Anwar El Ghazi

[Dave-R]

51 minutes ago, TRO said:

Doc Holliday in Tombstone, would best descirbe El Ghazi's goal.

What was it Doc?......"Its a Daisy"

Well there's billy the kid but yeah there's a Doc Holliday. I used to watch the old westerns and war films with my grandad.

[GingerCollins29]

9 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Don’t think it should ever be an excuse. If he wasn’t in peak condition to play due to fasting then he shouldn’t be playing.

I've never fasted, so i dont know. But i'd imagine it must take its toll on an athlete

[villa4europe]

53 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

that's just your brain seeing him as one of our weaker players, I don't agree.

what is your opinion on the rest of the squad then, presume you would sell McGinn and Luiz then who have been two of our 'weaker' players this season?

El Ghazi stats don't lie, he has actually been one of our better players this season, even if he is frustratingly inconsistent.

Stats wise no argument, they don't lie, he's scored goals despite not playing that much 

But the old stupid suggestion of take those goals away and what does he actually do? The answer is not enough, his influence on games isn't great, again I get that goals are the greatest influence, last night he did not a lot of anything bar 3 or 4 split second moments of good football, he's not just inconsistent I think he struggles to get involved 

Personally I would sell either him or trez depending on which one we could get the most value for, both are inconsistent flawed players, keep 1 and I'm not fussed which, would say he's a slightly better footballer but trez has more work in him, both are 6/10 footballers who ultimately long term need replacing 

One thing I do like is when we are struggling to create anything he can go more direct with his shooting, never scared to have a pop, which is where his goals are coming from, I would fancy him to score from 30 yards out every game more than I would for him to beat his man and deliver a perfect cross, his actual wing play is bang average 

[Dave-R]

54 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

beat me to it.

 

57 minutes ago, avfc1982am said:

Unless I'm mistaken we don't play with wingers. The 433 451 system we play adopts 2 inside forwards to support Ollie. Hence why they play inverted and with their stronger foot inside. They aren't byline huggers like natural wingers who play strong foot outside. Both Anwar and Bertie are predominantly forwards which is why they're pretty shit in our half. Please correct me if I'm wrong though. 

If we had inside forwards we would essentially have a stronger midfield because we would have l two more players who could nip in and help our midfield 3 out if they needed it.

Our Wingers do play on the line with there defensive RB and LB partners and they will switch it between them, they do not show up to help centrally nearly as much as they would if they were inside forwards. Yes our LB,LW, RB,RW play to the line as close as they can, they did it last night.

Sometimes our Wingers are so far out they can't help the midfield at the front of the midfield, they are further out on the flanks.

Inside forwards would be positioned near enough in line with the corners of the 18 year box and would go up and down the pitch but ours are further out at sea than that. It's not slime a wide 4-3-3 we play most game and sometimes they restrict it and narrow themselves up to tighten up when it defence. So really we come from a narrow position from defence and by time we hit the half way line we are wide again resulting in white line football.

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by Dave-R

[Rightdm00]

1 hour ago, Dave-R said:

Well last night he didn't need 20 shots a game unlike many other games he's had, yet he did still do what Ghazi does best and at close range managed to hit the bar. He has often done that Ghazi has gets near the 6 yard box let's rip and misses or hits a post or bar, last season I thought he were going for some kind of record.

Attacking Players should be judged on everything they have to do in there role. With the current system we have our Wingers should be doing more than just shooting a ball at goal and scoring.

We can't keep operating with the way we are, goals for a winger is a small piece of the pie that a winger can bring to his game. I've said alot of what a winger needs, so has Sidcow and others but one thing Ghazi particularly fails at is intercepting balls down the wing, retaining it and then making something of that ball.

One player I would like to highlight and he's not a winger and he's not Grealish is Target. Target manages to work all down the wing and he covers an awful lot of area. Target is a player who has excelled under Smith despite when he came in many were saying he wouldn't be here next season that he'd fade away. Target has improved so much in what he now offers, now you put Ghazi in that same light and the fact Ghazi has had longer at Villa than Target is the reason why we can now honestly say that Ghazi is not improving as a player. Ghazi is not going to get any better or he would of done already. Villa want to improve and it's these players who won't improve, are not good enough for what's ahead that we must sell for the good of the club and the future or Villa will end up a nothing club again, it won't be quick it will be another slow painful death and something tells me no one wants that so why even collect a load of players who are not good enough for our future.

