB Villa

Glen Johnson 7.82

Angel Rangel 7.13

Luke Shaw 7.02

Billy Jones 7.04 RB West Brom

Joel Ward 7.28 RB Palace