Player Watch Player Watch: Dejan Kulusevski

[fishhhandaricecake]

He is a good player but like so many of our forwards isn't the type to take the game by the scruff of the neck and look to directly influence it. Kulusevski, Johnson, Werner, Richarlison...all are capable of putting in good performances but not sure they can consistently perform to a high level throughout a season.

Don't believe any of them are a major headache for the oppo to deal with and can be nullified without too much trouble imo.

Think we need to add at least 2 players to the forward line who are a level or two up on what we have and who would give the oppo a real headache.

Moving on Gil and Solomon most likely but if not making Werner's loan a permanent and potentially moving on Richarlison facilitated us landing two players in that mould, think I'd be fine with that.

Completely agree with this.

Like when Liverpool signed Mane & Salah, next level players.

We need 2 of these in attacking areas this summer to really kick on, ideally a RW & ST.

Kulu is a 7/10 player, he will keep improving but too often he doesn’t take the game by the scruff of the neck consistently.

 

[C1w8]

I think too many critics over-estimate pace and under-estimate off-the-ball qualities for a wide player. Kulu excels off-the-ball (winning the ball back, making attacking runs etc). He doesn't beat his man but that's not the only option to threaten.

Don't forget also that he has reasonable injury record, an eye for goal and creates chances. Good distance covered/game.

He is a core player and will remain so in the forseeable future IMO.

Speed can flatter to deceive sometimes.

Its good to have a variety of players in the mix and kulu brings something different. No he doesnt bring the pace but then Son/Johnson/werner dont bring the strength that deki does to hold the ball and roll his man which he often does.

Agree i also think he will be part of our core for the foreseeable.

 

[UncleBuck]

He doesn't have pace. If he had pace he'd be one of the best attacking players in the world. It's such a crucial asset for a wide player. It doesn't matter how often he has 2 or 3 good games in a row, it will always be followed by a couple of poor games, as without pace, it's almost impossible to stay consistent as being able to run really fast is a massive advantage that makes relatively basic technical skills very effective. If Deki had Brennan's pace, he'd chip and charge his way out of trouble and be an 8 or 9 out of ten every week. But he doesn't and he never will, so people need to stop believing in his potential to be a world class wide player. It's not there. He has the potential to be a number 10, but as a wide player he's only good enough for where we are now and not good enough to be in a title challenging team. He's the new Lamela. A really good player, who would be a great player if he was quick.

Interestingly I was just doing a bit of Googling and Kulu has been tracked this season at only 3kmph slower than KDB’s supposed top speed of 39.1kmph which was set in 2017.
With them minuscule margins it’s not even about pace, it’s all about what’s up top and reading the game.
Banana Silva clocked at 29kmph, Kulu has the pace we just need to get him making better on field decisions, whether that be centrally or out wide.
For all his faults I see so many similarities to kdb at this age when Chelsea decided to bin him off.

 

[FuturistiC123]

IMO Kulu is wasted out wide, just look at his You Tube highlights at Parma, and his form at Juve where he picked up two honor's. City were very keen at one point. I've said it before professionals are coached to not give the ball away. Put in a poor cross or corner and you'll be back in your own penalty area in a flash. A number of our players don't take up good positions, especially in the penalty area. That's where we miss Harold. Timo has made us more of a threat from the left, but we really miss Perisic, another player a bit short of pace, but like Kulu he could beat a man. A large percentage of our attacks come down the right, inspired by Kulu or Porro. We need a more mobile striker, who can hold the ball up.

 

[allatsea]

I think too many critics over-estimate pace and under-estimate off-the-ball qualities for a wide player. Kulu excels off-the-ball (winning the ball back, making attacking runs etc). He doesn't beat his man but that's not the only option to threaten.

Don't forget also that he has reasonable injury record, an eye for goal and creates chances. Good distance covered/game.

He is a core player and will remain so in the forseeable future IMO.

Ange obviously agrees with you and he plays him virtually every minute of every game.

 

[Styopa]

Right now he’s one the few players we have with a little bit of guile. Nearly every other forward we have is a runner or presser.

I like Johnson, Richarlison and Werner but we’re a bit one dimensional when they’re all playing. Even Son.

Maddison and to a less extent Kulusevski give us something a bit different.

 

[djhotspur]

I think too many critics over-estimate pace and under-estimate off-the-ball qualities for a wide player. Kulu excels off-the-ball (winning the ball back, making attacking runs etc). He doesn't beat his man but that's not the only option to threaten.

