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Harry Winks - Leicester City

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
That's all Rodri seemed to do for Atletico last season, yet City paid over 60m for him. Busquets too at Barca.

Winks is quality. Teams need players like Winksy.


Don't think it really occurs to people but, IMO, Winks does exactly what Poch asks him to do. It may well be the case that if he suddenly started trying to zip 40m through balls or started dribbling up the pitch from his position, Poch might give it to him in the neck. I never see Poch having a go at him, so I assume he's doing what he's told.
 

SlotBadger

({})?
Jul 24, 2013
13,751
43,099
Nah but my EYES are telling me he doesngt pass forwards and only passes backwards and only passes sideways and my eyes are the best because theyre mine and i dont need no stats to tell me that he only passes sideways and he only passes backwards because my eyes told me that he only passes sideways and he only passes backwards and my eyes are more reliable than facts because i know football and in football harry winks only passes sideways and he only passes bakwards and my eyes told me he does

Pies.png
 

smallsnc

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2017
699
1,237
Nah but my EYES are telling me he doesngt pass forwards and only passes backwards and only passes sideways and my eyes are the best because theyre mine and i dont need no stats to tell me that he only passes sideways and he only passes backwards because my eyes told me that he only passes sideways and he only passes backwards and my eyes are more reliable than facts because i know football and in football harry winks only passes sideways and he only passes bakwards and my eyes told me he does

Get a good pair of eye glasses!
 

-Afri-Coy-

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2012
5,838
18,570
Its amazing people don't understand players' roles in the team. They are two totally different players, playing in different positions.

The post he replied too (my post) wasn't in relation to roles on the field, it was specifically written around the minimal movement of our forwards during the game. This has nothing to do with player roles, rather how we transition from defense to midfield to attack.

I did go on to mention that the movement from defense to midfield is quick and incisive yet we seem to stumble moving the ball forward to attack. So Winks is actually not the problem here, our flat footed movement up top seems to stifle us in midfield because Winks has no option then but to distribute the ball out wide or sideways to Sissoko/Ndombele.

If given the chance, I think Winks could move the ball forward and split defenses where possible, but the off the ball movement has to be there from Moura/Lamela to create these spaces and opportunities for him to do so.
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
15,980
48,499
His passing may not be the most direct or progressive at times but that's not because he's naturally risk adverse or incapable of producing these passes, it's because when we're playing against sides who are content with a point and defend extremely deep we need to move the ball, with the aim of tiring them until they break, not lumping the ball up top at every opportunity.

Nailed it.
 

Gilzeanking

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2005
6,093
5,019
If given the chance, I think Winks could move the ball forward and split defenses where possible, but the off the ball movement has to be there from Moura/Lamela to create these spaces and opportunities for him to do so.

I agree with your points, but don't understand why Kane has been left out of this . I found his movement lacking on Sat and as for his CL Final movement....
 

-Afri-Coy-

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2012
5,838
18,570
I agree with your points, but don't understand why Kane has been left out of this . I found his movement lacking on Sat and as for his CL Final movement....

Generally Kane staying central will occupy both CB's of the opposition team, which is why I feel his movement is not as necessary as Moura and Lamela to stretch the width of the defense, but I do agree that his movement through the middle has been off since the Delph incident. He does however make up for it in other areas of the pitch so I won't hold that against him.

But I expect to see runs off the shoulder of defenders from Moura and Lamela to stretch the defense even more and to run onto forward passes from Ndombele and Winks. Our problem is they both tend to drift towards the middle, which gives us 3 players all trying to occupy the same area. That's what made us look stagnant on the pitch.

Villa did however defend really tight and didn't allow us space to work with, but that's where we need to be more creative off the ball.

Winks is unbelievable at his role and I wouldn't want to replace him in the team because he's that good and he is one of our own.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
The post he replied too (my post) wasn't in relation to roles on the field, it was specifically written around the minimal movement of our forwards during the game. This has nothing to do with player roles, rather how we transition from defense to midfield to attack.

