2024/25 Orel Mangala

[Zatara]

Did you watch your mate Onana today?

Mangala looks like a Prem player. That’s more than some we have currently.

Was he bad?

Many years back when Milan were doing poorly and we were spending money i wanted us to sign Tonali...also Guimaraes around when he joined Lyon.

Have to say, theyre currently far superior to Onana.

He does on the ball, so did Andre Gomes when he joined. The fanfare on both is virtually identical.

How quick is Alexis McAllister? How quick was Paul Scholes? How quick was Gareth Barry? How quick is Bruno at Newcastle? Having midfielders who are competent on the ball so you don't need to chase it so much is far more important than having pace. Garner has far more pace than Mangala but Mangala gives us much more control as he is miles better on the ball. A blend is obviously needed though throughout the team.

Barry was a midfield sitter who also played LB and LCB. He could pass and had great positional sense. Difference between him and Mangala -- Barry made and was successful tackling, 'dueling' and was great defensively.

Guimaraes and Tonali can be as effective as Barry defensively and are top passers of a football short and long. They can also drive forward with the ball.

Think back to Gomes. He signed and we were all very excited and some of us hoped he could get his Valencia form back when he used to drive with the ball...in the end though he was simply a composed passer that couldnt run or defend.

Do you think Mangala is more similar to Barry, Guimaraes, Tonali...or Gomes?

The guy came off the pitch today having not won a tackle, not won an aerial and lost 4/6 duels. That to me could have been Andre Gomes stats.

 

[Zatara]

Absolutely pitiful analysis.

What other central midfielders have we had that come off a pitch when were defending most of the game against City and theyve not won a tackle? Not won an aerial and won 33% of their ground duels?

None?

 

[BlueStevie35]

What most see:

Accurate passes 35/38 92%
Chances created 0
XG 0.07
XGOT 0
Expected assists 0.01
XG + XA = 0.08
Shot accuracy 0/2 0%
Successful dribbles 2
Accurate long balls 1/2 50%
Duels won 2


What I see:

DUELS LOST 4
TACKLES WON 0%
AERIALS WON 0%
DISPOSESSED 2
DRIBBLED PAST 1


Its Gomes all over again imo.

FOOTBALL ISN’T PLAYED BY STATS!!!

 

[windymiller]

For the right price. He looks better than most of our players because he has a good first touch and can pass. I agree with the other poster that he does have his limitations and at the end of the day, we should be looking for better players.

Saying he's been great is probably just a lack of perspective because we haven't had a player like this in a while. Saying he's crap is just wrong.

If we get better players around him he'll look better. His shortcomings are real, but they look more pronounced because of the shortcomings of others and because of how we play. I think he's a very good player. (He'll almost certainly have a stinker against Forest now I've said that!)

 

[aglee]

Some of this criticism is a bit odd. He’s in the team because he brings something different our other centre midfielders. He seems to have a good instinct for where to be, he’s often available for a pass, then keeps it simple and makes a good decision and moves it on to another blue shirt. He is there to help us in possession, and whilst he isn’t gonna be the one to often grab assists or goals he is one of those cogs in the team that seem to improve us as a whole. I have no problem with that. Paul Bracewell was great at it. His stats wouldn’t show as particularly impressive but those who watched that 80s team understood how important he was to help the players around him, who often grabbed the headlines. Jimmy Garner is similar in that regard. Both Jimmy and Mangala keep us in possession far better than Doucs or Gana. Definitely upgrade on Onana and Gomes. When Tim comes back we’ll have some decent midfield options. Full-backs and a goalscoring winger / striker have to be the priority in Jan.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Seems he has the sense to end up as our player that the ball falls to on the edge of the opposition box more often than not. Needs to double up on practicing hitting the inside netting of the far post. Again, and again, and again. I want to be confident he will hit the target nice in ten chances. It keeps being him, and often they keep going over.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

Was he bad?

Many years back when Milan were doing poorly and we were spending money i wanted us to sign Tonali...also Guimaraes around when he joined Lyon.

Have to say, theyre currently far superior to Onana.

He does on the ball, so did Andre Gomes when he joined. The fanfare on both is virtually identical.



Barry was a midfield sitter who also played LB and LCB. He could pass and had great positional sense. Difference between him and Mangala -- Barry made and was successful tackling, 'dueling' and was great defensively.

Guimaraes and Tonali can be as effective as Barry defensively and are top passers of a football short and long. They can also drive forward with the ball.

