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Individual Assessments

MaraDon

Wants you to learn about football
Keepers:
The Ups:


De Gea: Another season where this guy saves at least 20 points for United, world class and probably the best in the world atm.
Kasper: How much has this guy improved? If you asked me at the beginning of the season, he was the weak spot on Leicester first season at the PL. He has so much in his locker now, a completely different player. A great example of what a confidence boost can do.
Adrian: he keeps showing year after year that he is a great keeper, he has some questionable moments but he is so strong, so elastic, top keeper.
Cech: this guy saved us at least 15 points, world class addition to the team, and great character.
Fraser Forster: Another awesome season from the guy that should be playing at the national team. Best English keeper.

The Downs:

Courtois/Begovic
: both came to Chelsea with great pedigree, Courtois had a great 1 season but his injury and the lack of consistency at the back (Cahill dropped, Terry on his way out and not as motivated as always etc.,) hurt both of them. I expected more from Begovic when he was given a chance.
Mignolet: Another season where he showed that he is not a top level keeper, and he was awarded with a new contract, inexplicable.
Lloris: Even when playing with a great defensive system, his work with his feet is so questionable, he is a coin in the air, you never know what`s going to happen with him.

Defenders:
The Ups:


Toby Alderweireld:CB of the year, what a player, what a partner they found for vertonghen, Fierce, fast, mobile, good with his feet full of confidence, great player.
Wes Morgan: An organizer, a player that can be trusted, physical, good in the air, strong in challenges, and a personality, he stepped up big time and was not scared to prove himself at the very top.
Reid: Another great year for the all rounded defender, key player. I like the fact that he knows exactly what’s going to happen next, he is great at reading the game. He found in Ogbonna a great partner, and he helped his adaptation quite well.
Olsson:Pulis try to bench him at the beginning of the season but it didn’t work. Yes he is slow, but you can see his importance when the game gets to a point where you are been attacked by 11 players, he is a force, strong, intelligent, commanding, great, great defender. He is that type of guy that we are seeing less and less now, a proper leader.
Blind: The utility man by excellence, he can play anywhere, he can be a defender a full back and a midfielder, great player, probably the biggest addition United made since LVG.

The Downs:
Coloccini: Another season of crappiness, another season when you wonder why this guy still plays at such top level, and not to forget he is the captain of the team. He is not good enough for the PL for about 3 years now yet he is still playing.
Okore: This was his season, fully recovered from his injury we all thought he was going to be able to show his skill, yet he is a part of what’s probably the poorest team in the history of the PL, he finished the season refusing to play, much uncalled for.
Muniesa: such a letdown from this guy, he needed to fill big shoes in a team that is knowing for his defensive power, and he is still far away from what it is expected, It seems that his confidence is down now and after the disappointment in the league cup I’m not sure if he is going to continue in Stoke city.
Mertesacker: A season to forget, especially for him, terrible form and responsible for many let downs, possibly his worst and last season with us, he never settled a strong partnership neither with Gabriel or Koscielny this year, and he looks uninterested now.

Full-Backs:

The Ups:

Monreal
: What a player!, finally he blossom, mister consistency, yes we lost Sagna on the right side of our defensive system, but we won this guy on the left. Gibbs lost his place completely against an elite professional that is obligating our opposition to attack towards the right side of the field. World class player.
Cresswell: England strongest LB, excellent player, intelligent, full of power, a fighter and a very good crosser, incisive and fast, a gem that Big Sam found on the championship, he cemented his place in a very strong west ham side.
Clyne: Again, another very solid player always involved, always strong, always fast, consistent and flourishing under kloop system. Sometimes Liverpool buys well. This is one you keep.
Souaré:He adapted himself very well to the league and the demands of Pardew, great engine and physically very strong player. I like that he is always there, when he needs to be, when the ball is on his territory he is always alert.
Coleman: Another season of consistency, a guy that you don’t want to mess with, love his power, he is a bit raw technically but he is a personality, a key player for Everton.
Bellerin: Second seasons are always difficult, and if you ask me he coped with it very well, he made his competition flew in January and he is on the way up, he needs to improve his positioning and his crosses, and he doesn’t have to lose his adventure nature. Still a long way to go, but we have something very promising in our hands.

