On Sanna Nyassi
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 8:28 PM PDT
in Sounders: MLS Regular Season
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Sanna Nyassi has been the main beneficiary of Freddie Ljungberg's absence over the past few weeks. The diminutive midfielder, taking advantage of the absence of the iconic Swede on the right flank, has been able to hold down a regular place in the Sounders lineup, featuring in MLS play, Open Cup matches, and Sounders FC's recent win over Metapan in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champion's League. Nyassi has shown the ability to skin whichever unfortunate fullback happens to be marking him, meaning that the Sounders can take advantage of having elite speed on both sides when Zakuani is played on the opposite flank.
The burst of pace down a touchline is one of the things guaranteed to set your typical soccer fans' collective hearts aflutter. It's easy to spot, speed is easy to measure, and the benefits are obvious. Sanna Nyassi provides that in abundance, and you can tell by the way outside backs stay off him that they're terrified to commit to a challenge lest he simply blow straight past them. His raw speed makes him an extremely potent threat to get in behind the defence, and a seemingly valuable asset to the team. Unfortunately, remembering the highs tends to make us forget the lows, and with Nyassi there are many.
First of all, let's take a look at what seems like a strength of his game: one-on-one play. In the past few games, Nyassi's had some runs down the centre which have beaten three or four players using a combination of speed and ball control. This should be an extremely positive sign, but my suspicion is that this new-found ability is about as sustainable as a soggy paper bag in a hurricane. Why? Beating a player one on one typically requires the ability to throw the defender (or cluster of defenders, if they're close enough) off-balance. This is typically accomplished by a series of feints with the ball and body - the current master of the dribble is, of course, the singular Lionel Messi. If you can, compare Nyassi's recent surges with the Argentinian's.
It's striking how lucky Nyassi's been getting. The defenders aren't getting fooled at all - they're getting their tackles in properly, but instead of winning the ball it's been bouncing around and coming back to Sanna's feet three paces down the line. And this is happening two or three times a game. It seems massively unlikely to me that a fringe MLS player has suddenly found the secret of how to get defenders to give him back the ball whenever they take it away, and soon as as the magic runs out, Nyassi will find his runs curtailed far more swiftly than they have been. You can already see his recent success affecting his game, as he's made far more runs straight up the middle recently than he was doing at any other point in his Sounders career.
His positioning is also a concern. Nyassi has a bad habit of drifting inside too far and then committing himself to playing up the middle. This brings him into the orbit of Seattle's key man, Fredy Montero. You could see in the Colorado game (I only watched from about minute 25 onwards, so I missed the best parts of everyone's performances) that Nyassi was taking up space in the middle that really belonged to Montero, which denies the Colombian the room which makes him so lethal. It would be perhaps less of a concern if Nyassi was capable of short, clever passing combinations like Miguel Montano, but the end product of a run, whether passing or shooting, is just not his game.
Simply put, Nyassi isn't very good at crossing on the fly, shooting, passing, or making good decisions. Perhaps the last flaw in his play makes the others look worse, but when he has the opportunity to take a shot, play the ball to a teammate, or just ping it into the box, it doesn't seem to happen when it should. Instead, Sanna seems to delay until the action becomes far less likely to succeed, and then typically botches it. This is fixable, of course, but it requires significant work, especially in the field of football intelligence. Nyassi is young (he turned 21 in January), and I have high hopes for him once he's developed, but right now he's a runner, not a soccer player, at least in my eyes.
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Yeah.
I can’t claim to have nearly the knowledge you do, but I feel like that’s my general impression as well. He really provides some speed and the speed is useful, but he doesn’t have the soccer intelligence or skills of some of our much better starters. He’s definitely got potential, but I think Montano already seems a better option.
The ability to create a physical mismatch distends the defense. Maybe they are clumsy and the end result needs polishing, but you can’t deny that Nyassi’s runs aren’t having affect on the shape of the defense.
We weren’t getting that with a far superior passer and decision maker in Noonan or Freddie on the right.
Yes, blah blah blah, you know more about soccer cause I like speed… but I spent the first half of the season watching higher quality players lose physical battle after physical battle of either strength or speed or both. I’ve come to the conclusion that we can teach passing, but we can’t teach size or speed.
just my opinion.