Think back to Gomes. He signed and we were all very excited and some of us hoped he could get his Valencia form back when he used to drive with the ball...in the end though he was simply a composed passer that couldnt run or defend.

Do you think Mangala is more similar to Barry, Guimaraes, Tonali...or Gomes?

The guy came off the pitch today having not won a tackle, not won an aerial and lost 4/6 duels. That to me could have been Andre Gomes stats.

Until you realise those are meaningless stats for a midfielder you won't understand football. Where is the stat for being in the correct position to defend/receive a pass which along with ability on the ball is basically the most important part of midfield play? Garner could have played today won a few headers, a couple of tackles and had 100% pass completion and still have been less effective. You are literally clueless about football.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

What other central midfielders have we had that come off a pitch when were defending most of the game against City and theyve not won a tackle? Not won an aerial and won 33% of their ground duels?

None?

I can say that very few of our midfielders have come of the files with a point recently (and been MotD in many people's eyes).

 

[Zatara]

Until you realise those are meaningless stats for a midfielder you won't understand football. Where is the stat for being in the correct position to defend/receive a pass which along with ability on the ball is basically the most important part of midfield play? Garner could have played today won a few headers, a couple of tackles and had 100% pass completion and still have been less effective. You are literally clueless about football.

Youre insulting me and im struggling to contain a laugh here.

To paraphrase:

"Midfielders dont need to tackle nor affect the game defensively"

The BEST midfielders like Keane and Zidane tackled players. They were WINNERS.

Try telling either of them that a central midfielder can lose his midfield battles and it doesnt matter.

Then tell them they know nothing about football when they laugh at you.

I can just imagine the look on Keanes face.

 

[Paulyefc]

What most see:

Accurate passes 35/38 92%
Chances created 0
XG 0.07
XGOT 0
Expected assists 0.01
XG + XA = 0.08
Shot accuracy 0/2 0%
Successful dribbles 2
Accurate long balls 1/2 50%
Duels won 2


What I see:

DUELS LOST 4
TACKLES WON 0%
AERIALS WON 0%
DISPOSESSED 2
DRIBBLED PAST 1


Its Gomes all over again imo.

You could get a job on Sky Sports News with the absolute nonsense you spout . You'd fit in with Dharmesh Sheth and Kaveh Solhekol

 

[mahermi1]

Youre insulting me and im struggling to contain a laugh here.

To paraphrase:

"Midfielders dont need to tackle nor affect the game defensively"

The BEST midfielders like Keane and Zidane tackled players. They were WINNERS.

Try telling either of them that a central midfielder can lose his midfield battles and it doesnt matter.

Then tell them they know nothing about football when they laugh at you.

I can just imagine the look on Keanes face.

Zat if 99% of a football thinks you're wrong about a player, has it ever crossed you're mind that you could be wrong and just about everyone else might just have a point ?

 

[billypatrick]

Youre insulting me and im struggling to contain a laugh here.

To paraphrase:

"Midfielders dont need to tackle nor affect the game defensively"

The BEST midfielders like Keane and Zidane tackled players. They were WINNERS.

Try telling either of them that a central midfielder can lose his midfield battles and it doesnt matter.

Then tell them they know nothing about football when they laugh at you.

I can just imagine the look on Keanes face.

Mangala’s job wasn’t to tackle today, do that against City and you give away free kicks and you lose a body in midfield when they pass it around you. His job was to sit and block their passing lines and play it short when in possession. For me he did his job well. What my eyes saw and what the stats say are consistent.

 

[CielosGrises]

Our best loan at the moment ? Has come in very handy. Feel like he can see a pass.

 

[beachy]

Proper midfielder. Must sign permanently.

 

[mikel_88]

Mangala is our best CM. He’s good going both ways. I can’t wait to see him with Jimmy Garner.

He’s a solid premier league midfield player. A much better all round option than Onana, who is being found out at Villa.

Sure Onanas upside might be he has a higher ceiling, but where we are; we need here and now, players who can seamless integrate into the team from the off.

Orel is proving to be a really astute loan signing, I’d be more than happy to pick him up if the fee is right or the structure of the deal can work in our favour.

Prefer onana but that just me thought always had more to give loved the stretching tackles to win the ball back, and when he would carry the ball. But just my view still rate mangala and agree with you, for me is seeing how he turns up against forest when we need to be on the front foot. Same as gana for me i would be looking to keep both for next season if price right