After his red card against Spurs recently, Charlie Adam came in for a little criticism, with some fans questioning his ability and impact for Liverpool. For me, Adam is a superb player, and as I will show, he has been just as influential creatively in the first part of his career (at his previous clubs) as Steven Gerrard was for Liverpool in his first few years.
Adam is 25 at the moment, so I've compared his Specific, Measurable, Creative Contribution (SMCC) between the ages of 20 and 25 with Gerrard's during the same age timeframe. As you will see, Adam has been a consistently creative force on the field, just like Gerrard:
KEY POINTS
- Gerrard played more games between the ages of 20 and 25, and consequently achieved more goals and assists overall, but Adam achieved a better goals-per-game average (1 every 3.4 games vs. 1 every 4.6 games for Gerrard).
- Adam also had a better SMCC ratio per game than Gerrard, managing a goal or assist every 2.2 games (vs. every 2.6 games for Gerrard)
- Adam scored or created a goal in 44% of games, compared to 38% of games for Gerrard.
I am not for one minute suggesting that Adam is a better player than Gerrard, I'm just illustrating that when it comes to personal impact on a team, Adam was basically on a par with Gerrard during the ages of 20 and 25, and this bodes well for his future at Anfield.
It's Adam's potential that fans should be excited about, and he's already realising it at Liverpool, where he has continued his excellent SMCC:
- In seven games for the club so far, he's scored one goal and provided 3 assists.
- According to OPTA stats, he's one of the top 5 chance creators in the league.
- The EA Sports Index, which measures a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices, ranks Adam him as one of the top 10 midfielders in the Premier League.
From age 25 onwards, Gerrard just got better and better for Liverpool; Adam is 25 now, and will undoubtedly continue improve, which means lots more goals and assists to come, and when Gerrard sadly hangs up his boots, we may just have a read-made replacement.
£8m? Adam is the bargain of the season IMO.
Jaimie Kanwar
Adam is 25 at the moment, so I've compared his Specific, Measurable, Creative Contribution (SMCC) between the ages of 20 and 25 with Gerrard's during the same age timeframe. As you will see, Adam has been a consistently creative force on the field, just like Gerrard:
KEY POINTS
- Gerrard played more games between the ages of 20 and 25, and consequently achieved more goals and assists overall, but Adam achieved a better goals-per-game average (1 every 3.4 games vs. 1 every 4.6 games for Gerrard).
- Adam also had a better SMCC ratio per game than Gerrard, managing a goal or assist every 2.2 games (vs. every 2.6 games for Gerrard)
- Adam scored or created a goal in 44% of games, compared to 38% of games for Gerrard.
I am not for one minute suggesting that Adam is a better player than Gerrard, I'm just illustrating that when it comes to personal impact on a team, Adam was basically on a par with Gerrard during the ages of 20 and 25, and this bodes well for his future at Anfield.
It's Adam's potential that fans should be excited about, and he's already realising it at Liverpool, where he has continued his excellent SMCC:
- In seven games for the club so far, he's scored one goal and provided 3 assists.
- According to OPTA stats, he's one of the top 5 chance creators in the league.
- The EA Sports Index, which measures a player's all round contribution to the success of his team using six key indices, ranks Adam him as one of the top 10 midfielders in the Premier League.
From age 25 onwards, Gerrard just got better and better for Liverpool; Adam is 25 now, and will undoubtedly continue improve, which means lots more goals and assists to come, and when Gerrard sadly hangs up his boots, we may just have a read-made replacement.
£8m? Adam is the bargain of the season IMO.
Jaimie Kanwar
I know facts like these mean nothing to you but all but one of Adam's seasons' have been played in leagues far inferior to the premier league while Gerrard has played in a tough league from the beginning. I really do hope Adam does well though and I think he will. I can see him losing his place to gerrard though. I think Enrique has been the bargain of the season
ReplyDeleteThey mean nothing because, with respect, they're cliched and irrelevant. The point is Adam has consistently scored and created goals at all levels, including the Premier League. At Blackpool, for example, he scored/cereated 21 goals in their debut Premier League season, playing alongside vastly inferior players.
