No problem mate.
15
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 7
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 1
- Status
No problem mate.
I'm afraid so. That may balance out a little as he matures, though.
He's magic.
All the highlights videos show his very good technique and ability but he has undoubtedly played against poor opposition. They're giving him plenty of time for the first touch/movement (which sets up everything else) compared to when he was playing with us, although it's most likely because he's finding more space dropping deeper and going wide as oppossed to that no.10/2nd striker business with LVG.
I agree with the indecisive/poor judgement though. His skillset and style should see him play like Silva but he's differs between being a pass-first playmaker and/or a creative wide player. So instead of efficient touches and well calculated dribbles/spacial movement, he's neither here or there. It's something that he'll have to discover himself because I don't think Tuchel or LVG are going to sit him down and tell him what to do and how to play, which can also fully maximise his potential.
I agree with the indecisive/poor judgement though. His skillset and style should see him play like Silva but he's differs between being a pass-first playmaker and/or a creative wide player. So instead of efficient touches and well calculated dribbles/spacial movement, he's neither here or there. It's something that he'll have to discover himself because I don't think Tuchel or LVG are going to sit him down and tell him what to do and how to play, which can also fully maximise his potential.
That's definitely noticeable in the St Pauli and to some extent the Krasnodar videos, but I'm seeing no evidence of it against Hannover or Leverkusen. Particularly in the latter, he's having to work very hard to find any space at all, and is almost exclusively getting the ball with an opponent already up against his back.
The two Bundesliga videos look pretty close to what he's experienced and can expect in a lot of PL matches.
I really do wonder how people can come to that conclusion. Krasnodar was up to this point Januzaj´s hardest game. First of all because they are actually a very devensively solid side. They were better organised than any English team in the EL so far and even the idea of putting them behind the defensive mess that is Hanover this season is quite frankly insulting towards the Russians. Secondly the circumstances were far worse than in the other games (falling behind early and weaker performing support cast).
Leverkusen was on paper the best side we faced so far, but when he came in the game we were already up 2:0, which caused Leverkusen to become desperate and open up spaces. Hell they did not even play with a defensive midfield in the second half, which is near suicide vs our team. On top of that they were in a clear disadvantage in terms of stamina because of their exhausting pressing in the first 70 minutes.
Honestly, it is like people read EL Group match and a lesser known foreign team and just assume they are cannon fodder.
Why does he still fall so easily? I thought he has gotten considerably stronger on the ball?
This is just strange considering Januzaj had one of the more impressive starts to his United career as an 18 year old. The October that he had against Sunderland, Southampton, Norwich, etc... were something that Martial didn't even do, goals aside. And one of our worst outfield players every time in the last 2 seasons? No where near true with Moyes. It was only last season that he had a really bad season in very few minutes btw.
This is all hypothetical but what if he didn't come back a better player after being loaned out to a weaker side? Januzaj's main weaknesses are his dribbling and decision making, both of which make him an isolated figure and it doesn't look good, but I feel a weaker side would rely far too heavily on his individual brilliance and I doubt he would make that much of an improvement . Which almost makes a loan move redundant in that regard. At Borussia Dortmund, he has to rely less on his dribbling and make decisions quickly and he's playing under Tuchel, who prefers a good mixture of possession-based and counter-attacking football. Which benefits both parties more IMO.
That's an interesting idea. I do think if the league level was still high (like the Bundesliga) then it wouldn't be that much of an issue, unless you mean specifically for playing under LVG. If he can be good enough for a weaker side to be happy to rely on him to be their match-winner week in week out, I think that would be a significant step up already.
If he gets regular game-time at Dortmund and can really learn all those things in the space of a single year, I will be delighted.
I don´t get this. How would there be less emphasis on his decision making in a smaller side? I would argue the exact opposite. If he would be a constant starter or even key player of a team, his decision making would have a way bigger impact on the game flow. The pressure to make the right decisions would be way more severe, because he would be expected to run the game. Unless we play a complete B side, this will never happen at Dortmund. To be completely honest, him having a poor performance will normally have a way smaller impact on the overall game than if it happens to the likes of Hummels, Gündogan, Reus or Kagawa. These are the guys, who are expected to carry the game and keep the machine running. In any normal formation Januzaj will always have more accomplished and proven players next to him. The worst he can do is waste a few chances, break down a few attacking plays and lose the ball. If this continues for half an hour he will be either subbed or go missing on the field, because the key players will then play around that. There will be never a true reliance on him. He is there to add something different to our overall game and be part of our combination play, nothing more.
