Stupid people generally don't have the attention span to watch a whole match. Let alone re-watch and analyse it. I'll go with what my eyes tell me, thank you very much.
@@martytu20 Exactly. I watch Liverpool vs Man Utd and I think Quansah had a great game bar the misplaced pass, and United fans genuinely think he played badly. I’ve done the same the other way round too.
The whole Salah vs hazard debate is an ultimate example of how the eye test can give people a false perception, because while hazard is the much better and more exciting dribbler, this has given people this false perception that Salah can't dribble and that he's basically a stat merchant which is crazy. Although I do think the eye test also works against certain players to a degree because while both Ronaldinho and Neymar are highly rated, I feel like people underrate their technical skills such as their passing shooting etc as their dribbling is what is mainly thought of.
You can still use stats to compare hazard and salah, you just have to properly contextualize it. For example in 2018 hazard had significantly more touches, passes, long balls, dribbles than salah. That shows that hazard is player that’s involved in all phases of play while salah is mostly involved in just the final third. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it shows how different their approach to the game is.
@@skfc9525yeah salah is more of a dominate the wing typa player, while hazard was more of a free roaming winger that can drop to the midfield and play as a 10 to start up the attack
The eye-test was never meant to be “Do I find this player enjoyable or not?” It was always meant to be “is this player as good as his stats say in reality?” The word has absolutely lost all meaning the past few years
This. The eye test was supposed to check whether the stats were representative of the quality of the player, by checking if the player has good decision making, whether he is being carried by teammates, etc. Now it is how enjoyable he is to watch in a highlight reel.
I agree and Bellingham is a good example. Although “stiff” he is strong as hell on the ball. However this season he was not as good as his stats. Not in Real Madrid, not in England
The majority of people don't really understand football. They've grown up on a diet of fancy compilations and silly freestyle football clips. Most people barely understand the fundamentals of professional football in terms of positioning, spatial understanding, pressing, first touch, what they do without the ball, etc. Put them in a game, and most will crumble. People, in general, have always appreciated fancy players' tricks, and I get that, but when it comes to effectiveness and impact on the game, it's usually the 'Saka's' that come out on top without people realizing.
I mean good for you lot? They can come up more effective all they want but why should we appreciate them? Is it our fault other players are simply more enjoying to watch? No wonder football continues to lose followers.
@@waynewayne8419Noones saying we shouldn’t appreciate aesthetic players as fans, the point is just that we shouldn’t mistake being entertaining for being good at football. Many people make this mistake.
@@waynewayne8419Both are useless on their own, if the game leans too hard on the aesthetic then it's not professional play and all you're watching is a freestyle compilation with no one actually trying to win, and if you focus too much on the nitty gritty of the game you'll have parking the bus for 90 mins and flopping on every challenge to get a foul. The actual football we want is contrast between both and balance, where you can get a match consisting of multiple playstyles mashed together playing another team of multiple playstyles mashed together, that's where the beauty of the game lies, everyone has their own approach, not just one way to play. Trying to force one style down everyone's throat is ignorant.
@@moayad_zh who’s trying to force one style over another? Football is a product, no one wants to come watch people just passing the ball around doing nothing. It’s already losing viewers but you guys are so incessantly obsessed with trying to water down the sport
well it goes both ways because there are stat merchants who act as if aesthetic players are not efficient, the type of people who would say hazard / neymar / messi etc had a bad game because they didnt get g/a, even though they were the best player on the pitch
Twitter is a diseased app. A lot of these guys don’t actually watch football and are deluded to the fact that players spamming unnecessary skills ≠ ‘technical’ anyone that knows Football will know that Saka is one of the most technically gifted players just look at his first touch and the way he receives the football, even when he is back to goal only Hazard is as good as Saka when protecting the ball. People are just blinded when it comes to certain players they let their hate for them cover their actual ability.
Twitter accounts do actually know and watch football, it’s just they farm for engagement, and the more popular they have become people start to believe their views, especially those relatively knew to football.
A great example of a player that passes the eye test for me is Pedri. Not because he is fancy or silky. It’s because he understands how to seek space between lines a an elite level. He also sees passes other people don’t, so instead of choosing the safe option and passing it sideways or backwards, he dares to pass between defenders creating space and opportunities. His abillity to progress the ball through tight pressure with small combinations is also elite. While there are stats for progressive passes, there are no stats for vision, risk calculation, weight of pass, spacial awareness etc. Or atleast that i know of. When Pedri got injured last year, the flow of Barcas game got far worse and so did the results. You can’t quantify it you just have to watch it.
Random but this is such a beautiful comment. So glad someone appreciates the guy, he's also so so elegant and a joy to watch, really sad what has been done to him workload wise and now he's out for 2 more months after that kroos kick. I really hope we can see him back at it after being taken care of in a better way and that they don't dare selling him :( (he should probably put on some serious muscle too to prevent injury, hopefully the new manager comes with a new physio /medical team cause boy, that club is a hospital.
Someone who actually understands football,i don't get why all of a sudden people don't think Pedri is of the same level to the Judes and Musialas of this world,some say Camavinga is better than him but don't get me wrong Cama is a great player but he's nowhere near as technically gifted like Pedri
I will never forget, England vs Switzerland quarter-finals - my dad texts me "Saka hasn't been very effective" and I was in disbelief because I watched this man in that very game beat the Swiss left back 5 or 6 times and absolutely everything dangerous England did that game came from him and then I'd also watch him sprint 90 yards to get back and provide decent support defensively - two minutes later he scores his banger and pops was quiet. I know if he had beat the left back with some crazy elastico/rainbow flick/jogo bonito concoction he would never have texted me that BS.
He was literally Englands only threat, it just didn’t lead to anything because Harry Kane is a lazy f**k who wouldn’t do his job and get in the 6 yard box
Is it do look at boxing. Many people hate the likes of Mayweather calling him a pussy for the way he fights but his record is immaculate. But then Ali many consider him the goat has a far from immaculate record. But because he was flashy person and he had some very memorable fights people consider him the goat.
Case in point, Saka was England best attacker. Foden, considered silky did naff all. He doesn’t have the intelligence to run in to spaces or create spaces like Saka does. Foden is overly protected by the media
Your actually so dumb 😂😂 ive seen comps of foden making brilliant runs but he has declan rice who is clueless on the ball behind him. Dont lie about players to fit your agendas. We all saw what foden did last season in the premier league.
Similar story with Vinicius, he's the most efficient winger in the world right now, yet I often hear people discrediting him because his dribbling style isn't elegant enough. To an extent I get it, it often looks like the seas part for him, but if that's happening consistently, it's probably not a coincidence.
@@waynewayne8419 we have "robotic wingers" now, because one man in todays systems is not the only person a winger has to beat. That's why most high level players and teams like saka, bellingham, doku, bernardo silva, kdb, prefer passing around players rather than dribbling through 5 of them, as they have a way higher chance of scoring that way.
Great video, never heard of this until today. I think Thomas Müller is a victim of this. He has all these trophies, assists, goals etc, but no one really cares because he’s not “flashy”. He just super efficient and does the job without showboating. A lot of people only care about the aesthetics because of like Ronaldo, Neymar, Messi and so on. People set unrealistic standards when it comes to this stuff. Like of course it’s cool to do a flashy move but it’s much better to be effective.
Been saying this for years. If you're a young kid that wants to get into football. Watch Muller, not Neymar. Effective football over circus tricks any day of the week.
@@AJ-nd4nk While I agree with your overall point, efficiency is not the end of it for football watchers. From the players perspective ,yes. However , sports is about entertainment, and I watch to be entertained. Do you get what Im saying. Btw Muller was/is my favourite player. Im just saying you dont have to go to the next extreme of sayings skills are circus tricks.
I think another key aspect people overlook is off-the-ball movement and positioning. Haaland is a massive shout, his presence alone changes the defensive shape for a lot of teams. And if he doesn't score or get an assist - he is called for being useless. Yet, if you do any analysis, you can see that his positional play and runs are what creates the opening for either Foden, Silva or KDB to take advantage of. Another good example of this is how Odegaard commands his team forward and reads the game. Sure he has a lot of flair in his play but what enables him to be so impactful and game changing is his ability to scan and read the game prior to getting the ball (He is always looking around). As well as his ability to constantly press all throughout the 90 - its something a lot of 'highlight' bozos miss.
I have being telling people this and they think it is Guardiola that made him get those numbers. Meanwhile, the likes of Aguero and Jesus with thier aesthetics couldn't get half of what he has done. City are now able to win UCL finally posing huge threat of not going out easily like they use to. Haaland is magical when you understand football.
@@olliemcdowell4503Havertz from what I’ve seen in a confidence player, in his early chelsea days he looked like such a dangeorus player but the longer he stayed he didn’t look right. Joined arsenal and a few months in he was firing for the gunners again. But as a 9, he also has elite tactical understanding. So I can see why he’s a starter but his finishing can really be so detrimental, he has a tendency to miss easy chances
@@omother6950 as a german i hope that he will succeed Gündogan on the 10, when the time is right. Kai allowed players like Musiala and Wirtz to shine at the Euros with his genius positioning off the ball but i'd prefer having him + a real 9 like Füllkrug or Undav on the pitch at the same time. I still think that his 8 position suited him better than the CF role with his headballing capeabillities and one on one strengths, if Arsenal can sign a real 9 but if Jesus stays the only other option then taking Havertz as a CF would be fine again.
@@rannynihilius8481 arsenal do need a 9, however they still scored over 100 goals last season without one. They can definitely win trophies with Havertz and Jesus as the 9’s
spot on analysis of Dembélé. I used to get so excited when he would get possession but I've seen it time and time again now where he flubs almost every chance he gets with a terrible cross or even worse shot. It doesn't matter if you can get around your defender if you are unable to consistently do anything with the ball afterwards. I was shocked when he got man of the match in the quarter finals. I thought it should have gone to Maignan
I mean as inconsistent as he is, he’s still very good to have on the pitch because you can always bet on his ability to beat his man and cause chaos for the team at the back.
The aesthetic bias is a real thing man because why do I see some people genuinely believe Neymar is “closer” to Ronaldo then Ronaldo is to Messi just because of the aesthetic bias lol and this is coming from a guy who loves Neymar. This also exist in sports like Basketball as well.
I Don't think anyone is talking about career when they say neymar is closer to Ronaldo then Ronaldo is to messi i think they're taking about ability and I agree if there taking about ability not aesthetics but like dribbling touch weight of pass ball carrying close control these are the attributes that people will say neymar is better than Ronaldo not career or goalscorer
Ronaldo from 2006/7 season to 2013/14 season have everything in his game man Go watch Ronaldo 2009/10 season one of the most entertaining season by a player in football history@@stellaada6600
Neymar's on ball ability (bar his driibbling/skill moves) is seriously underrated, his passing(both long short, and through balls), his finishing e.t.c, so when people say that he's closer to Ronaldo than Ronaldo is to Messi, I think they're trying to say that Neymar is better at PLAYING football compared to Ronaldo, but Ronaldo's had a better career and has better numbers.
@@LBJ-s9n The whole point of the vid is things like positional awareness, aerial ability, raw speed, ball striking, etc. are part of "playing football." People think that "pure footy" is only things you'd see in london cages.
Great short vidéo! Saka is an amazing talent and gets routinely attacked by fans and sport pundits alike, despite his EXTREMELY CONSISTENT contributions to Arsenal and the England national team. Most likely due to aesthetic bias, as you said, but also due to race I imagine.
Neymar/Ronaldinho comps have done irreversible damage to how people view the game. If you arent doing outlandish runs and dribbling then forget about people rating you in the modern era Kroos went under the radar because his passing wasnt as outrageous as Guti(Real Madrid) or Ozil despite being the most efficient passer of the ball that i have ever seen For a lot pf the guys who swear by the eye test, they will use a ridiculous strawman(Lampard vs Maradona and Zidane) to discredit stats whsn there is a whole world of stats outside G/A Look at how diaz cost liverpool the title by lacking the finishing touch of Mo salah but that wont matter to eye test merchants because he cooks his defenders here and there Good vid by the way
exactly, I think people forget how the pro level is. You can’t dribble through 5 elite defenders unless ur an absolute talent. It’s OKAY to not be as talented or skilled as Neymar or dinho.
