Klinsmann: Fabian Johnson needs to "rethink approach" to team

Sort of a silly conversation. The more valuable you are for your team, the more you must exercise discretion in physical challenges.

 

There should be a limit, though. The Mexicans have stopped using some of their players in Europe when it was obvious they were so worried about not getting hurt, that an equivalent guy in their local league was going to do a better job.

100% of a good player is often more than 50% of a world class one. Heck, France sat Ribery when he started taking more care of his legs because Bayern was paying him millions, and he had been key until that transfer.

 

Maybe this is why Fabian plays RB for the US in competitive Concacaf matches. Less exposure to injury.

 

Problem is, we don't have anyone close to Fabian at his very best, especially in MLS.

 

We have guys close to Fabian when he plays for the NT, though.

 

At his best for the NT? Not even close.

He's shown brief moments of his 'Borussia' play for the NT. Think of that assist he had to Clint vs. Guatemala in the last qualifiers, or the goal vs. Turkey prior to the WC. He has his moments...

 

I prefer Zardes assist to Dempsey for the Haiti goal.

1. We were getting outplayed by Haiti.
2. It was a game that mattered, in the Gold Cup.
3. Haiti is stronger than Guatemala.
4. He ran, stopped, and didn't do the most tempting pass to Aronjo, who was too close to the keeper, but pulled back to Dempsey, who had liberated himself from his marker.

 

Ok. You take Zardes. I take Fabio. We meet on the field of honor.

 

Look if we are going to count friendlies and crap opponents, there are a lot better. Bradley's performances against Germany and Netherlands were a lot better and more sustained than these flashes.

 

OK...how about the WC then? He was one of the better players of the tournament. There were rumors he was being eyed by Barcelona...

 

When someone mentioned that rumor in Marca, everybody laughed.

 

Fab to Barca is laughable but he still played an excellent WC. And cried off the field when he got hurt.

 

I didn't think Fab was fab in Brazil. He cost us 2 goals.

 

I'm assuming you mean one of the better US players of the tournament (and that might even be a bit of a stretch).

Though knowing you, that might not be a good assumption...

 

Yea--I meant for teh US. He was one of the better players of the tourney for us, him and Jermaine--the 'foreigners'.

I mean come on. When was the last time an American was even mentioned with Barcelona in a sentence? Claudio Reyna??

 

We have "guys" is plural and if you mean less than three or four I have no argument. Fabian is clearly a class player. We do not have many players getting in the side that have his type of class.

When I say class I am referencing mostly the technical aspects of his game. The type of close control we have not seen much of lately with the Nats. The type of control under pressure that does not lead to Bradley taking a fifteen yard first touch to give a last second break away to Portugal at the WC. (While there are numerous errors in that entire sequence, the fact remains a decent touch on the ball by Bradley there and we probably get all three. Still an MB fan)

I do not think FJ is good enough to take a game over or do it alone. I think he is good enough he will see the run and be able to make the pass if the forward makes the run. He might be good enough to help the forward make the "right" run by leading him to the spot once the run is underway. He is good enough to get the ball out and off his feet quickly, and he can make an accurate pass without hoofing or serving up a hospital ball to the outlet guys.

Even when Fab has an off game for the Nats his quality is still evident. I know he is on an incredible run of form for club ATM, but even when his form falters a bit he is still class. After Cameron, Bradley?, Jones of old (today not so much,) Clint, and Ream, most of the other regulars are second touch a tackle types of players when not in top form.

I can't really compare him with the other not getting called up players since they are mostly irrelevant in the context of National Team performances.

 

That's a Catch-22, no?

"I can't say Y is better than X, since Y never gets called to the team; therefore, X is the best we have."

Sort of like Leibniz and his "best of all possible worlds" cheeky one.

 

I have been closely watching Fabian play during his last 5 matches. He often looks disinterested and can be seen walking much of the time. He plays well when called upon and readily runs in the final third. BMG has not asked Fabian Johnson to play much defense lately.

 

The number of very good players who "clearly look disinterested" on any given day is astounding.

The number of amazing body-language readers on the BS boards is phenomenal.

 

Body-language readers and Mind readers as well. But even I think Johnson has looked really bored much of the time for the US. Prove me wrong, Fabian.

 

I really encourage everyone to search for all the "Dempsey looks disinterested" "Dempsey is walking" "Dempsey has that hang dog look" posts in game day threads - they often come a few posts before "Clllllllliiiiiiinnnnnnnnttttttttt!!!!!"

The only good advice anyone ever got from a BS bodylanguage reader was back when Sam Hamwich got Jozy into Yoga. Changed his life (Sam's that is...)

 

For all of you that have played (any game, not just soccer), think back to that player(s) who never seemed to run but was always in the right place. efficiency is sometimes difficult to gauge from the sideline or at home but it is a very valuable skill. In addition to efficiency, the other side of that is that they are moving when it isn't noticed...pretty valuable trick if you are an offensive player.

 

In my view, the USMNT didn't really have any standouts in the World Cup other than Tim Howard. FJ was good in the tournament, like a few other guys.

 

"Fabian Johnson says he would prefer to play in midfield, but expects to play in the back at the World Cup."
-Jeff Carlisle

"his favourite position is in left midfield."
-former Borussia Monchengladbach coach Lucien Favre

And Johnson reiterated that he'll play everywhere as long he plays. "I want to play. In the end the coach decides where he plays me."

Mix that with having a front row seat to watching a complete ineptness and lack of production from our midfield over the past couple of years and it doesn't take a masters in psychology to determine how frustration and resentment would emerge from a person in Johnson's position. And in the past few years when he actually got the odd game in midfield it's in a ragtag team of random players. The whole team plays like crap, everyone says "well Johnson got his opportunity in midfield to make a difference", and then gets slot back in defense.

The guy is currently playing in midfield at a club level higher than anybody else in our national team pool. He was great in midfield for the national team in WCQ when he had a consistent run of games with an actual A-team around him. At least in the current pool of players that we've seen, nobody else provides the team with what he does. Capable of helping with possession, great foot speed, good dribbler who actually takes defenders on, can play with both feet so defenders aren't able to just shield him to one side, above average speed of thought. He's not even a great defender, it's stupid to play him in defense.

 

To be fair, prior to BMG he was pretty much a full-time outside back. But admittedly not a great defender - Buli has a chronic shortage of defensively competent fullbacks.