Don't forget also that he has reasonable injury record, an eye for goal and creates chances. Good distance covered/game.

He is a core player and will remain so in the forseeable future IMO.

Yeah but he can absolutely be upgraded on, he can be fine as a rotation option but I personally do not want to go into next season with him as our starting RW..

 

[Wig]

Interestingly I was just doing a bit of Googling and Kulu has been tracked this season at only 3kmph slower than KDB’s supposed top speed of 39.1kmph which was set in 2017.
With them minuscule margins it’s not even about pace, it’s all about what’s up top and reading the game.
Banana Silva clocked at 29kmph, Kulu has the pace we just need to get him making better on field decisions, whether that be centrally or out wide.
For all his faults I see so many similarities to kdb at this age when Chelsea decided to bin him off.

"Banana Silva"

 

[djhotspur]

Interestingly I was just doing a bit of Googling and Kulu has been tracked this season at only 3kmph slower than KDB’s supposed top speed of 39.1kmph which was set in 2017.
With them minuscule margins it’s not even about pace, it’s all about what’s up top and reading the game.
Banana Silva clocked at 29kmph, Kulu has the pace we just need to get him making better on field decisions, whether that be centrally or out wide.
For all his faults I see so many similarities to kdb at this age when Chelsea decided to bin him off.

I think you mean 32 kph.... 39 would put him as the fastest ever football player... quicker than VDV and walker

 

[Yantino]

Right now he’s one the few players we have with a little bit of guile. Nearly every other forward we have is a runner or presser.

I like Johnson, Richarlison and Werner but we’re a bit one dimensional when they’re all playing. Even Son.

Maddison and to a less extent Kulusevski give us something a bit different.

Totally agree. His ability to intercept, steal the ball and do something different is something no one else in our wide areas offers us. Which is why he can also play that 10 position too.

I really rate Kulu. Just need to see him add some consistency to his performances, but you can see he's learning. Using his right foot more and more which keeps defenders on their toes.

 

[ultimateloner]

Yeah but he can absolutely be upgraded on, he can be fine as a rotation option but I personally do not want to go into next season with him as our starting RW..

Son is our only worldclass player so everyone else can be upgraded on. The question is affordability and availability. I can't see a worldclass player joining us straight up; it's something we need to groom. For example Doku wouldn't have joined us.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

I think too many critics over-estimate pace and under-estimate off-the-ball qualities for a wide player. Kulu excels off-the-ball (winning the ball back, making attacking runs etc). He doesn't beat his man but that's not the only option to threaten.

Don't forget also that he has reasonable injury record, an eye for goal and creates chances. Good distance covered/game.

He is a core player and will remain so in the forseeable future IMO.

Nope, it's absolutely essential for wide players if you want to be an elite team.

Off the ball quality on its own isn't enough if you want to be an elite team, you need individual elite ability on the ball with pace to beat players with a dribble. Guardiola has mentioned this in the past, how important it is to have players who can dribble past opponents.

Of course you need the pace to be aligned with technical ability, off ball movement and good decision making but you need the pace and explosiveness as a foundation out wide.

If you have wide players who can't beat players (like ours) then you are relying on perfect passing combinations, perfect movements and perfect timings to unlock the opposition. If the opposition come with a good game plan and implement it well or you aren't perfect, then the whole structure falls apart. We've seen numerous examples of this under Ange so far.

By adding players who can do all of the off ball stuff and passing movements but ALSO the dribbling ability AND speed to go past people, then all of a sudden you have an element of individual take on ability which disrupts the opposition defence and creates gaps across the pitch for you to exploit.

We have Deki who lacks the pace to go past people and then we have Johnson and Werner who have the speed but don't have dribbling ability. Therefore our attack is limited and much easier to deal with than the likes of Scum for example, who have players who terrify opponents 1 on 1.

We need at least 1 if not 2 players who have the speed AND the dribbling ability combined. This is what will elevate us out wide and improve the team significantly, both attacking wise but also defensively as we will be more of a sustained threat in attack.

 

[dontcallme]

Nope, it's absolutely essential for wide players if you want to be an elite team.

Off the ball quality on its own isn't enough if you want to be an elite team, you need individual elite ability on the ball with pace to beat players with a dribble. Guardiola has mentioned this in the past, how important it is to have players who can dribble past opponents.

