Nagbe is much better defensivley, than people who don't see him day in and day out with the Timbers, give him credit for. He tracks back, cuts off passing angles and picks pockets very well. He and Villafana locked it down on their side vs Hondurus.
nagbe clearly demonstrated a skill set tonight that only pulisic and maybe johnson also possess. his tight space ball control, agility, pace on the ball, and deft little touches when defenders are closing in to relieve pressure are extraordinary. the only thing defense can do most of the time is foul him. unfortunately in tonight's game the ref often swallowed his whistle, which reduced the potential to execute a final product. why he was taken out for bedoya, i have no clue. someone explain that to me. he made runs and advanced the ball like no one else tonight not named pulisic. absolutely worked his tail off on both sides. perhaps thats the reason, because he was tired, but it didnt really look like it. that sub put the nail in the coffin in terms of getting a second goal. bedoya offers nothing offensively. did arena want to ensure a tie at that point with a more defensive oriented player? although i like the connection he and villafana are building, i'm not sure if left mid is his best position, diamond or not. i caught him roaming centrally for an extensive period of time at least a couple times tonight. seems he wants to play central and it may fit him better. perhaps klinsmann got that one right. i'm not sure, curious what others think. i've read porter ilkes him on the left.
He was solid. Those marauding runs with the ball were Mateo Kovacic-esque. His final ball was off....as was everyone else's, but he showed a nice dimension.
He was a chicken with his head cut off going forward tonight. Could not pick out forwards and tried to do too much. Dribbles through 3-4 guys only to get stuffed at the last when he should have made an incisive pass Instead.
I need to see his passing chart and maybe even a supercut of his touches before I lay any blame on him for the sloppy mid play. All I know is Bruce had it backwards by putting his most skilled guys on the touchline and his biggest midfield liabilities central never mind that they never play well together anymore.
I agree, he needed to pick his head up when dribbling a couple times, I'd like to see him mature there. Still, his skill and pace to beat 3 or 4 guys is needed to relieve pressure more than anything.
I like Nagbe, and want him included in the squad as I think he has a unique and valuable skill set for our player pool. To elevate his contribution from a sold contributor to a more consistent difference maker, I'd like to see him work on: 1) Endurance - he always looks a bit tired to me, whether it's his decision making at the end of a long run, not fully tracking back after said long run or towards the end of the game in general. I also seem to remember him getting subbed out a lot at the end of games early in his Portland tenure. 2) More urgency tracking back when the situation dictates, and especially after he has lost the ball in a dangerous spot. His defensive contribution is generally good, but I've noticed a pattern of sulking on the ground after he doesn't get a call and/or not fully committing to aggressively tracking back when a dangerous counter attack is on. If I have a little time, I'll try to go back and pick out some specific examples from the last game. I also think better endurance would pay some dividends here. 3) A better final ball and picking his head up. Better finishing would be nice as well. This has been discussed ad nauseum around here. 4) A tougher and more aggressive mentality in general. Sometimes when you're not getting the calls like last night, you just have to man up and not let if affect your play. I see some improvements in him under Bruce (who is a more supportive coach than Klinsy, which he likely needs) and hope we'll see even more progress in the future.
He needs to improve his decision making in the attacking 3. He tends to linger in the ball a little too long. Having said that he's also one of the few 180 plays we have in midfield. He can pick up a ball and turn with it up field under pressure. Really hope he goes abroad. He needs to be in a league that gives him less space/time in the attacking 3rd if he's going to sharpen that skill.
Looks like everybody sees too much need for improvement to call him up again. Maybe Arena could promise to call him up again if he works on his game with Porter or goes abroad.
Nagbe was one of our better players on the night, you have to actually be on the ball and create something before you can miss the final ball. Pulisic, Nagbe, Villafana and Ariolla were the only dudes capable of doing anything. The people that need to promise to work on their game are: Jones, Bradley, Jozy, Ream, Zusi and the rest of the guys that came out to not lose.
I thought he was very good vs Honduras and just ok vs Panama. His contribution to the Honduras game backed up statistically. He: - completed 32 of 34 passes - won 9 duels(most of anyone across all 3 games of the hex) - made 6 tackles(most of anyone across all 3 games of the hex) http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1616...rena-gets-the-most-out-of-pulisic-bradley-for There seems to be a small but vocal set of posters who really don't like his game. I'm wondering if it's just a philosophical disagreement on how important it is to keep possession. Aside from Pulisic and Johnson I can't think of anyone who is an obvious choice to replace Nagbe in the starting lineup, though. Maybe Bedoya in certain situations, but he doesn't add anything offensively and Nagbe is already very strong defensively(as backed up by OPTA stats).