The Downs:
Debuchy
: I had great hopes for him but once Bellerin cemented his place as a starter he completely lost interest. Such a shame. It wasn’t meant to be.
Richards: He is not a footballer, his technically awful, and his attitude left a lot to the desire, never understood the hype around him.
Zabaleta: He started the season with injuries, and now he apparently lost his place with Sagna, such a shame, very hard season for him.

Midfielders:

The Ups:

Dyer- Dembele
: Partnership of the season, strong, technically sound, great in transitions, balance, speed, every single duel they are there, kudos again to Poch, he found Dyer position and he give Dembele an instrumental role when he was rotting on the bench.
Drinkwater-Kante: This one is not about creation but labor, they are everywhere, no matter where the ball is on the field, you know one of them is going to be there, either to link up with a partner on a fast direct transition or just to help pressing and defending. They work great together as well, the system suits them and they coped with losing Cambiasso with ease.
Kouyate-Noble: The amazing thing is that the former still plays for West ham, what a player, and Noble complements each other so well, if you add the possibility of Song and Obiang, Billic has an extraordinary Midfield to experiment with. I hope Kouyate goes to a better club soon. Underrated player.
Special Mention to Capoue and Barry.

The Downs:
Arsenal
: a new season started and we are left with an AM-winger converted into a DLP, Coquelin, Flamini Arteta and another AM converted into a midfielder. Not good enough, we needed to wait till January to bring a proper midfielder in the team.
Ki-Shelvey: A partnership that could have been incredible, but Shelvey poor attitude made it collapse.
Matic-Fabregas: Probably due to Mourinho expectable collapse, but this really was disappointing, from the best to having to play Obi Mikel and Ramires.
Fernando: Another awful signing from City, paying over the odds for a player that offers nothing out of the ordinary and has problems adapting himself to the league.
Milner: Expected more from him, I felt that he could make a strong partnership with Henderson, but they have let me down, maybe next season he can show more about his game.
 

MaraDon

Wants you to learn about football
Advanced Midfielders:
The Ups:


Willian:His first season on the league was perfect, yes he is not going to create numbers but he is a delight to watch, probably the best dribbler in the league. Now he is on a more central role and he is flourishing, he is adding free kicks to his game as well. Terrific player.
Özil:You don’t talk about Özil, you just enjoy him.
Kevin De Bruyne: Elite player, top top top top top top level. He can work very well as a winger and as a central player, his passing range is mouthwatering and he is very in your face. Top signing from city, and worth every penny they spend on him
Coutinho: He is growing on me, I don’t like that he is very one note, and he goes on the floor way to easy, but he is showing consistency, and that’s hard for a creative player.
Alli: another one that is not on my preference list, but he knows what he is doing, very intelligent player and undroppable for Sp**s.
Special Mention to Sessegnon and Gylfi Sigurdsson

The Downs:
Barkley
: He is a very physical player but he lacks intelligence, his technical quality is not what it used to be and there is no way he can be trusted with a role in a big team.
Mata: I like him, but he is a shadow of what he was, he gets pushed towards the wing, when he needs to be a central player.

