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Harry Winks - Leicester City

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
My only real concern with Winks if he’s playing this role are his defensive capabilities. There’s no question since peak Eric Dier we are giving up more chances and more goals. Ultimately I believe in this role Skipp will be better than both Dier and Winks as he actually is almost a hybrid of both.
 

JKendall13

Well-Known Member
Jul 2, 2012
1,040
6,953
My only real concern with Winks if he’s playing this role are his defensive capabilities. There’s no question since peak Eric Dier we are giving up more chances and more goals. Ultimately I believe in this role Skipp will be better than both Dier and Winks as he actually is almost a hybrid of both.

I agree that Winks still has a long way to defensively especially considering the massive performances we've had in that regard the last few seasons with Wanyama, Dembele, and Dier. But I'll be interested to see how Winks looks defensively this season alongside NDombele and Lo Celso.

Last season was an aberration because our midfield was so poor and it affected our ability to press and defend at every level. Willing to defer judgment on Winks regarding last season and see if he looks a lot more comfortable defensively this season when surrounded by better players.
 

Derp

Well-Known Member
Dec 4, 2014
303
507
Winks is similar to Jorginho from Chelsea and that’s perfectly fine. He is a bit clueless in the last third and that’s why we need Eriksen or hopefully Lo Celso to make us tick offensively. As long as Winks + Ndombele/Sissoko can hold the midfield it’s all good. Just don’t play all three together against teams like Villa at home.
 

dtxspurs

Welcome to the Good Life
Dec 28, 2017
11,234
46,574
Winks is similar to Jorginho from Chelsea and that’s perfectly fine. He is a bit clueless in the last third and that’s why we need Eriksen or hopefully Lo Celso to make us tick offensively. As long as Winks + Ndombele/Sissoko can hold the midfield it’s all good. Just don’t play all three together against teams like Villa at home.
Eh... Jorginho is better offensively.

 

synththfc

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2017
3,740
26,716
Eh... Jorginho is better offensively.



Maybe in terms of passing, which I admit Winks needs to work on (especially over longer distances), but Winks has much better close control/ball retention than Jorginho.

Also, while Winks may be a bit suspect defensively, I've never seen him get bullied the way I've seen Jorginho get bullied in the prem.
 

Vincent30

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
900
3,694
The thing is we have recognise he is now playing with a new partner. I don't expect him and Ndombele to hit it off within the first week of the league. They need to understand how the other player moves and what their game is all about it. In a few months i'm excited to see what Winks and Ndombele could be as a CM pairing.

Winks has some real positive features, he likes the ball, he moves it on quickly, he's not slow, he's energetic etc.

The things he real needs to develop further this year are his defensive awareness. If he is the one playing the deep role he needs to know he can't give the ball away cheaply and sometimes he does, because it will nearly always result in a break away for the other team.

He's never going to be a brute of strength like Sissoko, so he must be cuter and look at Busquets and learn how to position himself better defensively. But this comes with time.

The main thing i think he can improve on and the easiest one for him to do so. Is his passing forward and taking a chance. Every game there will be 2 or 3 moments where he can slip it through two players to Ndombele or Eriksen in the middle and he chooses to go backwards. If he would have played these quite simple passes we would be on the counter. I think because of point 1, he knows if he loses the ball we are a bit in shit street. But he needs to back himself and make these passes as he easily has the ability.

I think with Dier/Sissoko to rotate and bring on after 60 plus minutes will work wonders against tired teams. Getting past one of these two after an intense match will be so much more difficult and should help protect us better later on in games. It's a great position to be in.
 

ljinko888

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2016
2,080
5,376
If KWP doesn't get injured I think it was clear he Winks was the intended sub for Eriksen. Because it's become a trend that Winks comes off after an hour when we are losing....which happens quite a lot in 2019.

Take him out of the team for sides where we will dominate the possession anyway. Having a middle man recycling the ball is absolutely pointless in games like this.
 

ClintEastwould

Well-Known Member
Jul 3, 2012
4,748
9,845
Loves a sideways pass does this guy. Could’ve counted more than 10 times in this one match alone where he had time, space and a runner and just chose to shift it to KWP or Rose. Not a creative bone in his body I feel.
 

glacierSpurs

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2013
16,163
25,472
Overrated for his own good. Still not polished but probably thinks he's well ahead of development.