@@ernelson.19 yeah, like look at Ronaldo he’s not as skillful on the ball as Neymar but is still 10x better than him because football isn’t just dribbling
@@davispaul2279 I think Ronaldo is skillful in general. Especially before he became a true 9. He was just a pure winger all his career until 09’ he was hella skillful but Neymar was more. It’s just that such skillers set the bar so high so that you need to be doing 89 rainbow flicks to be considered elite. It’s also about your production. Skills and dribbling are used to create space or to eliminate a man from the equation. Such for if you can beat your man but can’t finish. What good are you to the team?
This really highlights the differences in what the audiences want to see in a football match vs what managers want to see in a football match. Audiences naturally wants to be entertained by flashy players that have flairs in them but managers wants players who produce results regardless of how they achieve those results. The eye test is definitely not the end all be all of a player's skill but taking risks is part and parcel of football and what makes sports fun to watch in general.
I think the eye test is less about aesthetics and more about intangibles that datarooms find difficulty measuring. Good shout for Jesus. Same with Alexander lacazette, Granit Xhaka, ngolo kante, Kai Havertz etc all unusual players with glaring weaknesses in the data but indispensible to their teams style of play. Looking at stats only, no one would pick kante, but seeing him play you know his IQ is insane. He can almost see plays before they happen. An overlooked aspect of his game is driving forward and starting he attack. Mans can do everything.
Exactly! When someone who really watches football is talking about the eye test obviously he's not talking about fancy flicks and tricks. And they would never be surprised if the stats show how effective or ineffective a certain player is.
Jesus is a frustrating player. He has a great ability to hold the ball. However, in many cases, he holds on to the ball way longer than he should. It's almost as if he is quite hesitant and irresolute.
Eye test stops the bs of people claiming one player is better than another simply by g/a. There’s reason why certain players have less g/a and it’s not always to do with ability things like system, teammates, style of play etc. it only works with top players tho because you can’t say antony is better than saka
exactly!!! people act like players with less g/a are only aesthetic and are not efficient, whereas they are efficient but in different ways other than finding goals and assists (e.g hazard)
@@jenniferwang6367 if youre basing your entire opinion on a player on a single tournament then youre no better than the eye test merchants. People like you are the same people that try to downplay Ronaldos achievements cause of the world Cup 2022. If you let a single tournament overshadow everything else then you might not understand Football and even Sports as well as you think you do
You cooked with this narrative. If the eye test is what people think it is, why is Arjen Robben considered world class. Robben was not a flashy player, but he was damn effective. Saka reminds me of him
A good example of this is that studies done in the Netherlands on scouts have shown that traditional scouting is incredibly inconsistent with different scouts identifying different and contrasting qualities on players when given historical footage to look at. Gotta be able to do it all and actually contextualise what players are doing whether its watching or doing stastical or data analysis
When I use the eye test, its more about noticing who has the ball for most of the game, not necessarily what skills they produce. Its more a way to see who is ghosting, as opposed to seeing who is playing exceptional in my opinion.
I enjoy the breadth of expression in football. Flair vs efficiency - both are equally important and the struggle between these qualities for me is what is interesting.
Also, to these "aesthetic merchants" (because lets be real, you dont care about the eye test, you care about who pleases your eye), how are footballers like Salah not pleasing to watch? One of the most entertaining players in the league. Beatiful passer and his tight dribbling in small spaces is one of the best in the world.
He's more entertaining relative to the average premier league player but theres levels to it. Compared to players who are considered the best of the best (as salah is) he's without question one of the more boring players. Theres nobody on the planet who'd rather watch him for 90 minutes over a player like mahrez or hazard, they have a way higher chance to entertain you inside 90 minutes than salah. What makes salah good is how often he scores or assists aka. consistency and for how long aka. longevity, not neccassarily the insane things he does on the pitch because he rarely ever does anymore. Scoring a backpost tap in will never be more entertaining than someone going at their marker everytime they recieve the ball and successfully take them on more than they don't. I'll give it to you his passing is extremely underrated and he's got a top trivela. Still though not a better passer or as creative as the two I mentioned though.
@@Guestownedu Maybe I'm just weird then because back when Mahrez and Hazard were around, I still found him more entertaining to watch. He just seems to have his own unique style of control. Some of his solo goals like against Tottenham and City will stick with me forever.
Football fans watch football for entertainment, it's that simple. I always ask people, why should I care how many trophies/achievements a player has if he doesn't play for my club? When I watch games that dont involve my team, I could care less about G/A or other data driven metrics. Who stands out and keeps you on the edge of your seat is the only metric we need.
Thank God someone said it. I dont care if liverpool lost the title, i just want to be entertained, so yes, i prefer diaz flashy playstyle over sakas or grealishs efficiency. Football is an art form and, if my team isnt involved, thats what im looking for in a match
The best way to judge the ability of a player is a combination of stats and the eye test. Stats like G/A chances created completed dribbles interceptions made tackles etc, that’s an indicator of what a player can do, but it doesn’t capture the full picture of their abilities. Those who use match ratings to determine how well a player played or not are ones who probably don’t watch football. A prime example of this is the Eden Hazard vs Mohamed Salah debate. This has been a debate that’s been going on between premier league fans for a while as some think that Salah is better because of his dominance on the stat sheet, while others say that Hazard is better because he’s a pure footballer and he passes the eye test and you can’t have it both ways. As Salah has aged his overall game has declined as he’s lost a yard of pace, his dribbling has dropped off as well he’s not known for being flashy or aesthetic compared to other elite wingers, but at least he manages to put up great numbers and get a lot of goals and assists, Hazard on the other hand his game is more attractive to watch and that’s because whenever he has the ball, he’s can pick it up from his own half and create something out of nothing produce magical moments and he would dribble like 4-5 fullbacks a game. Players can impact the game without being flashy or skillful and from watching them with your eyes, you can see what they can truly do without looking at stats or Sofascore to check their match ratings so that you can push an agenda.
So, what are you saying? Is Hazard or Salah better? You can say "it has to be a combination" but that doesn't really say anything either. The eye test will still fool you if you're biased for a certain playstyle, even if you also look at the actual stats.
@@brzt4256the more efficient footballer is objectively better for the team. So in this case Salah. A "washed" Salah can still score 20 goals a season, a washed Hazard is retired and been irrelevant for 6 years.
@@brzt4256 true, bias is always involved. Eden Hazard takes the cake for me, the ability to affect all phases of the game is invaluable. Those kind of players are the true essence of football, stats will serve you for a while but that’ll be that. A great example is Benzema vs Kane, you could score all the goals you want but you need to have certain flair and execution to be truly remarkable in the sport for me. But Hazard vs Salah people forget they were both at Chelsea at the same age and we all know what happened
Modern football is washed with stats so I know that’s why some of these arguments come up, by this analogy then Erling Haaland is the greatest striker the premier league has seen
It's really relative. There are different types of "progressive actions", "dribbles attempted/completed", "g/ax90", etc, which infer different levels of difficulty. That's why eye test is essential, and over stats. If you know football, you don't need Rodri's, Busquets', Kroos', Xavi's, Pirlo's, Scholes' passing stats to know how dominant they are, or whatever. You don't need Kane's and Haaland's stats to know they are different players, each with their own strengths and flaws. Stats provoke that you end up thinking of a french League mid table team's no.6 as an amazing player because he has 75 short/mid range x 90' and 2.1 key passes... You just have to sit and watch them for x amount of games until being so familiar you can confidently talk about their playstyle, strengths, weaknesses, things he can improve, tactical profile, etc.
And the winger thing is stupid. Nobody is out here critisizing Saka when he is one of the best EPL players. He is most definetely not stiff and has a great repertoir of things he can do, you shouldn't base things off a couple twitter dudes. Ofc being an electric winger such as Vinicius, Neymar, young Dembele, means you have an immense advantage over other wingers because of your capability to exploit the opposite defence out of nowhere, but nobody underestimates players like Mahrez, Pires, Salah
Problem is eye test is based on how the person views football.. Stats are objective. Both are necessary imo. With alot of people nowadays though, eye test just means someone who looks more aesthetically pleasing.
@@chy.0190 it's not. If you base someone's level off highlights, it's probably gonna be based off aesthetics, but if you watch actual games it won't be that way. Stats depend a lot on the context of the player.
Nah I disagree. Eye test is based off a person personal preference of football. On sites like fbref they have all these stats in detail. Chances created. Through balls, key passes, shot creation actions. All these thing and more. If a person you think is good from ur eye watch but isn’t having high Numbers in these these areas. For example if a centre midfielder hasn’t got high key passes, hand creation, tackles, interceptions, low possession lost, duel success percentage. Then you have to question what the player is actually doing. Surely ur eyes are at fault if he isn’t putting up good numbers in those stats. But it’s good because looking at fbref and sqwauka the top players we all know of e.g Toni Kroos has ones of the highest chance creation, key passes etc
Stats matter a lot because. People often will say Modric is better than Kroos from their eye test. But all they are seeing is Modric doing a dribble or doing a fancy pass. Whilst me as an ex semi pro footballer when I watch Madrid game I see Kroos passing between lines breaking lines, switching the play. Creating chances. And the stats back it up e.g Since Kroos joined Madrid. 2nd most big chances created after benzema. 1st most key passes. 1st most assist. 1st highest passing accuracy and long ball accuracy. 2nd highest Sofascore rating after Ronaldo. But since Kroos is stiff and not as silky as Modric or iniesta they Weill say those 2 are better than him when in reality Kroos is having a far bigger impact in the game and even has the most basic stat (goal + assist) per game better than those two. Whilst also winning more trophies than Modric. It also doesn’t help that balondor and other awards rankings favour silky/ fancy players and attacking players.
I’m a Celtic and Boston Celtics fan. I love football and basketball and ur channel is literally the perfect blend. Ur like footballs Jxmyhighroller. Love from Scotland bro 👊🏽🏴
I think we’re in an era where fans would rather trash a bunch of top talent to prop up their favorite player rather than have fun talking about the elite players and just having a preference as to who your favorite is. Just because that’s your favorite player doesn’t mean they are objectively the best or that other players are objectively bad. I see across all sports and it’s tiring.
While you are completely right about most things, i feel like Saka had a bad season this year with not much efficient finishing or dribbling. He didn't change much games with his plays. Players like Hazard could just flip a game in his favour by dribbling 5 players and putting it top bins out of nowhere. This is a moment of magic that some players just possess more than others. Don't get me wrong, Saka also has this ability, as we just saw in the Euro's, but it doesn't happen a lot.
In my opinion, this goes hand-in-hand with the conversation around "technical" players. Players like Pedri, Havertz, Silva, De Bruyne, Wirtz pass the "technical" eye test. Whereas players like Bellingham, Camavinga, Saka, and Kante are "strong", "powerful runners", or "midfield engines." At best, darker players are called "skillfull," but even that implies natural prowess instead of technical mastery.
Stats are more than just goals and assists, you can look at xg, xa, passes completed, pass %, dribble success rate, fouls won. If players ‘eye test’ can’t be quantified in any of these stats then what ever ‘eye test’ they are doing is pointless and purely aesthetic
ur wrong. for example, so many players these days are being praised for having high pass success rates but when you actually watch them you realise that they rarely attempt a progressive / killer pass or take risks - majority of the passes are backwards or sideways. dont act as if the eye test is flawed and stats are not, when in reality stats are the thing that can create false pictures and deceive. you can never be deceived when actually watching the game
@@nakiyame2606 that doesn’t make what i said wrong, that literally shows that certain stats can be deceptive if other stats arent included with it. whereas that can never be the case with eye test
@@kaco26can never be the case with eye test? The original comment is right, what does the eye test actually measure? It's very subjective and can be even more deceptive than just using stats
Very good video Another problem is ppl confuse trophies won with individual brilliance. If a player scores 50 goal a season and another scores 20 (both strikers) , the later winning the trebble the same season and probably wins the balon dor ppl automatically think the one with the trophis and balon dor is better
1. Eye test does matter 2. Take on stats can be misleading 3. Saka is definitely extremely disrespected 4. All of the best players of all time especially attackers are mostly fancy… we need to stop pretending that greats weren’t entertaining and skillful. Haaland can score 5000 goals, nobody would dare say he’s better than R9.