While I understand your opinion I think you're massively undervaluing soccer intelligence
Nyassi definitely helps the team by hitting flank hard and giving the fullback something to think about, but he hasn’t actually performed any better than Freddie has in terms of keeping momentum going Seattle’s way. He runs really fast and givens everyone a scare, and then more often than lot, he loses the ball. Like I said, he’s a good prospect and I’m hopeful he develops, but people are focusing on his speed and not seeing how disruptive he can be to our attack.
If Zakuani wasn’t on the team, I could see an argument for more minutes for Nyassi, but Zak does everything Sanna does except with more of an end product. And no, I don’t think you can teach football intelligence very effectively. It’s built around talent just as much as strength, technique and speed are. Improve, sure. But Nyassi will never be a genius.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Soccer intelligence is great
I think you are underestimating Nyassi’s. Yes, he could make better decisions on the final pass, but he is making excellent decisions on when to make his runs. He is only 20 years old and the more he plays, the more the game will slow down for him and he can pick out his teammates in the box.
Noonan will never be fast enough to create a mismatch on the wing, ever again. Freddie might have a burst of speed to do it once, but he didn’t have the 90 minutes of hell Nyassi unleashed on the defense last night.
Maybe soccer intelligence is super awsome, but it wasn’t working for Freddie or Noonan as neither created any sort of offensive spark. At least Nyassi is creating situations, which is more than either of those players were able to think the team into.
As far as Nyassi pushing Montero out of space in the middle… I give you the counter arguement of Montero forced completely out of the midfield by Freddie. I back that up with the crazy everyone switches position every time down the pitch that Sigi used with Montero, Jaqua and Freddie last year. That was far far more disruptive to Montero’s spacing then anything Nyassi might do by wandering into the middle every couple plays.
The proof is in the pudding in the leap forward Montero’s play has taken since Noonan and Freddie disappeared from the field.
In short, just smarts loses to just speed. Let’s try to bring Nyassi along and see if we can get both, because the other options will never….ever…. be both.
Nyassi has nothing to do with Fredy's recent performances
Fredy has been pulled back between the lines of defence and midfield due to Jaqua’s return to the team, not Nyassi’s inclusion (you’ll note, I hope, that Fredy’s most effective recent game came against Dallas, with Miguel Montano in the right, not Nyassi).
Furthermore, I’ve never called for Noonan to start over Nyassi. Noonan is complete and utter garbage and doesn’t have the skills to keep up with the game – including intelligence. As for Nyassi’s creativity, he has two assists this year, and one was a secondary assist on a play that he nearly broke before Montero saved it. Ljungberg is significantly better at creating chances than Nyassi is when he’s on, since Freddie can cross, pass, and shoot, and Nyassi can do none of those. But arguing for Ljungberg to be starting over Nyassi would be stupid because he doesn’t appear likely to ever feature for Seattle again.
I’m interested to see your argument without attacking my perceived belief that Noonan and Freddie should be starting over Nyassi.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Colorado Game Tactics
One of the things we were clearly trying to do in the Colorado game was to play the wings in behind the CBs who were sucking in to mark Nkufo and Montero. I don’t think the fact that Nyassi was in the middle was a mistake, but he was there by design. It worked nicely in the first 20 minutes (which I guess you did not see) but it is a bit off to call a flank player running central as a mistake.
But he was doing it yesterday as well. Consistently.
by Kirsten Schlewitz on Jul 29, 2010 9:19 PM PDT up reply actions
And when he does that he forces another player to go wide
Last year when Brad Evans did the same thing (in his time as Right Mid) James Riley provided the width in the attack basically becoming both the Right Back and the Right mid.
When Sanna does it we are going to see Montero, Alonso or Riley forced into that right corner, that isn’t good for the team’s shape.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
You can teach spacing
You can’t teach I’m faster then you.
You speak of last year, but I seem to recall that crazy musical chairs upfront where Jaqua, Montero, and Freddie would swap positions everytime down the field. At the time it was hailed as creating space and confusing the defense.
I guess it’s genius if one of the guys is Swedish and a sign of dumb play if one of the guys is from Africa.
You can teach acceleration
You can’t teach I’m smarter than you.
Nyassi doesn’t swap positions with Montero – he pushes centrally and forces Montero elsewhere. There’s a big difference. Nyassi pulls off the actual position swap with Zakuani all the time, and it works because the move is being made as play develops rather than at random.
As for your last sentence, seriously? You can’t have a discussion without veiled references to other people’s racism? That’s beneath you.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Hey
Some Most would say an article trying to reduce an African player to just being a “dumb runner” is veiled racism.
Seriously?