ReplyDeleteGerrard has always played alongside top players - it's harder to have such a creative impact in the premier league when - like Adam - you're playing alongside inferior players.
And as I state in the article, he's hit the ground running at Liverpool and scored/created 4 goals in 7 games. The guy is pure quality, and as his career shows, he practically guarantees goals and assists for every team he plays for.
Let's not over look the fact that part of those stats were earned in the Scottish League and championship. Lets not get carried away, unless we get releagted.
ReplyDeleteHey Jamie, just a point about those "vastly inferior players" at Blackpool; didn't they do the double over the "top" players at Liverpool last season? I'd like to share your exuberance about Adam, but I just can't see him reaching the heights of Gerrard at his glorious best. That said, I agree that £8m is a very good deal.
ReplyDeleteCompared to LFC players, they were inferior. That doesn't preclude such players beating better players though, it happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe he'll reach the heights of Gerrard - all I'm saying is that based on his past history, there is a high probability that Adam will have a consistent creative impact for Liverpool.
Compared to LFC players, they were inferior. That doesn't preclude such players beating better players though, it happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe he'll reach the heights of Gerrard - all I'm saying is that based on his past history, there is a high probability that Adam will have a consistent creative impact for Liverpool.
Adam's is influential when Liverpool are in possession but he has not
ReplyDeletegot a clue what to do when the opposition has the ball. I feel sorry for
Lucas Leiva. Not only does he have to do his own job in midfield but he
has to be constantly aware where Adam is because he also needs to cover
for Adam who is constantly out of position and very slow to get back.
Adam gets caught in possession too often in dangerous areas of the
pitch. He dives into tackles which he rarely wins and it takes several
seconds for him to get the brakes on, turn and get back which means big
holes for the opposition to exploit. Lucas will be burnt out by the new
year at this rate. Adam has a lot of positives as you have outlined when
Liverpool are attacking but unlike Gerrard his input when we do not
have possession is at least for the present well below par (dare I say
pitiful). Give me Gerrard any day.
Why is this always rolled out as an excuse? It's irrelevant. A player can only do their best for whatever team they play for, and the point I'm making is that wherever Adam has played he has produced the goods. He is already playing brilliantly for Liverpool, yet people are still on his back. Do the goal/assists, and OPTA/EA stats about his impact on the team mean nothing?
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, Adam is the highest ranked Liverpool player in the EA Sports Index, which - again - ranks a players personal impact on a team using 6 different indices.
Quite persuasive evidence of Adam's worth I would say.
If Adam has these problems as you suggest, why is he the highest ranked player in the EA Sports player-performance index?
ReplyDeleteYou say Adam gets 'caught in possession too often', which implies it happens quite a lot. Okay, please provide three examples of when Adam was caught in possession.
total rubbish, statistics mean little in this comparison which is really a rolls to a mini. could adam have won the final against west ham or turned things around in istanbul etc etc - no chance.
ReplyDeletein every game ive seen
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly, is very big word i think. In fact I have not seen Adam play anywhere close to the standards one would expect at this football club.
ReplyDeleteThat being said I still hope, and believe, that Adam will come good, his set piece delivery is very exiting, and it´s not like Lucas set the world on fine when he first came, i think he´s proof that patience really is a virtue...
YNWA
You just don't get it, do you? Why don't you try understanding the article before coming out with stuff like this? The point I'm making is that Adam was influential between the ages of 20 and 25 *for the club's he played for*, in the same way that Gerrard was influential for Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteI haven't compared the two players like-for-like, and I specifically state this in the article. It's not about who's better, or who could turn game X, or Y - it's just about illustrating that Adam is on a similar path to Gerrard in terms of creative impact on the team he plays for.
