Confirmed Signing Caleb Yirenkyi (6 Viewers)

[slondonskyblue]

I think with Yirenkyi we need to have some perspective. He is only 20, he's moved to a new country and he's being expected to boss the midfield in the toughest league in the world with zero protection from his peers. Most of us at that age had not long left school.

Hopefully he can learn fast, but I just don't think playing him alongside Grimes is giving him the protection he needs. That is the argument for playing Onyeka or even Hamer.

We have to hope he can improve game on game and increasingly become a force to be wreckoned with in this league. I do think we need to persevere with him. He has been half decent. Although his best game for us I thought was vs Forest.

The main issue is we don’t have time to bed in young players. We need signings who can hit the ground running. The longer the season goes on, the stranger the big money spent on Cherif and Yirenkyi looks. It’s all well and good saying they’ll be quality eventually, but by then we could be back in the Championship and forced to sell them for whatever we can get, leaving another club to finish developing them and take the profit.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

His heatmap shows him further forward than Yirenki tbf, generally getting about the pitch more. I know it is very fashionable to pin everything on Grimes but imo Yirenki's complete lack of contribution is a bigger problem. 3 passes into the final third for Yirenki vs 9 from Grimes.

Grimes: View attachment 55536


Yirenki: View attachment 55537

Yeah Yirenki's price tag and hype has removed him from a lot of blame so far this season.

His stats are really quite poor for a midfielder when benchmarked against those in a similar position. On the face of it he's struggled as much as Grimes.

 

[lowblocklounge]

His heatmap shows him further forward than Yirenki tbf, generally getting about the pitch more. I know it is very fashionable to pin everything on Grimes but imo Yirenki's complete lack of contribution is a bigger problem. 3 passes into the final third for Yirenki vs 9 from Grimes.

Grimes: View attachment 55536


Yirenki: View attachment 55537

Grimes played 30 minutes more and that hot centre heat map is the 3 kick offs he did. They are both too negative and don't suit a double pivot, it's being amplified more because of how poor our wingers were.

 

[CCFCSteve]

His heatmap shows him further forward than Yirenki tbf, generally getting about the pitch more. I know it is very fashionable to pin everything on Grimes but imo Yirenki's complete lack of contribution is a bigger problem. 3 passes into the final third for Yirenki vs 9 from Grimes.

Grimes: View attachment 55536


Yirenki: View attachment 55537

Yeah, I looked into all of this as I wondered if my eyes (and possibly own biases) were deceiving me when it came to grimes.

His stats from the last four games are solid enough, he’s not the problem but fans have made their minds up though. Best game was v Forest surprisingly, mainly defensive contributions but probably best midfielder on the pitch and least influential was maybe Newcastle, which I actually thought was his best game of the season. Hes quicker than i thought and its usually him and Rudi doing the most kms every game, although both usually stay on the pitch longer

 

[lowblocklounge]

Grimes stats last game

0 tackles
0 Ariel duels
0 ground duels
0 interceptions
0 fouls

 

[Offhegoes]

Yirrenkyi and Onekya need to start together to be the destroyers in the team, allowing Rudoni, Torp or Hamer to create, depending on formation. Eccles could also do a job as a destroyer, as cover. Unless we have the ball, Grimes is wasted. I'd like us to look at more of a flat midfield 3, in a 5-3-2 formation. in which you could add Hamer or Torp in there slightly ahead of Yirrenkyi and Onekya to provide some creativty. We can then play 2 strikers, or Rudoni / Gboho / BTA behind a lone forward.

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

His heatmap shows him further forward than Yirenki tbf, generally getting about the pitch more. I know it is very fashionable to pin everything on Grimes but imo Yirenki's complete lack of contribution is a bigger problem. 3 passes into the final third for Yirenki vs 9 from Grimes.

Grimes: View attachment 55536


Yirenki: View attachment 55537

That’s because they are supposed to be playing different roles.
Yirenki is there to break up the opposition attacks,Grimes is there to control games.

 

[CCFCSteve]

Grimes stats last game

0 tackles
0 Ariel duels
0 ground duels
0 interceptions
0 fouls

Anyone can hand pick stats

4 Clearances and a recovery
1 chance created
1 shot blocked
Most forward zone passes by a city player (31 - third overall)
9 passes into final third / 11 line breaking passes
89% pass completion
11.3km run (4th on pitch, second to Rudi)

I do think there’s an argument that away from home Yirenkyi and Onyeka might be a better pairing but at home we need more from attacking players

 

[Old Warwickshire lad]

Certainly wouldn’t call Grimes an attacking player.
Definitely not this season.

 

[shmmeee]

Yirrenkyi and Onekya need to start together to be the destroyers in the team, allowing Rudoni, Torp or Hamer to create, depending on formation. Eccles could also do a job as a destroyer, as cover. Unless we have the ball, Grimes is wasted. I'd like us to look at more of a flat midfield 3, in a 5-3-2 formation. in which you could add Hamer or Torp in there slightly ahead of Yirrenkyi and Onekya to provide some creativty. We can then play 2 strikers, or Rudoni / Gboho / BTA behind a lone forward.