I like him a lot, but at some point the final product has to be there or there is a need to look elsewhere. When playing on a wing, you have to get some assists and the occasional goal. He reminds me of a faster version of Nick DeLeon. Completes almost all his passes, is very hard to dispossess, can make exciting, defense busting runs off the dribble, but ultimately is a huge letdown in the final third. That's not going to get it done at the WC.
I like Nagbe, keeps possession and good control. When/if pushed, he'll dribbling up hard but can't finish in the third (loses the ball). From the game with Panama, I could not see a viable outlet for him to pass off the ball to without turning around so of course he eventually loses it.
Nagbe is probably the only midfielder we have, aside from Pulisic, who can consistently receive the ball in tight spaces and turn past his defender. He had really nice dribbles against both Honduras and Panama, but he needs to find outlets earlier instead of dribbling until he's dispossessed. I think he has a lot of potential and am hopeful that he adjusts to the international level. I don't know if he's a starter right now, especially on the road in CONCACAF, but he's a useful player for us.
I think it's because of his ability to maintain possession under high pressure that we need to start him on the road in qualifying matches. At home, we usually face less pressure. On the road, we face more pressure and usually lose the ball. Having him retain possession and dribble into space to release it to a teammate, is invaluable. Though I wouldn't count on him to get his name on the score sheet much at all. That's just not in his wheelhouse normally.
I'm not sure why everyone measures everything with assists or goals. Nagbe provides a very important service. Give him the ball and he is virtually guaranteed to move it forward a good ten to twenty yards, often thirty and drag two or three players with him. After that he is rarely dispossesed but often makes a backpass. That's actually not a problem but a feature. He's moved the ball out of the counterpress danger zone, created space for his teammates and guarantees we have possession in the opponent's half. Don't you guys remember those games where we were forced to pass the ball forever and forever in our own half? Well there you go. Nagbe just moves the ball up.
As an obvious homer I think I am objective enough to agree with all the criticsim, insofar as he is incredibly frustrating. His weaknesses and shortcomings in regard to final product are real and they are glaring. However, they are glaring because his other strengths are so evident as well. Defensivley he is a lot more useful than people think as well. For me there is no question that this team needs him, whether that is starting or as the back up to Johson/Pulisic. Because unlike Portland we don't need him to be on the end of things, we need him to transition us from attack to defense and that aspect of his game is fantastic. Against Panama for example, a lot of what people are referring to as him being dispossesed, is really him being fouled, in any venue that isn't CONCACRAP on the road. If we ever become dangerous on set pieces again, he could earn us a lot of free kicks. This was his first road qualifier and as he gains experience I think we will see more of the best of him for the USMNT moving forward. I think this article is a great breakdown of why he is such a frustrating enigma: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/duality-darlington-nagbe-best-position-analysis-usmnt-mls
This us exactly why I seem him excelling in a B2B midfield role. He's a great shuttler of the ball and would be an asset for the US team in an area we've always been weak in, transition.
I am mixed on Nagbe as a starter when we are at full strength. Villa is fine IMO at LB. Not perfect, but young enough to get better and good enough to give Fabian a look at a more advanced position with some real firepower all around him. I admit to some anti-MLS bias, but Nagbe appears to have enough class to give Fabian some legitimate competition for that spot. I think people who slate him for no finished product, are looking for something from him we don't really need him to do. He may hold on to the ball too long but that is an inherent flaw in most dribblers' game. The question is how often and where they make the turnovers. i rate Nagbe a high positive to my eye test. If he can find a way to get the ball to the guys who make things happen that is good enough for me. When they design a plan to stop Pulisic can he dribble to a spot that hits one of the other playmakers or create a lane for him and CP. If he can often break the press and drag guys around the field and then make a backpass to a competent player that should have a bit of space, there will be open runners exploiting the spaces Nagbe's dribble created for them. I can't fault him too much if that back pass goes to a completely unmarked Gonzo or Bradley who cant hit a thirty yard pass with any degree of accuracy or consistency. I do not recall any of his dribbling turnovers being in dangerous areas. I won't be mad at Bruce if he calls Fabian in, and starts Nagbe over him because of what he sees on the field. I think there is a valid argument for wither player or both in the 11.
Good points all. I should have probably added that much as I may be a cheerleader for Nagbe, Fabian Johnson is head and shoulders above him for me and if there is a contest between those two for a left mid/left wing spot, Fabian wins all day every day, everything Nagbe can do Johnson can do and then he has a lot more of that whole end product thing, in a better league no less. I just think Nagbe is a real, footballing attacker and I want to see a team with at least bare minimum of 4 of those types of guys played together; Pulisic, Fabian, Wood, Dempsey, Arriola, Nagbe, Feilhaber, Sacha, Jozy. In certain scenarios or formations all of those guys could fit in different configurations, whether starting or not, Nagbe is an omportant piece to that puzzle.
In a 4132, we need 3 midfielders above Bradley. I can see that three being FJ Pulisic and Nagbe with all of them interchanging throughout the game