For some reason I thought he was from Antwerp
Adnan Januzaj | 2013/14 Performances
- Thread starter The Taurean
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I was more impressed with him last night than ever before. Confident, direct, intelligent he's got it all I reckon. Next season he's going to explode.
Bulk up? Having a laugh surely?
Bulk up? Having a laugh surely?
Is it possible that the reason he was better tonight than he has been most of this season, was because Giggs utilised him correctly? Gave him a bit of freedom, something Moyes wouldn't do? Just a thought. Maybe I'm talking bollocks.
Thank you as always!
Valencia, built like a brick sh*thouse.
In his early years Ronaldo would weave his way past people like Iniesta or Messi do, he can't do that anymore for reasons @Brightonian says.
If you look at the top top sprinters, not many of them are skinny.
I don't want to resort to Youtube, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. If you look at his highlights vids for 2012/13 or 2013/14 there are examples of him weaving through multiple players. Sure he doesn't do it on a game by game basis but he still has it in his arsenal.
I'm sorry, but it's pretty much an accepted fact that in football a low centre of gravity makes dribbling easier. Rugby is a completely pointless counter-example, because the ball you're trying to move is in your arms, not at your feet. Entirely different range of motions required.
It's not just about being able to quickly change direction whilst keeping your feet. It's about being able to quickly change direction whilst maintaining so much control and range of movement in your feet that you can continue to very delicately manipulate the ball. That is much easier with a low centre of gravity, which is why almost all the best dribblers have always had one.
He can do it occasionally, yes - he's undoubtedly still a great dribbler by most other players' standards. But between 06 and 08 for us he was doing it in pretty much every game, and beating three or four players at a time. His physique would make that more difficult now even if he hadn't moved to a different style of play.
The whole centre of gravity thing makes sense in the context of short vs tall players.
Not in muscular vs skinny players of identical height. First of all, a player that puts on muscle will gain weight on his upper and lower body. Second of all, even if he puts on a bit more muscle on his upper body than he does on his lower body will it really make that much difference to his overall centre of gravity? Finally, the improved core strength and power in the legs will make it easier, rather than harder, to make a rapid change of direction.
You've completely fudged my point about rugby players, by the way. Either this alleged increased height of their centre of gravity makes it harder to change direction quickly or it doesn't. The stuff about being more muscular somehow making it harder to maintain "so much control and range of movement in your feet" doesn't make sense on any level.
If he can do it at all, the fact he does it less frequently than before (allegedly) can only be because he chooses to do it less frequently, not because he is unable to.
No he didn't.
Yes, it completely does. I'll try again. When a football player bulks up, he's adding muscle all over his body but given that professional football players already have very well developed legs it will mostly be upper body muscle. That's very obviously true of Ronaldo - compare pictures of him in 06 to pictures of him now - the change is in the much broader chest, generally more muscular upper body. The legs are much the same, because he was already pretty sorted in that department.
Adding a lot of upper body muscle like that does significantly change centre of gravity. The difference between a low and high centre of gravity, remember, is a very slight one. A significant bulking up will very much change it.
Thirdly: the reason the rugby example isn't relevant is because being the sort of dribbler who can weave through three or four players the way he used to is not just about speed and agility. Yes, top-heavy rugby players can have excellent speed and agility, can turn on a sixpence etc etc. But we're talking about moving with the ball here, not just running. I don't want to get too technical, but the science behind it is essentially the level principle. When a player runs with the ball, their centre of gravity is their effective fulcrum. If they have a low centre of gravity, the distance between their feet, trying to manipulate the ball, and their centre of gravity is small. This allows a greater amount of control over those movements per unit of muscular strength. The higher their centre of gravity, the harder it is to exercise fine control over the ball. It's actually easier to kick the ball hard - that's why when you shoot at goal you do it with a straight leg - but harder to produce delicate movements.
An extreme but illustrative example would be this: holding your arm out straight, moving neither your wrist nor your elbow, try and write something neatly. It's obviously much harder than doing so using your wrist as the fulcrum for the movement. The movement in the tip of the pen/pencil is the equivalent of the movement required of a footballer's feet.
Logical fallacy. The fact that he does it less frequently demonstrates either that he chooses to do it less, that he's less capable of doing it, or both.
But from actually watching him play, watching the way he runs with the ball and watching what he is able to do when he does dribble, we can tell that he's not as well suited to long mazy dribbles any more.
