NSIS
I'd have said Cabaye but while he disappeared over both legs Cisse turned up.
Why only consider the two matches with Benfica? How about the likes of Ben Arfa, Mbiwa, Cabaye (indeed) or Krul? If anything I'd say the big clubs will look at Cisse's lack of consistency and steer well clear.
Ben Arfa, too injury prone. Mbiwa, hasn't shown enough yet. Cabaye, too many times he has games like against Benfica.
Didn't think about Krul, maybe.
Cisse is the most likely, Bayern were strongly interested before he came here.
Well, if I was the manager of a "top club" I would look at the chances Cisse missed in those two matches you conventiently use to discard Cabaye as a stronger candidate to succeed at a higher level and think his 'erraticness' may have cost us the tie..
Yeah but you have an agenda. He had two excellent all-round games in both legs and was desperately unlucky not to score more than the two he got.
What is my agenda?
You don't like him. Because he's an erratic instinct goalscorer rather than a shilky Dutch mashter with great allround technical ability you will consistently criticise him.
I do like him. He seems a good character, and he brings important qualities to the table, especially for a side like us that isn't exactly overflowing with attacking talent. People who have been saying he needs to be played centrally in 1 4-3-3 have been proven correct, that appears to be his best position, and I can even stomach the stereotypical "give him service and he will score" to an extent. But I also have big worries about him, the main ones being:
- he doesn't score enough and neither do our other players to be able to afford to play a 4-3-3 with him as a lone striker for us to challenge for Europe consistently, which is where I want us to be. This season his own chance conversion ratio is nowhere near good enough, and it's cost us many valuable points.
- he is purely a converter of chances, not a creator. He seems unable to fashion a chance for himself out of nothing other than by speculative long range efforts, or to create chances for his team mates.
- he seems to lack intelligence in certain situations, i.e. staying onside or showing composure by laying it off when somebody else is much better placed, which often breaks down our play.
- physically he isn't exactly commanding, meaning for example he is hardly ever a threat from set pieces or gets into a goalscoring position unless he isn't tightly marked.
Now I know this goes against popular opinion, but it's the way I see it. We heavily rely on him, because we have no realistic alternatives, and I hardly want him gone or anything, but I do feel he is overrated by many on here..
I think you're underrating him He's playing in a team that has no idea how to mount a decent attack.
Not many strikers would do well in that sort of tactical climate, yet he's making a damn good job of it!
