CRIMHEAD
Player Valuation: £40m
There are plenty of stats for that, so can we stop this absurd idea that players are good statistically and bad in reality and vice versa?Agreed. There's a chap on the Royal Blue Podcast that's the same, stating he needs more goals and to be higher up the pitch. But that's not Gomes' call to make. If Marco wants him as the deep lying playmaker, taking the ball off the CBs whether just outside our 12 yard box or on the half way line, he can't be expected to also be in the final third hurting opposition 25 times a game.
To me, his chief responsibility is getting the ball through crowded midfields to Sig', Richarlison and Bernard. If he can do that, and break the lines by running through them more often (like vs Liverpool), we'll see a top balls midfielder without the stats. And providing we use our EYES, we'll all appreciate him for it.
Look, I think you've captured well what he brings to the team and these are important attributes. I'm not discounting them. But that's 3-4 minutes of a 90 minute match. An important 3-4 minutes. But there is a LOT more to the game than that.