[Greyfog]

He's not overhyped.

He is hyped because he has the ability to move the ball forward and dictate play both with his dribbling and short passing.

I mean Southgate was playing Kalvin Phillips & TAA in the last tournaments to have some ball distribution to show just how rare he is as a young English midfielder.

I'd argue for example - if Bellingham and Rice play in a double pivot with Palmer as the CAM, England will be playing differently to playing Rice & Mainoo in a double pivot & playing Bellingham as the no 10.

He is quite a rare talent for us in particular because we haven't had someone who can even help with the distribution of the ball for a decade now & probably put the full stop on crying every summer about not getting Frenkie De Jong over and over again.

Bolded is the example of the overhype. How many games has he consistently shown those abilities?

How many games last season can you say he ran/controlled? Nice looking short passes is not dictating play.

 

[Ekeke]

Bolded is the example of the overhype. How many games has he consistently shown those abilities?

How many games last season can you say he ran/controlled? Nice looking short passes is not dictating play.

Correct. Thats something he does not do currently. He's capable of a nice bit of skill, a dribble, or a nice pass but he also takes a risk that sometimes doesnt pay off when he goes for a dribble. Lots of dribbles completed, but a few times he will be tackled as well.

80% of the time he takes some decent touches plays the ball simply and is content to just wait till someone else decides hes the right pass and finding him. He isnt by any means a playmaker or someone we're looking to get on the ball a lot, nor is he working hard to make it happen himself.

We're happy for our CBs to have the ball and for him to stick in midfield where hes marked out of contention for a pass with the CBs usually playing it wide and building up through the fullbacks and wingers. It also helps them that are opponents know we dont deal very well with being pressed and building up from the back so if you're an attacking player you're going to be even more up for pressing and pinching the ball knowing its likely to happen against us.

Someone like Matic in the past worked far harder at getting on the ball and being involved. Now our CBs are doing it and our central midfield sees less of the ball

 

[TheBigLewandowski]

Bolded is the example of the overhype. How many games has he consistently shown those abilities?

How many games last season can you say he ran/controlled? Nice looking short passes is not dictating play.

It's not that he has consistently shown this, the guy is 18.

I said he has the ability.

He has played as the single CDM next to bloody Eriksen to put some context on his ability.

For me, he isn't a deep lying playmaker but he is like our home grown version of Frenkie De Jong - funnily enough a player that I think is also overhyped as he hasn't really achieved anything.

He is a hybrid 6/8 that can dribble out of tight spaces or use his short passing to beat an opposition press which usually free's up some space for the attack to keep rolling on or he makes a pass back to the Defenders because he has scanned and analysed that he can't beat the opposition and therefore helps retain possesion.

That's what I mean that he can dictate our play where he is has the ability to dictate the tempo of our game due to his ability to beat a press or make a pass that is more often than not the right pass to do at the right time.

Thats why he was ultimately picked for England because next to Rice, the manager wanted someone who can keep the ball rolling and make the right pass at the right time. Whether that's to his fullback, CB, his CDM partner or his CAM - its more often than not his ability to make the right pass at the right time & keep the ball within the hub of the team to the teams benefit.

Not that he is a deep lying playmaker like Pirlo or Carrick or a Scholes dictating our play with his long balls and controlling the game.