Thread by @JohnWondxr, Jadon Sancho: An Alternate and Unpopular PerspectiveThread: Not that this should matter, [...]

Jadon Sancho: An Alternate and Unpopular Perspective

Thread:

Not that this should matter, but I've watched and rewatched almost every BVB moment this season. I know what his strengths are and what his position is.

Despite being one of the most talented players in the world, I'm afraid he could follow a poor trend.

Let's throw it back a few years.

Leicester City had just won the league. Despite Jamie Vardy's immense season, Riyad Mahrez had just won the PFA Player of the Year award.

Mahrez eventually left Leicester in 2018, going to United's rival, Manchester City.

Despite still spending the past decade looking for a RW, United were not the team that signed the former POTY.

The January prior, United had signed a man by the name of Alexis Sanchez. Filling a total of zero of the roles necessary, he flopped.

Fast forward to current day United, they've finally sorted out their LW and ST situation in the form of a couple youngsters named Rashford and Martial.

The signing of Bruno Fernandes fills the 10 hole for Ole as he continues his search for a RW, the final piece of his puzzle.

Jadon Sancho, despite a being an OUTSTANDING player, is not that piece. (As of this moment in time.)

I'm also going to talk about why it's a GOOD signing and why it CAN work. That's first.

Probably the number one reason that people are infatuated with Sancho is actually his age.

There's only one other person in the world putting up numbers like this at 20.

That said, regardless of my concerns, I still expect him to adapt and learn the league. In time.

That being said, Sancho's mentality does make me question whether or not he'd put in the work to A) adapt to the league and B) learn a new position.

It's unfortunately documented that he has a questionable mentality and will show up late for training.

(FWIW, if there's a manager in the league that I want to work with Sancho's mentality, Ole is up there with Klopp and Pep. He's ruthless.)

But if you want to respond to everything I say with a simple "he will adapt", then fair enough.

Can't dispute that at all.

That said, RW is not his position in my eyes, nor does it suit the strongest parts of his game. He's perfect for a SS or a free 10.

These images below just show a few of the various areas Sancho occupies within one game.

Also, don't send me a heat map if you don't watch him.

Of course, these are all images from the same game, so here's another example using average positions from SofaScore.

Clearly seen below, Sancho most often spends his time as not only the furthest player forward, but also one of the most central players in the team.

Compared to United... there could potentially be an issue.

Bruno has been occupying the center of the field in a rigid system. Dortmund on the other hand play a dual AM system which gives Sancho the freedom to create on either side he feels while filling gaps off the ball.

By moving to United and playing in a much more rigid 4-2-3-1, a massive part of Sancho's game is completely nullified.

Adding onto this, a major part of everything he's done has been the wingbacks he plays with, and well, Shaw and AWB aren't Guerreiro and Hakimi.

Probably the smartest decision would be playing Sancho on the left.

His ability to link up with a fullback would be improved vastly by having Shaw there, while he can fill the space Bruno naturally vacates.

Bruno and Rashford give AWB the ability to sit back.

This is a position that both Rashford and Bruno have demonstrated a bit of an ability to play, and it could actually be the perfect way to let Sancho have his space.

Below are two theories of how this could also line up.

(Right image would be rotational, rest one.)

If forced to the right wing position, the entire conversation is off the rails.

While AWB may not be the worst going forward, his ability to link up with Sancho along the wing will be mediocre, at best. Dalot would be a much better fit.

More concerning, the style mismatch:

Similar to Werner, Jadon Sancho has learned how to play THROUGH the lines, not just between them. Many of his through balls and assists are actually line splitting passes.

This is a phenomenal skill against teams who play a high line, or a low block.

( @Gegenpressing91)

The issue is that United don't need more of these players to create. One of the reasons that United's attack has struggled is their lack of (intelligent) runners.

In their recent games, their forward has been the highest player while both wingers are near level with Bruno.

As the phrase goes, too many cooks in the kitchen.

Despite popular belief, taking the best players in the world and throwing them at the pitch does NOT work.

Bruno, Pogba, Sancho, Rashford, even Martial, Fred and Matic...

Who's actually going finish?

A balance is very important. Not only within a team, but also within the players themselves.

Jadon Sancho does a great job of having this balance, but considering the amount of involvement United wingers get in the box, I'm dubious as to how much he'll aid in the issue.

Another place that his play style conflicts is his dynamism. In the Premier League, almost every winger worth their own weight has explosive speed. Mane, Salah, Rashford, Mahrez, Sane, Traore...

While not slow, Jadon Sancho is just not that.

On top of the lack of dynamic speed, Sancho is also not nearly as good of a dribbler as his compilations have made him out to be. He struggles to do much in situations where he's not isolated with a defender.

Spoiler: This 1 on 1 situation isn't frequent in the Prem.

Let's take it from his good friend Rashford, who dropped a measly 6.1 rating because of Mourinho's ability to completely nullify his strength. Isolation.

Throughout the game, images like this one are everywhere. Sissoko and Aurier shutting down Rashford completely.

and the last concern I'm going to address in this thread...

I just don't know that it's good value on investment. If you can convince Greenwood to play as a RW, he'll be an outstanding inside forward.

Use the same funds towards a player like Tonali or a CB.

My closing thoughts:

- Don't tell me a winger, he's not. You will lose that fight. Nobody who watches him thinks he is.

- You can't just put good players on the pitch and pray.

- This is just my perspective on the signing, understand not everyone shares your opinion.

- If you don't watch Sancho, please don't pretend like you do..

- I've talked to a lot of people who know a LOT more than me, none of them are in favor of Sancho to United. They think it's a poor fit.

- I want to be wrong so please, pull up this thread in the future.

Anyways, I'm going to turn off Twitter for awhile in anticipation of the incoming abuse. Have fun abusing someone on the internet for a player who doesn't play for your club yet...!

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