His forward passings have gone.
 

theShiznit

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2004
17,800
23,813
So easy to blame the CM's but our patterns of play are just slow and predictable you could put a juiced up prime Pirlo and Iniesta in there and they would still struggle to create. We just lack a basic understanding of how to create when teams sit deep and narrow against us.

Most of Eriksen's passes were sideways or to the first available man when he came on... But we'll gloss over that.
 
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Romulus

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2012
6,901
11,081
Took him off against villa, we score and win.
Took him off against city, we score instantly and draw.
Leave him on against Newcastle, we lose.

Not saying its his fault but I don't think he's playing well
 

Snarfalicious

Well-Known Member
Jul 15, 2012
15,709
71,935
Took him off against villa, we score and win.
Took him off against city, we score instantly and draw.
Leave him on against Newcastle, we lose.

Not saying its his fault but I don't think he's playing well


The problem is he's not defensively astute enough to sit deep and break up play on his own, and he's not progressive enough against bus parkers to make a difference. He's best utilized next to a true defensive midfielder against sides that will at least challenge for possession and operate with a more open setup.
 

kendoddsdadsdogsdead

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2011
2,140
3,574
The amount of times he sells himself and gets passed around as well when he tries to press is scary. Doesn’t have any defensive awareness too. Just recycling possession with absolutely no purpose is not going to cut it by a long shot.
 

rabbikeane

Well-Known Member
Mar 29, 2005
6,884
12,675
If KWP doesn't get injured I think it was clear he Winks was the intended sub for Eriksen. Because it's become a trend that Winks comes off after an hour when we are losing....which happens quite a lot in 2019.

Take him out of the team for sides where we will dominate the possession anyway. Having a middle man recycling the ball is absolutely pointless in games like this.

It was, Winks number was on the board and changed when KWP went down
 

Primativ

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
3,229
12,486
I find it incredible how overrated he is by some sections of fans.

He’s just not good enough. His distribution which is supposed to be why he’s in the side is bang average. Today it was poor.

He isn’t good enough and it’s a massive question mark about Poch’s judgement that he perseveres with him. Winks wouldn’t get close to being in the Liverpool or City sides. He isn’t at the level we need or imposing physically. Can’t pass can’t tackle.

Honestly if Poch continues picking him we are continuously going to look vulnerable in defence and pedestrian transitioning the ball because he isn’t quick enough in thought.

He’s indecisive. Poch has a hard on for him for a bizarre reason because what does the kid do? Can’t defend can’t attack.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
He's struggling for rhythm and form so far, and taking an extra touch too many and playing slightly conservative, but the main problem is our totally non-existent attacking structures and movements rather than any one player not playing enough forward cutting passes. There are very few occasions where our players are actually missing a great passing opportunity. Everything we do with the ball needs a rejig.
 

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
Loves a sideways pass does this guy. Could’ve counted more than 10 times in this one match alone where he had time, space and a runner and just chose to shift it to KWP or Rose. Not a creative bone in his body I feel.
This is the most disappointing thing to me. It’s as though he doesn’t even spot the runs being made, if it had been Ndombele on the ball in those situations he’d have found the runners and we’d have been able to shift their defenders onto the back foot. With everything going side to side Newcastle were able to keep the play in front of them for the whole match.

He needs genuine competition for his spot. I think he’s got ability but he has to start adding the progressive, incisive passes to his game or we’ll continue to struggle against teams setting up in a low block, and right now there’s no one else in the squad to challenge him for the regista role. We really need a Fernandinho/Fabinho type who can shield the back line, keep play ticking over, *and* play the forward passes that Winks is just not providing right now for whatever reason.
 

Haddock

Captain
Oct 16, 2017
2,025
6,357
The vast majority of teams in the PL will defend deep against us. A midfield of Winks, Sissoko and Lamela just doesn't have enough creativity and incisive passing in them.

They are all much better suited to matches where the opponents drive up the tempo and go at us = more space in the midfield.

Winks is a decent player but for a CM who's main attribute is passing his vision and ability to break the lines are just not good enough.
 

cjbyid

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2009
7,167
25,008
He isn't good enough. Very slow to move the ball and it's all sideways and backwards.

Tbf he shouldn't have played today anyway as you don't need his style of play agaisnt Newcastle.
 
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