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Harry Winks - Leicester City

Joely

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2011
1,724
4,648
I agree with you, but this does beg the question of what the fuck Winks actually does if he's a midfielder who can't create or defend. What's the fucking point of him? He can control a ball and make simple passes. That's it. Every player should be able to do that. He's better technically than Sissoko, sure, but so are 99% of the players in the PL, so it's damning him with faint praise.

He can't even offer any kind of control in midfield. He is a good time kind of player where if the forwards in front of him are having a good day or the oppo are having a stinker, he can scuttle around playing his simple passes keeping things ticking and everyone watching probably thinks he is a tidy little player. Scratch below the surface however and you quickly realise there isn't actually much to his game apart from effort, being mobile and playing short little passes with hardly any that are incisive. When the going gets tough and it needs players in midfield to stand up, especially against better opposition, the guy is out his depth imo.

He was kind of getting in by default last season due to Dembele leaving and Dier and Wanyama struggling with injuries. On top of that, he probably looked great technically next to Sissoko who'd struggle trapping a sack of cement. I'm actually fairly confident Skipp could come in and offer us what Winks does with the difference being one is 19 with minimal game time and the other is nearing 24 years old with 70 odd games for us behind him. Seriously, I'd sell Winks in the next 2 windows and I think Mourinho will cut down his playing time and won't be long before he goes looking for a move to get regular first team football at Watford/Bournemouth or something.
 

rsmith

The hand of Ghod
Nov 8, 2006
792
848
Sorry but there is no coincidence that we play far better when winks isn’t in the team clear as day to see

This would only be true if we played Burnley every week. What was clear to see today is that Jose had no confidence in the midfield which injuries forced him to play which is why they were totally bypassed.
 
D

Deleted member 29446

People screamed for him today and got what they wanted. 1 very good ball to Kane. That was about it.
Another awful performance from him. Squad player is what he will be.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,385
I'd say we have a whole bunch of players that aren't suited to a pivot midfield. Winks is one of them. Sissoko, Dier and Ndombele don't fit it either and it's hard to judge Lo Celso with so little game time. However, put a proper ball winning DM in the middle of a CM3 and I think they'd all look a load more comfortable and effective. Ndombele and Lo Celso both have the ability to carry the ball forwad from deep positions or pick quick transitional passes. Once Eriksen and GLC got on today we looked a load more incisive with the ball but prior to that, Brighton overloaded the midfield v Winks and Sissoko and they not only struggled but couldn't get the ball forward either. I don't think Jose's setup is doing any of them any favours at all. No idea what he'll go with v Norwich but just hope GLC and Ndombele are part of it.
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
15,980
48,498
I'd say we have a whole bunch of players that aren't suited to a pivot midfield. Winks is one of them. Sissoko, Dier and Ndombele don't fit it either and it's hard to judge Lo Celso with so little game time. However, put a proper ball winning DM in the middle of a CM3 and I think they'd all look a load more comfortable and effective. Ndombele and Lo Celso both have the ability to carry the ball forwad from deep positions or pick quick transitional passes. Once Eriksen and GLC got on today we looked a load more incisive with the ball but prior to that, Brighton overloaded the midfield v Winks and Sissoko and they not only struggled but couldn't get the ball forward either. I don't think Jose's setup is doing any of them any favours at all. No idea what he'll go with v Norwich but just hope GLC and Ndombele are part of it.

Considering both Winks and Sissoko are suspended for the next match we’ll see at least one of GLC or NDombele for sure.
 

allpaths

Well-Known Member
Oct 31, 2014
3,174
8,381
thought today was a step in the right direction, unlucky not to have an assist today, played another good ball into the box and set Moura away with a nice slip pass in the lead up to Kane's goal.

Of course he needs to be a lot braver with the ball if he wants to establish himself as an important member of the squad.
 

allpaths

Well-Known Member
Oct 31, 2014
3,174
8,381
SC complain he's too conservative now they complain he turned over the ball too often lol cant win sometimes
 

Havre

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2019
829
1,065
Felt like he turned the ball over a lot

Feels like it or he did?

Dispossessed zero times according to whoscored. Only Vertonghen and Alderweireld had a higher pass completion % than Winks.

Feels to me many see what they "want" to see (not suggesting Spursfans want Winks to fail, but not sure what people expect him to be sometimes).
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Feels like it or he did?

Dispossessed zero times according to whoscored. Only Vertonghen and Alderweireld had a higher pass completion % than Winks.

Feels to me many see what they "want" to see (not suggesting Spursfans want Winks to fail, but not sure what people expect him to be sometimes).

I thought that too and it looks to me like he's trying forward passes more under Jose which he needs to do, he passed forward a lot more today.
 

allpaths

Well-Known Member
Oct 31, 2014
3,174
8,381
Well if his biggest “asset” is keeping possession and he can’t even seem to do that anymore..
to me that was a result of trying to be a bit more entrepreneurial today it's something you have to accept. It's not like he was losing the ball in bad areas. And 14 lost possessions for a ball playing midfielder isnt atrocious.
 

Dazzazzad

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2006
1,232
4,367
to me that was a result of trying to be a bit more entrepreneurial today it's something you have to accept. It's not like he was losing the ball in bad areas. And 14 lost possessions for a ball playing midfielder isnt atrocious.

Yeah, that's a bit high for him but not too bad. Moura and Dele losing it 45 times combined was a bit more of an issue, although one of those resulted in a goal so...
 

Vincent30

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
900
3,694
Regardless of sideways passing blah blah blah. The limitations with Winks are that he isn't really anything.

He's not a DM. He is so weak and tackling ability is very poor.
He's not a box to box midfielder as he doesn't seem to have the engine for this, you see the odd burst but lacks the power/physical gifts to really be this.
He's not an AM as he lacks ability in the final third.

He can only really play as part of midfield 3 or potentially a sub player for a CM paired with a real dominant DM.

That's it. All he will ever be at our club is a average squad player. Which is unfortunate but he is too limited to be close to starting for a team like Spurs.
 

midoshairband

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2006
6,947
13,636
liability and a headless chicken. runs about and gets the happy clappers on their feet, but his manic and pointless pressing puts him so far out of position that we are exposed.

he also has a ha it of closing in on player quickly, yet never actually making a tackle. he gets beat or passed past so easily.

perhaps he might be OK in a midfield 3 where the other two cover for this, but in a 2 it just leaves us wide open.
 
D

Deleted member 29446

His control of the ball today was worse than Sissoko. Says a lot doesn’t it.
Not even speaking of his 17 missed tackles.
 
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