Wingers:

The Ups:

Payet
: I watched every single game of his when Bielsa was at OM. I knew he was this good, but I also knew he was a fat lazy bastard. His season shows how important is Bielsa when it comes to fix mentally weak players. He is a beast now because he is willing to track back, to get involved and he doesn’t walk on the field anymore, He knows he is good, but he also knows that without working hard he can’t be elite.
Mahrez: what a discovery from Leicester, what an interesting player if you want to play counterattacking football, he needs to work on 1vs1 challenges, he likes to beat the man without the ball, but if he improves his dribbling and became more of an on the ball player, more involved in creation and transitions he can be elite. Let’s see where he moves now, and how he does when the bar gets higher.
Lanzini: Also know this fella since forever, since he was a kid. Always felt that when the hype was on Lamela, Lanzini was the one to watch, he can work in very small spaces and with little time he can create something out of the ordinary. I’m so happy it worked out well for him and I want to see more from him. Exiting future ahead of him.
Martial: Silly fee, but he is something special, you can see how much respect he gets from the man that is marking him, he is now an instrumental player for United, but he is no striker, he is a winger. Top level player and with the right attitude.
Arnautovic: Have a soft spot for this guy, a warrior, physically dominating, strong, technically gifted winger, game changer player. Very intelligent, very interesting winger.
Ayew: Good first season for him, he is another one that without Bielsa probably wouldn’t fixed his head out. Very interesting to see where his football can go from here.

Special Mention to Lamela


The Downs:
The Ox
: Another season that comes and goes for him, another season that we all wonder when he is going to finally explodes. I hope the best for him, but apparently Arsenal is not the team to shine.
Hazard: A shadow of what he can be, off course the Mourinho situation can’t be taken out of context but nevertheless a very disappointing season from him. At least he gave us a world class goal against Sp**s.
Depay: Very hyped, very underwhelming, apparently the guy is a clown that is more worried about the bling bling than about his football. He showed glimpses of quality but overall very poor signing by United.
Sterling:I really believe he is an exciting winger and that he can be a game changer player, but this season was not his best one, he has a hat trick and everything but he never managed to develop some sort of consistency. Terrific player when he is on the ball, but I expected more from him.

Strikers:

The Ups:

Kane:
Second season in a row where he is the most consistent striker in the league, a toy that every single club in the world wants to play with. One has to consider he has 3 very creative players behind him in Lamela erikssen and Alli, yet he creates for himself, he drops deep, he excels as a target man but he is fast and intelligent enough to break the lines with pace. He links up well his technical level is very good and he is up for a fight. In my wish list since the first time I saw him play, it hurts even more because once a kid he was a gooner. He has everything. Envy is the word I’m looking for.
Aguero: Injury prone. But the guy delivers, he is a menace, I don’t want to be a defender playing against him, he is an earthquake, power pace technical quality clinical team player, again World class player that you know is going to give you something special.
Lukaku: Yes he is raw, yes he is clumsy, and yes he looks like his first touch is never going to improve. Nevertheless he gives you numbers and a presence, in the right system the guy is pretty useful and he is improving another aspect of his game season after season. I hope he stays in Everton for another season because I feel a movement to a top club can kill his career, he is a target man, and most people are not patience enough with target mans.
Vardy: We all know who he is and what he brings to the table; I’m not a fan of him. I like more complete players, but he has gone through a very good patch so he deserves praise.
Deeney:I know ighalo is the hyped one and the guy with the most goals from this pairing, but Deeney is the one to watch, fast strong intelligent technically gifted, great player, and great addition to the league.

Special Mention to Rondon Carroll and Gomis.


The Downs:
Giroud
: Started really well but he dropped the second the team dropped, not entirely his fault but in such a big club you want a guy that is not as dependable as the team performance to perform himself. I like him a lot, but I wanted him to be a bit more consistent. We should be doing better.
Benteke: Not that I expected much from him but he got to a bigger club and he let down many people, and now with kloop`s arrival he must look for a new club if he wants to be an important player again.
Falcao: His career is over.
Enner Valencia: I expected more from him, Carroll became a central figure but now it looks that his career at the PL is over, apparently he has attitude issues as well, a shame because he looked like an interesting player.
Berahino:The entire saga was a mess. He was on the brink of signing with Sp**s, Pulis blocked the move it got ugly and it went downhill from there. A shame.

Can you do yours?
 
Last edited:

Stumped

Active Member
Milner's done well under Klopp. Not sure how he can be considered in the downs when he was a free transfer. 11 assists in the league.
 

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