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Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa joins AS Roma then Lyon

KaKa

by KaKa
in Football

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themanupstairs

themanupstairs

Posted
Posted

At one point in the corner flag, and still gets out

 

Aye. It;s all about decision making rather than ability. Such small margins in football. Boot that out for a corner or a throw in and put pressure on your team. Of course sometimes that is necessary, but having the presence of mind to take the pressure off and transition onto the front foot is an attribute worth it's virtual weight in gold! Very Colo-like.

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Mole_Toonfan

Mole_Toonfan

Posted
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At one point in the corner flag, and still gets out

 

Aye. It;s all about decision making rather than ability. Such small margins in football. Boot that out for a corner or a throw in and put pressure on your team. Of course sometimes that is necessary, but having the presence of mind to take the pressure off and transition onto the front foot is an attribute worth it's virtual weight in gold! Very Colo-like.

 

And we all know how dangerous throw ins are in the wrong hands !

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Mr Logic

Mr Logic

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Love players who can read the game well and are masters in the art of intercepting the ball. Imagine a Mbiwa-Colo partnership mopping up balls all day long, opposition nary having a sniff at goal. Really looking forward to seeing this lad play.

 

Would be good if they had an offensive minded team with numbers prepared to get up the pitch, won't be much good with two regimental lines of four.

 

:mou:

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hakka

hakka

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If he's partnering Colo, I just hope he's decent at defending set pieces. I don't think they figure quite so much in French football, so that's my only concern.

 

If Mbiwa can hit the ground running and with Colo as his partner, it will be a fantastic upgrade on Williamson, who should only ever be needed for 5 to 10 games a season max.

 

Fingers crossed we keep Colo until the summer and he stays fit.

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Skirge

Skirge

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If he's partnering Colo, I just hope he's decent at defending set pieces. I don't think they figure quite so much in French football, so that's my only concern.

 

He could defend a small country all on his own.

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Darth Crooks

Darth Crooks

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From a scouting report on Yanga-Mbiwa from about a year ago - http://www.theelastico.com/2012/02/mapou-yanga-mbiwa/

 

Although physically defined, at 184cm (6’0) and 77kg (12stone), Yanga-Mbiwa is by some distance neither the biggest nor the broadest defender that Ligue 1 has to offer. However, blessed with pace, power and strength, the defender makes excellent use of the physical attributes that do fall in his favour to nullify the lost inches. As demonstrated in the videos below, the speed at which the Montpellier man can move across the ground makes a footrace fairly one-sided on most occasions, whist his powerful stride and toned physique mean that the man born in Central African Republic packs an impressive leap when it comes to aerial duels.

 

However, countless defenders worldwide can boast exceptional physical attributes, thus it is in both the mental and physical dimensions of the game that the 22-year-old has shown himself to be a class apart from many of his colleagues. Whilst there are some that make more tackles per match and there are others who make more clearances, Yanga-Mbiwa is not a defender who likes to leave his job until it is simply a case of  last-ditch defending. With an intelligent reading of the game that belies his age, the Montpellier captain is a master of the interception, making more than any of his colleagues and developing the artform into a defining feature of his game.

 

In this respect and physically (although more powerful than his English contemporary), the France Under-21 defender can be compared with Rio Ferdinand in his youth. Quick of both foot and mind, Yanga-Mbiwa can play the role of the last ditch saviour, but prefers instead to use his innate awareness to see-off danger before it has developed and as with Ferdinand, is trusting of his technical abilities under intense pressure. A good passer of the ball off both feet, although predominantly right-footed, the defender demonstrates great composure week-in week-out, a quality that no doubt helped draw the attention of several admirers.

 

In attack, these abilities come to fruition, as he is able to easily skip past opponents, creating time to pick out a team-mate ahead of him, or on occasion gallop forward to create the opening himself. Particularly when utilised in a full-back role, these attributes offer an added bonus to his side on top of his defensive abilities and in this respect, he has been previously likened to Les Bleus legend Lilian Thuram in the French media. Good ball control and raw pace are a lethal combination, negating the need for any real subtlety to beat even very experienced opponents. At times, as Thuram showed in his prime, these powerful drives down the flanks can prove nigh on impossible to defend.

 

As with all players, Yanga-Mbiwa does have faults and areas of his game to improve. For a player who has shown he can head the ball well and rise above opponents, the defender’s scoring record is poor and is an area he can look to improve. Four goals in 160 games is not the best return for such a talented player in many areas of the attack. At times the defender’s longer passes can be improved, with a little more refinement needed when picking out the run of an attacking colleague. However, when it comes to short, sharp passing under-pressure, it must be added that the Montpellier man is excellent (85.9% overall pass completion).

 

Besides those minor points, the player has generally been excellent in his work this season and needs simply to continue upon his current developmental path in order to succeed. By all accounts Yanga-Mbiwa is a well grounded character, with a dedication to improving himself that has been rewarded with the captain’s armband by manager Rene Girard. There is an ever-increasing maturity to his game, meaning the forward-charges from centre-back are somewhat decreased. Yet, they can be considered no less effective, as now they are in general better-judged than in previous years, giving maximum effect.

 

A good disciplinary record, demonstrated by the fact that to date, he has not received a straight red card in his career, is testament to both the temperament that so-impressed his manager and a fine technique in dispossessing opponents, aided by game-reading abilities that often mean the need to tackle an opponent is avoided. With a high-profile move on the cards, there is little doubt Yanga-Mbiwa has the qualities to succeed anywhere, although at just 22-years-old, he must be allowed time to make adjustments to a new style of play. There is room for improvement, but the Frenchman truly looks like a star in the making.

 

 

I read that those bits of the scouting report using this voice:

 

http://images.allocine.fr/r_640_600/b_1_d6d6d6/medias/nmedia/18/36/03/97/18877179.jpg

 

 

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Ikon

Ikon

Posted
Posted

Andy Brassell ‏@andybrassell

Nice footage of Yanga-Mbiwa at SJP for first time on @beinsport. Walks out of tunnel, turns around & looks up at stands. "Wow. Bloody hell!"

 

:aww:

 

This gave me a very good feeling somehow.

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