I have not seen Adam play anywhere close to the standards one would expect at this football club.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but this just proves that you are not being fair and objective. What a thing to say - you haven't seen Adam play 'anywhere close to the standards one would expect' at Liverpool. Are you serious? How can you justify that statement? The fact that Adam has contributed to 4 goals in 7 games, and is the team's top chance creator cuts no ice with you?
Why don't you explain what exactly a player has to do to meet these so-called standards.
Jamie... your mum said, actually should can't talk with my cock in her mouth
ReplyDeleteGive specific examples. 'In every game I've seen' means nothing. Plus, provide one example - just one - where Adam's alleged loss of possession led to a negative situation for Liverpool. If you've seen this in 'every game' then it should be easy to come up with an example, no?
ReplyDeleteI'm quite sure i can find players with even better stats that have played there entire career in leauge 1 or lower, i will search now and post later. I shouldnt need to look cos we both know im right. But you insist on proof even when you knwo im right. Me not ahving proof does not make u right eitehr
ReplyDeleteAlso Jaimie, yes many great lfc players have come form lower leagues but no one talks aobut their records there, cos they mean very little
ReplyDeletehttp://liverpool.theoffside.com/transfer-news/charlie-adam-the-first-six-games.html
ReplyDeleteThis article has some figures which indicate some of the problems in Adams game. For example pass completion against Spurs 7 out of 13 (52%). 3rd in the league in fouls committed last season. Third in yellow cards. Already second in fouls committed this season. This season he has committed more fouls than he has attempted clean tackles, successful or otherwise. He made a tackle every 41 minutes last season. Lucas tackles every 14 minutes. Spearing every 28 minutes.
It also has stats for his losing possession which is once every 68 minutes. I'm honestly surprised it's that low. I suspect it is higher at Anfield than away. Lucas loses possession every 102 minutes.
Steven Gerrard has been sent off more than any player in Liverpool FC history - does that make any difference to the positive impact he makes with his goals and assists?
ReplyDeleteThere was a great player called lee hughes, he amassed 231 career goals at almost a goal every 2 games, plus many many assists that I can't find. His goals,assists/games ratio is incredible,he played most of his football at clubs like kidderminster, oldham and notts county but with a record like that we surely missed out on a great. BTW is it possible to unliek something, i accidentaly clicked liek on one of your posts :)
ReplyDelete"Please provide one example - just one - where Adam's alleged loss of possession led to a negative situation for Liverpool"
ReplyDeletev Spurs - 11 minutes 41 seconds, result yellow card leading to a red
tbh there are so many times he has been caught I just cannot be bothered going back through all the games. On the stats thing, I would like to see the same thing from when SG was 24/25 and the same for Adam for the same ammount of games Adam has played in the Prem, as over the period mentioned SG played 81 times more than Adam which will dilute the figures somewhat.
Adam would be lucky to play well pass 81 minutes, forget 81 extra games
For the 2nd time this week (record) I wholeheartedly agree with Jamie. Spurs aside Adam has been excellent this season and contributed to many of our goals and best play this season. Bear in mind he only cost £8m, is only 25 and a player of his style can still play and improve for the next 10 years I'm esctatic to have him. If he can be compared favourably to Stevie at that age and with an outstanding premiership season already behind him, brilliant in my book. Great signing who's already paying off. His corners are worth £10M alone.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing proved here is that you can prove anything with statistics!
ReplyDeleteAdam is just a mid-table star. Not his fault that he came to our club, but I really longing for Gerrard to replace him for rest of the season until we get someone like Hazard.
What's your point, exactly? How does this relate to the issue of Charlie Adam producing the goods at every level of football at which he's played?
ReplyDeletePlease explain why Adam is a 'mid-table' star. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRob W, Lucas is our DM so you would expect him to make the most tackles wouldn't you? Do you see Lucas creating and scoring goals very often?
ReplyDeleteWe did not buy Adam as a defensive minded player as Adam is an attacking player or have I missed something along the way. Did we buy Adam to make tackles for us? Clearly we bought him to create, score and spread the ball all over the pitch.