This of course does not mean, that he might not improve in this area by playing for us in training and matches, This has less to do with our standing, but more with our style, though. The biggest pressure for him to improve in this regard is not that he would otherwise hurt our play too badly, but that he simply would not play for us at all. The problem in this case is, that to really improve decision making you need to get consistent game time, because nothing can replace that completely, not even the most efficient training.
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Is on the bench again for the game vs. Hoffenheim (starts in about 40 minutes).
Could only be 2nd offensive option (depending on the game situation) as Hofmann starts for Mkhitaryan, who gets a bit of rest and is on the bench.
Could only be 2nd offensive option (depending on the game situation) as Hofmann starts for Mkhitaryan, who gets a bit of rest and is on the bench.
People keep saying it but how is he getting anymore gametime at Dortmund than he would have at United ?
Well, he won´t unless he profits from injuries. If this is about his development, it is more about a change in environment than actual game time.
That's fair. You could see the problems Januzaj had under LvG: struggled physically, was far too much of a dribbler with little end product, decision making was poor, and he probably didn't follow instructions. I didn't think he did too badly this season but obviously LvG thought different.
When I refer to weaker side, I'm also trying to reference Moyes' Manchester United. While Januzaj was undoubtedly very good in that season, the type of pressure he had to deal with meant that he had to do everything himself which led to very poor decisions, but he's a youngster and is expected to learn, so being overcritical would be harsh. However, if you were to put him in a weaker side than Borussia Dortmund, then I feel his habits would be prevalent in his play and he wouldn't gain much in that regard. Of course his decision making would probably improve, but everything is almost set up perfectly for him at Dortmund. There's more pressure on him to improve various aspects of his play and I personally think that's better for his development, regardless of playing time.
Unused sub today ?
Strange as Dortmund were chasing the winner.
Strange as Dortmund were chasing the winner.
The tough period starts for him. With Reus back, there quite a few ahead of him in the pecking order. Reus, Hoffman, mikhta, Kagawa
I can think of at least these four. Out of these four, I can only see three starting in a match, making our boy Adnan the second choice sub.
I still hope he starts 15-20 games for them this season. Looks difficult though, unless he replaces one of those four due to his performances :-)
I can think of at least these four. Out of these four, I can only see three starting in a match, making our boy Adnan the second choice sub.
I still hope he starts 15-20 games for them this season. Looks difficult though, unless he replaces one of those four due to his performances :-)
Based on Tuchel's comments on Adnan so far, I reckon that the main difference between Hofmann and him at this point in time is experience with our brand of football, i.e. the intensity, positional play, defensive work. That's something Adnan should be able to learn quickly and work himself up in the pecking order above Hofmann. Tuchel won't let him start in matches in which he would consider him a potential defensive liability.
Generally, I suspect Tuchel will give Adnan more game time against teams sitting back with a compact defense.
The pre-match presser is tomorrow where Tuchel may give us some clues if he considers starting Adnan against Darmstadt on Sunday.
Generally, I suspect Tuchel will give Adnan more game time against teams sitting back with a compact defense.
The pre-match presser is tomorrow where Tuchel may give us some clues if he considers starting Adnan against Darmstadt on Sunday.
Interesting. Thanks for the insight.
But even if Adnan does make it over Hoffman, I don't see him starting over reus, shinji and mikhtariyan. That's not too bad though, as Dortmund have many games due to Europa
Even if Reus, Kagawa and Mkhitaryan won't suffer injuries, they'd need a rest from time to time. Therefore, I'm confident Adnan will get a decent amount of game time if he adapts to Tuchel's demands. If I had to guess, I'd say AJ gets subbed on against Darmstadt and starts next Thursday in the Europa League. Against Bayern though, he'll be back on the bench.
I have to correct myself on the timing of the pre-match presser: It's actually today (one day earlier than usual).
I like this loan, it will confirm some of LVG's areas of improvement, sometimes younger players can benefit from a second opinion.
Nothing too insightful on Adnan in today's presser: Tuchel stated he's an option, also over the course of 90 minutes and that it was a close call against Hoffenheim.
The bold is true, but I would not say with such certainty that just learning our system will put him above Hofmann, though.
The comparision of Januzaj and Hofmann is actually a pretty interesting one.
At first glance Jonas Hofmann is a player, whom many would describe as decent first league player, mostly suitable for a midtable Bundesliga club. He is a jack of all trades kind of players, who does not excell at any specific aspect of the game, but has also not a glaring weakness either. Passing, crossing, shooting, tackling, pace, etc. all on a decent level, but mostly way below the skills of our starters or the naturally way more gifted Januzaj.
