True and it must have been said here before, but Evans has played with strong center forwards and handled them well before (Even Drogba)
The lad is getting his confidence back and hopefully will go on to achieve bigger and better things.
Jonny Evans | 2011/12 Performances
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True and it must have been said here before, but Evans has played with strong center forwards and handled them well before (Even Drogba)
The lad is getting his confidence back and hopefully will go on to achieve bigger and better things.
If Jones is gonna be a midfielder and I think he will be, then it would be good to see Smalling in the center with Evans. Smalling will be one of the best center backs in the world one day but can't seem to get a game there. We need a right back so that's why he's there.
I don't disagree, but the point about upper body strength is well made. That initial first point of contact between forward and defender can be so crucial and if the defender is knocked off balance, that can be that. As has been said, Jonny doesn't have the lightening recovery speed that Rio has. Neither does Vidic, but how often do you see him lose a 50/50 physical clash? Jonny is so often in the right place that it doesn't often come to that but if it does, he can be left for dead sometimes. Ronaldo improved in this regard, so has Nani. Reasonable to expect Jonny to work at it.
People are never happy.
You know, I think he gets lucky with that pass to be honest.
But he had an excellent game yesterday, should have scored though!
How does he get lucky with it?
He spots the player, plays the ball and it gets to the player.....
The QPR player being out of position and not able to cut it out doesn't make it a lucky pass.
He spots the player, plays the ball and it gets to the player.....
The QPR player being out of position and not able to cut it out doesn't make it a lucky pass.
I think he got lucky in that it was a bit mishit- ie I would guess he intended for it not to travel about half a foot off the ground.
Reckon he was our MotM yesterday mind.
Nah, considering it fell right at Nani's feet I'm gonna give him benefit of the doubt.
Point still stands though, MoTM and some people still feel the need to qualify it with the 'shite opposition' stuff... joyless unless they're criticising something.
Point still stands though, MoTM and some people still feel the need to qualify it with the 'shite opposition' stuff... joyless unless they're criticising something.
I remember the days when Evans was getting the praise and hype like Smalling and Jones get now.
Crazy to dismiss the lad, he makes mistakes but what young defender doesn't? Rio and Vidic have certainly had their fair share over the years.
I'm glad he's at the club.
Crazy to dismiss the lad, he makes mistakes but what young defender doesn't? Rio and Vidic have certainly had their fair share over the years.
I'm glad he's at the club.
I don't think it was particularly mishit but I reckon he intended it to be maybe a yard further forward, giving the QPR player no chance at all to intercept (if he'd been a bit more alert he could have got to the ball easy enough)
Great vision though. He can be forgiven being a yard out on a pass which covers that much ground. He's not Paul Scholes, after all.
Great vision though. He can be forgiven being a yard out on a pass which covers that much ground. He's not Paul Scholes, after all.
Hard to tell that Nani was definitely the target, watch Welbecks reaction.
Im not slagging him off or anything, just dont see that as a particularily great pass to pick out!
Actually, I reckon Evans is at least as tall as Vidic, if not half an inch or so taller. He's simply not much of an athlete though (compared to most professional footballers) so his physical prowess can be caught lacking at times.
*hopes he doesn't start another DDG-style post-the-picture fest to study their heights*
I've seen them both from fairly close quarters. Vidic looks to be at least a couple of inches taller.
Vidic isn't particularly athletic either. He's actually quite skinny.
Mind you, a quick google reveals I could be wrong about the heights...
Athleticism isn't necessarily linked with your build. It's a combination of speed, strength and balance and being able to use everything you've got to it's maximum ability easily. Vidic is surprisingly skinny considering how powerfully he plays, but he can do that because of him being naturally athletic. The likes of Evans and Carrick aren't. Fletcher is our skinniest player in the first team (
) yet he's a fairly good athlete.I've got a build like Fletcher (probably skinnier), yet I'm one of the most athletic people I know. Which was always a bit of a laugh back in school, if the 'captains' didn't know me I would always be one of the last guys picked, but then I'd blow them away at just about any sport.
As for their heights, Evans doesn't look all that tall when you look at him individually, but I'm pretty sure he's the same height as Rio, who in turn is slightly taller than Vidic.