Lucas - DM
Adam - AM
Lucas - Stop the opposition
Adam - Get forward, create and score goals
Lucas - Been with the club since 2007
Adam - Still is finding his feet
Adam has so far done a fantastic job and he will without a doubt keep his place in the team so it is going to be interesting to see who will make way once Gerrard is fully match fit.
And we call you all the Reds supporters? Hmm....
ReplyDeleteJaimie, it is because Adam is british that he is getting all this stick. We have not had this many british players in our squad for how long? I will have a good giggle when they deliver something called trophies...
ReplyDeleteThkfully, things are back to normal. Kanwar is back making statements which make me wonder if he's purposely making them so that he gets hits on his site... Adam compared to Gerrard?... stats? Creativity? CA is wonderful with set pieces... problem is what happens at the other times..... and who has a midfielder in the modern game or at any point of time 'WHO CAN'T TACKLE'????? Which game are you watching man? Everyone who sees the game knows Adam is slow on the ball, likes to pass at his own pace, and is usually slow, so slow that he gets caught out in possession. He's a squad player, someone to provide backup... nothing more... oh.. n jus fyi... I was one of those rooting for Lucas... cos he had potential, n came from a foreign country with a near-alien-like culture and weather... unlike Adam!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy point is that comparing the first 5 years of their respective careers when they have played in leagues with wiildly different levels of difficulty is jsut as useful as what I have written above. Adam performed well last year in what was his first season at the top level. They always say ur 2nd season is hardest. I will reserve judgement. Unfortunately it might come across that im anti Adam, which is def not the case. I think he is a good player too adn will do well, I just think ur comparison is nonsense and lacks substance
ReplyDeleteA player, as a midfielder has to pass, not get caught out in possession and TACKLE... that's what a player, specifically a midfielder of Adam's position has to do at a club like Liverpool, not play in a princely manner and just deliver brilliant set pieces.
ReplyDeleteJaimie was not trying to compare SG to CA.
ReplyDeleteHe was trying to show people like you who has been on CA's back all along that Adam can produce the goods WHICH ADAM ALREADY HAS STARTED DOING.
Are you that blind?
I reckon that jaimie has been sucking charlie adams dick.
ReplyDelete'Nowhere near' what we expect is overly dramatic, I'll give you that, but I do agree that Adam's performances so far haven't been good enough. They have been a promising start but were they to continue in this vein for his entire Liverpool career, he wont make the grade.
ReplyDeleteHe has created goals, no doubt, but his performances have all been up and down. He is a player capable of magnificent things which works in his favour but his consistency and decision making is questionable. As soon as he was booked against Tottenham it was an inevitability he would be sent off (as it was with Skrtel but it was clear he was uncomfortable at right-back). He lacks the intelligence and the discipline to decide when to fly into a tackle or when to try and play a difficult pass. I think the losses to Spurs and Stoke have a great deal to do with Adam. Against Stoke his passing was well below what it needs to be and when he is the primary playmaker against a team that was putting 10 men behind the ball, that has a dramatic effect on his own team. He also seems to be doing a Lucas from 3 seasons ago tribute with the amount of pointless free-kicks he is giving away in his own half.
Even against Bolton, a game which we thoroughly dominated, he played some sublime passes and scored a good goal (weak foot too) but too often failed to connect with easy 5-10 yard passes through what could only have been a lack of concentration.
I think Adam has to work on 3 things:
1. Consistency
2. Discipline
3. Tackling
With his set-piece taking, potential for long range shooting and excellent 'Hollywood' passing, he could be a fabulous regista for the team. As it stands, he simply seems like a downgrade on Gerrard. His left foot brings the team balance and Gerrard can't match him on set plays but with Lucas holding, I think Gerrard in for Adam would be an instant upgrade on the team. In a 4-4-2, whilst Adam's left foot is good for balance, his lack of drive makes him a less welcome choice than Gerrard who will better offer a chance of progression up the pitch. Gerrard can pick a pass but can better offer a pass to a team-mate than Adam too.