@@kali192z if that’s how you look at the sport then, you might as well not watch games wait for the result and goalscorers. All the best players of all time have got an eye test bias
Watching the Switzerland England game, Saka was about the only starter that looked like he could do something in the attacking side. Meanwhile I haven’t seen Foden do anything the whole tournament and no one talks about him
This is a bit of a tangent but i love how relentless Williams is. He isn't deterred by unsuccessful take-ons. He is still has a long way to go and grow, though.
this guy knows ball and is very underrated should have atleast 100k keep grinding my dude and you'll get it, also thank you so much for defending our starboy Saka he gets so much hate for no fucking reason
the eye test isnt a myth for people who actually play football. if you’ve played at any decent level, you know which players you’d rather have on your team, or who would be a nightmare to play against, just by watching them. thats regardless of how fancy they are. this is more a discussion of how bad the general public’s ball knowledge is.
i was a winger in college and the only reason i was rooting for england in the final is bc i wanted saka to get the respect he deserves. people are too concerned with social media highlights and what they can share to their stories or retweet. they only care about the play in the moment itself, not in the greater context of the match. and that’s why some people think soccer is boring. i guess it is a harder sport to get in to at the higher levels if you have never played or watched it at the lower ones before. as a spectator you have to understand what’s going on around the player with the ball to get a sense of their decision making abilities (just like any other sport but they don’t wanna talk about that)
Finally someone says this! But tbh I think this is one of the aspects that has gotten better with time. For example: I think that Ronaldinho is one of the most overrated players of all time. Of course he is one of the best, but I don't think he is in the top 15 players of all time. People like him because of his fancy way of playing, but he was actually never really consistent. Nowadays players like Eden Hazard get stomped into the ground by some for having bad ends to their careers. What I also notice is that so many people have this FIFA idea in their head that if Hazard is a LW in FIFA and Salah is a RW, that they play roughly the same position. Same with calling Ronaldo and Messi "wingers" when they both are so far away from what anyone imagines when hearing the word "winger". This will lead to senseless comparing of stats and the eye test is needed again which just goes to show that in the end everything about football is opinion based, except the actual result.
@@kabizo1729 you just perfectly proved the point of the video with your comment. Sure he was one of the best ever, but where is he difference if you beat your defender with a multi-elastico-3037-deluxe or just with a simple body feint? Right there isn't one. Neymar is also very overrated for the same reason. He is never the 3rd best of our generation when there are players like Neuer, Ramos, Suarez and Lewandowski. And btw I don't think that Ronaldinho was bad or anything, I just don't believe he deserves to be in the top 20 or even 10 of footballers of all time. (I think most of those lists online are bullcrap anyways as there are a maximum of 2 defenders in the top 10, no goalkeepers and maybe 1-2 midfielders, when in reality the best defender, midfielder, goalkeeper and attacker should all be on the same level. My top 10 would look something like this: 1. Messi/Ronaldo 2. Ronaldo/Messi 3. Beckenbauer 4. Zidane (also has the same advantage as Dinho though in terms of "watchability" so maybe a bit unjustified) 5. Maldini 6. Pelé 7. Buffon 8. Maradona 9. Platini 10. Baresi
Thanks for this man. I too fell inside this trap with Messi dribbles because he made it look easy but had to realise that it is still dribbling whether or not with step overs or elasticos
Well mate messi don't do nonsense flashy dribbling to show off ,his dribble actually do gigantic impact on game ,he knows when to blend the dribble into pass that's why he is the G.OA.T always moving to the goal not for such nonsense flashy dribbling showoff
As a lot of other people have said "eye test" is now a catch all. One can see things like defensive actions, positioning, decision making, and clean passing with their EYES if they are looking hard enough, but these things are never what people mean when they say "eye test."
Don’t get me wrong, I’m amazed at watching skilled dribblers do their thing. But I prefer direct, simple football. Lots of great passing, a team working as a unit, passing the ball into the net from their end. Love it!
Idk man I think Ozil’s vision and brave approach with his creativity sets him apart he sees things no one else would see and he does stuff that is stupidly brave but works
Football is weird sometimes. We as fans tend to think doing the basic things like passing, linking up play, etc are "easy" to do. When in reality those are probably the hardest things to do
The same issue also exists with football tactics, with people despising Mourinho for his defensive 'park the bus' tactics, despite the fact that it got the job done, and won him loads of trophies in his prime. People shit on winning teams like the 2004 Greece team that won the euros, because their football wasn't exciting enough, despite the fact that, realistically, that was the only way a team like Greece could face off against heavyweights like France and Portugal without getting pommeled, and it worked for them.
@@SBF90210 not really outweigh, moreso not disregarded. Not every player’s gonna have a show boating play style and at the end of the day, the goal for a lot of these guys is to win. Efficiency matters jus as much as entertainment
@@mandafrombk I'm not saying you have to be a show boat to be good. But i am sayng you have to be entertaining to be great. I also ageee that show boats with no end product are useless, but at least a showboats average game will include good technique and surprises(Ben Arfa) whereas a pace and power player's average game is full of bad touches and needless aggression(Doku) I'm seeing comments say Dinho and Neymar damaged the sport with compilations but I'd much rather watch rainbow flicks and nutmegs for an hour than Jude box crashing. As if neymar and dinho don't have some of the best stats and accolades in history to match their entertainment factor. It shouldn't be either or. It HAS to be both. But if its not... rather entertain a brudda
@@SBF90210 But entertainment could be subjective. Many people dismissed passing as “entertainment” but the unmatched elegance and balance of a player’s posture when hitting a pass (Beckham, Bergkamp, Pirlo, Laudrup, Zidane, Kroos, etc.) is very aesthetically pleasing for me. It’s obvious that not everyone enjoys the same things. I love Dinho’s style too, but people forgot there was a time Beckham was the leading midfielder in La Liga in terms of efficiency over a prime Ronaldinho. You don’t need to be able to do 10 elasticos on top of your achievements to be great. Defending is what I would consider an art as well.
@@heijimikata7181 im not saying entertainment is only attacking but the video is mainly about attackers. All aspects of footy can be art to me, even goalkeeping. But if we talk about passing, if you think kroos is a more "entertaining" passer than pogba... then to each is their own. But i think pogba uses more flair because he can, whereas toni just doesnt have it. Both world class in their time, but i know who I'd rather watch
Stats are important but I still find eye test is key. For instance strikers like Lukaku, Kane, hell even Salah have incredible goal scoring rates, yet in knockout games they almost always go missing. For example xavi, iniesta, and busquets never really showed up on the stat sheets yet everyone knows they are some of the best midfielders of all time. You mentioned dembele as an example, although all those missed shots would count as stats themselves. Going off eye test & stats barcola was far more effective for France in the short time he was on the pitch, always trying to make something happen, always getting past his man like Nico Williams for Spain. Again the stats are important, but technique, along with decision making and positioning are most important; especially considering a player is only on the ball for 2 minutes during the whole match, you need an eye test at the very minimum to see those other 88 minutes.
yeah stats can mislead someone, fotmob shows salah dropped an 8.1 against Man Utd earlier this year in the 2-2 draw but that was one of the worst performances i've seen from a winger
Advances in analytics have seen the magic and unpredictability of football for the most part, fly out the window. I really pray more players of the cast of Neymar and Hazard are nurtured and encouraged to play with skill and freedom.
I think you've missed the point, its not about stiffness, Jude 's fundamentals is shit, he has no touch, even with no pressure around him, can't pass and not a good finisher. Saka is better fundamentally, but one dimensional, a good fullback will lock saka out the game, palmer is not one dimensional. Nico Williams has been good throughout the whole tournament, saka scored one goal in the semi, because he had a fullback overlapping which allowed him to cut inside and shoot. We've all watched England and we know they changed their tactics in the semi, hence their fullbacks overlap now. We all know saka was dogshit from the beginning of the tournament. Nico does not need a fullback overlapping he can take on his man and beat his man one on one, dead ball situation. Eye test normally differents one dimensional/lack of fundamental players from those who are not. And that what's separates the mediocre from the greats.
How is saka one dimensional and Palmer isnt. Palmer is way too direct all of the times as you saw vs slovakia leading to him fking up 5 counter attacks
@@COYG-xj5ok being direct doesn't mean you're on dimensional, as I said saka likes to cut in, because that's what he can do best. That's what makes him one dimensional
The thing about eye test is that it's really subjective. For example I've always rated saka highly. I honestly don't understand how people, in their eye test, can overlook so many things and go for stuff like fanciness and stiffness. Which is why the quality of the eye test depends on the person basically.
Your "eye test" has to be informed by stats, and your stats have to informed by the "eye test". Evey major team in Europe is overhauling their scouting network with statistical analysis based approach to find players in a inflated market. That should be enough proof that stats do infact matter a lot.
The prime Example of this is the Salah vs Hazard debate, Hazard fans love to say hazard is better because his a better overall player which is lie. People think Salahs only thing that makes him good is his goal scoring, but people forget Salah is a play maker and a chance creator as well if youve watched liverpool this season. Salah has taken more of a deep lying play maker, as even the stats show Salah has created the most big chances in europes top 5 leagues, unlucky for Salah he has Nunez and Diaz who cant finish the goal for shit other wise he would have had 25+ assist this season. Lets also not forget Salah is the most consistent player in the world Right now, for the past 7 seasons Salahs lowest goal tally is 27 goals, which is higher than anything Hazard has done. Salah is 100% the better player
You took another route to the same destination, still hung up on stats. One player affects all phases of play the other is only associated with the final 20 yards. They’re not similar players as Hazard even drops into CM to start and still finish attacks, he’s not Salah’s profile that hangs around the box to shoot or pass. That’s why Hazard fans and admirers appreciate him more, because to a lot of people total footballer package is more than just goals or assists. By your logic then Frank Lampard is easily better than Xavi, Iniesta and Pirlo
@@acham182salah is better in a defensive sense and an attacking sense, hes so pacy and energetic. Hazard struggles to keep his belly off the floor. Just please stop the waffle
I get it i get it. A new mad arsenal fan😮💨 look mate. Hazard even without his skills is better than salah. Why? Because hazard was in fact more of an elite player overall. They were both consistent, they both scored, assisted but eden carried a chelsea squad to 2 uel wins while the other played a big part for 1 ucl and the road to another final. On the international side is the same. Hazard was that X factor for belgium while salah was struggling a bit to carry Egypt to some world cup action. Now saka and palmer. Palmer does what saka does but better. Just watch hom play. 5 mins on the pitch assist for watkins, 4 goals against everton, kdb type assist vs Nottingham. Apart from defending and pressing palmer is mopping the floor with saka
Watching Salah and Hazard consistently and then arriving at Salah being better is like saying Haaland is better than R9 or Lampard better than Iniesta. All are great players but for me the better footballer has to be someone who offers much more than “efficiency”, your ability to control games and play at your own pace, with everyone struggling to keep up with you…the game just flows through you, you’re not a bit time player in the game and unfortunately that’s Salah for me
Cole Palmer and Saka is pretty clear, I love Saka’s mastery of the basics, he always gets his cross in effectively but same with Hazard and Salah there’s much more to a game than just cutting in to cross or pass. How does the game flow through you? How do you control a game? A players ability to bend the game to their will irrespective of the opponent will always be the better player for me idc if the others score 10 goals per game 💀
Same thing with Kroos vs modric or iniesta vs Xavi. Both Kroos and Xavi were better than their counterparts. But because iniesta and modric could beat players or do a nice little skill people think they’re better. Kroos has the most key passes per 90 in the ucl and chances created since 2017z for example Since Kroos joined Madrid. 2nd most big chances created after benzema. 1st most key passes. 1st most assist. 1st highest passing accuracy and long ball accuracy. 2nd highest Sofascore rating after Ronaldo. But people will say Modric is better than him because of his trivela pass or his silliness. All modric has over Kroos is dribbling Kroos playmaking, goals scorings assisting, tackling, chance creation, stats are better than modric it’s embarrassing
U need to take into account the roles of the footballers, Xavi and iniesta didn’t have the same roles, iniesta was usually a little higher and more of a goal threat than Xavi who built up the play with busquets. Same w modric, kroos is usually deeper than him
Iniesta and modric are better because they could create stuff out of nothing ( xavi could a lot of time) he’s not the same player when playing further up the field example when he was at bayern he wasnt a sure starter
@@filipe10messiyou ? You don’t know what ur talking about, iniesta was a big goal threat, he even scored the winning goal to see urs Spain the World Cup. He had the license to run into the space opened up by false 9 Messi or in spains striker
@@omother6950 I'll repeat: Iniesta was my favourite player of all time. I have watched every single Barcelona game since 2006 and I can tell you without a doubt that Iniesta was never a greater goal threat than Xavi. He never reached 10 goals in a season. Not a single time. And he played a lot closer to the box. Xavi was a better shooter and a better finisher, and wasn't close. He played further from the box, as the link between the first phase of construction and Messi/Iniesta pendulum...and still always scored a little more. Those are facts.