If we can upgrade... To those against selling Ghazi or any player who is our weakest/one of our weakest, would you want those players to remain when there is an upgrade on them available? 

If the answer is yes to keeping any weaker player, I would severely question what planet are you on and do you really want this club to move on and win trophys. I think many fans are still in the old ways of the past twenty years because your so used to keeping players and getting inconsistent results and have not understood what having new Owners with ambitions mean. Times are changing and it means now we have Owners who can back serious signings and they will. We also have people in charge who will give chances but when there are weak links in the side and upgrades available in Windows then players will be moved on, you only have to look at Sammata to see what will happen eventually. The Owners want things to happen, they want to bring glory and pride back to Villa (it won't happen if we don't upgrade) and that means cutting the fat where and when it's needed. Ghazi, Trezegeut will only work for us for so much longer and as Sidcow said once we have upgraded them we will be saying that about Traore and he's right. Maybe a season or few but that times comes eventually and change will happen.

El Ghazi has the second highest strike rate as an attacker yet he is one of our weakest links?  Hasn't improved but has almost doubled his goal scoring output in half the minutes of the previous season. 

 

Quote

Attacking Players should be judged on everything they have to do in there role. With the current system we have our Wingers should be doing more than just shooting a ball at goal and scoring.

Dean plays inverted wingers. The main reason you play inverted wingers is for your wingers to cut in on their shooting foot.  Dean wants his wingers to produce goals/assist. Liverpool play a very similar system and their wingers are their main attacking threat.

I don't feel anyone is arguing that El Ghazi is anything more than what he is. A valuable option off the bench and good cover for a position that has had some health concerns. We will need multiple players like that in the future if we are to embark on a successful european campaign. 

For a club where quality options off the bench are sparse, calling El Ghazi a weak link is comical. He is 2nd for all players in goals scored. 2nd on the team for xG and 4th on non-penalty xG.  He is at the top of every goal production related category and yet also one of our weakest links, how?

 

[MotoMkali]

2 hours ago, WallisFrizz said:

Isn’t he Dutch?

Dutch-Moroccan yes. But he is also muslim which I imagine sells well in North Africa and Arabia. 

[MotoMkali]

1 hour ago, thunderball said:

Played his part in our recent history, scoring a few important goals, for the cost he is certainly good value and I like his attitude, he gives the impression that Villa is his club and he plays for the badge. I hope he stays as a squad player but sentiment aside we do need better for where we want to be. 

I think you need to look beyond his goal tally, a players contribution is more than just his own goals it’s being a consistent part of a teams success - it’s assists or link play that pulls opposition apart and creates for other players, he doesn’t do much of that for me. We need someone who is contributing in games in what he brings out of others. I would rather Lingard there for example.

Lingard literally contributes nothing to attacking play outside of his goals though so using him as an example doesn't make much sense especially since he will cost 3-4 times what el ghazi cost. 

[TRO]

3 hours ago, Dave-R said:

Well there's billy the kid but yeah there's a Doc Holliday. I used to watch the old westerns and war films with my grandad.

I just remember that exclamation Dave.....fits Ghazi's Strike.

[TRO]

He is probably the best striker of the ball in the squad.

He has a good dig on him.

[Sulberto21]

5 hours ago, Dave-R said:

Well with that many it is and it isnt's I'm not surprised your confused.

Not surprisingly really since the poster I quoted changed tack numerous times.

[Sulberto21]

2 hours ago, Rightdm00 said:

El Ghazi has the second highest strike rate as an attacker yet he is one of our weakest links?  Hasn't improved but has almost doubled his goal scoring output in half the minutes of the previous season. 

 

Dean plays inverted wingers. The main reason you play inverted wingers is for your wingers to cut in on their shooting foot.  Dean wants his wingers to produce goals/assist. Liverpool play a very similar system and their wingers are their main attacking threat.

I don't feel anyone is arguing that El Ghazi is anything more than what he is. A valuable option off the bench and good cover for a position that has had some health concerns. We will need multiple players like that in the future if we are to embark on a successful european campaign. 

For a club where quality options off the bench are sparse, calling El Ghazi a weak link is comical. He is 2nd for all players in goals scored. 2nd on the team for xG and 4th on non-penalty xG.  He is at the top of every goal production related category and yet also one of our weakest links, how?