Playing football doesn't really make your legs muscular in the way squatting or deadlifting does. Playing football makes your legs great for endurance but it won't make them ultra strong. Roberto Carlos didn't get those thighs by taking free kicks that's for sure.
No he didn't, not even close.
Where did I say that playing football builds up your legs? I said that most pro footballers have very built up legs, because having very well developed legs gives you a massive advantage in terms of being good at football. Obviously they get them by doing a lot of gym work.
An incredible talent. Makes it all so easy.
Perhaps I'm way off but I don't think footballers spend weeks on end doing nothing but leg day, with Ronaldo being the exception who works upper body too.
I don't think scoring goals will improve your pace, it only slowed down the likes of van Persie and Rooney.
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Maybe some of our fans are visually impaired. How can anyone have watched last night's game and say Januzaj lacks pace?
Come on Amar you can do better than this
I like how resistant he is to kicking. After that tackle in the first half Jones would end up in hospital, but he just stood up and continued like nothing happened. And in the second half I thought like he had more energy than in the first, he was running on counter attacks like he just started a game.
I promise I will do better next time.
I promise I will do better next time.
For whose interested in his match compilation I was bored today and decided to do a compilation for the first time.
Edit : Didn't see that the master made one as well.
Edit : Didn't see that the master made one as well.
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That last bit is completely wrong!
Having a higher centre of gravity doesn't make a jot of difference to the fulcrum when it comes to moving/controlling your feet. All that matters is the length of your legs. Putting on muscle makes feck all difference in this regard. If anything, getting stronger would help.
Anyway, this is all getting a bit surreal and off topic. I'm out.
For the Ronaldo argument, I suppose that he has just become more efficient?
It's quite obvious that Ronaldo has changed his gameplay, training and focus. However you look at it, dribbling past a few players and scoring goals is ultimately less efficient than playing the way Ronaldo does nowadays. Even Messi doesn't do it as often anymore, if you compare his current playing style to when he just burst into the scene. Being a flair player is a bonus, but being efficient is the name of the game.
While he would certainly be a more exciting player and remain a success at whichever club he chooses to be at, I doubt Ronaldo would be reaching the machine-like consistency in terms of scoring if he focused on his dribbling instead.
Whatever the case is, I certainly hope Januzaj would improve in the way Ronaldo and Messi did, even if he doesn't reach their heights. It would certainly help us quite a lot in the future. What's the point of dribbling if you can't give good results?
It's quite obvious that Ronaldo has changed his gameplay, training and focus. However you look at it, dribbling past a few players and scoring goals is ultimately less efficient than playing the way Ronaldo does nowadays. Even Messi doesn't do it as often anymore, if you compare his current playing style to when he just burst into the scene. Being a flair player is a bonus, but being efficient is the name of the game.
While he would certainly be a more exciting player and remain a success at whichever club he chooses to be at, I doubt Ronaldo would be reaching the machine-like consistency in terms of scoring if he focused on his dribbling instead.
Whatever the case is, I certainly hope Januzaj would improve in the way Ronaldo and Messi did, even if he doesn't reach their heights. It would certainly help us quite a lot in the future
. What's the point of dribbling if you can't give good results? I hope next season we see Januzaj given more freedom to go from wide and in to the box. It's something we really need to add to the team and something he can certainly do. Sometimes it feels like he was told to hold his width and at times we'll need that but in general I'd like to see him given that freedom to make the diagonal run as we've got players who can play him in if he does.
Scary to think how good he'll be when he enters his prime. Just hope stays clear of injuries and keep on improving.
Awesome videos, mate. You deserve a cheeky tag line.
Think he's a player who will really thrive under LVG.
Is anywhere already discussing the fact that Meyler won't face any punishment for his stamp?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Premier-League-defeat-against-Man-United.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Premier-League-defeat-against-Man-United.html
Yea well, he gets to play against the Arse.
It's refreshing to see a United player to take the ball and go forward with it. Got a bright future ahead.
I have literally been waiting for the video since the game ended. Thanks
Thanks and you're welcome.
Good video.
Thanks. Full Member will do for now, I think.
Yep that pass, Fellaini didnt need to break his stride at all, it was just a brilliant pass and yes it deserved a finish from that pass. No complaints as im happy a more long term player scored :P
On Ronaldo:
But I like it!- Status