I’ve never understood the musiala vs Bellingham debate because decision making, passing, finishing, positioning, defending, and goal scoring, Jude is clear
@@davispaul2279 I’m being sarcastic I’ve heard people genuinely argue since he’s not “ aesthetically pleasing” or a “pure midfielder” he’s not good. To them a pure midfielder is a twink who can dribble in circles.
Hey just saw your video in my recommended and I couldn’t agree more with your analysis on the eye test. As an avid American football fan, a lot of fellow Americans are mystified by the fancy dribbles in highlights that they don’t watch the entire game to see how certain players are effective like Kante or Dani Olmo in the Euros. Like others have said it’s frustrating to explain how certain players are effective in their roles by doing the basic fundamentals effectively in key moments.
I agree with you. Although I actually do believe Xavi Simons is better than Jude. He’s just a box crasher, even Don Carlo said he doesn’t want to play him as a true midfielder. I honestly believe Arda Guler will take his place at Madrid within 2 years. He is the G/A merchant people think Salah and Saka are. As Salah loses his pace he’s evolving into a playmaker, him and Trent spend all game creating chances that donkeys upfront like Nunez just can’t finish. And Saka is fine too. They put in good performances and get G/A because they are good players. But Jude will be horrendous all game then steal a cheap tap-in goal to save face. It sounds disrespectful but he’s like a more athletic and technical Mctominay. Sorry, not a chance in hell I’m taking him over Musiala, Wirtz, Xavi, Pedri, etc
Na Jude is definitely better than Xavi Simons but I do admit Jude has been wildly inconsistent all season. I would say Dortmund Jude was better than Xavi Simons and that Jude has the highest ceiling out of the names you mentioned alongside Musiala.
Saka is amazing, his balance and strength makes him better than any winger out there. Me being an Arsenal fan I was disappointed to see Pepe in bench but Saka proved it. Functionality matters, not humiliating an opponent.
Thank you for making videos like this one, people are to caught up on aesthetics and beautiful plays, its all bullshit, i dont give a shit, i think cr7 is the grestest winger in general, i don't care how good hazard can dribble or how pretty he looks when he glides, i dont care about salahs left foot, ronaldo doesnt have to be the pretiest, but he by far is the most effective, deadly and outrageous thus the best winger, i hate aesthetics and eye test bullshit, thats why i hate the musiala vs bellingham debate too, just because musiala looks better in a dribble means hes all of a sudden the better overall talent? Bullshit, pardon my language its just so stupid to me
@@StraighTMurkZ messi plays way better from the middle than he does the wing, plus ronaldo does not only play the left, but the right also, even when compared to messi ronaldinho whoever, cr7 is like the best ever winger
I like the point you tried to make and it would be valid if that was only the case now here's the deal musiala is a better player than Bellingham for me not just because he's a better dribbler but because he impacts and has the same level of impact as Bellingham because he doesn't dribble a couple of guys and passes it sideways he always drives forward and he also has pretty good numbers to back it up like I think for the past few seasons he's had over 22 g/a on average per season which in my book is pretty decent for a CAM Now I know and acknowledge that when it comes to versatility Bellingham comes out on top dude has had MOTM performances playing in DM,CM,CAM hell even in CF or SS but if where being objective your not going to see many matches where Bellingham isn't playing as a CAM moving forward for club or country(maybe for country it could differ but definitely not for club) and in that position I would prefer musiala and that is why I think that musiala is a better talent than Bellingham because not only is he a better player ascethetically but he also has the ability to produce the numbers to back it up it's basically the same reason I prefer Messi to Ronaldo because both have great scoring ability both can flip a game on his head but only one when they touch the makes my hair stand on end only one keeps me on the edge of my sit pretty much every time they touch the ball and that's that
@@chillspot331 are you sayin he’s not? It’s one of his best attributes, what??? He’s one of the most high IQ wingers in the world, it’s one of the main reasons he’s such a huge difference maker for Arsenal and England despite not having the most insane skill/move set
@mandafrombk elite decision maker...nah I'd say it's hard to call sny young winger elite at decision making is he very good yes but if your gonna say elite then you mean like a kdb or cesce fabregas at their best and rn I'd say that outside rodri and kroos who is retiring and a select few are elite decision makers...vinicius is a much better player than saka and both are very similar wingers(vini is just a bigger moment player and has the whole aesthetic thing) also to say saka isn't a pretty footballer is interesting as not many players have alot of flair overall as players don't really.get that freedom and saka is an efficient player overall but elite at anything is a strong statement heck alot of great midfielders aren't elite decision makers(wirtz or foden) and wingers(vini and saka) also to say Dembele is only known for speed and flair is really a lie as he was always praised as a good overall playmaker and decision maker(watch his stats and highlights he can beat his man and make the right cross or pass uses both feet and had good assist numbers for a fairly new star to the big leagues check his last year and rennes and first year at dortmund) he had his growth stunted at barca... heck ion even wanna be rambling but heck to continue as someone who doesn't even have an issue with saka he hasn't been great at the tournament he has barely beat his defender in games and while completing dribbles they haven't been very impactful(I'd still argue he's been better than foden and others but still below avg just like the entire England team tbh) while Spain have simply performed better so bike will have a better ranking due to team performance and also also saka isn't even an elite player in football rn he's very close and I think he will mature into one as he shows flashes but to say elite at anything is a stretch he's very good but elite as a decision maker or playmaker is wild.
@@mandafrombk idk saka never completes that ever wows or suprises me. I think his decision making is above average considering he usually is able to keep possesion but saying its elite is crazy
Surface level analysis without a clear undertanding of how dribbles are completed. It also doesn’t take into account how much they progress the ball in the opposing half. This is why stat merchants have ruined the game.
Neymar is better on the eye test, and stat wise I don’t understand how he isn’t widely recognized as better. Maybe because he played in a poor Brazil side.
@@dovo9995yeah played in a poor Brazil side and still ended destroying the record of Pele gaining the most all time goals for Brasil and Messi for ALL time assist provider internationally
the thing that really gets me is that saka is actually one of the best dribblers in the world lol i feel like the people that call him stiff just dont watch him play because hes one of the best players in the world at taking on and dribbling past defenders. england have been on their have been at their best offensively when saka has the space to run at his man, and 3 of their goals have been created by that
I agree with everything you say but not the Dembele part, his decision making and passing this season was so good he was one of the wingers with the most assists in Europe, and a starter for France at the euros
football is art! i respect the opinion that saka receives a disproportionate amount of hate, but i can still appreciate a player like ousmane dembele. dembele glides across the pitch, is fantastic with both feet, is wildly quick, and is capable of outstanding moments despite being inconsistent. you can enjoy both !!
Because football at the end of the day is not meant to produce the most efficient dribble, it is meant to entertain us and inspire us. That's why a fancy dribble will always be better. Same goes for goalscoring. A tap in and 30 yard screamer are both still one goal, but which one is more entertaining?
There are different type of dribblers. The Messi,Hazard type dribblers and the Neymar Ronaldinho type of dribblers. The former being more direct with their dribbling,wasnt nothing fancy just simple but insane ball control and lower center of gravities and the laters who are clear showboaters. I prefer the former because while they dribble, they still get the job done.
"The problem with the eye test is that really stupid people have eyes"
Real
Stupid people generally don't have the attention span to watch a whole match. Let alone re-watch and analyse it.
I'll go with what my eyes tell me, thank you very much.
Even smart people with eyes can still fall victim to cognitive bias.
@@martytu20 Exactly. I watch Liverpool vs Man Utd and I think Quansah had a great game bar the misplaced pass, and United fans genuinely think he played badly. I’ve done the same the other way round too.
@@liverbot4854Quansah did have a bad game that day though
The whole Salah vs hazard debate is an ultimate example of how the eye test can give people a false perception, because while hazard is the much better and more exciting dribbler, this has given people this false perception that Salah can't dribble and that he's basically a stat merchant which is crazy. Although I do think the eye test also works against certain players to a degree because while both Ronaldinho and Neymar are highly rated, I feel like people underrate their technical skills such as their passing shooting etc as their dribbling is what is mainly thought of.
Spot on
Yeah but Hazard is miles clear
@@ViniciusJunior17 Not even close
You can still use stats to compare hazard and salah, you just have to properly contextualize it. For example in 2018 hazard had significantly more touches, passes, long balls, dribbles than salah. That shows that hazard is player that’s involved in all phases of play while salah is mostly involved in just the final third. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it shows how different their approach to the game is.
@@skfc9525yeah salah is more of a dominate the wing typa player, while hazard was more of a free roaming winger that can drop to the midfield and play as a 10 to start up the attack
The eye-test was never meant to be “Do I find this player enjoyable or not?” It was always meant to be “is this player as good as his stats say in reality?” The word has absolutely lost all meaning the past few years
This. The eye test was supposed to check whether the stats were representative of the quality of the player, by checking if the player has good decision making, whether he is being carried by teammates, etc. Now it is how enjoyable he is to watch in a highlight reel.
I agree and Bellingham is a good example. Although “stiff” he is strong as hell on the ball. However this season he was not as good as his stats. Not in Real Madrid, not in England
@@occelatus1063 yeah, sure buddy.
@@roleoahotondji54 irony or agreed?
@@occelatus1063 I'm being sarcastic
The majority of people don't really understand football. They've grown up on a diet of fancy compilations and silly freestyle football clips. Most people barely understand the fundamentals of professional football in terms of positioning, spatial understanding, pressing, first touch, what they do without the ball, etc. Put them in a game, and most will crumble.
People, in general, have always appreciated fancy players' tricks, and I get that, but when it comes to effectiveness and impact on the game, it's usually the 'Saka's' that come out on top without people realizing.
I mean good for you lot? They can come up more effective all they want but why should we appreciate them?
Is it our fault other players are simply more enjoying to watch?
No wonder football continues to lose followers.
@@waynewayne8419Noones saying we shouldn’t appreciate aesthetic players as fans, the point is just that we shouldn’t mistake being entertaining for being good at football. Many people make this mistake.
@@waynewayne8419Both are useless on their own, if the game leans too hard on the aesthetic then it's not professional play and all you're watching is a freestyle compilation with no one actually trying to win, and if you focus too much on the nitty gritty of the game you'll have parking the bus for 90 mins and flopping on every challenge to get a foul. The actual football we want is contrast between both and balance, where you can get a match consisting of multiple playstyles mashed together playing another team of multiple playstyles mashed together, that's where the beauty of the game lies, everyone has their own approach, not just one way to play. Trying to force one style down everyone's throat is ignorant.
@@waynewayne8419Learn to read
@@moayad_zh who’s trying to force one style over another?
Football is a product, no one wants to come watch people just passing the ball around doing nothing. It’s already losing viewers but you guys are so incessantly obsessed with trying to water down the sport
I agree, this is why I separate eye test and aesthetic merchants, you described aesthetic merchants perfectly
well it goes both ways because there are stat merchants who act as if aesthetic players are not efficient, the type of people who would say hazard / neymar / messi etc had a bad game because they didnt get g/a, even though they were the best player on the pitch
@@kaco26 g/a is the most efficient part
@@Kevy808what
@@Nahanooyes if ur a forward player G/A is very important
@@Kevy808?
Hazard saying hes more talented than Ronaldo is a perfect example of this
Twitter is a diseased app. A lot of these guys don’t actually watch football and are deluded to the fact that players spamming unnecessary skills ≠ ‘technical’ anyone that knows Football will know that Saka is one of the most technically gifted players just look at his first touch and the way he receives the football, even when he is back to goal only Hazard is as good as Saka when protecting the ball. People are just blinded when it comes to certain players they let their hate for them cover their actual ability.
All you said about Saka is true, he’s just not enjoyable to watch. That’s just it.
@@waynewayne8419 that’s fine he’s still a bad boy player tho
Twitter accounts do actually know and watch football, it’s just they farm for engagement, and the more popular they have become people start to believe their views, especially those relatively knew to football.