Alright, then. I have nothing more to say to you, and further comments in this vein will be removed. If you can’t have a discussion without falling back on bizarre strawmen, then there’s something deeply wrong with you that I don’t want to deal with.
Have a good evening.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 11:53 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
It's good to see you laying down the hammer again, I missed it.
I don’t want to throw my comments about the guy and pile on, since that helps no one. I just appreciate this comment!
by BrettJMiller on Jul 30, 2010 1:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Hah -- I hope you've seen this:
http://www.football365.com/Gallery_Detail/0,17732,13282_6251109,00.html
The Guardian also had a humorous Mesut Ozil slideshow that I can’t seem to find…
by CWSKeith on Jul 29, 2010 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Correct me if I'm wrong
But both Zakuani and nKufo are African aren’t they? While one has yet to be mentioned in the conversation the other has been highly praised. I really wouldn’t call nKufo fast, but he is soccer smart. And Zakuani is a great mix of the two parts.
Nyassi had some great runs the other night against Metapan but I never let myself get too excited because he lacks heavily in finishing (as could be seen in a couple of his shots missing goal by quite a large margin). Actually, I’d put Nyassi and Evans in the same catagory for in box reliability. Both are great at getting the ball and getting open, but neither can do anything to put the ball in net.
Veiled racism...
Would be making vague generalized comments. It’s perfectly legit to question a particular players various skills.
Because if it's not Love | Then it's the bomb ... | That will bring us together
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 30, 2010 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Slow down, champ.
Karma police, arrest this man.
by wyte_lightning on Jul 29, 2010 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Intentional interchange as designated by the coach
Is quite different, then players realizing that the center of the 18 is clogged so I better get out of the way.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
To a terrible extent
At one point in the second half, he started with possession on the right flank, worked to the center, and then ended up in the left corner on the byline. I kept trying to figure out what the heck he was doing and it seems to be a recurring theme. The winger has to hold his position and not continually get sucked inside.
I think it was a mistake mainly because of his reaction to pressure in the middle
My thought here is that if he was supposed to be there, he’d know who his support was and what to be doing with the ball – instead, during the part of the Col game I was able to watch and the CCL match, he’d just charge headlong into a crowd of defenders.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I find myself agreeing and disagreeing at the same time on this one. Yes, he is far from a polished, legitimate attacking threat. The CCL game was a perfect example of what he is, a creator of chances that end up without a shot on target. While his runs down the wing should have resulted in goals, they didn’t because he couldn’t find the right final pass. (the one cross that had both Nkufo and Montano wide open, but fell awkwardly in that middle region and Montano couldn’t figure out what to do with it pops to mind). He just doesn’t have the raw skill to provide that finishing touch.
But creating chances like that is one of the harder things to do in soccer. Defenders have to respect his speed, or they get burned like the gorgeous play in the Colorado game. Will he ever be in the upper tier of players? Probably not. But does he serve a purpose for our MLS team and warrant more playing time going forward? I think so, and like you said, he’s just 21, position and discipline can be taught, even if pure talent can’t be. Personally, I’d love to see him and Zakuani starting on opposite wings more often.
Personally
My feeling us that Miguel Montano is both closer to being a finished product and a better fit for team shape than Nyassi is. You can cite Montano’s disciplinary issues, but Nyassi was almost as bad (although he got away with it) during the Metapan game. The presence of Zakuani means we have a speed guy who we can deploy to whatever flank is necessary whether we want, and that to me makes Nyassi’s game redundant.
I guess the main problem is that I have a fundamental distrust of players who made the opposition weaker without building up their team in return. Defenders ought to be just as worried about Montano as they are Nyassi – he’ll beat them too, just with technique rather than pure pace – and the former can combine much more effectively with his teammates.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 29, 2010 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Having watched him with the USL sounders
I’ve been struck by how little his in game value has changed moving up to the first division. Obviously this is an opinion founded on just the few USL games i saw him in (mostly as a sub if i recall correctly) and clouded in memory – but i think that it is indicative of his nearly complete reliance on his pace that he was about equally as useful in the USL as he is now in the MLS.
Which is a long way of saying i agree with the post. Though he is still quite young, so I hope the team retains him to see where he goes in his development. Setting aside the point of the post, and based mostly on nothing but feel and very little thought, I’d rank him above any of the “super” draft picks still with the team besides Zak. Though, as you say in the comments, behind Montano.
Oh good, another box to put personal information in...
