Harvey Barnes

[The Prophet]

Joking aside, I do find it strange that eyebrows are being raised about Barnes, who's strength is being a direct goal threat who can shoot off both feet but people tug themselves senseless over Diaby, who's strength is being a direct goal threat who can shoot off both feet. Is it just that one plays on the left and the other on the right?

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by The Prophet

[Jaqen]

If you think about how we attack overloading the right side with a lot of balls into the box from Trippier and probably Tonali now taking up that right side 8 spot it makes perfect sense. He's quite tall and wins a fair amount of Ariel duels but more importantly he's got the instinct to get into the box from that left side and finish well. 

 

You can go back last season and look at the amount of overhit crosses or ones flashed across the 6 yard box that had nobody arriving at the back post and see it's an area we could definitely get more goals from. I think his simple give and go gameplay actually suits us quite well too. Quite a few of our players have noticeable flaws but they are extremely effective cogs in an effective unit. That's how I see Barnes fitting in well. 

[Tsunami]

I’ve mentioned before that I think Barnes is a very good finisher and an average player.

 

We buy him and start him then he’ll need a provider and that’s not what we need from a winger with the players we’ve got. IMO we need a creator in that position. 

[Guest reefatoon]

1 minute ago, Tsunami said:

I’ve mentioned before that I think Barnes is a very good finisher and an average player.

 

We buy him and start him then he’ll need a provider and that’s not what we need from a winger with the players we’ve got. IMO we need a creator in that position. 

He won’t be a winger here though, he’ll be a wide forward in a front three. Isak wasn’t a winger when he played there. If we can add a player in that position who can get into double figures too, we will be laughing.

[morpeth mag]

Barnes is more like Ferran Torres who we were also linked with. Both good finishers rather than wingers.

[Thumbheed]

Not sure where this idea that we need a creator comes from, as if to imply we just weren't creative enough last season. 

 

Bit of perspective here, we were about 7 goals away from being title challengers last year and missed a fuck ton of chances in almost every game we played.

 

We very much need players who are clinical in the final 3rd.

 

Barnes is clinical in the final 3rd.

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Thumbheed

[PauloGeordio]

2 minutes ago, morpeth mag said:

Barnes is more like Ferran Torres who we were also linked with. Both good finishers rather than wingers.

Yeah, and Barnes  is premier league ready. I’m looking forward to seeing him play in our team (if it happens)

[The Prophet]

We do lack natural goalscorers in midfield.

[SUPERTOON]

Don’t think we could get much better than a proven goal scoring wide player for 35 million tbh. Really happy with the signing (assuming it happens).

[Kanji]

1 hour ago, KaKa said:

 

I really wish we would play ASM on the right as he is just as devastating on that side, and his career numbers show he is actually more productive there.

 

I think it is probably because on the left he looks to cut in and shoot more and his shooting is quite erratic. Playing him on the right forces him to be more of a creator as he looks to cross the ball more on his stronger right foot, and his crossing is pretty decent from that position.

 

The only issue is that we can't really play him on the right with Trippier, as Trippier needs more protection from the wide man ahead of him, but maybe in such scenarios we can play Joelinton as the right sided 8 and have him cover Trippier instead.

 

 

You could easily argue Barnes is a more productive Almiron in attack and you could play some interesting counter balance. 
 

Barnes left, maxi right. 
maxi left, Miggy right. 
Joelinton left, Miggy right. 
Barnes left, Gordon right, 

 

etc. 

[Optimistic Nut]

If we've got the one-two tactic on the left this season it might open up that passage for Almiron again as well. Teams are going to be fucking knackered if they're going to have to try and double up on both sides and it'll create spaces. 

[PauloGeordio]

 

[Flip]

Great signing. Straight into my fpl team.

[NobbySolano]

I didn't see these posted before. 

 

 

 

[Shadow Puppets]

1 minute ago, NobbySolano said:

I didn't see these posted before. 

 

 

 

 

boom!

[TheBrownBottle]

 

47 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

I’ve mentioned before that I think Barnes is a very good finisher and an average player.

 

We buy him and start him then he’ll need a provider and that’s not what we need from a winger with the players we’ve got. IMO we need a creator in that position. 

I think it’s the opposite - we need players in those positions who can finish more than anything; the midfield and two of our defenders create a hell of a lot of chances - and not one of our wingers is a particularly convincing finisher (Miggy purple patch aside).  A good finisher on the wing in this side bags 15+ goals if they stay fit, easily.  Wilson and Isak don’t need a tricky winger whipping crosses onto the foreheads constantly. 

[NobbySolano]

But if you take their goals away all 3 of those are also shite ?

 

The fucking takes here by those that just love ASM are laughable. Even more so by the assumption that it's to replace ASM. For that, ASM would have to actually be available and playing well. 

 

 

[Stottie]

34 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

Not sure where this idea that we need a creator comes from, as if to imply we just weren't creative enough last season. 

 

Bit of perspective here, we were about 7 goals away from being title challengers last year and missed a fuck ton of chances in almost every game we played.

 

We very much need players who are clinical in the final 3rd.

 

Barnes is clinical in the final 3rd.

I'll agree with that. The main stat we don't do well on, i.e., not in the top 6, isn't chance creation but possession. All the goals and chances we created last year, pretty much Top 3, were with 52% possession. fwiw, in 21-22, we averaged 40% possession under Bruce and Howe combined. A 12% improvement in one year may be a new record. It might be worth tweeting someone at Opta.

 

The flip applies too, so we conceded the equal lowest number of goals, but from our opponents taking 48% of the passes. Man City's opponents scored the same number of goals, joint fewest, but from only 36% of the ball.

 

If we control the ball a bit better and take a few more chances, we should be confident of emulating last season or going better. 14 draws means lotsa points were left out there. 14 draws into 6 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats would give us 8 more points.

[Wolfcastle]

1 hour ago, Thumbheed said:

Not sure where this idea that we need a creator comes from, as if to imply we just weren't creative enough last season. 

 

Bit of perspective here, we were about 7 goals away from being title challengers last year and missed a fuck ton of chances in almost every game we played.

 

We very much need players who are clinical in the final 3rd.

 

Barnes is clinical in the final 3rd.

 

 

 

 

Think its based on games we drew and couldn't break teams down  like Leicester and Leeds that on another day get won comfortably with the same performances but generally I was more concerned that our goals often didn't reflect our dominance of games and chances created rather than a problem of creativity.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Wolfcastle

[The Prophet]

Breaking Leeds down wasn't really an issue, it was the amount of chances we fluffed.

[toontownman]

25 minutes ago, NobbySolano said:

I didn't see these posted before. 

 

 

 

Yeah but apart from the the stats, the goals, assists, the two legs, the irrigation and the wine...what has Harvey Barnes ever done for us?

[Deuce]

We’ve known forever that ASM is not the profile of player that Howe wants in a wide forward/winger, so I find the pearl clutching a bit surprising. We relied on Miggy to provide goals from the right, while not getting a similar return from the left. Barnes would cure that.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Deuce

[Toonjam88]

45 minutes ago, NobbySolano said:

I didn't see these posted before. 

 

 

 

Shit that why hasn’t he saved more 

[David Edgar]

This thread is utterly empty if you ignore all the posts.

[STM]

1 minute ago, David Edgar said:

This thread is utterly empty if you ignore all the posts.

 

Your post is just a blank space, bar the letters and words.