The other option of course would be 4-3-3 with Downing and Suarez either side of Carroll and midfield of Gerrard-Adam-Lucas (which I like in principal). Lucas could hold, Gerrard be the predominant runner in the opposition half and Adam could link from Lucas/the defence to the front 4 (including Gerrard).
Certainly, for the money we've paid, we'll get a 'consistent creative impact', but his influence will pale in comparison to Gerrard's long-term because he hasn't the mentality to play at the top yet. Hopefully that will change.
As for the idea that the relationship between stats and the level of opposition on show when they were accrued, this simply does not work. It DOES work if your argument is 'Charlie Adam has produced at every level he as played' (statistically, ask most Rangers fans if that is true and they'll tell you otherwise, some Scotland fans will too). It also works when you're simply trying to say that they are both big influences on the teams that they have played for (which I understand is the point of this article, and therefore fine). It is not fair say that it is irrelevant generally though like in the example of Poulsen's stats (which have been argued before and I've no intention of arguing them now).
Finally though, there is no way we have found a ready made replacement for Gerrard, because even if Adam improves sufficiently to be a key member of the team, he will be a quite different player to Gerrard. He hasn't the pace, movement or attacking instinct to play like Gerrard does.
Good article though, nice data.
What next jaime Adam is the new messie?
ReplyDeleteN at which point did you read that I thought and implied as to how could Kanwar compare CA to SG....are you that blind???? This isn't a comparison b/w CA n SG. As I said, Adam is producing the goods... that is if you are referring to brilliant set pieces and nothing more... in the modern game and the pace at which it's played, especially the English game... having a midfielder who can't tackle or passes poorly is a catastrophe, as you will see in the months ahead, especially with teams who are gonna press us and close us down.
ReplyDeleteWow you amaze me, what nationality is Gerrard
ReplyDeleteIt will without a doubt be Adam making way for Gerard its a like for like swop. You said it yourself. If an attacking players' job is to attack and a defensive players job is to defend, how can you drop lucas for Gerrard, who is gonna tackle? I don't agree btw that players only do one job in a team
ReplyDeleteROFL... even tho Messi is spelt wrong ;)
ReplyDeleteRed4Life
ReplyDeleteWhen are you and jaimie getting married then?
There is and have been plenty of fans who are and have been giving Gerrard stick for many years. Carra is also getting stick and has benn for many years.
ReplyDeletemrburt is one of those fans and there are many more lurking aroung arebee. Adam, Downing and Henderson is getting stick and when the next british player arrives which will happen then that british player will also get the same treatment. Do you see the chain reaction?
Well i am a scouser everyone knows we can't spell )
ReplyDeleteWhere did I say Adam would make way for Gerrard? You remind me of Gab who constantly made things up without being able to produce the facts.
ReplyDeleteAdam and Gerrard would make a brilliant combination so somebody is going to have to sit on the bench.
Adam compared to Gerrard?...
ReplyDeleteNeed I say more.
You didn't, you said Lucas will make way. I am saying Adam will make way. I even gave reason why Adam will be dropped, read properly
ReplyDeleteWhat about, Maxi, Kuyt, insua and no one got more stick than lucs. Don't be paranoid
ReplyDelete"It will without a doubt be Adam making way for Gerard its a like for like swop. You said it yourself."That seems to suggest that you did infact say that I said Adam would be making way for Gerrard so do us all a favour and cut and paste the comments where I have said such a thing. I also said that Lucas could be the support to Adam and Gerrard. You have lost my friend.
ReplyDeleteWhat have Maxi, Kuyt and Insua won with LFC?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Jamie my old mucka, on this statistical basis someone would earn the right to manage Liverpool if for example they won a league title in say Norway, Finland or Sweden but that would never be enough to manage at a great club like Liverpool......We must never let this happen :-)
ReplyDeleteStatistics aside, Adam is a good player. One of my favorites at the moment if i'm honest. He has a touch of Molby about him which is great because we never replaced the big man. Not even Alonso had the tools Molby had. I have no doubt adam will do all of his talking on the pitch (mainly in the 1st half of matches though).