During the Wednesday game against Metapan
the announcers were terrible. I thought it was telling that even they couldn’t help but call out Nyassi on his tendency to drift mid. He could run circles around their defenders out wide but instead he kept drifting mid and trying to go through 3-4 defenders, failing each time. He’s got a lot of potential, but aghhh the mental mistakes!
Now with more lemon bars!
Quick feet
Don’t disagree with most of what you’ve said here, but I think you’re underestimating the value of quick feet/reactions. Quick guys (Zak being a prime example), often come out ahead on the “pinball-like” moments in the game when the ball is bouncing around. So I’d disagree with the thought that this is somehow luck. Also, perfect tackles often don’t work for the same reason—to fast players, it’s like the mark is moving in slow motion.
Vision truly is a talent, look at how much crap Evans has taken over his seeming inability to “see” the entire field. I’m not sure we’ll ever see anything but some small improvements over time. What speed does do, is open up the field when it’s well utilized.
I don't think he is underestimating it.
What Graham is saying is that we can and should expect Sanna to provide more with his born talents. I always pay close attention to spacing and movement because when I played the game I was a poor athlete who found success through finding spots and anticipating. Sanna, and really a vast majority of MLS players, are just not very good at spacing.
One of the reasons I think people undervalue what FL does is because they do not realize how often his maneuvers are mangled by poor movement by his own teammates. This league is one where most players are still learning how to play, so I think it is fair of us to expect them to improve their game while they are here. I enjoy watching Sanna play at times, but I too want more from him than he is giving. I also expect that it will in fact happen down the line if he commits himself to improving his craft.
No argument
On FL at all. The man has many moments of genius that most mls players can only dream about.
I’m still going to stand with the luck/no luck issue and we’ll have to agree to disagree, I’d just point out that John Wooden had a very different take on all that….. Speed does create luck. There were at least three occasions in the first half of the last game when there were clearly three players marking sanna…… That’s what speed does to defenses. That said, speed vs. skill is really a situational issue, dictated by your strategy going into a game. Given the choice between sanna and Fred, though, I’m going with Fred every time. No brainer.
I agree that speed is good.
What I am saying is I think he can, should and eventually will use it better. Right now he uses it in an inefficient manner. I’m not mad at him, but I want more from him.
Speed does help
But Nyassi doesn’t have particularly quick feet – he’s not readjusting himself to anticipate the defender, which would imply something other than luck when the ball starts bouncing around.
As for disagreeing with the thought that it’s somehow luck – of course it’s luck. Everything in professional sports is luck – it’s just a question as to to what degree luck’s influencing things
by Graham MacAree on Jul 30, 2010 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
but in the meantime
it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of nyassi, and while i agree with most of what’s been said about sanna’s failings i see his speed on the wing as a big plus. against metapan, quite a few of his runs down the wing ended up with the sounders getting a corner kick, wouldn’t a lot of sanna’s failings be more tolerable if the sounders could convert a few of these opportunities into goals?
i don’t know what the conversion rate for ssfc corner kicks to goals is against the other teams in mls, but my guess is that we have to be in the very, very bottom. i can’t recall the last time we put one in the back of the net off a ck, or even in the ensuing melee after a clearance.
I will agree with this
I think Sanna’s skills would be more easily appreciated if his runs more commonly resulted in CK goals. Of course, with just one goal off a corner (I believe), that particular skill doesn’t seem particularly useful, and definitely doesn’t seem to balance out his flaws.
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by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 30, 2010 8:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Hoping the defender pokes it out for a corner is not an effective tactic
At present Nyassi is a poor crosser. He has the ability to beat backs with his speed and get deep, but he just can’t get the ball back into the box. Part of me wonders if he does know this, which is why he veers to the middle so often.
Excellent writeup!
You summed up exactly how I feel about Nyassi. Although I might give him more credit because of his speed and ball skills. Finishing the run with an effect cross though usually leaves something to be desired.
Future Corners
I think we’re going to see some improvement in corners soon. First, we have Nkufo and Jaqua back. That will help a lot. Second, FL isn’t going to be taking corners anymore, which is a case of addition by subtraction.
One of my hopes is that Fernandez has some set piece ability. I haven’t seen any write-ups indicating that it is one of his strengths, but we certainly have an opening for him in that department. Especially since Sturgis will have less playing time once he is fit and ready to play.
Did Freddie suck as the corner guy last year?
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
I wasn't impressed
I don’t personally think he was all that great at corners last year either. If I remember correctly, despite a healthy Nate Jaqua we didn’t have a great conversion rate on set pieces. I remember a lot of corners that were well outside of the target area.