I did go on to mention that the movement from defense to midfield is quick and incisive yet we seem to stumble moving the ball forward to attack. So Winks is actually not the problem here, our flat footed movement up top seems to stifle us in midfield because Winks has no option then but to distribute the ball out wide or sideways to Sissoko/Ndombele.

If given the chance, I think Winks could move the ball forward and split defenses where possible, but the off the ball movement has to be there from Moura/Lamela to create these spaces and opportunities for him to do so.

Agree. Its been a problem for a while. It is why I like Dele playing because he is always on the move.
 

-Afri-Coy-

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2012
5,838
18,570
Agree. Its been a problem for a while. It is why I like Dele playing because he is always on the move.

Not only does Dele make insane amounts of movement off the ball but he is a right bully sometimes too and I love that about his game play. We need more of that.
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
Hoddle once said that he’d play the pass to where he wanted the forwards to run, and then the forwards would be forced to make the runs.

Agree absolutely. Remember Waddle, until he teamed up with Hoddle, used to dribble to nowhere. When he came to us, Hoddle played all those long, raking passes out to the right wing where Waddle could only reach running at top speed to the bye-line where the only thing he could do was crossing to the centre where Allen did the rest. Hod judged those passes to perfection, even taking Waddle's speed into calculation, and afforded him no time to dilly-dally with the ball.
 
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Gilzeanking

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2005
6,093
5,019
Yes we do seem to see a fair amount of passes direct to the man on the wing rather than ahead of him to run on to .
 

swarvsta

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2008
773
4,061
It’s quite funny really. You can go down Hackney Marshes every Sunday and watch almost every player attempting a forward pass every single time.

Better players totally understand the need to keep the ball moving, and knowing the best pass is not always forwards.

I rewatched the game on TV last night and saw Winks play at least 5 forward thinking passes. He barely gave the ball away at all.

Definitely people have got a pre-conceived idea about his play.

The sort of thing you hear a bloke down the pub say.... “Ohh he’s shit, he just passes sideways and backwards.....I could go in there and do that!!!”

No. No you couldn’t.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,353
87,819
It’s quite funny really. You can go down Hackney Marshes every Sunday and watch almost every player attempting a forward pass every single time.

Better players totally understand the need to keep the ball moving, and knowing the best pass is not always forwards.

I rewatched the game on TV last night and saw Winks play at least 5 forward thinking passes. He barely gave the ball away at all.

Definitely people have got a pre-conceived idea about his play.

The sort of thing you hear a bloke down the pub say.... “Ohh he’s shit, he just passes sideways and backwards.....I could go in there and do that!!!”

No. No you couldn’t.
A term that you hardly hear anyone use, but I remember it being so key when I played at Uni, was "recycle". When there isn't a clear and obvious opportunity on, or you're being pressured, you just recycle the ball to a free team mate. You "recycle" possession.

You don't just whack it forward as you'll likely just lose possession. And you sure as shit don't dither on the ball in your own half, as you'll likely catch your whole team out.

Its especially frustrating when its Spurs fans who don't appreciate this, seeing as it was this club who developed the bloody thing here, before going and teaching it to half of Europe.
 

cliff jones

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
4,059
6,514
I do agree that Winks is great and constrained by Poch instructions, much asDembele used to be.

The run that usually catches out the two banks of four is from deeper, which is how City do it and Wenger used to, overloading the flanks

I can’t see who our runners are though in the formation we’ve started Inter and Villa

Poch needs to loosen the chains for Winks to bomb on two or three times per game, he’s got the pace
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
I think nobody is arguing that there is never a need for backward passes and that they are always wasted. The issue is when a backward pass is chosen as a default even when/if other options are readily available.

Of course sitting in the stands/watching on TV, you will have a different view than the actual players. Sometimes that view will be incorrect, and what looks like a good passing option is in fact not really an option to the player. Other times, you will have better judgment than the player because you are not the one under pressure, in need of a split-second decision.

So those are mitigating factors. However, unnecessary backward passes, I think, is a possible area for improvement, not only for Winks but for the entire team.
 
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