BusiTheKing
Senior Member
Did he maybe become too much of a play-maker too early in his career and lost sight of his identity as a player when he got in over his head at Barca?
Neymar was 100% a winger at Dembele's age. He built his play-making abilities slowly and gradually by learning from Messi and synthesizing a style that complemented his way of dribbling. But he still built it off a foundation as a winger. Even in his last season for us, his primary utility was still going past people out wide, making runs, and receiving balls. Mbappe is still very much a winger. It doesn't stop him from occasionally drifting inside, but he knows where he belongs and what he can do out there.
When he came here, it seemed logical that the role Dembele had in Dortmund would slot in perfectly. He could dribble both out wide and slalom through the middle, combine with Messi, put in crosses for Suarez and utilize his newly developed play-making and passing abilities. What I think went wrong is that he got too unfocused. He didn't know where to start, so he started nowhere, when what he should have done was just going simple as a primitive winger, who could then gradually learn how to slot in his more sophisticated skillset with his new teammates.
Neymar was 100% a winger at Dembele's age. He built his play-making abilities slowly and gradually by learning from Messi and synthesizing a style that complemented his way of dribbling. But he still built it off a foundation as a winger. Even in his last season for us, his primary utility was still going past people out wide, making runs, and receiving balls. Mbappe is still very much a winger. It doesn't stop him from occasionally drifting inside, but he knows where he belongs and what he can do out there.
When he came here, it seemed logical that the role Dembele had in Dortmund would slot in perfectly. He could dribble both out wide and slalom through the middle, combine with Messi, put in crosses for Suarez and utilize his newly developed play-making and passing abilities. What I think went wrong is that he got too unfocused. He didn't know where to start, so he started nowhere, when what he should have done was just going simple as a primitive winger, who could then gradually learn how to slot in his more sophisticated skillset with his new teammates.
