Jay Socik Profile picture
Sep 7, 2020 11 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Final thread.....Ethan Ampadu!

No data profile from here due to lack of senior minutes BUT plenty of video to go into below......
So where will he play? Will he play? What's he good at?

My belief is EA covers RCB, DM & if needed CB.

RCB - Can he drive out of the defense ala Chris Basham?

This is in a back 4 for Wales in recent game vs Bulgaria. I love this clip for a whole lot of overlapping CB reasons.
Ampadu will immediately be the most 2 footed player in the Blades squad. He's right footed, but look at his ability, technique and range he has on his left foot.

His composure to lift his head and try chipped passes like this rather than just lofted longer passes is a key skill
He's everything Wilder will want in a Blades defender. He's mobile, quick across ground & very very aggressive as well as strong. This is no kid. He likes a challenge.
Further examples of the passing range and 2 footedness. Another excellent pickout progressing ball to his target man. Mcburnie's control would feed off this type of ball.
His composure under pressure could add a real dimension to our ability to play out from the back. Last season Blades would go direct from their own half and look to build in opposition half. EA has the ability to pick those longer passes very accurately.
We've seen that type of driven pass before! This clip whilst not an "accurate" pass is everything that's great about Norwood, awareness to drop and receive, technique to drive ball with speed to switch play. This is why i think Ampadu could push Oli hard at the base of the MF.
Another clear example of his passing range and again in similar mould to Norwood. Positionally and passing wise he's a great fit.
One more for the road, the technique is so similar to Oli, not seen many drive ball low with speed with like that, breaking lines and gaining distance and progressing his team up the pitch.
Love this clip. Shows him at DM. Strong in tackle, well positioned to shield defence then the skill, composure and resistance to break the challenge and drive away with the ball before picking the pass to release pressure.
In all he's such an exciting signing because he's versatile, has serious technical quality but has the size, physicality and aggression to match the ability. He knows he'll need to fight to start games but i wouldn't be surprised if he got minutes at DM!
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More from @Blades_analytic

Feb 6, 2021
Lots of dicussion about sufc/CW/PA relationship, recruitment etc. My opinoin....

This is a pretty sad thing to be played out so publically from both sides. There's a clear disconnect between 2 that seems beyond repair & that normally only ends in 1 way, which is the way....
no Blades fan should want this to go, CW not being here long term.

To the question of the recruitment. We clearly do not invest budget into the club that others do. We clearly don't have scope to compete with 95% of PL clubs.

The budget will have been known before....
identifying players. So every club in this country starts talking to agents/clubs to find out what is financially viable. To say we identified Watkins, Cash, Eze, Robinson, Swift & Davies & didn't get them is a bit of a nonesense. There's over 60m in fees there and countless....
Read 13 tweets
Feb 6, 2021
Swansea look ruthlesssly efficient & hard to play against. Be interesting to see if they can continue to out perform their undelying numbers. 27.4 xGA only 15 conceded. Huge over performance there. Defence looks solid (27.4 xGA is still good for division) but this run....
Of low goals conceded doesn't look sustainable. On attacking side 30.5 xGF with 35 goals scored. Mid table underly attacking metrics.

Love the structure & development Cooper has given to some players many had wrote off BUT may be a tad early to have them as sure things.
Note we are in February now. At some point xG stops being as predictive compared to results. Sheff Utd had a similar run in their promotion season defensively. So can be done. But Swana xGD is playoff level currently. Interesting case study to see how it pans out
Read 7 tweets
Feb 3, 2021
Liverpool went from over performance & clinical finishing last season to under performance and being wasteful this.

The difference? My take - game state. Last season Liverpool took lead in 29/38 matches avg 2.83 points from those games.
They spent a league high 44.3 mins per game on avg leading. Per game they created approx 1.08 xG (inc pens) when leading but actually scored 1.18 goals per game when ahead. So they scored 1st often, controlled the game flow, created a whole xG when ahead and were clinical....
This season Liverpool have scored 1st in 12/21 games (57%) averaged 2.33 points from those games. This season Liverpool have spent 30 mins per game on average leading games.

They've had to chase results more, play against deeper/more compact defences & when they have created...
Read 4 tweets
Dec 29, 2020
Wayne Rooney by the way has improved Derby County a ridiculous amount.
Also Bielik is every the bit the player alot of people including me said he was! No coincidence their upturn in form as been linked to his recovery from injury and starting games!
I'm not one particuarly for +/- stats BUT......
With Rooney on the pitch Derby were a much worse side. Whether that be him, his usage rate, the dependancy or fact they had to shoe horn him in he's much better in the dugout than on the pitch
Read 4 tweets
Dec 29, 2020
Cracking journey from CW/AK and the lads though. For players that have spent their careers in L2/L1 and Champ to do what they've done is incredible. Won't ever be forgot by me whatever happens for the rest of the season. Natural time to turn over a few/recycle and mix it up.
When i say mix it up, i don't believe in changing the system. It's a sufc blueprint now, the academy play same shape and same patterns. The club is locked in to this and thank god we have a style of play concurrent throughout the club...
Say what you will about systems etc but ultimately it worked for 4 years. It hasn't been found out at all the player playing in it right now aren't doing their jobs, aren't making right calls or showing enough quality. System can't do that for them.
Read 4 tweets
Dec 29, 2020
Here's the crux now.

We are going to be relegated. No doubt. So we now have to plan for the Championship. Chris will want 2 1st team players in January but if they aren't here after 6 months I hardly see the point. Play players who will be starting in the Championship now...
Ampadu now needs to come out the team. He's impacting it for the negative and he isn't here come start of next season. People might moan but get Norwood back in now. Play 3-4-1-2 as that's what we will play in the Championship. Mcburnie & Brewster as front 2 as....
they are the future (i thought Brewster was poor really poor today) but whether you like it or not that is our biggest 2 investments and the youngest forwards we have on long term deals. They are the future. Play them together. Alot. Plan recruitment for summer NOW....
Read 4 tweets

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