MLS/Soccer Thread

[jays4life19]

I have found the fangraphs of soccer.

 

whoscored.com

[Bobthe4th]

My favourite player is de Ligt, is he going to transfer?

 

The transfer window is shut, it opens in January but it’s rare big transfers happen then. If Ajax are competing for the Dutch league then they’ll wait until next summer to cash in, so that they can sign a replacement.

[Bobthe4th]

I have found the fangraphs of soccer.

 

whoscored.com

 

Advanced stats in football are basically useless, there are too many variables. It’s one of the reasons football is so popular - you can have favourite players, and debates about who is better, without there being a definitive answer.

[jays4life19]

Advanced stats in football are basically useless, there are too many variables. It’s one of the reasons football is so popular - you can have favourite players, and debates about who is better, without there being a definitive answer.

 

Tracking movements would seem useful though.

[Bobthe4th]

Tracking movements would seem useful though.

 

You have Opta stats that are used by a lot of teams, showing things like distance ran, where on the pitch passes are made etc that can be moderately useful. But because different tactics and positions exist there’s no foolproof way to build a winning team. It can help you to identify suitable players if you have a preferred system though.

 

Your fullback might be attacking and run up and down the wing all day - he’ll create chances but leave you exposed to counter attacks. Danny Rose - good or liability?

 

Your defensive midfielder might sit in front of the defence and only play short passes within his own half, but he gives protection to the defence. Eric Dier - important player or not creative enough?

 

Your playmaker might not run much or get back on defence, but when he gets the ball the energy saved let’s him use a burst of pace (and skill) to beat his man and create a chance. Mesut Ozil - genius or lazy?

[Bobthe4th]

By far the best way to evaluate football players is by watching them live. When you go to or watch on tv a Barcelona game and watch Lionel Messi you’ll notice that he has a free role. He’ll walk around the pitch saving energy, sometimes jogging into space. When he gets the ball, he’ll often pass it without dribbling.

 

But sometimes he’ll get the ball and suddenly accelerate, using his insane ball control to beat a couple of defenders and cause panic in the defence. He also has wonderful creative vision, and his passing and finishing ability is elite, he’ll make passes and score goals that are unbelievable.

 

Because the defence know this, they’ll often assign at least one guy to man mark him, and always be quick to close Messi down. This of course creates space for other Barca players.

 

In this way, you could look at stats for a game showing that Messi didn’t run much, didn’t score or make an assist. You could then look at stats like pass completion percentage and shots on target. But you’d need to watch the game to see his true impact. Did he create space by tying up defenders? Did his passing create anything? Were shots close to going in or easy saves? So many variables.

 

Obviously Messi is an outlier - he scores 60 goals a season, you don’t need to watch him play to realise he’s a great player. But the same theory applies to lesser players. And as I said in my previous post, there often isn’t a definitive “player X does this so therefore they are good” when assessing players who aren’t primarily goal scorers.

[jays4life19]

Okay, Harold.

[Bobthe4th]

Okay, Harold.

 

Haha that's entirely my point - in a sport like baseball based on repeatable situations that have limited variations you can have relevant advanced stats that definitely show that player X is better than player Y. It doesn't work for sports like football.

 

Advanced stats in sports like football have limited applications when looking at specific things. For example - medical sports science teams are prevalent now, advising when a player is in the "red zone" - i.e. more susceptible to injury - by reviewing things like a player's distance covered, reduction in speed etc.

[Pendleton]

The transfer window is shut, it opens in January but it’s rare big transfers happen then. If Ajax are competing for the Dutch league then they’ll wait until next summer to cash in, so that they can sign a replacement.

 

Makes sense, I'm still trying to grasp how the whole transfer process works as I've never really paid soccer much attention. I had read that a few top clubs were interested in de Ligt. He seems like the type that will be a long time skipper and defensive stalwart for someone.

[Bobthe4th]

Makes sense, I'm still trying to grasp how the whole transfer process works as I've never really paid soccer much attention. I had read that a few top clubs were interested in de Ligt. He seems like the type that will be a long time skipper and defensive stalwart for someone.

 

Centre backs are very, very valuable. All the big teams spend millions on anyone who either shows promise or had a bit of success in the relevant league.

 

De Ligt is arguably better than Davidson Sanchez, his CB partner for Ajax who was sold to Spurs last season for C$70 million.

 

Another year for De Ligt as first choice for Ajax will also do him wonders for his development - the worst thing for him would be being on the bench for a team like Barcelona. Just look at Yerry Mina - great World Cup but now at Everton after a year of not playing for Barca. Next year a 20 year old De Ligt with 2 seasons of first choice behind him has a chance of starting for a big team in Spain, England or Italy. I think a team like Roma would be perfect for him.

[Bobthe4th]

I know I keep banging on about him, but Phil Foden is going to be a superstar. Ran the game for Man City last night in a League Cup game (against lower league opposition admittedly) and his manager Guardiola compared him to Iniesta.

 

I just wish he'd get more playing time this year so that he's got a couple of seasons of regular playing time behind him in time for Euro 2020.

