Wilfred Ndidi

[BKLFox]

17 minutes ago, FoxyLeon said:

 

 

 

I've said this for over 12 months.

 

He keeps getting further forward than Tielemans, regularly, when it shouldn't be happening even once.

 

No decent manager, tried to get Makelele scoring more goals.

maybe they should?

There have been plenty great DMs that were forward thinking & contributed as much in attack as they did in their "Primary" role; Lothar Matthaus, Frank Rijkaard, Patrick Viera, Roy Keane, Yaya Toure - Kante is being asked to do more than just a DM role.

There is no issue with Ndidi going forward providing there is cover, this comes from the players " i go u stay" this doesn't come from a coach on the sides like in U8-15 games

 

[Scotch]

1 minute ago, BKLFox said:

maybe they should?

There have been plenty great DMs that were forward thinking & contributed as much in attack as they did in their "Primary" role; Lothar Matthaus, Frank Rijkaard, Patrick Viera, Roy Keane, Yaya Toure - Kante is being asked to do more than just a DM role.

There is no issue with Ndidi going forward providing there is cover, this comes from the players " i go u stay" this doesn't come from a coach on the sides like in U8-15 games

 

Yeah but the problem with Wilf doing it is that seemingly the further forward he gets, the worse he plays. 

 

It's not been a great season for him thus far and I don't think it's a coincidence that it just so happens to coincidence with him being asked to play as a more all round CM. 

[BKLFox]

7 minutes ago, Scotch said:

Yeah but the problem with Wilf doing it is that seemingly the further forward he gets, the worse he plays. 

 

It's not been a great season for him thus far and I don't think it's a coincidence that it just so happens to coincidence with him being asked to play as a more all round CM. 

Yep agree he's not been great at it & not every player will click to change straight away, it might be that he never clicks but its about personal growth he might have said to BR i want to do that or add this to my game....
We as fans always look on selfishly at our players & we see positions & we fix them into that position not wanting them to move looking at a season at a time. Where as the player & coach look to better themselves looking at their career as a whole.
What if as we expect Youri leaves & we can't get that like for like replacement, what if then Ndidi could contribute & we end up playing with a double 6 with Ndidi & KDH which might better suit them (the team) than trying to force KDH on his own to take up all that Youri provided?

[NaijaFox]

Wilf is umpteen times better under Brendan than under Puel.

Brendan simplified his role and achieved the minor miracle of improving his passing.

 

[NaijaFox]

2 hours ago, Scotch said:

Yeah but the problem with Wilf doing it is that seemingly the further forward he gets, the worse he plays.

 

It's not been a great season for him thus far and I don't think it's a coincidence that it just so happens to coincidence with him being asked to play as a more all round CM. 

Depends on what you mean by “play”….

He still wind tackles and headers (I think he’s scored 1 or 2 headed goals). Creative passing and shots have never been Wilf’s “play” anywhere on the field.

 

Edited 24 January 2022 by NaijaFox

[Scotch]

55 minutes ago, NaijaFox said:

Depends on what you mean by “play”….

He still wind tackles and headers (I think he’s scored 1 or 2 headed goals). Creative passing and shots have never been Wilf’s “play” anywhere on the field.

 

By that I mean he hasn't been as good defensively this year as we know he can be. I don't think that's his fault as he's been asked to contribute more in other areas of the game but like you said, that's not his "play". 

[turlo]

3 hours ago, BKLFox said:

Yep agree he's not been great at it & not every player will click to change straight away, it might be that he never clicks but its about personal growth he might have said to BR i want to do that or add this to my game....
We as fans always look on selfishly at our players & we see positions & we fix them into that position not wanting them to move looking at a season at a time. Where as the player & coach look to better themselves looking at their career as a whole.
What if as we expect Youri leaves & we can't get that like for like replacement, what if then Ndidi could contribute & we end up playing with a double 6 with Ndidi & KDH which might better suit them (the team) than trying to force KDH on his own to take up all that Youri provided?

The problem is when Wilf gets forward teams walk through our midfield with ease once they have bypassed him. Youri can't cover ground quick enough or good enough at tackling to hold the midfield when Wilf advances forward and not sure if KDH can either although he does have the legs for it.  

