The lack of off the ball movement kills mix's game. Kreis claims he likes one touch passing and quick ball movement, but he sticks with plodders who sit on the ball and others who stand around waiting for the ball. Do you see how long it takes Shelton to realize he's been played through the defense? Mix is absolutely not the problem. Look at the stats I posted. Jacobson and Grabavoy touched the ball 130 times together, while mix and villa got it 50 times combined. We looked like shit because our worst players had most of the ball.
Away 05/10 - Red Bulls
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
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I think people have generally overrated Mix (which isn't to say he's a bad player), but what's he supposed to do when everyone stands around with their back to the net? He's not the kind of player who's going to make blistering runs and dribble past defenders all day. He literally has nothing to work with.
I'm not arguing that in the least. He needs help, but but he's a fantastic role player - not a stud who you can build a team around.
A role player doesn't play like he did against Mexico. If layer one(defense) and layer two (defensive mids) can't get the ball properly to the attack, I don't care who is there it doesn;t work. When Mix is playing DM, he gets the ball to the attack, and they could do nothing with it when Villa was out. Kreis is blaming Mix for a bad game and avoiding the elephant in the room that its fucking grabavoy and jacobson, but god forbid grabavoy sits for one minute of our season.
Grabavoy is not the problem. He's just not. Ned's average rating on the season is only .01 lower than Villa's. His passing percentage is an 86.1%, so the "he can't pass" comments are total bullshit.
Grabavoy's very strong playing as a left mid. He's done a disservice when he's forced to play CAM - that's not his game.
Example A: his U6 shot he took from a wide open position last night
Example B: the laughable "header" against SKC
Examples C-Z: the 10 times a game he falls down off the ball when a defender brushes up against him.
He has played every minute of every game this season, and the only positive contribution I can remember is being a wall for Villa to bounce his give and go against when he scored against NE.
Well those 13.9% of missed passes seem to be the important ones.
MagnusPax
Registered
Granted he hasn't succeeded in scoring or making the "right pass". But who has on this roster? Many here keep saying "someone else" could do it. McNamara, Dunn, Poku, Easter Bunny... I don't think they can. Until NYCFC trades Saunders to Portland for Diego Valeri, Grabavoy is one of the limited options for this team. Same goes for many others called out in this super-thread. I think Kreis keeps picking certain players because he thinks they are the best. I'm inclined to think he knows more than I do.
My sister is taller than Grabavoy - you're going to start calling him out for not being Olivier Giroud?
You may not like it, but Grabavoy is, by rating, worthy of a starting midfield spot for us right now. The only players in the midfield higher rated at this stage are Mix and Ballouchy (by virtue of his two goals).
His passing percentages are the best of any midfielder getting minutes on the squad - better than Mix's, in fact. He's not the turnover machine people are making him out to be.
Grabavoy hasn't been fantastic thus far, but he's a great complementary piece being asked to do far too much. That's not his fault - it's the roster's. I'm not at all against criticism where it's warranted, but the "Grabavoy's shit" comments are just pure fucking idiocy.
I didn't say Mix sucks, but he's overrated. Everyone here did the same with Shelton. Mix can not carry a team, so he is a role player. Most are role players. I was naive to think Mix and
Sacha were even talents. But you look at Sacha and he is a leader, on a team that has talent, but lost two big players. And a team that changed coaches and play style. They are clicking. We aren't.
In the end. It's talent level. Took my wife to the game yesterday and she's a soccer novice. She even said it looks like an A team, playing a B team. And that was with a MAN UP!
Maybe it is coach. I don't know. I just don't like the whole set up.
But in the end, it looks exactly like most expansion teams should look like honestly. So just got to suck it up and deal.
Sacha were even talents. But you look at Sacha and he is a leader, on a team that has talent, but lost two big players. And a team that changed coaches and play style. They are clicking. We aren't.
In the end. It's talent level. Took my wife to the game yesterday and she's a soccer novice. She even said it looks like an A team, playing a B team. And that was with a MAN UP!
Maybe it is coach. I don't know. I just don't like the whole set up.
But in the end, it looks exactly like most expansion teams should look like honestly. So just got to suck it up and deal.
Gavin23
Registered
Kreis is a fair coach. He plays all players out of position even his RSL golden boys.
jguab2
Registered
He took off Villa because "he is coming off an injury". There's no movement off the ball on the sides or cuts through the middle, except the 2 runs by Shelton in which he was brought down by Miazga. RJ Allen gave Lloyd Sam tons of space on that first goal and neither Hernandez or Wingert decided to cover BWP, the top scorer in the league last year and our two center backs decide to go after the guy carrying the ball while leaving him wide open in front of Saunders. Mix had a horrible game, he was completely shut down by Dax McCarty.
The score could've easily ended 3-0 if it wasn't for BWP trying to go for his hat-trick on that 1v1 against Saunders instead of passing it to the right to an open teammate.
Is Kreis' position in jeopardy? It is arguable at this point in my opinion.
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He shouldn't be going anywhere soon unless someone steals him from us with a better job. Can't understand how people want him gone, who would we replace him with?
MLSSoccer.com in their preview of NYCFC vs. Chicago called this game the Gotham Derby. I think that's a better name, despite its fictionality. Then again, the Red Bulls being New York's team is also fiction, so the name makes sense.
