How good is Benoit Assou-Ekotto?

[JerryGarcia]

As the title says, how good is Benoit Assou-Ekotto? I just saw a few posts about him in the ITK thread but didn't want to spam it up so maybe we can have a debate in here?

I've seen a lot of people over the years comment that they rate Benny but think he's prone to make mistakes and I'm not sure if this is really fair. Show me a full back who doesn't make the odd mistake here or there, I don't think there can be many so the question is, does he make more mistakes than the others? Does anyone have stats or could you point me in the direction of a site that would let us see Benny compared to the likes of Evra, Cole and Baines?

Personaly I can't think of many left backs that I would prefer to play in our team that don't also make an occasional error, he seems to be getting better and at 28 should be reaching his peak soon. There's talk in the transfer forum of the posibility that he could leave although I can't believe that we'd think about selling him. I'd like to see him finish his career with us and maybe even move on to a coaching role or some position in the club that would keep him involved with the community. It all depends what he wan't to do but I'm very happy with the job he does.

This isn't to debate how cool he is by the way, we all know he's the master.

 

[chinaman]

I think he is certainly better than Chris Hughton and I'd put him on par with Cyril Knowles. Knowles was better in defense but Benny is better going forward.

 

[Armstrong_11]

i really like him... think the gives us good balance on the left along side Bale. it's important that our left back isn't too forward thinking. don't really want someone to go venturing too far up the left flank, having Bale to sprint back for cover and god forbid put in a dangerous tackle. think he also compliments Walker and allows us to have at least 3 men back when Walker ventures upfront.

to me he is the dirtiest player we have, i think it's important with all our beautiful, attractive flowing football, we have people to do the little "gamesmanship" stuff like nudging strikers in the back, tugging a shirt here and there...

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Technique wise he one of the best players in the team. His positioning and concentration are lax sometimes but I don't see any real need to replace him.

 

[dontcallme]

I really like BAE. He might be behind the top left backs in the league, Evra and Cole, but matches most of the others.

Despite what some fans on RAWK think it isn't simply about ticking a box and saying this player is better than that player. It's about how well a played fits into a team. BAE fits really well into our team and is professional enough to stay back and let Bale get forward as much a possible. He's also comfortable on the ball and when he's further up the pitch BAE is good at keeping possession.

He does have the occasional game where he has a very poor game but it's rare. I don't think he's someone we should be looking to replace.

 

[MR_BEN]

benny is immense!

 

[lenny7]

His haircut should be first name on the team sheet.

 

[JerryGarcia]

He certainly gets stuck in, I think this this is one of the things he's really improved on since his first couple of seasons.

Maybe he makes people nervous when he uses wizardry to trick his way out of trouble, he's guilty of over playing it once in a while so that might be a fair criticism but personaly I find it fun to watch.

 

[dontcallme]

He certainly gets stuck in, I think this this is one of the things he's really improved on since his first couple of seasons.

Maybe he makes people nervous when he uses wizardry to trick his way out of trouble, he's guilty of over playing it once in a while so that might be a fair criticism but personaly I find it fun to watch.

The thing is that this is something we should be encouraging our players to work on. Watching Swansea last season there were times when they were in a tight position defensively but calmly played it out and passed their way up the pitch. It's something that should be encouraged.

We are still stuck on playing percentages and hoofing it when unsure. I know it looks bad when a defender misplaces a pass and it leads to a goal but how many goals are conceded by defenders hoofing the ball, giving away possession cheaply but further up the pitch?

BAE is a much improved player partly because he actually has the confidence to play football and not get down when he makes a mistake.

 

[mpickard2087]

Definately up there as one of the better left backs in the league. I have been watching since '95 and he is a vast improvement on some of the shite I have had the misfortune of watching at LB for us over that period of time.

I think defensively he keeps improving and although still prone to the odd mistake he is cutting out the 'when he's bad, he's very bad' games that happen from time to time.

He also understands his role, he plays with discipline and this allows Bale a free-er role on the left than maybe he would get if playing with a LB who was continuously looking to bomb past him on the outside.

Whilst his technique is very good and he is confident on the ball, however in the final third I do feel we could see more from him in an attacking sense. There are numerous times where he gets in some fantastic positions and wastes the chance, usually by just drilling the ball aimlessly across the box. Better decision making and he would chip in with a fair few assists IMO and the wider footballing community may start to take him more seriously.

 

[JerryGarcia]

The thing is that this is something we should be encouraging our players to work on. Watching Swansea last season there were times when they were in a tight position defensively but calmly played it out and passed their way up the pitch. It's something that should be encouraged.

We are still stuck on playing percentages and hoofing it when unsure. I know it looks bad when a defender misplaces a pass and it leads to a goal but how many goals are conceded by defenders hoofing the ball, giving away possession cheaply but further up the pitch?

BAE is a much improved player partly because he actually has the confidence to play football and not get down when he makes a mistake.

I agree, I just meant the times when he could have passed the ball but tried to dribble around the opposition for a third time. It's very rare though and he seems to have cut the errors out of his game in a big way. It's his calmness and technique that make me think AVB will rate him and not want to sell him.

 

[lillywhites61]

Although he has the odd bad game, and in my opinion that is pretty rare. He is a very good left back. Hansen does my head in with his constant digs at him.

He is one of the better left backs now for me. Gets forward well, crosses very well and puts a few away now too. Can't remember last time I saw cole score?

Very good player and very underestimated by others and I am quite happy for that to continue as he stays off others radars!

 

[ItsBoris]

I really like BAE. He might be behind the top left backs in the league, Evra and Cole, but matches most of the others.

Despite what some fans on RAWK think it isn't simply about ticking a box and saying this player is better than that player. It's about how well a played fits into a team. BAE fits really well into our team and is professional enough to stay back and let Bale get forward as much a possible. He's also comfortable on the ball and when he's further up the pitch BAE is good at keeping possession.

He does have the occasional game where he has a very poor game but it's rare. I don't think he's someone we should be looking to replace.

Evra is terrible now imo.

I think Benny is a pretty good player and his understanding with Bale on the left is good for us.

 

[DJS]

I trust him so much I'd even let him book my gym classes using the shit online booking system they use.

And I don't just let anyone book my classes...

 

[Kingstheman]

I think he is very good.

 

[OmarsComing]

8/10

cant do better imo

 

[sim0n]

BAE - cult hero and top man - no need at LD for Spurs to be sure

 

[AW?]

Decent player but still a weka link in the cahin for me. Yes he gets forward well but he cosrs us too many goals. Blame Bale for not tracking back but without him coming forwards liek he does Benny would be getting even more exposed if you ask me.

 

[Blake Griffin]

when does benny cost us goals? seriously i just don't see it ... i'm sure it's just a tag that has stuck with him from years ago and some are unwilling to change their mind. he's a good defender, 1v1 no one beats him, very aggressive, a smart player who reads situations well, very comfortable on the ball, passes well, attacks when needed. i don't know what else you could ask of him.

 

[lol]

benny, a absolute cult character. one of the most compose left back in the league, able to pull off tricks and weave his way away from the opponent under great pressure. a decent tackler, a decent marker. one of his greatest flaw in his game is his concentration. he switches off sometimes and that most often lead to a goal( eg not tracking his marker during a cross from the right).

a really really good squad player, but honestly the weakest link among players like kaboul, vert and walker. hes lovable character makes us love him though. would love to keep him as a back up LB IF we can get a decent price for a starting lb.