Saka isn't particularly technically gifted, don't gaslight yourself. It doesn’t mean he isn't efficient.
hes not technically gifted but he is very effective
A great example of a player that passes the eye test for me is Pedri. Not because he is fancy or silky. It’s because he understands how to seek space between lines a an elite level. He also sees passes other people don’t, so instead of choosing the safe option and passing it sideways or backwards, he dares to pass between defenders creating space and opportunities. His abillity to progress the ball through tight pressure with small combinations is also elite. While there are stats for progressive passes, there are no stats for vision, risk calculation, weight of pass, spacial awareness etc. Or atleast that i know of. When Pedri got injured last year, the flow of Barcas game got far worse and so did the results. You can’t quantify it you just have to watch it.
Random but this is such a beautiful comment. So glad someone appreciates the guy, he's also so so elegant and a joy to watch, really sad what has been done to him workload wise and now he's out for 2 more months after that kroos kick. I really hope we can see him back at it after being taken care of in a better way and that they don't dare selling him :(
(he should probably put on some serious muscle too to prevent injury, hopefully the new manager comes with a new physio /medical team cause boy, that club is a hospital.
Someone who actually understands football,i don't get why all of a sudden people don't think Pedri is of the same level to the Judes and Musialas of this world,some say Camavinga is better than him but don't get me wrong Cama is a great player but he's nowhere near as technically gifted like Pedri
I will never forget, England vs Switzerland quarter-finals - my dad texts me "Saka hasn't been very effective" and I was in disbelief because I watched this man in that very game beat the Swiss left back 5 or 6 times and absolutely everything dangerous England did that game came from him and then I'd also watch him sprint 90 yards to get back and provide decent support defensively - two minutes later he scores his banger and pops was quiet. I know if he had beat the left back with some crazy elastico/rainbow flick/jogo bonito concoction he would never have texted me that BS.
tbf our LB/LWB is a center mid
He was literally Englands only threat, it just didn’t lead to anything because Harry Kane is a lazy f**k who wouldn’t do his job and get in the 6 yard box
😂😂😂😂 jogo bonito I ain't never heard of that one
Saka is England's best player by a mile
@@tindo9833 stop lying to yourself
People, they're the worst. This is a rare example of common sense; the least common thing on the internet. Bravo.
real
You know you are one of the people? 😂
This is the only sport that hates efficiency lmaoo some football fans are goofy as fuck
Is it do look at boxing. Many people hate the likes of Mayweather calling him a pussy for the way he fights but his record is immaculate. But then Ali many consider him the goat has a far from immaculate record. But because he was flashy person and he had some very memorable fights people consider him the goat.
@@johnbrad9463what you do outside of the ring makes you the goat. I don’t think anyone thinks Ali is a better boxer..
W pfp
Basketball has been dealing with the same conflict too
No. This is hardly unique to this sport
Case in point, Saka was England best attacker. Foden, considered silky did naff all. He doesn’t have the intelligence to run in to spaces or create spaces like Saka does. Foden is overly protected by the media
Yeah it’s strange how Saka gets so much hate, maybe it’s just racism
@@AyubHassan07Maybe? It definitely is
Saka is always scapegoated for poor team performances when its rarely his fault
Your actually so dumb 😂😂 ive seen comps of foden making brilliant runs but he has declan rice who is clueless on the ball behind him. Dont lie about players to fit your agendas. We all saw what foden did last season in the premier league.
@@Abdurrahmanmuad good performane here doesnt determine good performance there
The eye test only matters when it’s something you wanna see for some people, as if everyone is going to play the same exact way
Similar story with Vinicius, he's the most efficient winger in the world right now, yet I often hear people discrediting him because his dribbling style isn't elegant enough. To an extent I get it, it often looks like the seas part for him, but if that's happening consistently, it's probably not a coincidence.
so nice how we still have people who understand what football is, thank you Fam!
Except this has never been in football, you guys are just new fans and that’s why we are having robotic wingers now
@@waynewayne8419 we have "robotic wingers" now, because one man in todays systems is not the only person a winger has to beat. That's why most high level players and teams like saka, bellingham, doku, bernardo silva, kdb, prefer passing around players rather than dribbling through 5 of them, as they have a way higher chance of scoring that way.
@@syedasadhaider4677 then why watch a match lmfao, I’d rather just watch highlights if that’s what’s going to be happening
Great video, never heard of this until today. I think Thomas Müller is a victim of this. He has all these trophies, assists, goals etc, but no one really cares because he’s not “flashy”. He just super efficient and does the job without showboating. A lot of people only care about the aesthetics because of like Ronaldo, Neymar, Messi and so on. People set unrealistic standards when it comes to this stuff. Like of course it’s cool to do a flashy move but it’s much better to be effective.
Been saying this for years. If you're a young kid that wants to get into football. Watch Muller, not Neymar. Effective football over circus tricks any day of the week.
@@AJ-nd4nkWatch Prime Cristiano Ronaldo if you want to get the best of both Worlds
@@AJ-nd4nk While I agree with your overall point, efficiency is not the end of it for football watchers. From the players perspective ,yes. However , sports is about entertainment, and I watch to be entertained. Do you get what Im saying. Btw Muller was/is my favourite player. Im just saying you dont have to go to the next extreme of sayings skills are circus tricks.
I think another key aspect people overlook is off-the-ball movement and positioning.
Haaland is a massive shout, his presence alone changes the defensive shape for a lot of teams. And if he doesn't score or get an assist - he is called for being useless. Yet, if you do any analysis, you can see that his positional play and runs are what creates the opening for either Foden, Silva or KDB to take advantage of.
Another good example of this is how Odegaard commands his team forward and reads the game.
Sure he has a lot of flair in his play but what enables him to be so impactful and game changing is his ability to scan and read the game prior to getting the ball (He is always looking around). As well as his ability to constantly press all throughout the 90 - its something a lot of 'highlight' bozos miss.
You know ball
I have being telling people this and they think it is Guardiola that made him get those numbers. Meanwhile, the likes of Aguero and Jesus with thier aesthetics couldn't get half of what he has done. City are now able to win UCL finally posing huge threat of not going out easily like they use to. Haaland is magical when you understand football.
Suprised Havertz isn’t in the thumbnail too. He’s such a unique player
Someone said you can judge how much a person knows about football based on how they talk about Havertz and I think that’s spot on
@@olliemcdowell4503Havertz from what I’ve seen in a confidence player, in his early chelsea days he looked like such a dangeorus player but the longer he stayed he didn’t look right. Joined arsenal and a few months in he was firing for the gunners again. But as a 9, he also has elite tactical understanding. So I can see why he’s a starter but his finishing can really be so detrimental, he has a tendency to miss easy chances
@@omother6950 as a german i hope that he will succeed Gündogan on the 10, when the time is right.
Kai allowed players like Musiala and Wirtz to shine at the Euros with his genius positioning off the ball but i'd prefer having him + a real 9 like Füllkrug or Undav on the pitch at the same time.
I still think that his 8 position suited him better than the CF role with his headballing capeabillities and one on one strengths, if Arsenal can sign a real 9 but if Jesus stays the only other option then taking Havertz as a CF would be fine again.
@@rannynihilius8481 arsenal do need a 9, however they still scored over 100 goals last season without one. They can definitely win trophies with Havertz and Jesus as the 9’s
@@omother6950yh the carabo cup no No.9 no trophies for Arsenal
spot on analysis of Dembélé. I used to get so excited when he would get possession but I've seen it time and time again now where he flubs almost every chance he gets with a terrible cross or even worse shot. It doesn't matter if you can get around your defender if you are unable to consistently do anything with the ball afterwards. I was shocked when he got man of the match in the quarter finals. I thought it should have gone to Maignan
I mean as inconsistent as he is, he’s still very good to have on the pitch because you can always bet on his ability to beat his man and cause chaos for the team at the back.
Yeah he is a frustrating player to watch
haaland is prime example of having zero aesthetic but is obviously better than most
I love how you incorporate basketball as well and other sports using it as analogy it really helps put things into perspective
The aesthetic bias is a real thing man because why do I see some people genuinely believe Neymar is “closer” to Ronaldo then Ronaldo is to Messi just because of the aesthetic bias lol and this is coming from a guy who loves Neymar. This also exist in sports like Basketball as well.
I Don't think anyone is talking about career when they say neymar is closer to Ronaldo then Ronaldo is to messi i think they're taking about ability and I agree if there taking about ability not aesthetics but like dribbling touch weight of pass ball carrying close control these are the attributes that people will say neymar is better than Ronaldo not career or goalscorer
Ronaldo from 2006/7 season to 2013/14 season have everything in his game man
Go watch Ronaldo 2009/10 season one of the most entertaining season by a player in football history@@stellaada6600
Neymar's on ball ability (bar his driibbling/skill moves) is seriously underrated, his passing(both long short, and through balls), his finishing e.t.c, so when people say that he's closer to Ronaldo than Ronaldo is to Messi, I think they're trying to say that Neymar is better at PLAYING football compared to Ronaldo, but Ronaldo's had a better career and has better numbers.
The irony is even based on "aesthetics" ronaldo is easily on par w neymar if you consider his 2006-2008 version
@@LBJ-s9n The whole point of the vid is things like positional awareness, aerial ability, raw speed, ball striking, etc. are part of "playing football." People think that "pure footy" is only things you'd see in london cages.
Great short vidéo! Saka is an amazing talent and gets routinely attacked by fans and sport pundits alike, despite his EXTREMELY CONSISTENT contributions to Arsenal and the England national team. Most likely due to aesthetic bias, as you said, but also due to race I imagine.
Yeah he got way more hate than other players. Even when Kane missed a penalty vs France, nobody really remembered it
Neymar/Ronaldinho comps have done irreversible damage to how people view the game. If you arent doing outlandish runs and dribbling then forget about people rating you in the modern era
Kroos went under the radar because his passing wasnt as outrageous as Guti(Real Madrid) or Ozil despite being the most efficient passer of the ball that i have ever seen
For a lot pf the guys who swear by the eye test, they will use a ridiculous strawman(Lampard vs Maradona and Zidane) to discredit stats whsn there is a whole world of stats outside G/A
Look at how diaz cost liverpool the title by lacking the finishing touch of Mo salah but that wont matter to eye test merchants because he cooks his defenders here and there
Good vid by the way
Factos
exactly, I think people forget how the pro level is. You can’t dribble through 5 elite defenders unless ur an absolute talent. It’s OKAY to not be as talented or skilled as Neymar or dinho.
@@ernelson.19 yeah, like look at Ronaldo he’s not as skillful on the ball as Neymar but is still 10x better than him because football isn’t just dribbling
@@davispaul2279 I think Ronaldo is skillful in general. Especially before he became a true 9. He was just a pure winger all his career until 09’ he was hella skillful but Neymar was more. It’s just that such skillers set the bar so high so that you need to be doing 89 rainbow flicks to be considered elite. It’s also about your production. Skills and dribbling are used to create space or to eliminate a man from the equation. Such for if you can beat your man but can’t finish. What good are you to the team?
@@ernelson.19 yeah, people talk about Neymar vs Bayern in 2021 but he missed 5 easy chances that game
This really highlights the differences in what the audiences want to see in a football match vs what managers want to see in a football match. Audiences naturally wants to be entertained by flashy players that have flairs in them but managers wants players who produce results regardless of how they achieve those results. The eye test is definitely not the end all be all of a player's skill but taking risks is part and parcel of football and what makes sports fun to watch in general.
I think the eye test is less about aesthetics and more about intangibles that datarooms find difficulty measuring. Good shout for Jesus. Same with Alexander lacazette, Granit Xhaka, ngolo kante, Kai Havertz etc all unusual players with glaring weaknesses in the data but indispensible to their teams style of play. Looking at stats only, no one would pick kante, but seeing him play you know his IQ is insane. He can almost see plays before they happen. An overlooked aspect of his game is driving forward and starting he attack. Mans can do everything.
Exactly! When someone who really watches football is talking about the eye test obviously he's not talking about fancy flicks and tricks. And they would never be surprised if the stats show how effective or ineffective a certain player is.
@@totsh2056Exactly 90% of the eye test is what the player does off the ball
Agreed with everything you said except Lacazette, he was a bum and outclassed by every other player you mentioned
Jesus is a frustrating player. He has a great ability to hold the ball. However, in many cases, he holds on to the ball way longer than he should. It's almost as if he is quite hesitant and irresolute.
Eye test stops the bs of people claiming one player is better than another simply by g/a. There’s reason why certain players have less g/a and it’s not always to do with ability things like system, teammates, style of play etc. it only works with top players tho because you can’t say antony is better than saka
exactly!!! people act like players with less g/a are only aesthetic and are not efficient, whereas they are efficient but in different ways other than finding goals and assists (e.g hazard)
There are more stats than just g/a
@@soloplays4557 100% agree. Whenever people say Bellingham is clear of x player because he has more g/a is so annoying
@@BLACKSTA361 did we watch the same euros?