Im right! NO! Im right! who the f gives a shit who is right anyway. you okes are argumentative idiots
ReplyDeleteSo why do you even bother coming on this site and make a comment the way you just have? If you did not give a f*** then you would not bother to comment on the situation that you have just commented about...
ReplyDeleteAm I right in saying that?
charlie adam is a stop gap between sg and jh, yes he is slow and does get caught out to often IMO, however what a bargain. In reality we all know he isn't gonna take sg place yet, but captain fantastic is getting on and in 2 or 3 years when he retires adam will step up to the plate, as hendo won't be ready to take on that responsibility so fervently (although maybe one day). All in all a shrude bit of business from dc and kk. CA cannot in truth be compared to lucas because different positions and different roles in the team, but you cant compare him to sg either due to him not even peaking in his career yet and not having to deal with the same high performance year in year out like sg has done. I personally don't think Adam could have carried lfc like sg did for so long at such an intense pace, but whose to say that he couldn't??, especially as he won't peak for another couple of years yet (going on players in general).
ReplyDeleteWith the fair play rules coming out kk and dc have set up a good British core for the future with that foreign flair to compliment and I salute them for it. With kk and sc pushing adam he will get faster and with a good dm next to him he will be a good final product, but don't write him off yet when he still has a wealth of knowledge to take from kk sc and sg, between them 3 coaching anyone in that role, mr potato head would be amazing in 2-3 years (exaggeration I know but it makes my point). I think you are all missing the point Everton and mancs in next couple of weeks, and we need to concentrate on all aspects of our game if we have any chance of beating both and laying a solid claim to 4th spot. JFT96 YNWA don't buy the scum or daily fail newspapers.
See Gary gillespie was so right when he said Adams is better than Alonso . This kid is even better than Stevie G...what a bargain at only 6million Weldone
ReplyDeleteCharlie Adam is a Deeplying Playmaker variety of the CM.A critical role in the 4-5-1 formation. These folks sit just above the DM and supply the throughballs and midfield crosses to initiate an attack. Xavi is one player that excels as a Deeplying Playmaker and he also lacks speed. Cause they don't run with the ball, they get the ball and have the situational awareness to pass it to the attackers higher up the field quickly.
ReplyDeleteKD has correctly positioned him in the midfield for him to be most effective, but so far we have only seen mixed results. Even though its too early to judge, but my personal observation so far is that, he also tries to be a Box-to-Box Midfielder variety of the CM way too often by running with the ball. Hendo was supposed to play that role(whether correctly or not is up for debate) and Gerrard is the perfect Box-to-Box midfielder.
I can only assume that his thirst to get into goal scoring positions is so high he compromises his tactical orders.
The majority of Gerrard's reds came early in this career and yes it did affect his positive impact since your impact is limited to when you are on the pitch.
ReplyDeleteI think you seem a little reluctant to take on his point here. Fair enough if you disagree with how good a player Adam is, that is opinion, but you seem to worship at the altar of stats and then make no acknowledgement of the stats that prove his point (the giving away of the ball against Spurs and the poor defensive input- the proportion of tackles which end up as fouls is a particularly striking statistic if true). Seems a bit unfair if you ask me. You ask him to prove Adam is poor on the ball and he comes up with the stat that Adam only made just over half of his passes against Tottenham (albeit in a small time).
I do have my doubts over that losing the ball every 68 minutes stat though, Xavi must struggle to get that. I had a look at some stats from the Wolves game, where Adam played quite well, certainly better than against Stoke and Tottenham, and his pass success rate was 70% from open play.
I don't want you to think I'm being purposely contrary (having refuted a point you made earlier), I'm a fan of a statistical approach, and this website, whether I agree with an article or not, I just think that you've got to ally stats to a more common sense analysis. Even those who practice sabermetrics with regards to football (obviously Comolli) admit that the fluid nature of football make this necessary in a way that isn't in baseball.