[sacreblueits442]

9 hours ago, filbertway said:

If we're making changes because we're scared of Forest then god help us when we play powerhouses like Villa and Everton

 

I see the merit, but I'll stick with backing our footballers. Honestly having Wilf in their against Forests back 10 will be painful to watch as he slows down every move.

....that is how Rodgers chooses to play him!!!

It is not his game and I would suspect he would not wish to be so involved in going forward but Rodgers is attempting to turn him into another style of player. It doesn't work, but Rodgers insists on pushing ahead with it. It always takes Rodgers too long to stop doing something that is not working, people can see it, he needs someone around him to tell him when to back off.

[Supergray22]

3 hours ago, NaijaFox said:

Wilf is umpteen times better under Brendan than under Puel.

Brendan simplified his role and achieved the minor miracle of improving his passing.

 

I think you are right here that Brendan seems to have improved his passing. If he can improve his offensive play and shooting in particular then I’d hope to see Brendan knighted!  However it is not what we need from Wilf. We have other players who can already cover that role whereas no one else can do the defensive CM destroyer role like Wilf. 

[Claridge]

22 hours ago, NaijaFox said:

Wilf is umpteen times better under Brendan than under Puel.

Brendan simplified his role and achieved the minor miracle of improving his passing.

 

awful miracle if that's it. One of the worse footballers I have ever seen at passing. Great at tackling mind you

[Hamilton Fox]

29 minutes ago, Claridge said:

awful miracle if that's it. One of the worse footballers I have ever seen at passing. Great at tackling mind you

Isn’t that the point though, puel had him as tackler and playmaker in a 2 with Mendy and he was dreadful. Rodgers has him defensive mid (and sometimes defence) to do what he’s good at - tackling 

[NaijaFox]

11 hours ago, Claridge said:

awful miracle if that's it. One of the worse footballers I have ever seen at passing. Great at tackling mind you

Still a miracle nonetheless...

Under Puel, Wilf actually completing a non-hospital pass often seemed miraculous.

 

Under Brendan, his passing rates have improved about ten percentile points to about 85%, which is at par with Youri's (albeit it can be argued that Youri attempts more difficult passes) and better than Hamza (as well as, on the small sample thus far, Soumare). 

[Babylon]

18 minutes ago, NaijaFox said:

Still a miracle nonetheless...

Under Puel, Wilf actually completing a non-hospital pass often seemed miraculous.

 

Under Brendan, his passing rates have improved about ten percentile points to about 85%, which is at par with Youri's (albeit it can be argued that Youri attempts more difficult passes) and better than Hamza (as well as, on the small sample thus far, Soumare). 

Under Puel he was playing with Mendy in the middle and ended up being tasked with being the creative midfielder, passing between the lines.

 

Under Rodgers he only has to keep it simple and pass it to the more capable players.

 

His passing is still poor, it’s just not shown as much. 

[gerblod]

Wilf's been at City since December 2016 - an overlap of c. 3 months of Claudio's managership. 

He's built his tenacious defensive rep. up under Shakes and Puel. 

I've always admired his ability to pass, calmly, at the turnover of play. I also admire his shooting ability - apparently he won Goal of the Year while at Genk!

His rôle just doesn't offer him many chances to hone his shot-making potential.

If he's being asked/expected to pass like Youri, then that's unrealistic and unreasonable.

It appears to me that several players have been adversely affected by the cumulative number of injuries experienced by the defence since Jonny Evans began to break down under niggling difficulties.

Players have been asked to take on unfamiliar roles in a makeshift defence. Incoming defenders/defensive midfielder (what is Soumare's role) have failed as yet to 'bed in'. Hardly surprising when a club has to resort to panic buying.

BR should forget about anything other than establishing a settled defence for the rest of the season. In this situation I'd be experimenting with different formations in training, until I found the most reliable combo. Then I'd go with that and accept the mistakes that might occur in competitive play.

Chopping and changing doesn't work with defences. And you have to have adaptable, intelligent players to cope with changing formations. Once Wilf can settle back into his comfort zone then I believe we'll see his and the team's fortunes begin to improve.

[Permafrost]

1 hour ago, gerblod said:

I also admire his shooting ability

[gerblod]

32 minutes ago, Permafrost said:

I'm surprised you're surprised. For a player who gets little opportunity to let fly, he has a powerful and not inaccurate shot. 

