boyyanno wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 12:57 pm
With all due respect but that's absolute nonsense. When Dwight was playing on the left and whipping crosses in, he was getting assists, plaudits and rave reviews. As soon as he stopped doing this (either due to tactical reasons or otherwise) he's completely flattered to deceive and offered nothing (well 1 assist).
Given every single statistic goes against you can you actually offer up anything to show that you're even remotely in the ball park with this comment?
Let's nail this 1 assist thing. There are various problems with using that as a measure, but the most obvious is that you only get an assist if someone sticks the ball in the net. So sometimes you'll get an assist for a very basic pass which is followed by a stunning finish, and sometimes you'll not get an assist even when you put it on a plate for a player, if he misses a sitter.
xG and xA stats are very suspect but they are an interesting point of comparison. Accordingly to those stats, McNeil should have 5 assists this season, which suggests he's been unfortunate that others haven't converted - and I can think of 2 or 3 sitters that have been missed from his delivery off the top of my head (Wood at Everton, Cornet at Norwich). That compares to an xA of 5.5 assists last season - so a decline, but not a massive one, particularly given that McNeil has taken fewer set pieces than last season (Cornet has taken more). It doesn't suggest he's been much less productive this season than last. Two seasons ago he achieved an xA of 7.5 - much better. But perhaps that's to be expected, given (i) the team was better then so should have created more chances; and (ii) he was a newer and more unknown quantity.
By way of comparison, the highest rated player for assists in the bottom half is Bryan Mbueno. He only has 7, and he as an xA of 3.3.Having added one yesterday, Saint Maximin has 5 assists - and an xA of 3.8. Phil Foden has an xA of 5.3. By comparison McNeil isn't faring too badly, is he?
I've also never understood the argument that a one footed player should be stuck out on the flank. To my mind, because the touchline cuts down your options, it exacerbates the problem of being one-footed. In the middle of the pitch, you've got the option to dribble both ways, and can pass in all directions. One of McNeil's problems this season has been he's too easily funnelled into a cul-de-sac on the left when teams double up on him, and once he's in it, the only way out is backwards (not least as he's not out and out quick enough to knock it beyond and run) - that's part of teams working him out. And as Dan rightly says, this is an issue which is raised disproportionately about left footed players.
Statistically, he's a good player who has had a quieter season but done far better than his detractors would have us believe. I think a season in the Championship would be good for him, but I also think his output over the last 3 years will have him well in demand this summer.
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