@@jenniferwang6367 if youre basing your entire opinion on a player on a single tournament then youre no better than the eye test merchants.
People like you are the same people that try to downplay Ronaldos achievements cause of the world Cup 2022. If you let a single tournament overshadow everything else then you might not understand Football and even Sports as well as you think you do
As someone who is just now paying more attention to soccer/football, the Curry vs Kyrie comparison instantly made me understand. Great analogy
The truly great generational superstars can do both at the same time.
You cooked with this narrative. If the eye test is what people think it is, why is Arjen Robben considered world class. Robben was not a flashy player, but he was damn effective. Saka reminds me of him
A good example of this is that studies done in the Netherlands on scouts have shown that traditional scouting is incredibly inconsistent with different scouts identifying different and contrasting qualities on players when given historical footage to look at. Gotta be able to do it all and actually contextualise what players are doing whether its watching or doing stastical or data analysis
underrated comment
When I use the eye test, its more about noticing who has the ball for most of the game, not necessarily what skills they produce. Its more a way to see who is ghosting, as opposed to seeing who is playing exceptional in my opinion.
Not having the ball doesn’t always mean you’re ghosting though…
I enjoy the breadth of expression in football. Flair vs efficiency - both are equally important and the struggle between these qualities for me is what is interesting.
Also, to these "aesthetic merchants" (because lets be real, you dont care about the eye test, you care about who pleases your eye), how are footballers like Salah not pleasing to watch? One of the most entertaining players in the league. Beatiful passer and his tight dribbling in small spaces is one of the best in the world.
He's more entertaining relative to the average premier league player but theres levels to it. Compared to players who are considered the best of the best (as salah is) he's without question one of the more boring players. Theres nobody on the planet who'd rather watch him for 90 minutes over a player like mahrez or hazard, they have a way higher chance to entertain you inside 90 minutes than salah. What makes salah good is how often he scores or assists aka. consistency and for how long aka. longevity, not neccassarily the insane things he does on the pitch because he rarely ever does anymore.
Scoring a backpost tap in will never be more entertaining than someone going at their marker everytime they recieve the ball and successfully take them on more than they don't.
I'll give it to you his passing is extremely underrated and he's got a top trivela. Still though not a better passer or as creative as the two I mentioned though.
@@Guestownedu Maybe I'm just weird then because back when Mahrez and Hazard were around, I still found him more entertaining to watch. He just seems to have his own unique style of control. Some of his solo goals like against Tottenham and City will stick with me forever.
Both are important. You need a well informed eye, and good stat interpretation skills to be a good analyst. 99% of people are lacking in both.
Football fans watch football for entertainment, it's that simple. I always ask people, why should I care how many trophies/achievements a player has if he doesn't play for my club?
When I watch games that dont involve my team, I could care less about G/A or other data driven metrics. Who stands out and keeps you on the edge of your seat is the only metric we need.
Thank God someone said it. I dont care if liverpool lost the title, i just want to be entertained, so yes, i prefer diaz flashy playstyle over sakas or grealishs efficiency. Football is an art form and, if my team isnt involved, thats what im looking for in a match
The best way to judge the ability of a player is a combination of stats and the eye test. Stats like G/A chances created completed dribbles interceptions made tackles etc, that’s an indicator of what a player can do, but it doesn’t capture the full picture of their abilities. Those who use match ratings to determine how well a player played or not are ones who probably don’t watch football.
A prime example of this is the Eden Hazard vs Mohamed Salah debate. This has been a debate that’s been going on between premier league fans for a while as some think that Salah is better because of his dominance on the stat sheet, while others say that Hazard is better because he’s a pure footballer and he passes the eye test and you can’t have it both ways. As Salah has aged his overall game has declined as he’s lost a yard of pace, his dribbling has dropped off as well he’s not known for being flashy or aesthetic compared to other elite wingers, but at least he manages to put up great numbers and get a lot of goals and assists, Hazard on the other hand his game is more attractive to watch and that’s because whenever he has the ball, he’s can pick it up from his own half and create something out of nothing produce magical moments and he would dribble like 4-5 fullbacks a game. Players can impact the game without being flashy or skillful and from watching them with your eyes, you can see what they can truly do without looking at stats or Sofascore to check their match ratings so that you can push an agenda.
So, what are you saying? Is Hazard or Salah better? You can say "it has to be a combination" but that doesn't really say anything either. The eye test will still fool you if you're biased for a certain playstyle, even if you also look at the actual stats.
@@brzt4256the more efficient footballer is objectively better for the team. So in this case Salah. A "washed" Salah can still score 20 goals a season, a washed Hazard is retired and been irrelevant for 6 years.
@@chy.0190 im a fan of this analogy
@@brzt4256 true, bias is always involved. Eden Hazard takes the cake for me, the ability to affect all phases of the game is invaluable. Those kind of players are the true essence of football, stats will serve you for a while but that’ll be that. A great example is Benzema vs Kane, you could score all the goals you want but you need to have certain flair and execution to be truly remarkable in the sport for me. But Hazard vs Salah people forget they were both at Chelsea at the same age and we all know what happened
Modern football is washed with stats so I know that’s why some of these arguments come up, by this analogy then Erling Haaland is the greatest striker the premier league has seen
It's really relative. There are different types of "progressive actions", "dribbles attempted/completed", "g/ax90", etc, which infer different levels of difficulty. That's why eye test is essential, and over stats. If you know football, you don't need Rodri's, Busquets', Kroos', Xavi's, Pirlo's, Scholes' passing stats to know how dominant they are, or whatever. You don't need Kane's and Haaland's stats to know they are different players, each with their own strengths and flaws. Stats provoke that you end up thinking of a french League mid table team's no.6 as an amazing player because he has 75 short/mid range x 90' and 2.1 key passes... You just have to sit and watch them for x amount of games until being so familiar you can confidently talk about their playstyle, strengths, weaknesses, things he can improve, tactical profile, etc.
And the winger thing is stupid. Nobody is out here critisizing Saka when he is one of the best EPL players. He is most definetely not stiff and has a great repertoir of things he can do, you shouldn't base things off a couple twitter dudes. Ofc being an electric winger such as Vinicius, Neymar, young Dembele, means you have an immense advantage over other wingers because of your capability to exploit the opposite defence out of nowhere, but nobody underestimates players like Mahrez, Pires, Salah
Problem is eye test is based on how the person views football.. Stats are objective. Both are necessary imo.
With alot of people nowadays though, eye test just means someone who looks more aesthetically pleasing.
@@chy.0190 it's not. If you base someone's level off highlights, it's probably gonna be based off aesthetics, but if you watch actual games it won't be that way. Stats depend a lot on the context of the player.
Nah I disagree. Eye test is based off a person personal preference of football. On sites like fbref they have all these stats in detail. Chances created. Through balls, key passes, shot creation actions. All these thing and more. If a person you think is good from ur eye watch but isn’t having high Numbers in these these areas. For example if a centre midfielder hasn’t got high key passes, hand creation, tackles, interceptions, low possession lost, duel success percentage. Then you have to question what the player is actually doing. Surely ur eyes are at fault if he isn’t putting up good numbers in those stats.
But it’s good because looking at fbref and sqwauka the top players we all know of e.g Toni Kroos has ones of the highest chance creation, key passes etc
Stats matter a lot because. People often will say Modric is better than Kroos from their eye test. But all they are seeing is Modric doing a dribble or doing a fancy pass. Whilst me as an ex semi pro footballer when I watch Madrid game I see Kroos passing between lines breaking lines, switching the play. Creating chances. And the stats back it up e.g Since Kroos joined Madrid. 2nd most big chances created after benzema. 1st most key passes. 1st most assist. 1st highest passing accuracy and long ball accuracy. 2nd highest Sofascore rating after Ronaldo.
But since Kroos is stiff and not as silky as Modric or iniesta they Weill say those 2 are better than him when in reality Kroos is having a far bigger impact in the game and even has the most basic stat (goal + assist) per game better than those two. Whilst also winning more trophies than Modric. It also doesn’t help that balondor and other awards rankings favour silky/ fancy players and attacking players.
I’m a Celtic and Boston Celtics fan. I love football and basketball and ur channel is literally the perfect blend. Ur like footballs Jxmyhighroller.
Love from Scotland bro 👊🏽🏴
I love Jxmmy highroller
I think we’re in an era where fans would rather trash a bunch of top talent to prop up their favorite player rather than have fun talking about the elite players and just having a preference as to who your favorite is. Just because that’s your favorite player doesn’t mean they are objectively the best or that other players are objectively bad. I see across all sports and it’s tiring.
While you are completely right about most things, i feel like Saka had a bad season this year with not much efficient finishing or dribbling. He didn't change much games with his plays. Players like Hazard could just flip a game in his favour by dribbling 5 players and putting it top bins out of nowhere. This is a moment of magic that some players just possess more than others. Don't get me wrong, Saka also has this ability, as we just saw in the Euro's, but it doesn't happen a lot.
Saka isn’t a striker, of course he finishes less. When he is in front of goal, he usually scores
@@AyubHassan07 Did you watch Arsenal this season? First half of the season they struggled hard to score and Saka didn't create much
In my opinion, this goes hand-in-hand with the conversation around "technical" players.
Players like Pedri, Havertz, Silva, De Bruyne, Wirtz pass the "technical" eye test. Whereas players like Bellingham, Camavinga, Saka, and Kante are "strong", "powerful runners", or "midfield engines."
At best, darker players are called "skillfull," but even that implies natural prowess instead of technical mastery.
Stats are more than just goals and assists, you can look at xg, xa, passes completed, pass %, dribble success rate, fouls won. If players ‘eye test’ can’t be quantified in any of these stats then what ever ‘eye test’ they are doing is pointless and purely aesthetic
ur wrong. for example, so many players these days are being praised for having high pass success rates but when you actually watch them you realise that they rarely attempt a progressive / killer pass or take risks - majority of the passes are backwards or sideways. dont act as if the eye test is flawed and stats are not, when in reality stats are the thing that can create false pictures and deceive. you can never be deceived when actually watching the game
@@kaco26there are stats for progressive passing and through ball attempts mate, lol.
@@nakiyame2606is that average person going to see that on social media / look for that?
@@nakiyame2606 that doesn’t make what i said wrong, that literally shows that certain stats can be deceptive if other stats arent included with it. whereas that can never be the case with eye test
@@kaco26can never be the case with eye test? The original comment is right, what does the eye test actually measure? It's very subjective and can be even more deceptive than just using stats
Refreshing Video, thanks for your work💪🏼🔥
No joke I never heard about Sakabefore the euros but after watching him for 2 games he became prob my favourite player on England squad.
U live under a rock?
@@omother6950
That’s valid, it’s fun to watch Saka. Do YOU live under a rock omother6950?
@@AyubHassan07 how have you not heard about saka he’s literally one of the best players in England
@@omother6950 pretty sure hes a new fan
Very good video
Another problem is ppl confuse trophies won with individual brilliance. If a player scores 50 goal a season and another scores 20 (both strikers) , the later winning the trebble the same season and probably wins the balon dor ppl automatically think the one with the trophis and balon dor is better
1. Eye test does matter
2. Take on stats can be misleading
3. Saka is definitely extremely disrespected
4. All of the best players of all time especially attackers are mostly fancy… we need to stop pretending that greats weren’t entertaining and skillful. Haaland can score 5000 goals, nobody would dare say he’s better than R9.
If bro scored 5000 goals he gets the goat title
@@georgec5212 obviously it’s an exaggeration… you get the point
why would he not be better though? you literally just ignored what the entire video just said lmfao
@@kali192z if that’s how you look at the sport then, you might as well not watch games wait for the result and goalscorers.
All the best players of all time have got an eye test bias
@@Prime1Wunna Haaland has already achieved more at club level than R9 and scores more goals than R9. so what makes R9 better? dribbling 😂
Watching the Switzerland England game, Saka was about the only starter that looked like he could do something in the attacking side. Meanwhile I haven’t seen Foden do anything the whole tournament and no one talks about him
BROOO I REMEMBER WHEN U WAS JUST GETTING INTO SOCCER 😂😂😂 U COME SO FAR BRO KEEP IT UPP
“Fuckin Scott Mctominay and shit” perfect delivery and so true, crying laughing at that line 😂😂😂😂😂😂
That's what made me love this guy very funny shit
😂😂
This is a bit of a tangent but i love how relentless Williams is. He isn't deterred by unsuccessful take-ons.