So how does a player like him manage to score 4 goals and assist 14 (!) in the space of around 1.500 minutes for a club like Borussia Dortmund? By having extremely good decision making. In a time where teams frequently play overcomplicated football and try to be spectacular Hofmann impacts in a very straightforward and simple manner. Nothing he does looks extraordinary, but most of the time the simple things he does are the right actions. This makes him crazy efficient.
Now, Januzaj is in contrast someone, who is at least two drawers above Hofmann in terms of raw talent. You put them next to each other in training and say: "The Belgian kid obviously plays". Problem is, that Hofmann´s biggest strength is Januzaj´s most glaring weakness. Most of the things Adnan does look great and promising but ultimatively lack end product and go nowhere. You have one player, where strong decision making maximizes his limited abilities while the other one´s undeniably high skills are held back by the lack of it.
In the long run unless something goes terribly wrong (injuries, attitude) Januzaj will turn out to be the better player, because he will improve enough in that regard with time and experience that his raw abilities will give him the edge, but like I said several times on here already, the long run is not important in this loan deal. All that counts is the present performances, so Januzaj has to improve quickly or he won´t go ahead of Hofmann in the internal ranking.
I fully second your point that Januzaj's decision making is his main weakness.
However: In the first place, I wasn't stating my opinion on Januzaj or Hofmann but what I make of Tuchel's comments on the two since Januzaj arrived, and I haven't referred to long-term prospects of the two players beyond this season.
Although I admit that I don't see in Hofmann what you see. First of all, I'm not too impressed by his decision making either (for example, I recall numerous situations in which he went into senseless dribblings which he lost). Secondly, IMHO four goals in 1.500 minutes aren't too impressive for an attacking midfielder. Okay, he scored the opener against Leverkusen but he also scored the 3rd goal in Munich in spring 2014 against a - at that time - rather toothless Bayern (they had walked the league before and were two goals down in that game).
Assists are nice stats but they contain a huge element of luck: The passing player has next to zero influence if a team mate scores or not. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a prime example for this fact: In season 14/15 Micky would have already had a close to two-digit number of assists in the first half of the season if Auba, Reus etc had scored his key passes as they did in the second half. Likewise, Reus and Auba would have had a much higher number of assists if Micky had converted a fraction of their key passes. Therefore, assists don't rank too high in my books.
Generally, I find it more difficult to judge upon (attacking) players who mainly get subbed on rather playing from the start, which is the case for Hofmann during his tenure(s) with us. Defenders can be tired, or the opponent opening up at the end to equalize or score the winning goal, making it potentially easier to pass and shoot.
Back to Januzaj. Even if he adapts quickly to our game, I don't think Tuchel will consider him as a natural starter unless Kagawa, Reus, Micky or Auba are injured, have a serious and continuous dip in form, or need a rest; but it is apparent to me that Tuchel appreciates him and his abilities enough to see him already after such a short period of time much closer to Hofmann than I would have expected.
However: In the first place, I wasn't stating my opinion on Januzaj or Hofmann but what I make of Tuchel's comments on the two since Januzaj arrived, and I haven't referred to long-term prospects of the two players beyond this season.
Although I admit that I don't see in Hofmann what you see. First of all, I'm not too impressed by his decision making either (for example, I recall numerous situations in which he went into senseless dribblings which he lost). Secondly, IMHO four goals in 1.500 minutes aren't too impressive for an attacking midfielder. Okay, he scored the opener against Leverkusen but he also scored the 3rd goal in Munich in spring 2014 against a - at that time - rather toothless Bayern (they had walked the league before and were two goals down in that game).
Assists are nice stats but they contain a huge element of luck: The passing player has next to zero influence if a team mate scores or not. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a prime example for this fact: In season 14/15 Micky would have already had a close to two-digit number of assists in the first half of the season if Auba, Reus etc had scored his key passes as they did in the second half. Likewise, Reus and Auba would have had a much higher number of assists if Micky had converted a fraction of their key passes. Therefore, assists don't rank too high in my books.
Generally, I find it more difficult to judge upon (attacking) players who mainly get subbed on rather playing from the start, which is the case for Hofmann during his tenure(s) with us. Defenders can be tired, or the opponent opening up at the end to equalize or score the winning goal, making it potentially easier to pass and shoot.
Back to Januzaj. Even if he adapts quickly to our game, I don't think Tuchel will consider him as a natural starter unless Kagawa, Reus, Micky or Auba are injured, have a serious and continuous dip in form, or need a rest; but it is apparent to me that Tuchel appreciates him and his abilities enough to see him already after such a short period of time much closer to Hofmann than I would have expected.
