For me, that was among the biggest Union mysteries last year, why he didn't even sniff the field. Sure, there was talk that he wasn't fit enough to go 90. And he's a bit raw, and sometimes has one speed, one direction: fast and forward. A bit like Gyau and Gatt. Does that mean you don't play a guy who changes the complexion of the game and threatens defenses *at all*? 181 minutes all year. I think he's a capable replacement for Freddy. If the Union did too, why play him so infrequently?
Actually, statistically speaking, that is exactly what you should expect. However, that expectation falls within a given distribution (I suspect one would expect a normal distribution in this case). If you have a well-developed statistic, you can identify the probability that the distribution of the coversion rate of a single player's BCs falls within the expected range and is non-random (and the sample size is one factor in that). As I said in my previous post, you would expect the ratio of assists to big chances to regress towards the mean as the sample size gets bigger. If it doesn't, at some point you have to acknowledge that you could have some heteroscedasticity in your distribution and you need to re-examine your methodology.
Klejstan was rather creative today in Belgium. Perhaps he should be the one in that attacking midfield role. He had an assist and could have had 1 or 2 more. Here are his touches from the match:
Met a girl at a bar a couple years back whose alt-rock band, no joke, was named Heteroscedasticity. If Freddy had been there, I'd have posted pics on Twitter. I think Ghost's point is that he should have more assists over the course of his career; larger sample (though not *that* large, due to his inability to get regular games plus sometimes not being asked to create, e.g., being a joker at Benefica). Last year, though, we also have more info to draw from than raw stats. While I do love me some stats, we also got to *see* the poor finishing.
If Biglia leaves, I wonder Sacha will get a shot to fill the attacking role. Interesting piece: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/...y-recognized-usa-midfielder-anderlecht-112912
Klejstan is obviously very talented. The problem is that the best lineup for the USMNT right now probably includes Jones, Bradley and Dempsey as the 3 central midfielders. That's a hard rotation to crack into.
I LOVE SK but no. We need someone that is set as a CAM. I wouldn't expect anything different than what we get from Mbradley and JJ.
I think Ghost and I are in agreement on the sample size. A couple of interesting data points on Big Chances relating to teams which should want to look at acquiring Freddy. Chivas was the worst team in MLS with only 30 BCs and 10 goals in 2012 so a 33% conversion rate. TFC was slightly better at 31 BCs in 2012. Freddy produced 50% of the BCs produced by those entire teams. They should seriously look at bringing Adu on board!
Yeah, but I hear Toronto only wants Canadians these days. Some sort of purge going on: Hassli out, maybe Frings is next. Can't see them taking Freddy, then. Wait. Am I confused? Both teams might (that's an important word, btw) actually get a better Freddy than many of his other clubs have gotten (if interested; still a bit of smoke w/ TFC). Chelis sees Freddy as a fantasista, and if he was Mexican he could hold the fort until Alvarez was ready. And the guy who Freddy arguably played his best ball for, in a similar role, is at TFC (though he's not the manager, so who knows if has any informal influence/input). Point is: Freddy in a role where he typically has been consistently good may be better than Freddy in roles where he's always been inconsistent.
Teams like ManU can crank out Golden Boot level performers year after year. Chicharito could be up there if they gave him the minutes. What coaches want are match winners. Scoring 5 at home to Blackburn but doing next to nothing away and little against teams of any consequence is going to have SAF smiling like McKayla Maroney after that silver medal and making assurances about faith in a player like John Elway did about Tim Tebow. Why do you think Martin Jol is moaning about Dempsey not being around anymore? It's not those buggy eyes and Droopy Dog facial expression. Match winners go a long ways toward getting coaches the coveted job security. 6 points above relegation zone in February isn't too comfy a place to be.