[5waller5]

1 hour ago, gerblod said:

Wilf's been at City since December 2016 - an overlap of c. 3 months of Claudio's managership. 

He's built his tenacious defensive rep. up under Shakes and Puel. 

I've always admired his ability to pass, calmly, at the turnover of play. I also admire his shooting ability - apparently he won Goal of the Year while at Genk!

His rôle just doesn't offer him many chances to hone his shot-making potential.

If he's being asked/expected to pass like Youri, then that's unrealistic and unreasonable.

It appears to me that several players have been adversely affected by the cumulative number of injuries experienced by the defence since Jonny Evans began to break down under niggling difficulties.

Players have been asked to take on unfamiliar roles in a makeshift defence. Incoming defenders/defensive midfielder (what is Soumare's role) have failed as yet to 'bed in'. Hardly surprising when a club has to resort to panic buying.

BR should forget about anything other than establishing a settled defence for the rest of the season. In this situation I'd be experimenting with different formations in training, until I found the most reliable combo. Then I'd go with that and accept the mistakes that might occur in competitive play.

Chopping and changing doesn't work with defences. And you have to have adaptable, intelligent players to cope with changing formations. Once Wilf can settle back into his comfort zone then I believe we'll see his and the team's fortunes begin to improve.

 You lost me at “shooting ability”.

 

Hitting the ball hard and anywhere is generally not viewed as shooting ability!

[filbertway]

4 hours ago, Babylon said:

Under Puel he was playing with Mendy in the middle and ended up being tasked with being the creative midfielder, passing between the lines.

 

Under Rodgers he only has to keep it simple and pass it to the more capable players.

 

His passing is still poor, it’s just not shown as much. 

Seemed to be the case up until this season anyway, he seems to think he's Frank Lampard this season

 

[NaijaFox]

10 hours ago, Babylon said:

Under Puel he was playing with Mendy in the middle and ended up being tasked with being the creative midfielder, passing between the lines.

 

Under Rodgers he only has to keep it simple and pass it to the more capable players.

 

His passing is still poor, it’s just not shown as much. 

A good manager MINIMIZES weaknesses and MAXIMIZES strengths.

[turtmcfly]

13 hours ago, gerblod said:

I'm surprised you're surprised. For a player who gets little opportunity to let fly, he has a powerful and not inaccurate shot. 

 

I want this to be true, honestly. I love the Wilfster.

 

I remember the absolute banger, and the one with his left foot that was a beautifully controlled fade (fortuitously choked down full shot?!) with this left foot.

 

Other than that I'm struggling, and it's not like he's shy when it comes to having a batter. A poor technique leads to a rarely powerful (usually sliced) shot, and one that's pretty much always not 'not inaccurate'

 

 

 

 

Edited 27 January 2022 by turtmcfly

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

Wilf is a beast but are there any stats on his shooting accuracy? I'd be shocked if he got more than 25% of his shots (with feet) on target. 

[Sampson]

34 minutes ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said:

Wilf is a beast but are there any stats on his shooting accuracy? I'd be shocked if he got more than 25% of his shots (with feet) on target. 

You're not wrong. It's 15% over his whole time with us. Was as low as 6.3% last season - 1 shot on target from 16 attempts. 

[Babylon]

14 hours ago, NaijaFox said:

A good manager MINIMIZES weaknesses and MAXIMIZES strengths.

We had little other option at the time, hence him going out and getting Tielemans.

[Ric Flair]

On 21/01/2022 at 17:42, Sampson said:

Disagree that Wednesday night proved anything. People said this earlier in the season when he was out for a few games, then he came back in the side and we didn't improve defensively at all.

Up until this tail end of last season I would have agreed 100% of course, but we've looked absolutely no better defensively when he's played this season.

I'd be intrigued if anyone can do our goals conceded per 90 mins with and without him this season though to see what the actual statistics say.

Kept clean sheets vs Newcastle and Liverpool when he dropped in to CB though. 

[filbertway]

8 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Kept clean sheets vs Newcastle and Liverpool when he dropped in to CB though. 

Despite his best efforts to give Salah a free shot on goal