 

If AEG played 38 games 90 minutes a game the goals per minute say he would have scored 21 goals this season. But goals are not important in the game which is decided by goals?

[Sulberto21]

5 hours ago, Dave-R said:

Wingers are mainly there to also support a striker in getting balls to him, they have to deliver, cross, pass accurately, precisely. Wingers also have to be more these days than just an attacking players, there role involves the ball all down the wing from offensive to defensive. Wingers also may have to do some midfield duty that is closer to there Winger area of play. Wingers are there to also stretch a team out and create gaps and holes, this is why Jack does it brilliantly because defenses and players fear his capabilities, none fear our other Wingers which is why they do not pull two or three players at a time.

This whole notion that a winger is just goals and assists is wrong it's an old idea that's outdated. Wingers are more than that and if you watch other teams who use Wingers who are dominant at the winger game, you will soon see where our Wingers go completely wrong. Just watch Liverpool there wingers make use of every being talked about by Sidcow.

We need better Wingers apart from Jack and the more I think of it, the more I'd press the sell button on Ghazi and Trezegeut soon as possible. Upgrades are needed whether people want it or not. I'm certainly not going to keep thinking we can keep the same wingers or players season in season out because we can't, we just won't move anywhere in this league apart from backwards. Eventually the game changes and so will a team need to be changed to adapt. Any players that can't bring an A game and are inconsistent most of the season in this Villa team need to be sold, that's the truth.

I'm sure people in this forum just want to keep our worst players till they end up in Birmingham museum. I'm not saying Ghazi is the worst he's not but he's along the lines of a player who doesn't bring the performances often enough for the club that they may push the button to find a better more consistent player in his place.

 

4 hours ago, Dave-R said:

Well last night he didn't need 20 shots a game unlike many other games he's had, yet he did still do what Ghazi does best and at close range managed to hit the bar. He has often done that Ghazi has gets near the 6 yard box let's rip and misses or hits a post or bar, last season I thought he were going for some kind of record.

Attacking Players should be judged on everything they have to do in there role. With the current system we have our Wingers should be doing more than just shooting a ball at goal and scoring.

We can't keep operating with the way we are, goals for a winger is a small piece of the pie that a winger can bring to his game. I've said alot of what a winger needs, so has Sidcow and others but one thing Ghazi particularly fails at is intercepting balls down the wing, retaining it and then making something of that ball.

One player I would like to highlight and he's not a winger and he's not Grealish is Target. Target manages to work all down the wing and he covers an awful lot of area. Target is a player who has excelled under Smith despite when he came in many were saying he wouldn't be here next season that he'd fade away. Target has improved so much in what he now offers, now you put Ghazi in that same light and the fact Ghazi has had longer at Villa than Target is the reason why we can now honestly say that Ghazi is not improving as a player. Ghazi is not going to get any better or he would of done already. Villa want to improve and it's these players who won't improve, are not good enough for what's ahead that we must sell for the good of the club and the future or Villa will end up a nothing club again, it won't be quick it will be another slow painful death and something tells me no one wants that so why even collect a load of players who are not good enough for our future.

If we can upgrade... To those against selling Ghazi or any player who is our weakest/one of our weakest, would you want those players to remain when there is an upgrade on them available? 

If the answer is yes to keeping any weaker player, I would severely question what planet are you on and do you really want this club to move on and win trophys. I think many fans are still in the old ways of the past twenty years because your so used to keeping players and getting inconsistent results and have not understood what having new Owners with ambitions mean. Times are changing and it means now we have Owners who can back serious signings and they will. We also have people in charge who will give chances but when there are weak links in the side and upgrades available in Windows then players will be moved on, you only have to look at Sammata to see what will happen eventually. The Owners want things to happen, they want to bring glory and pride back to Villa (it won't happen if we don't upgrade) and that means cutting the fat where and when it's needed. Ghazi, Trezegeut will only work for us for so much longer and as Sidcow said once we have upgraded them we will be saying that about Traore and he's right. Maybe a season or few but that times comes eventually and change will happen.

You're so confusing. Goals and assists not important but then you complain about him not scoring? 

