YiddoInPoland
You got some statistical evidence to back that up?
- Aug 6, 2011
- 3,049
- 6,438
From what i have seen of Doku, he offers less the Deki but is just faster.maybe not watched enough
Player Watch Player Watch: Dejan Kulusevski
- Thread starter Archibald&Crooks
- Start date
Kulu certainly has better end product.
spurs mental
Well-Known Member
- Mar 10, 2007
- 25,327
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I've seen Deki go past people plenty of times with his skill and body feints. He doesn't need pace go go past people. He's left people on the floor selling them dummies.
Nick-TopSpursMan
Well-Known Member
- Aug 4, 2005
- 4,132
- 19,837
Says his future is in a central area.
Honestly think he will evolve in to a CM who competes with Maddison next season, with a new RW coming in.
Ghost Hardware
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2012
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It’s an odd one as I definitely think he is more suited to a central role then a wide one in this system but hypothetically if Maddison got injured tomorrow I’d prefer we play Gio in his place rather then Kulu. Furthermore I’m not sure how I would feel about loosing Gio in the summer and going into next season with Kulu as our second primary creative AM.
Ether way Kulu is a good player with some very good attributes it’s just a matter of find the right role for him in this system.
mill
Well-Known Member
- May 21, 2007
- 10,406
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I’d like us to be able to play 2 creative players in midfield in some games, maybe bergvall help in this respect
JUSTINSIGNAL
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- Jul 10, 2008
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I just don't think he has the creative passing to compete with Maddison. As someone else said in this thread I really think with his ball carrying, strength and tactical awareness he is much more of an 8 than a 10. In fact I see shades of a young Bastian Schweinsteiger in his ability and future switching from a wide position to a deep central role.
tooey
60% banana
- Apr 22, 2005
- 5,233
- 7,963
Great shout. We obviously don't know how quickly, if at all, he could adapt and learn the position from a tactical standpoint but on paper his physicality, work rate and passing ability would be perfect.
As lots of people have point out, you don't necessarily need "pace" to be a winger in the PL. You better have some really quick, jinky feet or elite technical ability if you don't have pace though. Unfortunately Deki doesn't possess any of those, he's a real all-rounder and I think he could potentially do a job in the middle.
kendoddsdadsdogsdead
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- Aug 29, 2011
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Kanes hold up ability, vision, timing of the pass and execution from that central forward position has been missing. it definitely is harder for the wide players as a lot of the time they’re getting passes square on, near the touch line in the middle third of the pitch, especially if Maddison is not playing or beating people in the middle
That’s why I’m sceptical when people say a dribbling winger who can go on the inside and out is the missing piece in the final third. If we signed Doku who was on the top of a lot of these lists, would he be creating from those positions? no I don’t think so, he’s not even producing in the positions Man City get him in.
for me a better centre forward Is the position we should be really looking at. A better all round footballer who can link with Maddison, play in Son and Johnson. Those two are capable of 15-20 goals a season as well. Son/Richarlison through the middle with two Dokus either side is not the silver bullet they think it is.
ultimateloner
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- Jan 25, 2004
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If I was a coach and I had to choose between being good off the ball vs space I would take off the ball. It allows you to recover the ball and make space for others. Ange had said we don’t win through individuals so this is important.
ultimateloner
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- Jan 25, 2004
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I think Sean Dyce had said everyone’s looking for a no.9 but there aren’t good ones around let alone elite ones. You can see why. You need to be good at so many things to be effective in PL. I think this is someone we will groom not buy.
kendoddsdadsdogsdead
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- Aug 29, 2011
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I think we’ll get one. I’m sure there are some good ones about. Just have to pick the right one/pay the fee.
McFlash
In the corner, eating crayons.
- Oct 19, 2005
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ultimateloner
Well-Known Member
- Jan 25, 2004
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I hope we find one the scouts deem worthy for the starting 11. I can't see it personally without a big punt, and for me we've already taken one in the form or Richy.
Westmorlandspur
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- Feb 1, 2013
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He certainly isn’t a wide right player naturally. Last 20 mins of the Luton game when we had ten men, he ended up as a sort of centre forward. He did well, held the ball up, ran with it.
I really find Kulu an enigma, got off to a great start and hasn’t reached those levels since. Performances pretty inconsistent and while he works hard he is prone to doing some dumb stuff defensively. Against Fulham he was anonymous on the RW and I struggle with moving him into the midfield rather than bringing on GLC.
Agreed. When’s he’s played 10 for us and had to play longer through balls he can’t pull them off sadly
theShiznit
Well-Known Member
- Jul 26, 2004
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He does have a lot of similarities to De Bruyne, he's probably a better ball carrier but not as good a ball striker.
He could become a very good ACM as he can spot a pass and is more effective with runners either side
I feel that where defenders were diving in a bit on him early on due to his perceived lack of pace, they learnt that because he has great close control and f balance with fairly quick feet he can still skip by them when they over commit so nowadays full backs are just standing him up until they can engage body contact on him or wait for him to try and commit and use thier (usually superior) pace/strength to muscle him out.
Where he's frustrated me lately is with his indecision and slow use of the ball.
He can still be very effective RWF just needs players running outside him to give the full backs something else to think about.
He could become a very good ACM as he can spot a pass and is more effective with runners either side
I feel that where defenders were diving in a bit on him early on due to his perceived lack of pace, they learnt that because he has great close control and f balance with fairly quick feet he can still skip by them when they over commit so nowadays full backs are just standing him up until they can engage body contact on him or wait for him to try and commit and use thier (usually superior) pace/strength to muscle him out.
Where he's frustrated me lately is with his indecision and slow use of the ball.
He can still be very effective RWF just needs players running outside him to give the full backs something else to think about.
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fishhhandaricecake
Well-Known Member
- Nov 15, 2018
- 19,254
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Mezzala central role for Kulu is probably where he is at his best tbh, as much as we love him and ofc he can do good things out wide, he does lack a bit of pace to truly be a really effective wide man on a consistent basis.
You look at the top wide forwards in the PL over the last 5-10 or so seasons when they were at their best and they all have pace to burn:
Salah
Mane
Son
Saka
Sane
Sterling
Hazard
Bale
The only real exceptions I can think of are : Foden/Grealish/B.Sliva all for Man.City and all of them have exceptional dribbling and footwork and agility and positioning and play in a unique Man.City team.
Love Kulu but actually glad he sees his future as central as I think that suits his skillset best, as you say we bring in a new RW and then Kulu competes with Maddison for the n.o8/10 role and we probably move GLC on, makes sense.
Our wingers can then be something like:
Son/Werner/Solomon
Johnson/New RW
Kulu can fill in at RW if/when needed.
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