I would say he is very strong for his build. As you say in comparison to Richards he is skinny but his agression plus core strength gives him that 'freakish' strength.
He's also not the shortest either, which helps again.
Athleticism isn't necessarily linked with your build. It's a combination of speed, strength and balance and being able to use everything you've got to it's maximum ability easily. Vidic is surprisingly skinny considering how powerfully he plays, but he can do that because of him being naturally athletic. The likes of Evans and Carrick aren't. Fletcher is our skinniest player in the first team (
I've got a build like Fletcher (probably skinnier), yet I'm one of the most athletic people I know. Which was always a bit of a laugh back in school, if the 'captains' didn't know me I would always be one of the last guys picked, but then I'd blow them away at just about any sport.
As for their heights, Evans doesn't look all that tall when you look at him individually, but I'm pretty sure he's the same height as Rio, who in turn is slightly taller than Vidic.
Having an "athletic" build is usually taken to mean someone is well-muscled. Not sure why you're splitting hairs here. Whenever anyone describes a footballer as being "athletic" they're talking about someone with a build like Ronaldo, Valencia or Valencia. Someone who is quick and strong. If your build really is thinner than Fletcher's people aren't looking at you and thinking you're an athlete, believe me. Unless they mistake you for a long-distance runner anyway!
Vidic does not have the build of an athlete. In fact, he's not a natural athlete at all. He's not that quick and can look a bit clumsy/ungainly when he's not on form (e.g. after being out injured for a long time)
What makes Vidic such a great defender is his aggression, commitment and reading of the game. This idea of him as a defender who is good at what he does because of his athleticism is just plain wrong.
People are never happy.
Got lucky. There's no way he's aiming for nani there..
Looked like he was going for Rooney or Welbeck in the center.Either that or he's become so good that he can even estimate the full reach of the defender's outstretched leg and factored that into the spin, trajectory and pace on his pass.
I guess we just have different definitions of 'athletic'.
In my definition, you can be heavily muscular but not particularly athletic. And you can be athletic while being fairly skinny.
Actually, your clumsy/ungainly is probably a good antonym to my 'athletic'. And while Vidic can on occasion be a little clumsy with his legs if he's on the back foot against a speedster, he's certainly less clumsy (ie. more athletic) than Evans. Which was my original point.
I think.
I'm tired and probably rambling with insomnia, so I'm off to bed before I get myself more confused than I already am.
In my definition, you can be heavily muscular but not particularly athletic. And you can be athletic while being fairly skinny.
Actually, your clumsy/ungainly is probably a good antonym to my 'athletic'. And while Vidic can on occasion be a little clumsy with his legs if he's on the back foot against a speedster, he's certainly less clumsy (ie. more athletic) than Evans. Which was my original point.
I think.
I'm tired and probably rambling with insomnia, so I'm off to bed before I get myself more confused than I already am.
I think Vidic has athletic build, just not in the normal sense. Seems to be really athletic and muscular in the bottom half ie, his legs - and i would think so given his spring in the jump.
He's not got an athletic build in the same sense as say Micah Richards with those arms of his, but i wouldn't say he's not athletic.
Vidic is athletic. He might not be Ronaldo athletic, but look at his leap when going up for headers. It's Basketball like. He's not the fastest but he has ridiculous stamina - that is being athletic surely?
In the top flight the majority of the players are athletic. They can't afford not to be.
Fair enough. You seem to be putting more of an emphasis on balance and coordination and less on power. To me a natural athlete has all three qualities. But anyway, not worth having a massive debate about.
Not even sure I would call that skinny.
Yeah, his spring is the most (arguably only?) athletic thing about him. Not sure where you're seeing this 'ridiculous' stamina. He's a centre-half.
EDIT: note to self. Trying to tell vuc Vidic is anything other than super-human. Probably shouldn't bother...
Fair point, but he is more active and robust than a lot of CB's I don't think it's a stretch to say he has good stamina. Ridiculous was OTT.
Normally I would say that his ability to stay fit is a good argument for him being an athlete but of course with the latest injuries he has had that can be questioned - though there isn't a lot that could have been done with this last injury.
Low blow that. You've been called out by not just me here.