I was also not impressed by his other set pieces. I think Montero is much better at free kicks, however, it seemed like FL was always the first to take set pieces. I’m not saying this as a knock to FL. He’s just not a set-piece player like Beckham or Angel.
Does anyone know if he was a primary set-piece guy at Arsenal or his other prior teams?
I don't think he was the corner taker for Arsenal, but I try to avoid watching them
But his corners were actually ok last year, despite a few absolute clunkers. He delivered to the back post fairly consistently and was pretty good at catching the keeper out. Remember also that our best chances in the playoff series against Houston all came from his corners.
I will agree that Montero should be taking the free kicks though.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 30, 2010 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
DP Pressure
One of the problems I have with the DP system in general is the amount of pressure that the DPs must have to do everything well.
FL has a well-honed skilled set. He’s always been fast (although that’s starting to fade a bit). He’s great on the dribble and his passing is very sharp. He’s good at making plays and providing crosses into the box. I don’t think he’s ever been a primary guy on set pieces.
Yet, since he was our big DP, we expect him to step up and take set pieces. Even when there may be better players on the pitch to fill that role. And I’m sure he has the same high standards for himself and you can feel his frustration when he’s not able to deliver.
I’m hoping that having 2-3 DPs will alleviate some of that pressure on Fernandez and Nkufo and allow other guys to step-up. I personally think Montero could be one of the better free kick specialists in the league if given the opportunity to develop that skill set in game settings.
we had the best conversion rate in the league last year
at 5%, with FL taking only half the chances, and the Sounders getting 4 goals from his service and only 3 from Le Toux (2) and Vagenas (1)
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
I stand corrected
Thanks for finding the conversion rate. I tend to forget that MLS as a whole is pretty awful at corners. :-)
HIs runs and crosses do make goals
I dont get what this is all about. The way he plays doesnt look polished, which isnt surprising at all since he’s a rookie yeah? and just sayin, look at the website’s stats page. His runs do sometimes results in goals. Not all of them, but whose do? He has two assists on like 450 minutes. There are only a handful of people with more assists than that. at the top is montero with 8, zakuani, ljungburg and evans with 3. Evans has played the least out of all these folks with 965 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, hes got a ways to go, but hes got talent and speed and DESIRE and he will get better. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
PS. montano is an awesome asset and i think he will become better than a lot of mls players i hope, but as of now you cant say that nyassi hasn’t produce results and montano has cause thats backwards (in the mls). I think they both CAN and WILL, but montano hasnt yet.
Those two assists
One of Nyassi’s came off a play that he screwed up miserably, forcing Montero to perform heroics in order to get the ball to Levesque in the centre. So that brings him down to one assist in 450 minutes. And while it’s kind of fun to look at statistics, if you’re going to use them as a crutch instead of actually watching the play you’re going to be missings things.
I don’t care about anyone’s desire to get better. Every player on the team wants to play at their best. It’s part of being a professional athlete. I also, at this point, don’t care about results. I care about the process, and Nyassi’s is sorely lacking.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 30, 2010 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions
He's in his 3rd year as a pro
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Well
Yeah he put too much weight on the ball. not miserable. and it was a goal. Yay! It doesnt need to be pretty to win a game. And his final touch was off at CCL, but hes was taking runs and working hard and with that comes wins. and just sayin, sigi started both montano and nyassi, and subed zakuani for montano, not nyassi. and sigi gets paid a lot to think about the crazy things we think about too much. just because nyassi’s play isnst pretty, doesnt mean he doesnt add real value. and it is two assits. you cant take it away cause you didnt like the way it looked. i mean really. zakuanis first goal v rapids was ugly as hell and lucky as hell. who is complaining?
He nearly put the ball into touch
Again, that Montero somehow managed to scoop it to Levesque anyway is not something that reflects well upon the initial pass – it was garbage. Maybe instead of blithely relying on the stats you might think about what actually goes into creating goals, because Nyassi very nearly pissed away the Sounder’s most promising attack of the game.
Appeals to authority work better when that authority doesn’t play Noonan and Vagenas all the time, to be honest. And no, I’m not going to simply fall in line behind Sigi’s opinion. Coaches make mistakes all the time.