He is still has a long way to go and grow, though.
Constantly put pressure on Walker and England in the final until it paid off, baller
this guy knows ball and is very underrated should have atleast 100k keep grinding my dude and you'll get it, also thank you so much for defending our starboy Saka he gets so much hate for no fucking reason
the eye test isnt a myth for people who actually play football. if you’ve played at any decent level, you know which players you’d rather have on your team, or who would be a nightmare to play against, just by watching them. thats regardless of how fancy they are. this is more a discussion of how bad the general public’s ball knowledge is.
Agreed. I think he does try and touch on that tho. That the eye test isn’t all bad
i was a winger in college and the only reason i was rooting for england in the final is bc i wanted saka to get the respect he deserves. people are too concerned with social media highlights and what they can share to their stories or retweet. they only care about the play in the moment itself, not in the greater context of the match. and that’s why some people think soccer is boring. i guess it is a harder sport to get in to at the higher levels if you have never played or watched it at the lower ones before. as a spectator you have to understand what’s going on around the player with the ball to get a sense of their decision making abilities (just like any other sport but they don’t wanna talk about that)
Finally someone says this! But tbh I think this is one of the aspects that has gotten better with time. For example: I think that Ronaldinho is one of the most overrated players of all time. Of course he is one of the best, but I don't think he is in the top 15 players of all time. People like him because of his fancy way of playing, but he was actually never really consistent. Nowadays players like Eden Hazard get stomped into the ground by some for having bad ends to their careers. What I also notice is that so many people have this FIFA idea in their head that if Hazard is a LW in FIFA and Salah is a RW, that they play roughly the same position. Same with calling Ronaldo and Messi "wingers" when they both are so far away from what anyone imagines when hearing the word "winger". This will lead to senseless comparing of stats and the eye test is needed again which just goes to show that in the end everything about football is opinion based, except the actual result.
Ahh yes Gaucho is overrated, I swear some of you new age fans are crazy and will be the end of this sport.
@@waynewayne8419 Can you please at least try to counter my points instead of just saying empty words?
@@sanuzeraffi6164 It's hard to imagine that you actually watched Ronaldinho and still came to that conclusion
@@kabizo1729 you just perfectly proved the point of the video with your comment. Sure he was one of the best ever, but where is he difference if you beat your defender with a multi-elastico-3037-deluxe or just with a simple body feint? Right there isn't one. Neymar is also very overrated for the same reason. He is never the 3rd best of our generation when there are players like Neuer, Ramos, Suarez and Lewandowski. And btw I don't think that Ronaldinho was bad or anything, I just don't believe he deserves to be in the top 20 or even 10 of footballers of all time. (I think most of those lists online are bullcrap anyways as there are a maximum of 2 defenders in the top 10, no goalkeepers and maybe 1-2 midfielders, when in reality the best defender, midfielder, goalkeeper and attacker should all be on the same level. My top 10 would look something like this:
1. Messi/Ronaldo
2. Ronaldo/Messi
3. Beckenbauer
4. Zidane (also has the same advantage as Dinho though in terms of "watchability" so maybe a bit unjustified)
5. Maldini
6. Pelé
7. Buffon
8. Maradona
9. Platini
10. Baresi
Thanks for this man. I too fell inside this trap with Messi dribbles because he made it look easy but had to realise that it is still dribbling whether or not with step overs or elasticos
Well mate messi don't do nonsense flashy dribbling to show off ,his dribble actually do gigantic impact on game ,he knows when to blend the dribble into pass that's why he is the G.OA.T always moving to the goal not for such nonsense flashy dribbling showoff
Muller is a perfect example of doing what needs to be done perfect sense consistent, no 5 star moves but the game is his.
As a lot of other people have said "eye test" is now a catch all. One can see things like defensive actions, positioning, decision making, and clean passing with their EYES if they are looking hard enough, but these things are never what people mean when they say "eye test."
Something my coach has told me that if it takes more than one move to beat a player, your doing the wrong move
He tried to sound deep, but was yappin nonsense
@@apextheracer2022 Jackie Chan? 🤣
Don’t get me wrong, I’m amazed at watching skilled dribblers do their thing. But I prefer direct, simple football. Lots of great passing, a team working as a unit, passing the ball into the net from their end. Love it!
Ozil fans who rate him higher than De Bruyne in a Nutshell
Idk man I think Ozil’s vision and brave approach with his creativity sets him apart he sees things no one else would see and he does stuff that is stupidly brave but works
@@iceade9842ozil doesn’t do anything better than de bruyne besides play aesthetically
@@olliemcdowell4503 that’s a wild take man, look at his number whilst being on that God awful Arsenal squad
@@iceade9842ok now look at Kevin de bruynes numbers for the past 7 years. Better in every metric
@@iceade9842 Awful Arsenal squad? Numbers ? Are you fine my guy ? De Bruyne's worst season in city is better than Ozil's best lol
Football is weird sometimes. We as fans tend to think doing the basic things like passing, linking up play, etc are "easy" to do. When in reality those are probably the hardest things to do
Goat dropped
@@skittlez2528 🫡🫡🫡
When you start to take flare into account when doing an eye test. It is not the eye test anymore.
The reason why Dembele hasn't added elements to his game is because he simply hasn't played that much football despite being around for 10 years
He’s inconsistent like did you see his performance against Argentina in the Wc final shambolic
His decision making/end product is 🐕 💩, it's so frustrating seeing glimpses of genius instead of the full package
@@chingyminecraftgods9424 yeah because he's still playing like a teenager
@@Sabengtung he's a prodigious teenager in a grown man's body 🤣
barca almost killed his career just like pedri's, fati, coutinho and soon yamal
The same issue also exists with football tactics, with people despising Mourinho for his defensive 'park the bus' tactics, despite the fact that it got the job done, and won him loads of trophies in his prime. People shit on winning teams like the 2004 Greece team that won the euros, because their football wasn't exciting enough, despite the fact that, realistically, that was the only way a team like Greece could face off against heavyweights like France and Portugal without getting pommeled, and it worked for them.
People think efficiency should outweigh entertainment... my sport is dying a slow death💔
@@SBF90210 not really outweigh, moreso not disregarded. Not every player’s gonna have a show boating play style and at the end of the day, the goal for a lot of these guys is to win. Efficiency matters jus as much as entertainment
@@mandafrombk I'm not saying you have to be a show boat to be good. But i am sayng you have to be entertaining to be great.
I also ageee that show boats with no end product are useless, but at least a showboats average game will include good technique and surprises(Ben Arfa) whereas a pace and power player's average game is full of bad touches and needless aggression(Doku)
I'm seeing comments say Dinho and Neymar damaged the sport with compilations but I'd much rather watch rainbow flicks and nutmegs for an hour than Jude box crashing.
As if neymar and dinho don't have some of the best stats and accolades in history to match their entertainment factor. It shouldn't be either or. It HAS to be both. But if its not... rather entertain a brudda
Just because they're more entertaining doesn't make them a better overall player
@@SBF90210 But entertainment could be subjective. Many people dismissed passing as “entertainment” but the unmatched elegance and balance of a player’s posture when hitting a pass (Beckham, Bergkamp, Pirlo, Laudrup, Zidane, Kroos, etc.) is very aesthetically pleasing for me. It’s obvious that not everyone enjoys the same things.
I love Dinho’s style too, but people forgot there was a time Beckham was the leading midfielder in La Liga in terms of efficiency over a prime Ronaldinho. You don’t need to be able to do 10 elasticos on top of your achievements to be great. Defending is what I would consider an art as well.
@@heijimikata7181 im not saying entertainment is only attacking but the video is mainly about attackers.
All aspects of footy can be art to me, even goalkeeping. But if we talk about passing, if you think kroos is a more "entertaining" passer than pogba... then to each is their own. But i think pogba uses more flair because he can, whereas toni just doesnt have it. Both world class in their time, but i know who I'd rather watch
They're both useful, they just need to be used right. There are some things stats show that eye tests don't, and vice versa
Stats are important but I still find eye test is key. For instance strikers like Lukaku, Kane, hell even Salah have incredible goal scoring rates, yet in knockout games they almost always go missing. For example xavi, iniesta, and busquets never really showed up on the stat sheets yet everyone knows they are some of the best midfielders of all time. You mentioned dembele as an example, although all those missed shots would count as stats themselves. Going off eye test & stats barcola was far more effective for France in the short time he was on the pitch, always trying to make something happen, always getting past his man like Nico Williams for Spain. Again the stats are important, but technique, along with decision making and positioning are most important; especially considering a player is only on the ball for 2 minutes during the whole match, you need an eye test at the very minimum to see those other 88 minutes.
This fr, stats will only serve you for a time. The emphasis on stats nowadays is for people who don’t truly understand football
yeah stats can mislead someone, fotmob shows salah dropped an 8.1 against Man Utd earlier this year in the 2-2 draw but that was one of the worst performances i've seen from a winger
@@hazarditoooo how
@@acham182 how
Advances in analytics have seen the magic and unpredictability of football for the most part, fly out the window. I really pray more players of the cast of Neymar and Hazard are nurtured and encouraged to play with skill and freedom.
I think you've missed the point, its not about stiffness, Jude 's fundamentals is shit, he has no touch, even with no pressure around him, can't pass and not a good finisher. Saka is better fundamentally, but one dimensional, a good fullback will lock saka out the game, palmer is not one dimensional. Nico Williams has been good throughout the whole tournament, saka scored one goal in the semi, because he had a fullback overlapping which allowed him to cut inside and shoot. We've all watched England and we know they changed their tactics in the semi, hence their fullbacks overlap now. We all know saka was dogshit from the beginning of the tournament. Nico does not need a fullback overlapping he can take on his man and beat his man one on one, dead ball situation. Eye test normally differents one dimensional/lack of fundamental players from those who are not. And that what's separates the mediocre from the greats.
How is saka one dimensional and Palmer isnt. Palmer is way too direct all of the times as you saw vs slovakia leading to him fking up 5 counter attacks
@@COYG-xj5ok being direct doesn't mean you're on dimensional, as I said saka likes to cut in, because that's what he can do best. That's what makes him one dimensional
mate you have to be kidding
"Jude s fundamentals is shit"
Imagine writing that LMAO
Next time you will say Lampard, Scholes, Xavi and Iniesta are shit.
The thing about eye test is that it's really subjective. For example I've always rated saka highly. I honestly don't understand how people, in their eye test, can overlook so many things and go for stuff like fanciness and stiffness. Which is why the quality of the eye test depends on the person basically.
Your dembele take is super casual. His only weakness is finishing. You need to watch him more.
That's also bcos of his shit decision making, that would affect all areas of his game, his finishing/end product, crossing and passing.
Your "eye test" has to be informed by stats, and your stats have to informed by the "eye test". Evey major team in Europe is overhauling their scouting network with statistical analysis based approach to find players in a inflated market. That should be enough proof that stats do infact matter a lot.
The prime Example of this is the Salah vs Hazard debate, Hazard fans love to say hazard is better because his a better overall player which is lie. People think Salahs only thing that makes him good is his goal scoring, but people forget Salah is a play maker and a chance creator as well if youve watched liverpool this season. Salah has taken more of a deep lying play maker, as even the stats show Salah has created the most big chances in europes top 5 leagues, unlucky for Salah he has Nunez and Diaz who cant finish the goal for shit other wise he would have had 25+ assist this season. Lets also not forget Salah is the most consistent player in the world Right now, for the past 7 seasons Salahs lowest goal tally is 27 goals, which is higher than anything Hazard has done. Salah is 100% the better player
You took another route to the same destination, still hung up on stats. One player affects all phases of play the other is only associated with the final 20 yards. They’re not similar players as Hazard even drops into CM to start and still finish attacks, he’s not Salah’s profile that hangs around the box to shoot or pass. That’s why Hazard fans and admirers appreciate him more, because to a lot of people total footballer package is more than just goals or assists. By your logic then Frank Lampard is easily better than Xavi, Iniesta and Pirlo
@@acham182salah is better in a defensive sense and an attacking sense, hes so pacy and energetic. Hazard struggles to keep his belly off the floor. Just please stop the waffle
Hazard is the better by far. Only thing Salah has over hazard is GA as a inside forward with 2 of the best playmaking talents the prem has ever seen
@@Nahanoo word fr, it’s pretty clear for me. Elegance > automation
@@acham182so
Spurs Moussa Dembele is my favorite player of all time purely based on my personal eye test. He was just mesmerising to watch.
