34 games, 29 goals. In Championship Manager this statistic would make a player "indispensable to the club". Why then does it seem that Samuel Eto'o has been on his way out of Barcelona for the past six months? Why are other strikers being linked with the club when they already have one who is on course to be this year's Pichichi winner? On the surface it seems absurd, but for me the deeper truth is rather simple: Sammy Eto'o really isn't very good.
If you're getting ready to burn me at the stake for heresy then I can understand, but bear with me here. First of all, I'm not saying this as someone who merely witnessed him play poorly against Chelsea, but saw little else of him. At a guess I would say I've seen about 30 of Eto'o 34 games, so my opinion is by no means uninformed. That's not to suggest I am right, but that I haven't come to the conclusion using a tiny sample size. Secondly, I don't deny that Eto'o has desirable qualities. Nice eyes, perfect figure - they're all there. Oh, and he's quick, he's strong, and he can hit the ball very hard which leads to some spectacular goals, like this one. And thirdly, 29 goals is 29 goals. I don't deny the value of such a statistic, but football is not baseball, and statistics do not tell the whole story.
The whole story -- in simple terms -- is something like this: Samuel Eto'o is surrounded by world-class players who create chance after chance for him. He doesn't convert most of these chances, but because he gets so many the law of averages means that he does score some of the time. 29 goals may seem like a good return, but in the context of the season it's actually quite poor. Perhaps this is churlish of me, but remember that it's not just me who has doubts about the Cameroonian. Guardiola wanted to sell him at the start of the season, and it appears that he still wants to sell him. Does he just not like the cut of Eto'o's jib? Maybe, but I think he also see in Eto'o a profligacy and brainlessness that could cost Barcelona dearly when it comes to the upper echelons of world football - the Champions League.
I said to a couple of United fans that Barcelona will either win the final despite Eto'o, or lose if because of him. Harsh hyperbole, but some solid truth is in there somewhere. People may point to Messi underperforming against Chelsea, but you could still see the danger he possesses when on the ball. Cheslea could too, which is why three players rushed to him when he got the ball in the last minute only for him to cooly lay it off to Iniesta. Eto'o was a different proposition. He wasn't tightly marked, yet he was Barcelona's least potent player. His link up play was unimaginative, his ball retention the worst of the 11 starters, and in the first leg he missed arguably Barcelona's best chance over the two legs (though admittedly he did create the chance himself). You could apply the same description to his performances in last season's semi-final, and my prediction is that I will be saying the same thing come Thursday week.
If you're getting ready to burn me at the stake for heresy then I can understand, but bear with me here. First of all, I'm not saying this as someone who merely witnessed him play poorly against Chelsea, but saw little else of him. At a guess I would say I've seen about 30 of Eto'o 34 games, so my opinion is by no means uninformed. That's not to suggest I am right, but that I haven't come to the conclusion using a tiny sample size. Secondly, I don't deny that Eto'o has desirable qualities. Nice eyes, perfect figure - they're all there. Oh, and he's quick, he's strong, and he can hit the ball very hard which leads to some spectacular goals, like this one. And thirdly, 29 goals is 29 goals. I don't deny the value of such a statistic, but football is not baseball, and statistics do not tell the whole story.
The whole story -- in simple terms -- is something like this: Samuel Eto'o is surrounded by world-class players who create chance after chance for him. He doesn't convert most of these chances, but because he gets so many the law of averages means that he does score some of the time. 29 goals may seem like a good return, but in the context of the season it's actually quite poor. Perhaps this is churlish of me, but remember that it's not just me who has doubts about the Cameroonian. Guardiola wanted to sell him at the start of the season, and it appears that he still wants to sell him. Does he just not like the cut of Eto'o's jib? Maybe, but I think he also see in Eto'o a profligacy and brainlessness that could cost Barcelona dearly when it comes to the upper echelons of world football - the Champions League.
I said to a couple of United fans that Barcelona will either win the final despite Eto'o, or lose if because of him. Harsh hyperbole, but some solid truth is in there somewhere. People may point to Messi underperforming against Chelsea, but you could still see the danger he possesses when on the ball. Cheslea could too, which is why three players rushed to him when he got the ball in the last minute only for him to cooly lay it off to Iniesta. Eto'o was a different proposition. He wasn't tightly marked, yet he was Barcelona's least potent player. His link up play was unimaginative, his ball retention the worst of the 11 starters, and in the first leg he missed arguably Barcelona's best chance over the two legs (though admittedly he did create the chance himself). You could apply the same description to his performances in last season's semi-final, and my prediction is that I will be saying the same thing come Thursday week.
1 comment:
I just saw Forlan has something like 33 goals in 35 games this season. Obviously I've been elsewhere so haven't witnessed much La Liga. Explain.
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