[Laughable Chimp]

Never understood this obsession with overall play. At the end of the day, its your final output that matters. And in terms of final output, goals are as undebatable as it gets. I don't care if a player plays like complete crap for most of the game if he is somehow banging them in at a rate of 1 goal per game every game. A bit of an extreme example, I know but gets the point across. And at this point in time, I think El Ghazi's scoring rate more than covers for his deficiencies in other areas. I'd certainly prefer him rather than most more well-rounded wingers.

 

 

[MotoMkali]

16 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Never understood this obsession with overall play. At the end of the day, its your final output that matters. And in terms of final output, goals are as undebatable as it gets. I don't care if a player plays like complete crap for most of the game if he is somehow banging them in at a rate of 1 goal per game every game. A bit of an extreme example, I know but gets the point across. And at this point in time, I think El Ghazi's scoring rate more than covers for his deficiencies in other areas. I'd certainly prefer him rather than most more well-rounded wingers. 

Imagine saying a player who essentially scores once every other game isn't offering enough to the team. Yeah he goes on goal scoring runs. But if you can mark off a player for 3 weeks to get a goal then you have a huge advantage.

Plus his positioning is great inside the box he almost always gets to deflections or loose balls just needs to tuck them away with more regularity. 

[Dave-R]

1 hour ago, Sulberto21 said:

 

You're so confusing. Goals and assists not important but then you complain about him not scoring? 

I wasn't complaining I was pointing out what Ghazi is known for. Yes compared to everything else Ghazi could be doing on field goals and Assists are a small piece of the pie. You seem to get very confused very easily lol.

People are aloud to point out what they do or don't like about players or anyone involved at Villa. Round here it's like there's this police state crew that need to do anything and everything to stop someone from speaking out against anyone, whether it's constructive or straight up critism whether your in the middle or the other side of the fence to there view.

The people that leap towards certain players defence and no one is aloud to respond are most likely the Smith defence posse as well, where you can't say a damn thing against him if he's had a bad game lol. You then come to the conclusion that everyone wants these players here for ever even if obvious upgrades are needed, never change manager even if needed down the line. You get the real sense that if a call has to be made by Villa chiefs that if Ghazi had to be upgraded or Smith had to be sacked that there would be people on here wondering what the hell just happened. However if you are one of those people who leaps to the defence of players and Smith soon as someone says something and a call like that were to be made and you were all okay with it, then why on earth do you keep down playing what everyone's opinion is of doing that exact same thing? Now that bloody hell makes no sense does it?

I just can't get it with a few on you as it is baffling. Downplay what someone's says with some constructive critism and calling for an upgrade to a player, later on at some point chiefs may do that anyway ie summer, yet your fine with it then, but your not with people on this forum if they call it right and in advance, what!!

 

[omariqy]

Look I love El Ghazi more than most but I still think we need better. However I wouldn't get rid just yet. He gets way too much stick. This is a guy who put in a MOTM performance in one of our most important games in recent history. He chipped in with goals and assists last year and again this year. For the money he should be revered. We've had players costing twice as much who don't get the same amount of shit and barely did a 10th of what he's done for us.

[sparrow1988]

Happy Birthday Anwar. Have a good one.

[lexicon]

7 hours ago, omariqy said:

Look I love El Ghazi more than most but I still think we need better. However I wouldn't get rid just yet. He gets way too much stick. This is a guy who put in a MOTM performance in one of our most important games in recent history. He chipped in with goals and assists last year and again this year. For the money he should be revered. We've had players costing twice as much who don't get the same amount of shit and barely did a 10th of what he's done for us.

Look, there's a big issue here. Anwar is at his best when his head is right, and that's usually when he's feeling supported and trusted to be a first teamer - I think his confidence is quite fragile at the best of times, and putting him on the bench will probably make him fairly ineffective as a sub, because he'll be down. So you've got a player who in theory has the talent/ability to be great backup, but not the mentality to do so - or you've got an inconsistent winger who you probably can't rely on for a whole season taking a starting spot. 

It's a tough one. I like him, he seems like a really nice guy but how much his form gets affected by his confidence is a worry moving forward. If he manages to get control of it and compose himself a bit better, I think he's a no-brainer to keep as a squad player. 

[Steero113]

Happy Birthday big cat

[commander]

if Smith/ the coachig staff could et El Ghazi and Traore upping their defensive output all round involvement, whilst maintainig their attacking output, we'd have 2 £50-75m winger on our hands. We should be making these players better rathr than buying in

Also, anyone else think he could do a decent job as a Striker?