Vurnon Anita (now playing for RKC Waalwijk)

[Geordie Ahmed]

25.6 in the Premiership. 275 minutes over 5 games.

 

So workd out something like 42 passes every 90 minutes if my maths isn't completely horrible.

So less than Anita? Interesting

 

I rate Abeid and he would be my first choice BUT would those that point to Anita's low number of passes as evidence of him hiding say Abeid hides in matches?

[Hanshithispantz]

Anita and Colback are similar, about 43.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

25.6 in the Premiership. 275 minutes over 5 games.

 

So workd out something like 42 passes every 90 minutes if my maths isn't completely horrible.

So less than Anita? Interesting

 

I rate Abeid and he would be my first choice BUT would those that point to Anita's low number of passes as evidence of him hiding say Abeid hides in matches?

There is some sample size bias at play there. Abeid has only started one home match all season, and this was against Liverpool. Probably with Anita as well, who is usually the first player substituted in every match. This is highly irrelevant.

 

 

[Hanshithispantz]

25.6 in the Premiership. 275 minutes over 5 games.

 

So workd out something like 42 passes every 90 minutes if my maths isn't completely horrible.

So less than Anita? Interesting

 

I rate Abeid and he would be my first choice BUT would those that point to Anita's low number of passes as evidence of him hiding say Abeid hides in matches?

It's skewed due to him appearing as a sub (about a minute against Hull and 4 minutes against Stoke) and not completing 90 minutes. His average is pretty much identical to both Colback and Anita (a 3 game sample size).

[Guest reefatoon]

It's more the range of passes though. the majority of Anita's passes either go straight back to who passed to him (which he does an awful lot) or back to the nearest person.  There is no real penetration in any of them, to the point a lot of the time you could just skip him and get from A to B a little quicker.

[KaKa]

It's more the range of passes though. the majority of Anita's passes either go straight back to who passed to him (which he does an awful lot) or back to the nearest person.  There is no real penetration in any of them, to the point a lot of the time you could just skip him and get from A to B to row Z a little quicker.

[Hanshithispantz]

It's more the range of passes though. the majority of Anita's passes either go straight back to who passed to him (which he does an awful lot) or back to the nearest person.  There is no real penetration in any of them, to the point a lot of the time you could just skip him and get from A to B a little quicker.

We've seen him make more adventurous through balls and dinks over the defence when played further forward in the past, he's also shown himself to have good feet. I'm not too sure on him either, but there's been moments when he's shown far more to his game than just keeping things ticking over from deep.

[Guest reefatoon]

It's more the range of passes though. the majority of Anita's passes either go straight back to who passed to him (which he does an awful lot) or back to the nearest person.  There is no real penetration in any of them, to the point a lot of the time you could just skip him and get from A to B a little quicker.

We've seen him make more adventurous through balls and dinks over the defence when played further forward in the past, he's also shown himself to have good feet. I'm not too sure on him either, but there's been moments when he's shown far more to his game than just keeping things ticking over from deep.

 

Yep, he played a great ball through to Cabella in the first half against Stoke, but apart from that, I can't really remember anything else from him. That's the type of player he is, you could come away from watching it and easily forget he was on the pitch.  I'm sure he would flourish in a different league, as there is a player there. It's probably the problem with our midfield as a whole. No one to get hold of the game and dictate it, make their presence felt (Sissoko to an extent can) and I don't mean by hoofing people.

[The College Dropout]

Anita tends to be positioned pretty well but he's also consistently lowish on ball recoveries, tackles and interceptions.

 

Against Burnley Abeid attempted 42 passes. 55 against WBA. Only 23 against L'pool which drags his total way down.

[SEMTEX]

Until we stop consistently bypassing any deeper midfield play, his stats are going to be mediocre, doesn't change a thing about his abilities. He's never going to be flashy but he can be a very useful tool, should we ever play in a manner that utilizes central midfield.

[mrmojorisin75]

Until we stop consistently bypassing any deeper midfield play, his stats are going to be mediocre, doesn't change a thing about his abilities. He's never going to be flashy but he can be a very useful tool, should we ever play in a manner that utilizes central midfield.

 

bullshit, he's a hider SEMTEX, a fucking dirty little hider

[Guest reefatoon]

Wow, whoever it was who mentioned 'hider' seems to have got your goat up.  Coming across very emotional there.

[Pata]

Until we stop consistently bypassing any deeper midfield play, his stats are going to be mediocre, doesn't change a thing about his abilities. He's never going to be flashy but he can be a very useful tool, should we ever play in a manner that utilizes central midfield.

 

bullshit, he's a hider SEMTEX, a f***ing dirty little hider

 

Somehow the ball only flies over his head.

[mrmojorisin75]

Wow, whoever it was who mentioned 'hider' seems to have got your goat up.  Coming across very emotional there.

