Harry Winks - Player Thread | Page 5 | Vital Football

Harry Winks - Player Thread

He may move it quicker than Dembele but to my eye it generally goes straight back to the defender. Dembele could shield the ball no matter how tightly marked and he had the ability to turn and beat his opponent and turn defence into attack. He always offered an out ball to our defenders when under pressure and they could pass to him without fear of it coming back.

Nonetheless a role slightly further forward seems to bring the best out of Winks. He's definitely not a defensive CM. It will be interesting to see how or if Poch can find a role that maximises his strengths.

I actually don't think Dembele would have succeeded in what Poch has asked Winks to do either in this early season setup. Guys like Dembele and Winks work best in pairs. The departure from the 4-2-3-1 hasn't been a good one for Winks. It's made him the sole DCM in our setup and others like Sissoko just won't cover in for him if he does drive forward.
 
I actually don't think Dembele would have succeeded in what Poch has asked Winks to do either in this early season setup. Guys like Dembele and Winks work best in pairs. The departure from the 4-2-3-1 hasn't been a good one for Winks. It's made him the sole DCM in our setup and others like Sissoko just won't cover in for him if he does drive forward.

I can't do this Dembele debate anyone, I use dto go to every home game and a good few away - and he more than any other player used to frustrate me and all the fans around me more than anyone else; sure he got the accolades for one decent season, but after that you'd be lucky to get one good game in ten out of him, he could and should have been so much more, but his inexplicable inability to know when to pass when to dribble and when to hold would kill our counter attacks more often than not.

Could have been a great player, but showed so little or intermittent footballing intelligence it seemed to me and many many others he simply had no vision in his head, occasionally he would do something he should have been doing week in week out, but it was an exception that proved the rules.

If he had that vision and intelligence, he really would have been playing for one of the super clubs, but he didn't.

We never had one big club come in for him or show nothing more than a cursory interest. That says it all.
 
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I can't do this Dembele debate anyone, I use dto go to every home game and a good few away - and he more than any other player used to frustrate me and all the fans around me more than anyone else; sure he got the accolades for one decent season, but after that you'd be lucky to get one good game in ten out of him, he could and should have been so much more, but his inexplicable inability to know when to pass when to dribble and when to hold would kill our counter attacks more often than not.

Could have been a great player, but showed so little or intermittent footballing intelligence it seemed to me a many many others he simply had no vision in his head, occasionally he do something he should have been doing week in week out, but it was an exception that proved the rules.

If he had that vision and intelligence, he really would have been playing for one of the super clubs, but he didn't.

We never had one big club come in for him or show nothing more than a cursory interest. That says it all.

This for me is not the Dembele debate. I'd love to have a younger Dembele alongside Winks now in the heart of our midfield. We'd be on another level having both of their talents working in unison.

It's probably more the Sissoko debate if I'm honest. I just don't see him building partnerships with anyone during his entire career. Whilst often playing well, he's just doing his own thing. He's too much of a free spirit and there's very little output in the final third. He's also leaving us horribly exposed as he keeps vacating the space that he needs to own mostly by playing as as second RB or a right midfielder. That just makes it impossible for Winks to thrive in our setup. I can only hope that Lo Celso brings that Dembele level intelligence back into the midfield setup. Ndombele has had a few moments but I'm not trusting him yet. My guess is he took more responsibility at Lyon than he has so far has at Spurs. He needs to get back to basics.

It's going to be a tough lesson for these midfielders. If they don't step up soon, we will get sucked into the relegation dog fight. The Dier / Wanyama option becomes more attractive every time I watch the rest fail.
 
Thought his first touch was actually a 'not so good touch' that fooled everyone around him, he used that to his advantage.... that said he actually took the goal well, shaping to put it one way before putting it the other - that surprised me about him and means IMO he does have goals in his locker....

Its quite an interesting point about the touch. If he meant it , it shows intelligence and quick thinking. My take on it is ....he saw the gap and had the head start on the defenders because he knew what he was doing so flat footed them.
 
Its quite an interesting point about the touch. If he meant it , it shows intelligence and quick thinking. My take on it is ....he saw the gap and had the head start on the defenders because he knew what he was doing so flat footed them.

I think the touch he took was tad heavy, but it was what he was trying to do i.e. put it into space to run into, so he could clearly see the space, but his touch probably wasn't as strong as he intended - either way what impressed me and what used to impress me when he was a kid was his composure in front of goal - I just wish he'd go back to that and do it more often - take that gamble, get forward and cause the opposition problems the way I used to watch him do as a kid.
 
I think the touch he took was tad heavy, but it was what he was trying to do i.e. put it into space to run into, so he could clearly see the space, but his touch probably wasn't as strong as he intended - either way what impressed me and what used to impress me when he was a kid was his composure in front of goal - I just wish he'd go back to that and do it more often - take that gamble, get forward and cause the opposition problems the way I used to watch him do as a kid.

I would like to see Winks get forward more but he would need to have that remit from Poch. Winksy played 90 minutes in both games I think for England so his fitness is not in doubt.
Interestingly Poch brought in a 16 year old into senior training to make up the numbers. Santiago I think his name is....any inside knowledge on him ?
 
I think the touch he took was tad heavy, but it was what he was trying to do i.e. put it into space to run into, so he could clearly see the space, but his touch probably wasn't as strong as he intended - either way what impressed me and what used to impress me when he was a kid was his composure in front of goal - I just wish he'd go back to that and do it more often - take that gamble, get forward and cause the opposition problems the way I used to watch him do as a kid.

He definitely gave the keepers the eyes, feigned one way and made him go to the right. He then slotted into a big space on the left. He actually made the finish look easy which is really impressive.
 
Nice story in the The Times this morning. After training Harry Winks visits a care home for dementia patients not far from the training ground. He pulls out a photo and shows it around, and one by one they recognise Jimmy Greaves. He is a legend.
 
The first game in nearly 3 years he showed he could become the new Scott Parker.

He was brilliant defensively and was class on the ball.

Great work ethic and tenacious all game.

If he plays like that every week he is in the first 11. Jose has clearly worked with him.
 
First game I have seen Winks be decisive and have a attack minded priority.

Loved it!
 
This boy frustrates me. So much ability and so much potential but somebody needs to grab him by the throat and tell him to stop being so passive. He needs to grab the game by the nuts and start bossing the midfield. Either put more work into defensive talents or work on impacting the game more in attack. At the moment he wants everything to be safe in the middle third and he hides all the damn time.