• 8 Posts
  • 36 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: October 9th, 2023

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  • Using Antony as an example:

    He was playing for Ajax. Ajax were the strongest team in a league that struggles to be ranked in the top 10 leagues in Europe.

    So he was playing for the strongest team in a weak league where a lot of the opposition teams were pretty poor.

    His teammates were some of the best in the league. He had solid defenders behind him, top attackers fo get him assists and top creators to get him goals.

    So he looks great.

    Then he moves to a team who are struggling to fight near the top of what is arguably the most competitive league in world football. The defence is struggling, meaning he is required to chase back far more. The attackers are impotent, meaning he gets fewer assists, and the best creative player (Bruno) is often forced to play out of position, meaning he gets fewer chances created for him. Add to that the fact that pretty much every single opposing left back in the league knows that he wants to cut inside onto his stronger foot now, and you get a player struggling.

    Antony would have struggled in pretty much any team in the league.

    Let’s look at your Doku example.

    I’m not sure he would have struggled as much for Man U as you expect. He was performing well in a more competitive league, for a side who weren’t the best in the league. Or even the second best. He was playing for Rennes for 3 seasons, who finished 4th last season, 4th the season before that, and 6th the season before. So, pretty much Man U’s level.

    Last season he managed 6 goals and 2 assists in the league. Season before that, 1 goal and 2 assists, season before that, 2 goals and 3 assists. Not brilliant numbers, but this season he’s already got 2 goals and 5 assists, which is a great return in a debut season in the Premier League.

    One thing you’re not factoring in when it comes to people shitting on Antony is how incredibly unlikeable he comes across as on the pitch. Doku seems to play with a smile whilst Antony plays with a scowl. As such, people seem happier to give Doku the benefit of the doubt more than Antony.