 

not really, but I am blown away by use of 'hider' and the presentation as fact that he doesn't show for the ball when he spent 2 years being the only player doing it at all in Pardew's fussball table team

 

Chronic stuff.

[Deuce]

I could see him at Swansea.

 

He'd do well with any team that plays possession football.

 

Someone mentioned previously that he's similar to Leon Britton/Joe Allen and I think that's an apt comparison (though I think Vurn's got more ability than either of those two).

[mozy]

Abeid gave him a lesson in how to play in a deep lying midfield role in his 3-4 game span earlier this season, that is for sure.

 

I think some people are being quite idealistic in saying CM's don't need to be overly physical, or dismissing the clear lack of prescence Anita shows on the pitch. And saying this doesn't mean I yearn for the days of Smudg 'n' Butt patrolling the midfield, just that we need better.

[The College Dropout]

We average 48% possesion. Less long balls per game than Everton and Man Utd.  12th in Short passing.

 

Hardly Barcelona but hardly Pulis Stoke. The long ball crap is a convenient excuse.

[Mole_Toonfan]

Him passing it backwards and sideways isn't pointless, far from it in fact. It pulls the opposition around and opens up space for others.

 

Sadly we don't have the players who are intelligent to take advantage of what he's doing. It's not a video game where the game goes backwards and forwards like a yo yo, you create chances by being patient and open up initial space through players like him.

 

 

[KaKa]

Really starting to despise statistics.

 

The idea that we play anything even closely resembling what both Everton and Man U do, even though they've both been struggling lately, is laughable.

[mozy]

We average 48% possesion. Less long balls per game than Everton and Man Utd.  12th in Short passing.

 

Hardly Barcelona but hardly Pulis Stoke. The long ball crap is a convenient excuse.

 

That's utterly irrelevant, you don't half hinder yourself in football discussions. In terms of a defined style of how to play, movement etc we are bottom 5 in the league, and there are some fucking horrendous teams in the Prem. 

[KaKa]

Him passing it backwards and sideways isn't pointless, far from it in fact. It pulls the opposition around and opens up space for others.

 

Sadly we don't have the players who are intelligent to take advantage of what he's doing. It's not a video game where the game goes backwards and forwards like a yo yo, you create chances by being patient and open up initial space through players like him.

 

 

 

This is such a great point, and it absolutely infuriates me.

 

The number of times he has played it to Willo, in a position where he has space to then take the ball forward a bit and pull the opposition out of place, so he can then play the ball (on the ground!) back to Anita or another of the midfielders so they can turn and be in a position to open up the pitch man!

 

Instead Willo looks at the ball in terror and just hoofs it ... he's an embarrassment.

 

Anita plays the way he does in anticipation of others continuing to shift the ball quickly over short spaces as they then look to move into better positions.

 

Everyone has to have at least a similar mentality or it just doesn't work.

[Mole_Toonfan]

Really starting to despise statistics.

 

The idea that we play anything even closely resembling what both Everton and Man U do, even though they've both been struggling lately, is laughable.

 

When Dortmund went to the CL final they averaged less than 45% the statistics are utterly meaningless.

[mozy]

Him passing it backwards and sideways isn't pointless, far from it in fact. It pulls the opposition around and opens up space for others.

 

Sadly we don't have the players who are intelligent to take advantage of what he's doing. It's not a video game where the game goes backwards and forwards like a yo yo, you create chances by being patient and open up initial space through players like him.

 

 

 

This is such a great point, and it absolutely infuriates me.

 

The number of times he has played it to Willo, in a position where he has space to then take the ball forward a bit and pull the opposition out of place, so he can then play the ball (on the ground!) back to Anita or another of the midfielders so they can turn and be in a position to open up the pitch man!

 

Instead Willo looks at the ball in terror and just hoofs it ... he's an embarrassment.

 

Anita plays the way he does in anticipation of others continuing to shift the ball quickly over short spaces as they then look to move into better positions.

 

Everyone has to have at least a similar mentality or it just doesn't work.

 

You're right, but surely the man should have the ability to adapt his game to be more effective in other areas. Either don't give it to Willo in the first place or take it upon himself to use his ability to make more ambitious and creative passes rather than the quick safe short stuff. Or at least make a point of giving Willo an earful each time he slaps it into the stand. But he does nothing, just keeps his head down and gets back into position.

[SEMTEX]

That's what he's good at, and no, he isn't a particularly versatile midfield player. He shouldn't be in our team right now because we don't play in a way that will actually utilize him. However, I'd prefer to stubbornly hope we change our style of play, rather than remove him for a lesser option. ( / keep colback in the team)

[Smal]

He's been brought up at Ajax playing the game in one way and you think he should be capable of changing that entirely?

 

He's always going to be wasted here in this setup. Shame.