We have had a british core all this time. also, has AWB ever done anything in the opposition's half? genuinely asking because I don't know his stats, his defensive game is supposedly solid but I hardly hear anything about his attacking prowess. Football has changed, fullbacks need to be able to pose a threat going forward, especially for a counter attacking team...
Maybe because all people seem to associate with attacking ability when it comes to full backs seems to be hugging the line and crossing. Go and watch him a bit and it isn't surprising that he used to be a winger. He's a good dribbler, has a trick in him here and there or a little flick etc
In fact, I've had a quick search for something even easier than saying 'go and watch some games or clips, have a read of the below
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/p...-palace-tactical-analysis-analysis-statistics
If you don't want to read the whole thing, couple of excerpts:
"Along with pace, the England U21 defender has excellent ball control. He is also capable of shifting his marker with feints and dummies, before driving past them to deliver a cross. On average, he engages in
7.27 offensive duels per game, beating his man
56.3% of the time. For comparison, Kyle Walker, Matt Doherty, Ashley Young, and Alexander-Arnold all failed to reach
five take-ons per
90."
"Overall, Wan-Bissaka is a huge asset in the final third. His pace, trickery, and close control make him a real threat in one v ones, while his varied crossing is considered and accurate. In the season just gone, he made an average of
2.12crosses per game, compared with Kyle Walker’s
2.09, and Ashley Young’s
3.32. His cross accuracy,
33%, is comfortably higher than both players.
A
33% accuracy might not appear particularly impressive. However, It’s the same number as Alexander-Arnold, and higher than Liverpool’s other fullback, Andrew Robertson"
"His pass accuracy for the season finished at
77%, less than Walker, but more than Young and Alexander-Arnold. Stylistic changes would likely see this number increase were he to move to a bigger club, given the vertical focus of Crystal Palace’s offensive phase"
There's also breakdown with screenshots which show his positioning and decision making.
Also, while everyone compares him to TAA, don't forget that one is part of a title challenging team, containing players like Mane, Salah and Firmino while the other plays for a team that finished 12th and contains attackers such as Andros Townsend, Zaha and Batshuayi.
Sorry for the long post, I won't claim to have watched him a ton but of the times I have watched him, I never thought 'wow, that guy is useless going forward' but someone has said it, it's stuck, it's then just become a 'thing' and so looking even more into it, it seems he has more to offer than I actually thought.
English, 21, seemingly wants to play for the club, he's fast, excellent defensively and if we get top 4 and manage to sign Sancho, could we'll be our right side sorted for almost a decade. I genuinely struggle to see why this is such a divisive signing when we've complained about Ashley Young being our full back for so long. It's a no brainer for me.
