Billy Carpenter
@billycarpy
Write about Arsenal. I also write for SCOUTED. Here's my newsletter:
Tzolis, it is. Here was the quick blurb from a year ago. Have watched him a lot since, so stay tuned.
Different games require different things, but everything else held constant, this is how I prefer to kill a game: a bunch of 28-year-olds passing it around in the wide areas
There was plenty of "suffering," but the least-miserable I was when Arsenal were protecting a one-goal lead was with mature, technical security: — Screenshot 1: Calafiori, Havertz, Trossard come on against Brighton — Screenshot 2: Trossard, Jesus come on against Sporting
What do Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola, Christos Tzolis, and Bruno Guimarães all have in common? They'd all help with this.
If you (like me) ever get grumpy about long-ball, it's worth remembering: — The team that increased its long-ball rate the most won the title. — The two teams that dropped long-ball rates the most (Liverpool and West Ham) were two of the biggest underachievers. Lot of nuance: where/when/who.
The league is squeeeeezing. On top of this, "dangerous possession lost" is tightening. Leeds, for example, opted out of being a savvy feeder-sales club and went for size, age, and experience. This type of player is less likely to make mistakes and more likely to punish yours.
Nice counterpressing net by Ecuador. Look at the numbers in midfield. It's great to have four runners like Germany here, but if it doesn't come off, there's a price to pay, especially if they're running wide.
How many players can receive this nothing ball on the touchline and turn it into a clear chance within ten seconds?
Luis used to be my example of how situation-specific passing stats are. Like an extreme A/B test
Saw a Koné link. Had me looking back at the original D.U.E.L.S. ratings from a few years back. Not perfect, but Rice, Zubimendi, Merino all on there. Was always a Koné truther. And I liked seeing Stach; I remember having a lot of fun watching him back at Mainz.
One of those sneaky athletic capacities, I think. He can really bend/fold/twist his top half over the ball and turn himself into a ">" symbol, and do it quickly (and through contact), keeping it down despite the amount of power.
Here's Arteta talking about how if your shooting angles are tight, it also means the keeper's hands are too low/close to react if you do a good job of roofing it
🫡 Wasn't perfect, but it gave me confidence in it in the future. The role is 50% [facing-play, helping tempo, hunting for over-the-toppers], and 50% [chaos, off-ball pocket player and combiner]. Zubi is great at both. Playing with Saliba+Rice would give him even more freedom.