Your point about his spring was fair. The "ridiculous stamina" comment revealed the fanaticism behind it
Your point about his spring was fair. The "ridiculous stamina" comment revealed the fanaticism behind it
He has good stamina, FM told me.
Ridiculous was ridiculous though.Come on lads, Evans is our new O'Shea (or perhaps Brown, who always promised to be better than he turned out to be for one reason or another).
Love the guy, but let's face it, he's good but not (ever) great. The odd "great game" perhaps but typically he's in the squad as a solid "fill-in" when needed, which I grant you has been a lot more often over the past few years than I would like.
Yes he's young and will improve (hopefully) but way too many clangers, and shaky moments spoiling his games for my liking.
You know that with a fit Rio, Vidic and Smalling to play the CB position his playing days would be numbered, a low number. Reduced to cameo fill-ins when SAF wants to rest the quality players anywhere across the back line. And that's great, any successful team must have that kind of player too!
Seriously, if we had a fit RB he wouldn't be playing now ffs, ... Smalling would!
Oh, and that cross field pass on Sunday ... I believe it did reach its intended target; but not on its intended flight path. Lucky? a smidge.
Love the guy, but let's face it, he's good but not (ever) great. The odd "great game" perhaps but typically he's in the squad as a solid "fill-in" when needed, which I grant you has been a lot more often over the past few years than I would like.
Yes he's young and will improve (hopefully) but way too many clangers, and shaky moments spoiling his games for my liking.
You know that with a fit Rio, Vidic and Smalling to play the CB position his playing days would be numbered, a low number. Reduced to cameo fill-ins when SAF wants to rest the quality players anywhere across the back line. And that's great, any successful team must have that kind of player too!
Seriously, if we had a fit RB he wouldn't be playing now ffs, ... Smalling would!
Oh, and that cross field pass on Sunday ... I believe it did reach its intended target; but not on its intended flight path. Lucky? a smidge.
People are never happy.
If one decent crossfield pass (which was a shite attempt by the defender to stop) makes you forget how shit his defending has been for the last god knows how long then fair play to you.
no, but I wish it would make us forget about you
I agree with this. He's a useful player to have around when the likes of Vidic are out and we need someone to step in. But I don't see him ever being a club great or a stalwart at the back.
I like the comparison with John O'Shea, though obviously Evans is slightly less versatile. With Evans we don't have the option of moving him into midfield the way we could with Sheasy, and I don't remember ever feeling quite as nervy with the likes of O'Shea or Brown.
Brown in particular had that stormer of a season when he made a ridiculous number of appearances, 07-08 was it? Sad to see those two gone, though it was the best decision for them career wise.
Guys, Rio at 22-23 was also inconsistent... It's not easy as a CB and JE was out quite a bit before coming back and just took a dip in form... He was tremendous for Sunderland and when he got a consistent run in the side against us... I still remember some terrific defending against Chelsea etc...
He'll still be there fighting Smalling and Jones for a regular spot in our CB's once Rio + Vidic call it a day and I'm sure we are very lucky to have him.
He'll still be there fighting Smalling and Jones for a regular spot in our CB's once Rio + Vidic call it a day and I'm sure we are very lucky to have him.
If one decent crossfield pass (which was a shite attempt by the defender to stop) makes you forget how shit his defending has been for the last god knows how long then fair play to you.
Have you seen the past couple of games? Or any of the games he played the year before last?
He was very good against QPR.
With Vidic out for an extended period, we need Evans to come up with such performances.
With Vidic out for an extended period, we need Evans to come up with such performances.
I like him better when he's paired with Rio than with Vida. Could it be for Rio's calmness or something but when playing alongside Rio he seems more confident.
Could be that Rio's extremely vocal as well which is helping him out. Not saying that Vidic isn't vocal, because I don't know, but Rio's always directing the defence and giving instructions.
He had his best ever spell for Utd playing alongside Vida though.
Is Evans one of those players who is best when someone is always barking at him in his ear as he has a tendency to switch off at times. I think Evans is best when he is proactive as he usually pulls off good interceptions. Vida is probably the best reactive defender I seen he gets tight and waits before he pounces. Evans and Rio are nothing compared to Vidic when its uptight and personal tussle.
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