[Bobthe4th]

The potential England team for the Euros looks so promising on paper (2020 ages in brackets):

 

........................Pickford (26)

.....Gomez (23).......Stones (26).......Maguire (27)

Trippier (30)..........................................Sessegnon (20)

................Henderson (29 - this is the weakest position, hopefully someone else will come through)

.......Foden (20)....... Alli (24) / Sterling (25)

.......Kane (26)....... Sancho (20) / Rashford (22)

[Pendleton]

The potential England team for the Euros looks so promising on paper (2020 ages in brackets):

 

........................Pickford (26)

.....Gomez (23).......Stones (26).......Maguire (27)

Trippier (30)..........................................Sessegnon (20)

................Henderson (29 - this is the weakest position, hopefully someone else will come through)

.......Foden (20)....... Alli (24) / Sterling (25)

.......Kane (26)....... Sancho (20) / Rashford (22)

 

Sessegnon is good on Fifa

[Bobthe4th]

Sessegnon is good on Fifa

 

Haha, in real life he’s basically the prototype of a perfect wing back. Fast, good on the ball, can cross or cut inside.

[jays4life19]

The potential England team for the Euros looks so promising on paper (2020 ages in brackets):

 

........................Pickford (26)

.....Gomez (23).......Stones (26).......Maguire (27)

Trippier (30)..........................................Sessegnon (20)

................Henderson (29 - this is the weakest position, hopefully someone else will come through)

.......Foden (20)....... Alli (24) / Sterling (25)

.......Kane (26)....... Sancho (20) / Rashford (22)

 

Canada is way better.

[Bobthe4th]

Canada is way better.

 

Luckily Canada aren’t eligible to play in Euro 2020!

[jays4life19]

Luckily Canada aren’t eligible to play in Euro 2020!

 

So racist

[Pendleton]

So racist

 

Geographist

[jays4life19]

Geographist

 

And homophobic!

[jays4life19]

Vancouver Vs LA tonight.

 

Got Davies in all my DFS lineups again.

 

 

EDit: wowwww Davies is the lowest % owned player on my roster, soccer fans are so dummmm

Edited September 30, 2018 by jays4life19

[Abomination]

Vancouver Vs LA tonight.

 

Got Davies in all my DFS lineups again.

 

 

EDit: wowwww Davies is the lowest % owned player on my roster, soccer fans are so dummmm

 

Whitecaps look awful so far. Firing Robinson isn't having the desired effect atm.

[jays4life19]

Whitecaps look awful so far. Firing Robinson isn't having the desired effect atm.

 

Yeah. Oh well.

 

I came 14th out of 39...mostly due to some random cheap guy I took who got me 30 points lol.

 

Davies had a poor game by his standards but still got me 7 points

[Bobthe4th]

Stunning Messi performance as Barca go to Wembley and beat Spurs 4-2. He scored twice and absolutely ran the game.

 

He’s still only 31, and I believe as he enters his mid 30’s he’ll keep dropping deeper into midfield to exploit his vision and passing ability. Once he can no longer run much he’ll be like a supercharged Pirlo, dominating the game from midfield, and acting like a quarterback or point guard.

[jays4life19]

Abom did you watch the Vancouver game?

[Bobthe4th]

Goal of the Season contender in the Fulham vs Arsenal game:

 

[jays4life19]

Bob i need reports on the following soccer players.

 

Ballou Tabla of FC Barcelona

Jonathan David of KAA Gent.

 

And based on your expert opinion do you think Canada is the best team in North America in a couple years?

[Bobthe4th]

Bob i need reports on the following soccer players.

 

Ballou Tabla of FC Barcelona

Jonathan David of KAA Gent.

 

And based on your expert opinion do you think Canada is the best team in North America in a couple years?

 

Tabla has a bright future and will likely be sent on loan to another European team to play in a more competitive league (the Dutch league is a common destination for La Liga prospects) as he plays for Barcelona's B (reserve) team. I didn't realise until now but he recently decided to play for Canada rather than Ivory Coast - a great sign as Ivory Coast have been one of the stronger African teams over the last 10-15 years.

 

I know less about David, but Belgium is a very good league to gain experience in - high quality coaching, record of developing prospects, and it's in the 2nd tier of European leagues so full of good quality players.

 

IMO Canada (and USA) will continue to develop young players because so many kids play "soccer" in North America. If Canada can field a half decent team and go on a run when co-hosting the 2026 World Cup the popularity will explode, and there's a chance we'll see the kind of growth that Japan and especially South Korea had after they hosted in 2002. FWIW in 2026 Tabla will be 27, David 26 and Davies 25 - all right at the peak of their careers if they continue to develop.

[Bobthe4th]

With Ronaldo now at Juventus, Messi breaking his arm means that this weekend's Barcelona vs Real Madrid game will be the first with both missing in over 10 years!

[jays4life19]

Alphonso Davies last game for Vancouver is tomorrow so if you haven't watched him i would highly recommend.

[Bobthe4th]

Suarez pen makes it 2-0 already in the Classico - I bet the Madrid manager wishes he'd never left the Spain job!