If you care at all about future performance, you want to see good play, not lucky play. While I won’t complain about Zakuani’s first goal against the Rapids, I’m certainly not going to use it as a shining example of his play, or count on it happening again.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 30, 2010 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Well maybe
his cross wouldnt have found levesque, cause the defender had him marked well. I do think about what goes into creating goals: running hard, taking shots, making passes, beating defenders. Hes not great at all of them, but hes pretty good at most of them, and lets face it, we arent a great team. We are a team thats pretty good and trying to get better. Im not blindly (blithely sounds right but isnt, i make that mistake too. ironically you are treating stats blithely) following stats. i go to every game at qwest and watch all others on tv, and probably worry about all this too much (you feel me?). And ive noticed that the sounders usually dont win through with amazing dribbling and consistently amazing passes. we win through with a gallon of sweat, a pint of skill, and a very important cup of luck. Nyassi adds a lot of sweat, a little skill, you can only hope for the luck.
You dont need to fall in line behind sigi’s opinion. He forms his judgment utilizing way more information than we do. He can make mistakes but its hard to see any glaring ones seeing as we are doing well. Has a plan and Nyassi seems to play some role in it, and its working. Taking away or belittling a contributer (as in, Nyassi) to a winning patch (fingers crossed for a streak) doesnt make sense.
I care about the sounders future preformance probably too much. But good play and lucky play are two sides of the same coin. Its either you trying a skill and getting lucky that the defender cant follow, or its your defender luckily messing up and you using skill to exploit it. I think what you were talking about with nyassi beating defenders is a combo of the two.
I think he will get better and better at it and stay fast for all 90.
PS we will never have a messi on this team.
PS i know this comment is awkwardly long. It’s true, I have issues. :)
I think you're thinking about things in an extremely simplistic way
You create goals not by merely working hard, being fast, etc. You have to make the right decisions in order to break down a defence without exposing your own, and that’s gained through thoughtful play rather than via blood, sweat and tears. And no, I meant blithely (seriously, I have a pretty reasonable grasp of the language). And I do not treat stats in such a carefree manner as you do – I’ve got a great deal of expertise in applying statistics to sports and know when they give us good information and when they distort it.
I’m sorry, did you just forget about the whole first half of the season? The part where Seattle had as much talent as any team in the league and won all of three games? Sigi makes mistakes – and yes, he uses more information that I do. He also processes it in a completely different way, and I know from my work in baseball that managers are not the best judges of how to value the talent available. Trust whomever you like, but if I see him do something wrong, I’ll say so – and I’m massively, massively unconcerned about critiquing a player who’s not helping the team even if we’re winning. If Nyassi is pulled for Montano, the Sounders get better – thus, more chance of winning in the future.
“good play and lucky play are two sides of the same coin”
This is a bizarre cliche that simply isn’t true. Good play is sustainable. Lucky play isn’t.
by Graham MacAree on Jul 30, 2010 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions
in our first game agasint the rapids
nyassi was the only one who didn’t give up.
i guess that’s kinda what i mean by “desire.” You know?
just sayin
Hey Graham, I’d like to end my drunken day off by saying that I’ve enjoyed our debate. But I kinda feel like we could just butt heads eternally. B/c…b/c we seem to be focused on different things. you seem to be wholly focused on pure raw talent. (And of course, I’m a big fan of such an asset!) But I (call me crazy, or whatever) I think I can acknowledge that luck is a fucking huge deal in sports. for example: Us vs. english during fifa. their goalie was obviously good: it’s england’s fucking goalie during the world cup for Christ’s sake! yet, thanks to luck he allowed a goal in! Dont underestimate speed and heart for creating goal chances and luck for turning chances into goals. also i feel that your criticism of nyassi is focused on him because of his exceptional speed. he has an amazing talent and is an asset for the team, and just because he isnt good at everything he has to be brought down a peg by you. well i think hes doing good as the tazmanian devil of the sounders, and if everything he did was as good as his pace he’d be getting paid about 50 times more than the 40k hes getting. what do you want? its the mls!
as for the stats, you might know something, but we’re all just some guy online, and
we dont want to get into " the (graham) Guide is definitive. reality is frequently inaccurate." terriritory. i know its a dorky douglas adams quote;) hes listed with 2 game winning assists by the sounders, which shows what they think of him, and they make a living off think about guys like him. if you could figure this stuff out better than them you’d be getting paid to be a scout.
p.s. i suggest you invest in a copy of the oed. b/c your grasp isn’t as good as you think it is. just saying…
san jose
OH man that early run through the d with wicked ball handling and the no call PK. OH that 3rd game winning assist off a beautiful cross. OH that running all 90. :)
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