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It's really strange because one of the main reasons why I thought Januzaj was a sure thing during his youth days was due to his decision making compared to every young player I watched. He didn't make it a priority to dribble past players, he passed, and was patient. He changed during the Moyes' year.
What comments about Hofmann? Did I miss something? I don´t recall Tuchel ever saying something specific about him. He usually does not single out (both positively nor negatively) players in statements unless he is asked about them. All comments on Januzaj so far come from anwers to specific questions from the press conferences. Nodody really asked about Hofmann so far, so neither you nor I know Tuchel´s real evaluation of Jonas Hofmann.
All we know is that Tuchel rated Hofmann high enough to keep him in difference to several other offensive player, which were let go. He also played him for around 400 minutes already, which is nearly as much as Castro and Ramos put together (both also options for the wing) and let him start in roughly half the games so far.
I disagree, I don´t think he really often goes in senseless dribblings. Senseless would implicate that there were way better options at hand (and a back pass to rotate the ball through the CM is not a better option most of the time). I won´t deny that he has lost possessions with failed dribblings, but this is more about execution than the thought process behind it. We play heavy defense lines most of the time, so the wide players have to take some small risks from time to time and try to create space.
I do agree, that he is not a big goal scorer, though.
So you dismiss Hofmann´s most impressive stat by stating that it is reliant on team mates (which is true, but so is scored goals) and then spend a paragraph describing how other Dortmund players should have more assists already, if the chance conversion would be better? The only reason why Hofmann´s number of assists should be seen as less impressive is if it would be inflated by a very strong forward line in terms of finishing. That´s obviously not the case here because both under Klopp and Tuchel chance conversion is far from perfect, some would even call it a weakness. If anything, Hofmann´s number of assists would be deflated and clearly show that he can create very good chances for his team mates to convert.
I agree with that. Hofmann is for me also more valuable as impact sub than as starter. If he would have the same output as starter as he has as mainly sub he would be around the level of Reus in top shape in terms of scoring ability, though, and we would not discuss if he would be the first rotation and bench option but rather where he plays in the starting line up.
Again, we don´t know that. All Tuchel has said, is that Januzaj is a definite option both as starter or as sub. This is a statement as open as it gets. It tells us nothing we don´t already know, because he played in both ways already. That´s the kind of answer of someone who does not want to rule anything out. I don´t think Januzaj will play tomorrow, as we will probably play with the best possible formation and then rotate in Greece for the EL.
Tuchel did comment on Hofmann versus Januzaj, thereby making statements about him, not just this Friday.
Let's agree to diasagree on his point then.
My point is that assists are generally largely influenced by luck, more so than scoring, because the passing player is totally reliant on the receiving team mate if he grabs an assist or not. I took Micky as an example to show that this huge luck component applies regardless who's assisting.
Another reason why I don't rate assists that high is that the most crucial, creative passes leading to a goal are often the second, third or fourth goal assists, often done by Hummels, Gündogan, Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Reus (or Lewandowski in 13/14 when Hofmann had his first regular Bundesliga minutes).
Again, assists are nice to look at but nothing which I rate as much as you apparently do, and in Hofmann's particular case, as a sub he played mainly against either tired defenders / less compact defense lines, his assist tallies are IMO even less impressive as if he had those as a starter.
For the first part, see above. I for my part am surprised about Tuchel's comments, and expect Januzaj to require quite some time to adapt. On his chances starting today: I don't think so but can totally see him to be subbed on.
PS: Would you share which website you're consulting when you refer to 14 assists? I can't come up with 14, sorry. Do these 14 include Hofmann's (sometime questionable) draws of penalties? Thanks.
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Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
What in the feck?
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
What are they doing to our Adnan
?
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
Wonder if Adnan took him to Nandos...
loan with happy ending.
Nah, looks more as if agents MR11 and PEA17 are on a successful "why don't you stay just a little bit longer" mission ...
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
PS: Adnan on the bench BTW.
That's Reus's hand on his crotch. When you realise that, this becomes very creepy to watch.
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
Hofmannisnt in the squad so I expect him to get some minutes.
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
So many things wrong with that photo. Why does Reus have a weird shaped left hand too? Almost looks like he has two hands in one sleeve.
Getting a bit too friendly with Reus I see.
Agent Adnan at work folks
This ends in Adnan pointing to the doll telling the police man where he was touched...
Adnan getting gang banged
Come on for Dortmund for last half hour by the way, on BT Sport if you fancy watching.
- Status