Of course you need the pace to be aligned with technical ability, off ball movement and good decision making but you need the pace and explosiveness as a foundation out wide.

If you have wide players who can't beat players (like ours) then you are relying on perfect passing combinations, perfect movements and perfect timings to unlock the opposition. If the opposition come with a good game plan and implement it well or you aren't perfect, then the whole structure falls apart. We've seen numerous examples of this under Ange so far.

By adding players who can do all of the off ball stuff and passing movements but ALSO the dribbling ability AND speed to go past people, then all of a sudden you have an element of individual take on ability which disrupts the opposition defence and creates gaps across the pitch for you to exploit.

We have Deki who lacks the pace to go past people and then we have Johnson and Werner who have the speed but don't have dribbling ability.

We need at least 1 if not 2 players who have the speed AND the dribbling ability combined. This is what will elevate us out wide and improve the team significantly, both attacking wise but also defensively as we will be more of a sustained threat in attack.

David Silva didn’t have much pace, he was a brilliant wide player.

Kulusevski getting the ball too early when trying to counter quickly is a problem but there are ways to utilise his qualities as a wide player.

 

[joey55]

David Silva didn’t have much pace, he was a brilliant wide player.

Kulusevski getting the ball too early when trying to counter quickly is a problem but there are ways to utilise his qualities as a wide player.

I think if we were able to see heatmaps of where David Silva's tocuhes of the ball took place and Deki's they'd be very different. As you point out, you aren't going to ask Silva to hug the line and look to capitalise on our speedy transitions. No one is saying Deki isn't a quality player and there isn't potential to find a place for him, but to be an effective winger or wide forward in a 433, you have to have pace.

 

[dontcallme]

I think if we were able to see heatmaps of where David Silva's tocuhes of the ball took place and Deki's they'd be very different. As you point out, you aren't going to ask Silva to hug the line and look to capitalise on our speedy transitions. No one is saying Deki isn't a quality player and there isn't potential to find a place for him, but to be an effective winger or wide forward in a 433, you have to have pace.

I’m no tactician. What do you think made the way City play help Silva be effective out wide despite a lack of pace whereas Kulusevski isn’t utilised as well at us?

Is it as simple as they play high possession whereas we counter?

 

[Trix]

I think if we were able to see heatmaps of where David Silva's tocuhes of the ball took place and Deki's they'd be very different. As you point out, you aren't going to ask Silva to hug the line and look to capitalise on our speedy transitions. No one is saying Deki isn't a quality player and there isn't potential to find a place for him, but to be an effective winger or wide forward in a 433, you have to have pace.

No you don't.

 

[joey55]

I’m no tactician. What do you think made the way City play help Silva be effective out wide despite a lack of pace whereas Kulusevski isn’t utilised as well at us?

Is it as simple as they play high possession whereas we counter?

Pretty much exaclty that.

City just represent the reality of football in my opinion and what a simple game it is. Possession is 9/10 of the law and the very best players can retain possession at speed and in the tightest spaces. So, as you say, you can play far up the pitch and pin teams in their own third, by just having incredible technical players.

The idea that teams needs a balance of attributes is based on the concept of scarce resources. What I mean by that is a club like ours can expect a Modric type player once in a bluemoon and most teams can never expect to have one. So football tactics evolve to find different ways for a team to be successful without every player being an absolute technical genius. But clubs with endless financial resources can afford to buy fit, mobile and techncially brilliant players who can play at incredible tempo in tight spaces, so can push up. If lesser clubs want some technical genius, they have to make do with Matt Le Tissier waddling around or Jay Jay Ochocha doing some tricks at innapropriate times, so can only ever have one of them in a team and need to find other ways of damaging opposition, such a height or pace etc.

 

[mil1lion]

City have a pretty quick Walker offering width that side. They have the pace of Doku on the left. We could do similar using Porro wide overlapping Kulusevski on the right. Then a pacey left wide attacker with Udogie coming infield that side. I also think Porro has a great cross on him so would like to see us use it more. We need the left attacker to attack the far post though.

 

[tevezito]

We need the left attacker to attack the far post though.

Well if it's Johnson out there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[UncleBuck]

"Banana Silva"

My youngest made up all sorts of names for players a few years ago and it’s stuck ever since, my favourite one though was Sergio Biscuits!