That's not true. You're trying to make things fit your narrative, but what you're saying is completely invented. No matter how many times you tell a lie, it's still a lie. They gave him no space, as they did with the entire team. He got fouled several times (I don't know where to find detailed stats. Does anyone else have access to them?). Mostly they closed down all the space on the field very effectively and shut down the entire team. If you think that's a Darlington Nagbe problem, then you have a problem.
To me he tarries on the ball entirely too long. I think he has skills for a player in our pool, but he is way too slow to make a decision. I don't agree with @Ghost very often but IMO he is spot on in regards to Nagbe. Just contain him and he poses no real threat.
CR put on a clinic of how to beat double teams late in the game. One touch and pass the ball and make them run. Nagbe is like a show pony, looks the part, but when the game gets up to speed he becomes ineffective. He appears to do a job, but is always a shade slow to deliver a timely ball. Dribblers @ Nagbe's level are easier to contain than moving the ball quickly. Pretty to watch but usually leads to nothing unless you foul them in a dangerous area.
Does it matter that you can carry it into the attacking third if you dont' know what to do with it once you get there?
I think that's part of the point. We need less carrying to the attacking 3rd at times and much more direct and quick passing to the attack. Nagbe is top 3 in our pool and shielding and turning his mark. But he's then awful at releasing the ball quickly and mapping/playing the options. So the latter negates the former. Him getting fouled btw doesn't really help us as it's in areas we need to be passing quicker. Fouls in the middle 3rd which slow attacks hurt us. And he ain't drawing fouls in the final 3rd. Nagbe has some real talent but it's too bad no one ever taught him how to think and see the game. He's 27 and really has no clue how to play off others and reads the game quite poorly. He's like a PG with great handles who dribbles with his head down and doesn't see what's going on around him.
I don't think Nagbe was the problem yesterday. He was OK. We lost because our centerback and goalkeeping play was poor, our fullbacks provided very little in the attack, Fabian Johnson was ineffective due to his injury layoff, our strikers were a bit too static and there was too much space between our midfield and forward lines.
So we should go back to having our Bedoya's and Zardes's go back into the lineup? They're plenty direct, they're also relative black holes for offense. They've proven it with large sample sizes. Nagbe ain't perfect, but he's so under appreciated.
DN is just another guy. He has a nice skill set on him and offers a bit of technical nous not always found in the US pool;but, ultimately he is a 27 yr old guy that has played for the Akron Zips, Cleveland Internationals, and Portland Timbers. There is very little interest in him globally and he has scored 27 goals in 208appearances for the Timbers. He lacks bite, lacks a throat on your neck attitude, and is not a savage in the final 3rd. He seems like a nice lad and will have a tidy little MLS career at the end of it all. But he is nothing special and tje fact that he is even discussed thismuch shows how dire the talent pool is. The volley he sliced 27 meters wide of goal last night says it all. He is hardly the biggest of our problems but he is just an average talent that can dribble a bit better than a lot of other average donkeys.
Nagbe wasn't a problem, but Nagbe + FJ was. And always will be. Especially with Villafana. They are weak and not aggressive enough. And yes, Bedoya/Zardes for FJ would make a difference. Jozy was OK. Wood has no business to be on the field unless we are playing purely counter attacking style. He is the worst passer I've ever seen. Has he ever had any assists? Besler-Omar is our best CB pair today. And Howard is done unfortunately. And I don't even talk about Benny whose set of skills is totally different from any American players of the last 20 years. I mean since Ramos retired.
Dude, there are literally thousands of players in this country better than Zardes. Not to mention the Messi's that the last 3 coaches have refused to call up.
Yes, I think Zardes is a better option than Nagbe in games like yesterdays. Nagbe is excellent at retention but he's honestly not good at anything else. Not a decision maker. Not a great passer in general. Not tenacious when attacking. Zardes has been a better and more productive player for the NT than Nagbe has even though he's less skilled. Edited to add: I like Nagbe. I wanted him called up as soon as possible and think he can be a net positive in certain games but last night wasn't one of them.
Nagbe plays more like a wingman than a midfielder. His lack of vision and poor reading of the game, makes him a pawn in the attack. He has a decent change of pace but he clearly does not know how to thread the needle once he is near the opponent's box. He is a problem because the other team knows this and does not have a problem neutralizing the US attack. On top of that, we have no wingers that can dominate the bands.
I just think Bradley and Nagbe are problematic together, honestly. But the larger problem with the midfield is that it has talent/skillsets but lacks identity. There's no DESTROYER at the 6. There's no maestro at the 8. The wingers are usually more effective when they play central. Too many tweener fits, not enough ownership of specific roles.
I must have been watching a different match than you guys but Nagbe and Pulisic were the only guys breaking the lines and being dangerous, providing outlets and actually generating some kind of link from back to front that wasn't a speculative ball. He had to come deep for the ball because Captain Backpass can't deal with pressure at all and literally escort it to the forwards. Michael Bradley's terrible distribution makes everyone look bad especially the guys who need movement and more of the ball to be effective. I'd love to see him do the shit with his club he does with the national team and see how Giovinco reacts. He would slap MB back to Roma if he purposefully avoided getting him the ball. It would be hilarious.
Bradley with no pace whatsoever, has better vision and reading of the game. Bradley can make better passes between the defenders than Nagbe and knows how to control the pace of the game much better.
And he also turns it over when breathed on. He's a delicate flower and a fraud of a DM. HE is holding Nagbe back from being as effective as he can be and he is keeping the ball from Pulisic when pulisic is in dangerous positions and making runs. He's got to go. I don't care if he delivers a crazy good ball or goal once every 4 matches because he can't do anything consistently against good teams. The book is out on him, just press and he turns it over or forces a stupid pass or trips over his own feet.
I like Nagbe even less on the wing. He doesn't go wide. Can't cross. Doesn't attack the box looking to score or create. And something rarely mentioned, his off the ball movement is almost non existent. A winger has to be even more attack-minded than an 8. Can't have a winger who doesn't operate in the final 3rd.
How is Bradley holding back Nagbe? They played different positions. Also, Bradley delivers the ball decently to the wingers and also to Nagbe. But is it Bradley,s fault that once Nagbe gets completely blinded once he gets close to the box?
Then he has no place in the team. He does not have the skillset to play in the midfield. The guy is blind in the midfield.
Nagbe was 67/73 passing in this match. He moved the rock around, per his job. The last competitive international match he started at left-wing was the 1-1 draw at Panama. He was 3/4 in dribbles, had 1 key pass, and drew 4 fouls(all in the attacking half). In that match, Pulisic playing on the opposite wing was 5/10 in dribbles, drew 2 fouls(one in the attacking half), had one key pass, which went for the assist. In his last league match on the left wing, he had a goal, 3 key passes and 2 dribbles for a WS of 8.0. https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-03-28-panama-vs-us-mens-national-team/feed https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...-Soccer-2017-Portland-Timbers-Colorado-Rapids
Indeed which is why I think Bradley looks much better when paired with other players recently. Nagbe is a fine player but his indecisiveness in the final 3rd is brutal.
When we lose, blame is going around...Nagbe is one of our best guys right now...Why does it come down between Bradley and Nagbe?
Don't let facts get in the way of a good bashing. The drop down options from Nagbe are guys like Bedoya, McCarty, etc. I shudder to think what last nights' game would've looked like with those donkeys in. It's not like Nagbe is keeping Arturo freakin Vidal on the bench here. Nagbe is very good at what he does, and at this point should be a lock to start.