Antony

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
Judging from highlights I actually think he is closer to Salah profile than Neymar tbh.
He tries some tricks in those videos, but young player has that tendency anyway, it is where coaching (and being coachable) should make it useful
 

Laplacian

Senior Member
Judging from highlights I actually think he is closer to Salah profile than Neymar tbh.
He tries some tricks in those videos, but young player has that tendency anyway, it is where coaching (and being coachable) should make it useful

Salah looks so ugly with the ball, like a bulldog with great technique. Antony has that Neymaresque grace, i can literally nut from just watching him. I don't know about play style, but the aesthetic between the two is very much alike. Just look at how he avoids tackles whilst running with the ball, looks exactly like 2016/2017 Neymar.
 

vuji_31

Senior Member
Why not to use tricks to drubble?

I am tired of Trincao players profike that can only cut inside
 

Porque

Senior Member
This is the guy Ajax bought from Sao Paulo when we bought Gustavo Maia.

Either way then we decided to invest in Trincao instead.

How would Antony look in Barcelona and Trincao at Ajax if the roles were reversed. Would we be wishing we signed the opposite?

And last but not least Antony is on the side of Dembele so it is not as if we could give him the opportunities here to shine.

But if he continues to grow, Trincao flops and Dembele is sold then we can look at this option.
 

BBZ8800

Senior Member
He tries some tricks in those videos, but young player has that tendency anyway, it is where coaching (and being coachable) should make it useful

About tricks, this is why I hated Neymar.

Let's say that Ronaldinho was 80% efficiency and 20% trickery.
His tricks were a cherry on top, to make his game fun and not a purpose of his game.
With Ronaldinho, I always had a feeling that he wants to win, either in a simple or eyepleasing way.
The same was with R9, he was like 80-85% efficient and used tricks to score goals.

Then you have, let's say Larsson, who was 95%-99% efficiency and 5% tricks.
He always looked for the simplest way how to score or pass.

And then you have Neymar.
I would rate him: 70% of trickery, 30% of efficiency.
He is an awesome player and he scores a lot, but imo, his natural urge is not to score a goal in the simplest way but to make a show,,dribble, get on covers and create "wow" effect from the crowd.

As said, with Ronnie, I had a feeling that his natural urge was to win the match.
With Arthur, his natural instinct is not to play a forward pass but to keep possession as a must.
With Neymar, imo, when he gets the ball, his instinct is not: how to get to the box as fast as possible BUT: how to get to the box and use some crazy skills while doing that.

Again, even though Neymar scored a lot, that type of thinking is hurting your team.
Let's say it this way:
1. If a player played Larssonesque simple pass everytime he gets the ball, his teammate will receive the ball in let's say 2 seconds.
2. But if a player played a backheel or some randon clown trick everytime before the pass, in majority of cases, it will take more time and a teammate will get the ball after 3-5 seconds.
That means that a teammate will have less time and his opponent will be on his back, which means a tougher position to shoot on goal.
So, with unneeded trickery, Neymar will sometimes create wonders, but in majoriry of cases he will just waste time and the opponents will mark his teammates more easily when they will receive the pass.

And out of 100 passes per season, a guy with simple efficient passes will create let's say 25 good chances to his teammates.
While Neymar will create 10 chances out of nowhere and in other cases, his teammate will always have a man on his back due to a too late pass.

The best example of this was Neymar during Lucho.
Before and after that season, Neymar followed his instincts.
And he played too slow with too many tricks.
Yet in 2015, when Lucho ordered him to play simpler and faster, Neymar played the best football of his life.
In 2015 Neymar's purpose was not trickery but being efficient with some trickery here and there like a cherry on top.

After 2015, Neymar returned to his natural self where trickery, ballgogging, dribbling backwards and humiliating/provoking defenders is a purpose of his game and his numbers (and team's also) dropped a lot.

The same was with Cr7 when he came to Man Utd.
He was a clown.
His main purpose was to showboat, do stupid stepowers, make fun out of opponents and similar.
He turned into a Goat contender when he removed that nonsense and a clown show from his game and started to look for the simplest and the most efficient way to get to the box abd score.

Or Denilson from late 90s.
The best dribbler ever.
The most expensive transfer back then.
Yet, the most sterile player ever.
His only purpose was to dribble, dribble and dribble, yet with zero end product.
If Arthur had useless sideway passes, Denilson had useless sideway dribbles.

I have a frind of mine who always had an urge to make clown tricks while he played.
He woukd receive the ball with no one around him for 10 meters, yet he would HAVE TO make some stupid stepovers or trickery even though no one is attacking him.
We asked him 1000s of times: why, why, why are you doing that? You are slowing down the team.
He would reply: I hate boring simple passes, I just need to do some trick everytime I get the ball (even though there was zero purpose to it).

To some extent, Neymar always had the similar urge.
And that was my main feeling when I have seen this guy Antony.
He could have played a simple pass, but he looks for a backheel or a clown trick every single time.

That football style and their instincts (Neymar, young Cr7 and Antony) always reminds me of this funny video, where the main purpose of a video is to please the fans and to make clown tricks for the sake of it:
 

Porque

Senior Member
18 league games, 7 goals, 8 assists. Not exactly just clown tricks even if it is a clown league on the greater scale.
 

BBZ8800

Senior Member
18 league games, 7 goals, 8 assists. Not exactly just clown tricks even if it is a clown league on the greater scale.

My point was:
1. Neymar with clown tricks = scoring 20-30 goals. Top10 player in the world.
2. Neymar without clown tricks = the 2nd best player in the world with 40 goals

Now apply the same to Antony or every other clown player.

Whatever they do, they could be twice as efficient if they would lower the urge to make a trick above everything.
 

JamDav1982

Senior Member
My point was:
1. Neymar with clown tricks = scoring 20-30 goals. Top10 player in the world.
2. Neymar without clown tricks = the 2nd best player in the world with 40 goals

Now apply the same to Antony or every other clown player.

Whatever they do, they could be twice as efficient if they would lower the urge to make a trick above everything.

You hated Neymar the season he scored over 40 and did nothing but slate him. Going on about passing/assists etc.

When he was top for assists you still slated him.

Got it badly wrong and could never admit it.
 

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
Salah looks so ugly with the ball, like a bulldog with great technique. Antony has that Neymaresque grace, i can literally nut from just watching him. I don't know about play style, but the aesthetic between the two is very much alike. Just look at how he avoids tackles whilst running with the ball, looks exactly like 2016/2017 Neymar.


The way he tries to shoot, pass and move remind me a lot of Salah at young age during his Basel and even Mokawloon (Contractors) days.

Salah beats his man with speed and quickness and not flair, but Anthony tricks doesn't look like it will translates in big stage for me.
But then again, I didn't watch single match for him, so it might be stupid observation from me :D


My point was:
1. Neymar with clown tricks = scoring 20-30 goals. Top10 player in the world.
2. Neymar without clown tricks = the 2nd best player in the world with 40 goals

Now apply the same to Antony or every other clown player.

Whatever they do, they could be twice as efficient if they would lower the urge to make a trick above everything.

Football is entertainment, and players need to enjoy playing it, fans need to enjoy it.
You can watch our Hockey team if it is just about winning when it comes to sports.
I don't mind player sacrificing a bit for that entertainment and enjoying the game.
If they played it only the right way they will turn into 9-5 employers and this will have bigger consequences.
And honestly, I don't think R10 was less flair or "clowning" than Neymar. He was just a more natural playmaker, more talented and more importantly mire charismatic as a character. They could do the same play but Neymar is simply a guy who rubs you as arrogant while R10 is the nice guy.
 

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