Axel Witsel - AM/CM - Zenit (5 Viewers)

[baggio]

Anyone comparing Witsel to Hernanes is being silly. He's clearly a decent player. I actually think he will be a more physical player under Allegri, and he will grow here because he's still at a decent age. A lot of his perception comes down to the time he's spent in Russia, if he was still at Benfica, a lot of people here would view this move differently. I think i would've been more excited with Herrera, but Allegri will bring the best out of this guy, and his best maybe good enough to plug the gap we are currently experiencing in the middle of the park.

 

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[duranfj]

I wonder if Naingollan is going talk to Witsel since he's joining Juventus hahaha

I forgot that lol.... We should just sign belgiam players now on just to fuck him, Nain would be alone in the córner eating his sandwich when they all go to their NT.


Hello Darkness my old friend

 

[Hydde]

 

[Amer]

Can someone who watched 10+ games of this guy tell me how good he is?

 

[ZoSo]

I'm sure he will surprise everyone and be a great asset for the MF. 18m is a very good price

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This guy is going to be awful for us, hr hasn't even lost the ball yet but I already want to punch his face in

Ok guys pack it in and call Beppe, deal off. The 12 year old from Illinois has watched every single game of Zenit for the past 4 seasons and says he isn't good enough. Bummer.

 

[dolph]

I am starting to change my opinion of him. Maybe he will become a very good player for us.

Rather him than Matuidi, Gustavo, Bastian, Brozovic, Sissoko and the other bunch of CMs we have been linked to all summer.

 

[Maddy]

He'll be converted to a central defender in a 3-back line within two years

 

[Post Ironic]

I'm sure he will surprise everyone and be a great asset for the MF. 18m is a very good price

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Ok guys pack it in and call Beppe, deal off. The 12 year old from Illinois has watched every single game of Zenit for the past 4 seasons and says he isn't good enough. Bummer.

 

[il brutto]

I can replicate that if not better it playing it in Russia

I'd be surprised if you can actually even run let alone run with a football.

 

[Post Ironic]

Witsel in 7 CL appearances last year:

1 goal - 1 assist - 86% passing - 0.4 key passes/game - 0.9 long balls/game - 0.6 dribbles/game - 1.9 fouls won/game - 1.9 fouls conceded/game - 2.9 tackles/game - 2 Interceptions/game - 1.0 clearances/game - 0.3 blocks/game - dribbled past 0.4 times/game

7.36 whoscored rating.

Damn solid. Especially those defensive stats. Excellent tackling, interceptions, clearances, not fouling a lot, and not being dribbled past often.

He beats Pogba in every single defensive category. Every single one. More tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocks, less fouls conceded, and less times dribbled past.



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And for people saying this guy has no grinta or toughness..

In the Champion's League last year:

--------------Witsel ---- Vidal

Tackles------- 2.9 ------ 2.4
Interceptions-2.0 -------1.8
Clearances----1.6 -------1.5
Blocks ---------0.3-------0.3
Fouls conceded-1.9-------2.5
Dribbled Past--0.4-------1.1

Would you look at that. Beats Vidal in every defensive statistic too. So damn mediocre.

 

[Xperd]

His GF is probably the most seductive footballers' WAGs I've seen until now. Even more than Nargi.

 

[Karim30]

I'd be surprised if you can actually even run let alone run with a football.

HAHAHAHAHA

 

[il brutto]

This guy is going to be awful for us, hr hasn't even lost the ball yet but I already want to punch his face in

I bet he is terrified by that thought.

 

[chester]

Pjanic - Khedira - Witsel is the slowest and softest midfield Ive ever seen, literally

But the squad is amazing now, with Cuadrado. We just have a gap right now - and a very important one - as we only have one creative midfielder in the whole squad. If Pjanic doesnt play, we wont have guys to create in there. This last signing ideally would have been a guy like that, not a soft side passer.

Anyway, 8/10 mercato. Witsel was weak, Higuain's signing is questionable IM0, the rest was great.

