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Alex Telles moved to Manchester United from Porto, raising questions about the form of Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams.
The left-back was perhaps not the first position many Manchester United fans thought of in terms of areas that needed to be strengthened in the preseason, but now it is easy to see why they added Alex Telles to their ranks.
With Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams as his two left backs, most fans would have been happy, if not excited, by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s choices in the position.
Both were solid for the most part last season, though In Shaw’s case, it’s fair to say that he hasn’t reached the heights that many expected of him..
Shaw seemed destined for great things when he joined United from Southampton six years ago, and Although injury problems have affected him, it’s hard to argue that he’s better than he was when he was 18.
Williams, on the other hand, showed real promise when he broke into United’s first team. fine-tuning last season, with his progress and tenacity that earned him praise, but has seemed lacking in confidence for much of 2020.
When ties with the left-backs initially began in September, IIt seemed obvious what he felt was missing: attack output. Sergio Reguilón, who joined Tottenham, and Alex Telles were the names in dispute.
United completed a £ 15 million move for Telles on the day of the deadline, and we analyzed Opta’s data from the beginning of 2019-20 to see if it can offer something that Shaw and Williams don’t offer … FINAL PRODUCT, BUT THERE IS AN ANSWER
While there are many aspects to consider for a winger in the modern game, It’s hard to escape how ineffective United’s outspoken defenders have been from an attacking perspective. in recent seasons.
Patrice Evra, Denis Irwin, including Gary Neville and Antonio Valencia, Many United full-backs over the years have been able to offer something in the final third.Be it pace, dribbling ability, tenacity or a decent finishing ball.
With Shaw, Williams and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, fans have been feeling a bit frustrated. At first glance, this is why Telles will cheer up at Old Trafford after the international break.
The Brazilian is forward-thinking: he is a fighter, a capable dribbler and is used to making an impact in the last third., as highlighted by the 13 goals and the 10 assists that he carries to his name in the Primeira Liga since the beginning of last season.
By comparison, Shaw has scored only twice in his entire career, while neither he nor Williams have scored a goal in the Premier League since 2019-20 began.
Similary, The 63 opportunities created by Telles are three times those of Shawwhile Williams has made 13 key passes in 17 league appearances.
But here’s the catch: Telles is a set piece taker. Of those 63 opportunities he has created, only 20 were open play.. Likewise, 10 of his goals were from penalties and seven assists came from dead ball situations.
Obviously, being good at set pieces isn’t bad, but on a team that already has Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and even Marcus Rashford, one has to wonder if they will have the same opportunities.
However, even though most of their offensive output comes from set pieces, There is no question that he has a more aggressive attacking mentality than any of his new teammates.. Anyone who has seen him play will know that his main objective when getting into attacking positions is to get the ball into the box.
Telles delivered 125 crosses in open playwhile Shaw sent only 39 and Williams only 12.
Even with trying many more, the Brazilian’s accuracy compares well: 23 percent were deemed accurate, and even though that’s down to 25 percent for Williams, Telles is delivering much more frequently. Shaw found a teammate with 18 percent of his.
So while Telles’ attack figures are somewhat disproportionate for set pieces, It seems clear that United fans can expect more from him in the final third than Shaw and Williams..
A FIRM DEFENDER
United’s 6-1 beating at the hands of Tottenham was exposed, if they weren’t already the defensive deficiencies of Solskjaer’s defense.
Shaw was partly to blame for at least two of the goals and was lucky not to be sent off when he cruelly struck down Lucas Moura after being left for dead.
So, while United fans will undoubtedly be encouraged by the likelihood that Telles offers greater attacking prowess than their current options, it is also important to compare them defensively, and the fact that both Porto and the Red Devils are expected to dominate provides something close to a level playing field.
In terms of tackles, out of 41 Telles has a 65.9 percent hit rate, both better than Shaw. (55.6 percent of 36). While Williams’ success rate is higher (71.4 percent), which comes from a much smaller sample size of 21 tackles and was dribbled by opponents as often as the Brazilian (20) despite playing half the games he did.
Telles is way ahead in terms of duels, having participated in 288 to 197 for Shaw and 115 for Williams, showing that he sees a lot of participation, although his success rate of 53.5 percent is worse than the others (57.4 for Shaw, 53.9 for Williams ).
The United newcomer also excels when it comes to interceptions, doing 58 (or 1.87 for 90 minutes), while Shaw recorded 27 (1.21 for 90 minutes) and Williams 16 (1.43 for 90 minutes).
Telles should also be helped by the fact that it is a physically important unit, while his long strides and powerful running style aid both attack intent and defensive tracking.
Translating your strengths from Portugal’s Primeira Liga to the Premier League can be challenging, but certainly the data gives United fans reason for optimism.
And at a reduced price, it seems like a low risk gamble given Telles could, in theory, revolutionize the threat of attack by the team from the left.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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