I get it i get it. A new mad arsenal fan😮💨 look mate. Hazard even without his skills is better than salah. Why? Because hazard was in fact more of an elite player overall. They were both consistent, they both scored, assisted but eden carried a chelsea squad to 2 uel wins while the other played a big part for 1 ucl and the road to another final. On the international side is the same. Hazard was that X factor for belgium while salah was struggling a bit to carry Egypt to some world cup action. Now saka and palmer. Palmer does what saka does but better. Just watch hom play. 5 mins on the pitch assist for watkins, 4 goals against everton, kdb type assist vs Nottingham. Apart from defending and pressing palmer is mopping the floor with saka
Watching Salah and Hazard consistently and then arriving at Salah being better is like saying Haaland is better than R9 or Lampard better than Iniesta. All are great players but for me the better footballer has to be someone who offers much more than “efficiency”, your ability to control games and play at your own pace, with everyone struggling to keep up with you…the game just flows through you, you’re not a bit time player in the game and unfortunately that’s Salah for me
Cole Palmer and Saka is pretty clear, I love Saka’s mastery of the basics, he always gets his cross in effectively but same with Hazard and Salah there’s much more to a game than just cutting in to cross or pass. How does the game flow through you? How do you control a game? A players ability to bend the game to their will irrespective of the opponent will always be the better player for me idc if the others score 10 goals per game 💀
Really really well done video, as a salah stan you’re making the same argument ive made countless times in such a clear and concise way. Earned a sub
Same thing with Kroos vs modric or iniesta vs Xavi. Both Kroos and Xavi were better than their counterparts. But because iniesta and modric could beat players or do a nice little skill people think they’re better. Kroos has the most key passes per 90 in the ucl and chances created since 2017z
for example Since Kroos joined Madrid. 2nd most big chances created after benzema. 1st most key passes. 1st most assist. 1st highest passing accuracy and long ball accuracy. 2nd highest Sofascore rating after Ronaldo. But people will say Modric is better than him because of his trivela pass or his silliness. All modric has over Kroos is dribbling Kroos playmaking, goals scorings assisting, tackling, chance creation, stats are better than modric it’s embarrassing
U need to take into account the roles of the footballers, Xavi and iniesta didn’t have the same roles, iniesta was usually a little higher and more of a goal threat than Xavi who built up the play with busquets. Same w modric, kroos is usually deeper than him
Iniesta and modric are better because they could create stuff out of nothing ( xavi could a lot of time) he’s not the same player when playing further up the field example when he was at bayern he wasnt a sure starter
@@omother6950Iniesta was my favourite player and he was never a bigger goal threat than Xavi. Simply because he wasn't a good shot taker or closer
@@filipe10messiyou ? You don’t know what ur talking about, iniesta was a big goal threat, he even scored the winning goal to see urs Spain the World Cup. He had the license to run into the space opened up by false 9 Messi or in spains striker
@@omother6950 I'll repeat: Iniesta was my favourite player of all time. I have watched every single Barcelona game since 2006 and I can tell you without a doubt that Iniesta was never a greater goal threat than Xavi. He never reached 10 goals in a season. Not a single time. And he played a lot closer to the box. Xavi was a better shooter and a better finisher, and wasn't close. He played further from the box, as the link between the first phase of construction and Messi/Iniesta pendulum...and still always scored a little more. Those are facts.
in my opinion you cant tell only wirh the eye test alone or the stats alone. you need to use both to see how good a player really is
I’ve never understood the musiala vs Bellingham debate because decision making, passing, finishing, positioning, defending, and goal scoring, Jude is clear
THANK YOU
Yeah he doesn’t do dribbles just to not do anything with it so he’s not good enough for them
@@PacoMemo163 ?
@@davispaul2279 I’m being sarcastic I’ve heard people genuinely argue since he’s not “ aesthetically pleasing” or a “pure midfielder” he’s not good. To them a pure midfielder is a twink who can dribble in circles.
@davispaul2279 bellingham is not a better passer than musiala
Hey just saw your video in my recommended and I couldn’t agree more with your analysis on the eye test.
As an avid American football fan, a lot of fellow Americans are mystified by the fancy dribbles in highlights that they don’t watch the entire game to see how certain players are effective like Kante or Dani Olmo in the Euros.
Like others have said it’s frustrating to explain how certain players are effective in their roles by doing the basic fundamentals effectively in key moments.
I agree with you. Although I actually do believe Xavi Simons is better than Jude. He’s just a box crasher, even Don Carlo said he doesn’t want to play him as a true midfielder. I honestly believe Arda Guler will take his place at Madrid within 2 years.
He is the G/A merchant people think Salah and Saka are. As Salah loses his pace he’s evolving into a playmaker, him and Trent spend all game creating chances that donkeys upfront like Nunez just can’t finish. And Saka is fine too. They put in good performances and get G/A because they are good players. But Jude will be horrendous all game then steal a cheap tap-in goal to save face. It sounds disrespectful but he’s like a more athletic and technical Mctominay. Sorry, not a chance in hell I’m taking him over Musiala, Wirtz, Xavi, Pedri, etc
This might start my villain arc
DANN. You right
Na Jude is definitely better than Xavi Simons but I do admit Jude has been wildly inconsistent all season. I would say Dortmund Jude was better than Xavi Simons and that Jude has the highest ceiling out of the names you mentioned alongside Musiala.
@@bna919Define ceiling/potential
You completely misunderstood what Ancelotti said also Xavi is not better than Jude and that’s facts stats aside
Saka is amazing, his balance and strength makes him better than any winger out there. Me being an Arsenal fan I was disappointed to see Pepe in bench but Saka proved it. Functionality matters, not humiliating an opponent.
Thank you for making videos like this one, people are to caught up on aesthetics and beautiful plays, its all bullshit, i dont give a shit, i think cr7 is the grestest winger in general, i don't care how good hazard can dribble or how pretty he looks when he glides, i dont care about salahs left foot, ronaldo doesnt have to be the pretiest, but he by far is the most effective, deadly and outrageous thus the best winger, i hate aesthetics and eye test bullshit, thats why i hate the musiala vs bellingham debate too, just because musiala looks better in a dribble means hes all of a sudden the better overall talent? Bullshit, pardon my language its just so stupid to me
Messi is a better winger than Ronaldo tho
Musiala way better player than bellingham imo
@@StraighTMurkZ messi plays way better from the middle than he does the wing, plus ronaldo does not only play the left, but the right also, even when compared to messi ronaldinho whoever, cr7 is like the best ever winger
I like the point you tried to make and it would be valid if that was only the case now here's the deal musiala is a better player than Bellingham for me not just because he's a better dribbler but because he impacts and has the same level of impact as Bellingham because he doesn't dribble a couple of guys and passes it sideways he always drives forward and he also has pretty good numbers to back it up like I think for the past few seasons he's had over 22 g/a on average per season which in my book is pretty decent for a CAM
Now I know and acknowledge that when it comes to versatility Bellingham comes out on top dude has had MOTM performances playing in DM,CM,CAM hell even in CF or SS but if where being objective your not going to see many matches where Bellingham isn't playing as a CAM moving forward for club or country(maybe for country it could differ but definitely not for club) and in that position I would prefer musiala and that is why I think that musiala is a better talent than Bellingham because not only is he a better player ascethetically but he also has the ability to produce the numbers to back it up it's basically the same reason I prefer Messi to Ronaldo because both have great scoring ability both can flip a game on his head but only one when they touch the makes my hair stand on end only one keeps me on the edge of my sit pretty much every time they touch the ball and that's that
@@JonathanOkwuchi-ib9jyplease write less next time
The problem is every person has a different test, some people don't know what to look for
To say saka is elite at decision making is hilarious lmao
@@chillspot331 are you sayin he’s not? It’s one of his best attributes, what??? He’s one of the most high IQ wingers in the world, it’s one of the main reasons he’s such a huge difference maker for Arsenal and England despite not having the most insane skill/move set
@chillspot331 just shut up
@mandafrombk elite decision maker...nah I'd say it's hard to call sny young winger elite at decision making is he very good yes but if your gonna say elite then you mean like a kdb or cesce fabregas at their best and rn I'd say that outside rodri and kroos who is retiring and a select few are elite decision makers...vinicius is a much better player than saka and both are very similar wingers(vini is just a bigger moment player and has the whole aesthetic thing) also to say saka isn't a pretty footballer is interesting as not many players have alot of flair overall as players don't really.get that freedom and saka is an efficient player overall but elite at anything is a strong statement heck alot of great midfielders aren't elite decision makers(wirtz or foden) and wingers(vini and saka) also to say Dembele is only known for speed and flair is really a lie as he was always praised as a good overall playmaker and decision maker(watch his stats and highlights he can beat his man and make the right cross or pass uses both feet and had good assist numbers for a fairly new star to the big leagues check his last year and rennes and first year at dortmund) he had his growth stunted at barca... heck ion even wanna be rambling but heck to continue as someone who doesn't even have an issue with saka he hasn't been great at the tournament he has barely beat his defender in games and while completing dribbles they haven't been very impactful(I'd still argue he's been better than foden and others but still below avg just like the entire England team tbh) while Spain have simply performed better so bike will have a better ranking due to team performance and also also saka isn't even an elite player in football rn he's very close and I think he will mature into one as he shows flashes but to say elite at anything is a stretch he's very good but elite as a decision maker or playmaker is wild.
@@mandafrombk idk saka never completes that ever wows or suprises me. I think his decision making is above average considering he usually is able to keep possesion but saying its elite is crazy
@@lsnamber lol. It must be cos his black. Saka football IQ is off the charts.
Surface level analysis without a clear undertanding of how dribbles are completed. It also doesn’t take into account how much they progress the ball in the opposing half. This is why stat merchants have ruined the game.
that's cool but neymar>ronaldinho
No dummy. Ronaldinho the godfather of dribbling. Literally looks like he dances when he dribbles
@yeatdagoat173 that's cool too but he got carried when he won the world cup
@yeatdagoat173 plus ronaldinho himself said neymar's better than him so stop being a nostalgia merchant🤡🤦♂️
Neymar is better on the eye test, and stat wise I don’t understand how he isn’t widely recognized as better. Maybe because he played in a poor Brazil side.
@@dovo9995yeah played in a poor Brazil side and still ended destroying the record of Pele gaining the most all time goals for Brasil and Messi for ALL time assist provider internationally
the thing that really gets me is that saka is actually one of the best dribblers in the world lol i feel like the people that call him stiff just dont watch him play because hes one of the best players in the world at taking on and dribbling past defenders. england have been on their have been at their best offensively when saka has the space to run at his man, and 3 of their goals have been created by that
Saka and jude are still horrible to watch lol
Then don't watch
Nah Saka is incredibly effective and exciting to watch because you know he’ll make the right decision in the end.
@@M0J0-RL236 yea hes effective but he aint my type of player
@@smelly1060 with pleasure lmao. very stinky players
@@sonicwithglasses131who’s your type of player then
You gotta love it when the logic makes sense across different sports. Tested, approved and trusted
Played football as a kid and one of my teammates called me stiff but i was always starting compared to him. I placed as a cm
The problem with people that say “stats are not everything” is that people only look at surface level stats
I agree with everything you say but not the Dembele part, his decision making and passing this season was so good he was one of the wingers with the most assists in Europe, and a starter for France at the euros
football is art! i respect the opinion that saka receives a disproportionate amount of hate, but i can still appreciate a player like ousmane dembele. dembele glides across the pitch, is fantastic with both feet, is wildly quick, and is capable of outstanding moments despite being inconsistent. you can enjoy both !!
Because football at the end of the day is not meant to produce the most efficient dribble, it is meant to entertain us and inspire us. That's why a fancy dribble will always be better. Same goes for goalscoring. A tap in and 30 yard screamer are both still one goal, but which one is more entertaining?
There are different type of dribblers. The Messi,Hazard type dribblers and the Neymar Ronaldinho type of dribblers. The former being more direct with their dribbling,wasnt nothing fancy just simple but insane ball control and lower center of gravities and the laters who are clear showboaters. I prefer the former because while they dribble, they still get the job done.
Football need more people like you
the curry and kyrie take was on point