If needed, Witsel can cover for Pjanic as AM also, that was his original role at Standard and at Benfica and he did very good there.
He also scored close to 10 goals per season in Belgium when he played for Standard.

Can someone who watched 10+ games of this guy tell me how good he is?

As @Seven already mentioned several times, depending on how Allegri will use him he is decent (DM) or he will be good for us (CM or even AM). Assuming the 18M price tag is true, then I think we done a good deal for him.
He is not the flashy player Pogba was for us, but he will never disappoint, hasn't had much injury problems in his career and is able to play 40+ matched for a team per season on a decent to good level.

 

[s4tch]

...Beats Vidal in every defensive statistic too. So damn mediocre.

thanks for the comparison! i'd just add that vidal plays for the team with probably the highest possession in the whole competition, so while the ball is at his teammates, he doesn't really have the chance to tackle or clear the ball. defensive work is totally different at zenit and at bayern. still, those witsel numbers are impressive for a guy who's considered a soft player at tuz, and whose only weakness is tackling at whoscored.

 

[Maddy]

Damn solid. Especially those defensive stats. Excellent tackling, interceptions, clearances, not fouling a lot, and not being dribbled past often.

'Cause he is a damn solid player That's pretty much it. A solid midfielder (flexible in terms of position). Not flashy and has his weaknesses; especially on the opponents half, but when he plays the football most suited for him, he is a player of decent quality - a good squad player.

Depth

Personally I would have preferred a box-box midfielder with pace and more of a thread on the final third (Aight, I liek 420 BLAISE IT). But Witsel will be a handy player to have on our hands this season. I'm actually serious about him playing in the central defense, I could see him converted to a vice-Bonucci in our 3-5-2.

 

[Amer]

If needed, Witsel can cover for Pjanic as AM also, that was his original role at Standard and at Benfica and he did very good there.
He also scored close to 10 goals per season in Belgium when he played for Standard.


As @Seven already mentioned several times, depending on how Allegri will use him he is decent (DM) or he will be good for us (CM or even AM). Assuming the 18M price tag is true, then I think we done a good deal for him.
He is not the flashy player Pogba was for us, but he will never disappoint, hasn't had much injury problems in his career and is able to play 40+ matched for a team per season on a decent to good level.

Also like this stats from Post Ironic.

This guy actually isn't shit as some people think.

 

[am0110]

Thats all fine but can he dab?

 

[Post Ironic]

'Cause he is a damn solid player That's pretty much it. A solid midfielder (flexible in terms of position). Not flashy and has his weaknesses; especially on the opponents half, but when he plays the football most suited for him, he is a player of decent quality - a good squad player.

Depth

Personally I would have preferred a box-box midfielder with pace and more of a thread on the final third (Aight, I liek 420 BLAISE IT). But Witsel will be a handy player to have on our hands this season. I'm actually serious about him playing in the central defense, I could see him converted to a vice-Bonucci in our 3-5-2.

Agree with you here. Damn solid and that's about it. But that may be all we need, dependent on Khedira staying healthy and Marchisio returning to form by the time of the CL knockouts. Big ifs... But, at the very least, our midfield rotation options have improved quite a bit with Witsel, a more experienced Lemina, and a recovered Asa... Much better than Hernanes, Pereyra, Padoin.... Not such a drastic drop-off in quality to our bench.

I don't really see the switch to Defense. Not because it's not plausible for him, but because Benatia is a fantastic ball-playing CB, and definitely the vice-Bonucci in our squad.

 

[Bianconero_Aus]

All trolling about #Witselmania and #CaramelMarchisio aside, I think he's going to be great for us. Good age, strong, good passer, versatile and a fantastic head of hair to boot.

3-4 years ago most people would be fapping hard for him, he was a very highly rated player who chose to chase the dollars in Russia instead of moving to a top team after Benfica. I have a feeling Allegri will have him playing in career best form here, similar to what he's done with Khedira.