AbouCuéllar
Author of A-M essays 📚
Have they? Pepe has always done well in Ligue 1, it's no surprise, Tavares looks exactly the same player for Marseille, but again, Ligue 1, Laca same thing, Ligue 1, and Willian was never terrible or anything, he just wasn't the level required here...as I mentioned to you in the other debate he actually had more goal / assist contribution in that first 14 games of 2020-21 than Pepe, we were just a **** team then, honestly, with no creativity or ability to transition and construct, nor linking defence to midfield nor midfield to attack, no level whatsoever there. Auba he had a good little run in an easier league with some level of creative talent around him, when he was no doubt super motivated, and since then has returned to the exact same level we saw from him last season.We’ve sold some good players who didn’t work under him and they’ve shown that they’re actually nowhere near as bad as they looked here. Willian, Laca, Auba, Tavares and even Pepe have looked better since leaving. Willian is the most surprising because I was so convinced he was the most finished guy I’d ever seen.
But Willian, yeah, he can't beat a man nor create interesting situations with his dribbling, nor does he have much physicality at all in pressing, but he's technically sound and makes good enough decisions in the final third and in association and passing, it's not surprising he's doing decent at a mid-low table premier league club.
I think there's a bit of exaggeration here...I would re-state it more like: a juego de posición style played at the highest level (challenging for Premier League / best league in the world title, Champions league) requires unique combinations of attributes for all players. You just can't make this style work without top players in every position, it's why it makes more sense for teams at a talent / economic disadvantage like Atléti to play a different style, and it's why Arteta went for a different style while slowly implementing his concepts, because he knew we were at a major talent disadvantage and didn't have the quality in many positions necessary to play that style with real success.*Arteta’s system is very, very specific and requires unique (combinations of) attributes for certain players.
*factor underestimated by all during this process, including myself.