Not checked the stats but is Rudi that creative barring crosses? Doesn’t seem to be the sort to pick a pass.

 

[lowblocklounge]

Anyone can hand pick stats

4 Clearances and a recovery
1 chance created
1 shot blocked
Most forward zone passes by a city player (31 - third overall)
9 passes into final third / 11 line breaking passes
89% pass completion
11.3km run (4th on pitch, second to Rudi)

I do think there’s an argument that away from home Yirenkyi and Onyeka might be a better pairing but at home we need more from attacking players

Nobody is questioning Grimes' ability on the ball. The issue is what he offers defensively in a two man midfield. 0 tackles, 0 interceptions and 0 ground duels is concerning when we're getting played through so easily in central areas. We are a low possession and low block side this year, it just doesn't work with him in the current set up. Running 11.3km means very little if you're not occupying the right spaces or protecting the back four.

 

[long way home]

Anyone can hand pick stats

4 Clearances and a recovery
1 chance created
1 shot blocked
Most forward zone passes by a city player (31 - third overall)
9 passes into final third / 11 line breaking passes
89% pass completion
11.3km run (4th on pitch, second to Rudi)

I do think there’s an argument that away from home Yirenkyi and Onyeka might be a better pairing but at home we need more from attacking players

Stats don't really help either way in the question is he a Prem player, because lets just take distance covered, i could run a marathon but at the end of the race i have lost, took longer and still ran the same distance. Passing forward, he has no other option then forward, he takes it off the GK or CB, where else is he going to pass it. Completion rate, again it should be high he is passing unchallenged a very high percentage of the the time due to his position on the field. Recovery and clearances, we have 40% possession as a midfielder id expect that to be higher.

Its really what he does and where he does is my issues and is he effective in that role, I like him as a player and seems a great fella. But his overall play is not of a standard of that position as a starter in the prem in my opinion.

 

[CCFCSteve]

Nobody is questioning Grimes' ability on the ball. The issue is what he offers defensively in a two man midfield. 0 tackles, 0 interceptions and 0 ground duels is concerning when we're getting played through so easily in central areas. We are a low possession and low block side this year, it just doesn't work with him in the current set up. Running 11.3km means very little if you're not occupying the right spaces or protecting the back four.

Agree but a lot of that 11km is blocking space/angles to help stop a team progressing or progressing as quickly. Even when grimes was getting the plaudits I always felt the under appreciated part of his game is covering gaps on the pitch which stops or slows attacks. This doesn’t get shown on stats like tackles or interceptions but can be as affective. Along with the clearances it’s probably part of the reason why Fulham only had the same number of shots us with double our possession.

If we want to win it back quicker and get on the front foot then Onyeka can do that better but I’m not convinced he uses the ball as well as grimes so will it be productive possession especially at home

 

[CCFCSteve]

Stats don't really help either way in the question is he a Prem player, because lets just take distance covered, i could run a marathon but at the end of the race i have lost, took longer and still ran the same distance. Passing forward, he has no other option then forward, he takes it off the GK or CB, where else is he going to pass it. Completion rate, again it should be high he is passing unchallenged a very high percentage of the the time due to his position on the field. Recovery and clearances, we have 40% possession as a midfielder id expect that to be higher.

Its really what he does and where he does is my issues and is he effective in that role, I like him as a player and seems a great fella. But his overall play is not of a standard of that position as a starter in the prem in my opinion.

I’ve read on socials about how he only passes it sideways and backwards ? I’ve just provided stats showing he did third in most line breaking passes and most forward zone passes in the team in the last game. FPs heat map also showed he wasn’t just sat inbetween the CBs

Im not saying Grimes should be nailed on starter or that we shouldn’t look to improve that position, I’m just trying to show that some of what’s being said is wrong. People have made their minds up so appreciate it’s probably not worth the bother

 

[long way home]

I agree its stats being used in certain ways. I would love to see Grimes and Caleb stats compassion, that would be worthwhile

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

His heatmap shows him further forward than Yirenki tbf, generally getting about the pitch more. I know it is very fashionable to pin everything on Grimes but imo Yirenki's complete lack of contribution is a bigger problem. 3 passes into the final third for Yirenki vs 9 from Grimes.

Yirenkyi made a pretty big contribution to Rudoni’s goal at Tottenham. Won the ball, drove it forward, got into the box to play the one-two for Rudoni to shoot.

Slim pickings maybe but it’s one more contribution than Grimes tbf.

 

[CCFCSteve]

I agree its stats being used in certain ways. I would love to see Grimes and Caleb stats compassion, that would be worthwhile

FotMob is a free app. Only downloaded it this week. Very good for game by game stats