2017/18 Tom Davies

[Osamabindiesel]

I actually thought that was the one thing he looked very good at last year, but I've not seen the same quality from him this year. He doesn't have a great passing range I don't think. but last season I thought he was good at getting his head up and making intelligent if not particularly difficult passes. This season he's just never really got going, although I do wonder if he's still growing and that's having an impact, he looks a fair bit bigger than when he broke into the side 18 months ago.

I've said this several times as well. He has surely grown a bit and is probably going through and awkward phase.

What stands out to me most about Davies this year is his poor understanding with the front three. Last season he came into the team right away and instantly combined with Rom, Ross and Kev. He and Walcott particularly seem to really be struggling for that understanding. I think he really needs to work with Theo in training and build up some sort of trust. Rooney and Walcott have been sublime at times, and that comes from playing each other countless times and national team experiences. Davies would do well to learn how to combine with our best player.

 

[Billy Dean]

So he’s young so is exempt from criticism? He’s simply not performing and hasn’t for a long time. This isn’t some local pub side where you give everybody a go. It’s about winning and putting the best team forward.

Apart from energy this bloke has offered nothing.

Drop him.

Who do you want in instead mate? Schneiderlin?

 

[RomanReigns]

Prem:

2016/17 tom davies - 18 games started, 6 games came on as a sub - 2 goals, 3 assists

2017/18 tom davies - 17 games started, 10 games came on as a sub - 1 goal, 1 assist

he is declining, not improving

 

[Osamabindiesel]

Who do you want in instead mate? Schneiderlin?

There really isn't anyone else that deserves a huge shout over Davies tbh. To Davies credit as well, the team has been significantly better when he has started alongside Rooney.

 

[Billy Dean]

IMHO he's got a good short passing game. He's a "pass and move" type player, looks for more risky forward passes a lot of the time which mean he may give the ball away more often. Looked encouraging last season. Scored and created some goals and showed some nice touches. Has struggled this year in a very poorly performing team, with 3 managers so far, the latest of which doesn't tend to want to play through midfield. In addition there has been massive player turnover. I think he can be forgiven a dip.

 

[Billy Dean]

Prem:

2016/17 tom davies - 18 games started, 6 games came on as a sub - 2 goals, 3 assists

2017/18 tom davies - 17 games started, 10 games came on as a sub - 1 goal, 1 assist

he is declining, not improving

Player development is not linear.

 

[Osamabindiesel]

Prem:

2016/17 tom davies - 18 games started, 6 games came on as a sub - 2 goals, 3 assists

2017/18 tom davies - 17 games started, 10 games came on as a sub - 1 goal, 1 assist

he is declining, not improving

No, he has a different role. Last year he had almost no responsibilities defensively in that free role on the wing. Add to that the strike force is completely different and will take time to gel

 

[Billy Dean]

Gazzetta dello Sport rates him as one of the top 100 young players in Europe.

 

[leslad]

Look at some of the raw youngsters we've had - they have all have had one area they excelled in even if poor in others. Lukaku had the shins like an absent father's maintenance payments but he could score from anywhere. Barkley was still waiting for the lights to go up at Garlands the night before at kick off, but he could leather it in from miles out. Stones had so much talent. Even on the tier below, Hibbo finished his career without passing to a teammate but he could always tackle.

What does Davies do well?

I don't think it's always about leathering it in from miles out or being able to score from anywhere. A footballer's ability is more than just excelling in one particular area.

Didier Deschamps
Dunga
Emmanuel Petit
Sergio Busquets

Each played in a world cup final and ended up with winners medals. In what areas did the above players excel? I'm not saying Davies is like any of these players, just that these players didn't/don't particularly excel at a specific area of the game, yet are/were considered mainstays for club and country.

Busquets only 12 goals and 27 assists in 412 games in his entire Barcelona career, and this season, both Idrissa Gueye and Cuco Martina have made more tackles per game than him (according to WhoScored). Yet he barely misses a minute, will probably win La Liga and potentially the CL to go with the World Cup medal and all the other trophies he's won in his career.

Some players are about reading the game and being aggressive, their game is to occupy the correct space at correct times in order to enable and facilitate the more skillful players to do their thing, their role is multi-faceted, requiring a decent level of ability in a range of different skills, rather than being able to excel at one thing in particular.

If Davies is to become a great player he needs to start taking the opportunities like the sitter he missed against Stoke, for sure, and this will require practice and concentration from his end and patience on ours. But just because he doesn't score volleys from the halfway line or make 17 match-saving blocks on the line with his face every game doesn't mean he's not a decent player.

 

[sageyefc]

Gazzetta dello Sport rates him as one of the top 100 young players in Europe.

And many publications once had Jose Baxter down as the next Rooney. Don't mean anything

 

[Saint Domingo]

Have we won many games this season without him? Just curious.

 

[RomanReigns]

No, he has a different role. Last year he had almost no responsibilities defensively in that free role on the wing. Add to that the strike force is completely different and will take time to gel

lad he's the next jack rodwell

 

[mkrudden]

Prem:

2016/17 tom davies - 18 games started, 6 games came on as a sub - 2 goals, 3 assists

2017/18 tom davies - 17 games started, 10 games came on as a sub - 1 goal, 1 assist

he is declining, not improving

There is so much wrong with this analysis I am positive it's just a wind up.

 

[Papa Shango]

So he’s young so is exempt from criticism? He’s simply not performing and hasn’t for a long time. This isn’t some local pub side where you give everybody a go. It’s about winning and putting the best team forward.

Apart from energy this bloke has offered nothing.

Drop him.

He is been adequate. He is not "not performing" he is just doing alright.

The lad never hides. Dodgy runs of form like this will be good for him in the long run.

Or yeah just jib him off....

 

[orly]

Prem:

2016/17 tom davies - 18 games started, 6 games came on as a sub - 2 goals, 3 assists

2017/18 tom davies - 17 games started, 10 games came on as a sub - 1 goal, 1 assist

he is declining, not improving

Excellent stats there Spud