Also as I stated before I think Adam is a good player and will prove a good investment but he certainly needs to work on his game to start week in week out for a top team. I don't think he'd get a game at City, Chelsea, United, Tottenham or even Arsenal.
Sorry my fault, meant a bottom-table star.
ReplyDeleteHe is a disaster to have on the pitch. He is slow, looks very unfit, has badly positioning and contributes to nearly nothing. Forgot, his passes are slow, putting his team mates in a bad position - quite opposite of Alonso. I do not care what he did in lower leagues, during our matches hes only been frustrating.
Against Tottenham we started to play better with Adam out, not surprising!
IMO we could have had load of better players instead of him; Gerrard, Aqua, Meireles, even Hendo would be better on the position, giving way for Kuyt on the wing. Now we sent away Aqua and Meireles, would have kept any of them instead of buying Adam.
I give him credit for the corners, but I would exchange them anytime for better open play!
as long as the Brittish players could play like a Barca team, why should we care about their nationality? :) as long as England, Scotland, Wales play like Spain I would enjoy watching and supporting them for sure.
ReplyDelete"you said it yourself" That was in referance to the sentance after not previous, I can see the misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteYou argued previously that Adam would play with Gerrard and that Lucas will make way, that is what i disagree with. I will repeat my stance for you, i don't see a 4-4-2 with Gerrard and Adam in the middle, working. I think Adam will make way for Gerrard. Adam offers very little as far as defense and work rate is concerned.
The 68 minutes figure is for getting caught in possession. He has given the ball away just over 60 times in 5 and a quarter matches, which is every 8 or 9 minutes. His figure for successful tackles is poor. I think a high percentage of Liverpool fans who watch games at Anfield would agree that whilst Adam offers a lot going forward his defensive game is currently unimpressive and a cause for concern. We cannot always dominate possession (as we saw against Spurs) and when we do not have the ball we are not that impressive at present and Adam is one of the reasons. He and Henderson in particular need to up their games when we don't have the ball. In the Derby game I would replace Adam with Spearing and Henderson with Kuyt. We would be a lot more solid and not overrun in midfield.
ReplyDelete"Did we buy Adam to make tackles for us?"
ReplyDeleteDo you think a team which wants to finish in the top 4 of the Premier League can afford a player in central midfield (or anywhere else for that matter) who does not make tackles even if they are signed primarily for their creative input? I like Adam but he makes me nervous when we are under pressure.
I would certainly expect to see Adam working a lot more successfully in a well set up five man midfield than our current midfield set-up.
ReplyDeleteAh I see, my fault for misunderstanding the stat.
ReplyDeleteI think Kuyt has got to play against United. I'd like to see him against Everton but I think Henderson's confidence could take a knock if he misses both of the big games.
I don't think Spearing has been given a fair enough shot this season. I think he fairs better in a 2 man central midfield than Adam does and whilst I would have started Adam in most games so far, Tottenham is an example of the kind of game where Spearing would offer a threat going forward and a busy defensive presence (like against Arsenal or better yet City last year).
About the same as Adam, Henderson and Downing
ReplyDeletesorry too many feedbacks to read so I'm not sure if this has been covered by your followers, Jaimie.
ReplyDeletethe statistics doesn't really reflect the true comparison of both players. Vast majority (and I mean A LOT) of Charlie's career goals and assists are from set pieces. No doubt Charlie has a very talented / heavily trained left foot and can pass really (and I mean REALLY) well but as a player during open play, he's lacking in pace, positional awareness and composure.
I do believe all of these may come with experience but right now, the comparison with Stevie is taken out of context
You cannot possibly suggest that those stats you produced are even close to revealing all the truth about a midfielders contribution. Do you think KK and co look at that solely when they scout? BS. How about pass completion, meters covered, free kicks conceded etc. I would be surprised if he would come close to Gerard on those stats, certainly not while he was fit anyway. Adam looks and runs like he's 40, creates huge burden on rest of midfield defensively and gives away far too many free kicks, and getting red carded inside first half is unforgivable.
ReplyDelete