Leandro Paredes

[Vesper 30,081]

16 minutes ago, Vybz Kartel said:

One potential warning though, Paredes is super slow so he might get exposed a few times 

No, he isn't super slow, that's total bollocks. I have watched him for years.

[Vesper 30,081]

25 minutes ago, Ryan Fong said:

 

I don’t believe he is slower than Cesc.

 

He isnt slow, that (the post you replied to) is a drive-by slate, I have watched him in around 20 games, pace was never an issue.

 

[!Hazard! 3,394]

1 hour ago, lucio said:

thats good, because our corners have been shocking since Mata and Lampard left

I haven't seen a good corner kick from us since Munich 2012

[Pizy 18,848]

From the 5 or so videos I've watched of his he looks about the same as Jorginho in terms of mobility. Certainly more athletic than Cesc but like Jorginho, he is susceptible if the ball is turned over quickly in midfield. 

[Vesper 30,081]

ONE TO WATCH: LEANDRO PAREDES

http://www.thewesthamway.co.uk/2018/03/16/one-watch-leandro-paredes/

Name: Leandro Paredes
Age: 23
Height: 5ft11
Team: Zenit St.Petersberg
Positions: CDM
Nationality: Argentinian

Background:
Paredes enjoyed a breakthrough season at Roma in the 16/17 season, having come through the Boca Juniors academy and being on loan at Empoli. Having made 27 appearances in the 16/17 Seria A season, he scored 3 goals and had an 88% passing accuracy, 82% dribble completion and 67% tackle succession. Surprisingly, Roma sold him to Mancini at Zenit for 25million so he has played there this season.

Overview:
Footballing countries have their own interpretations of what roles certain shirt numbers have, and in Argentina, the number 5 is the prestigious one. Paredes is a typical Argentinian number 5 who is the general, sitting at the base of the midfield, breaking up play and dictating the tempo of the match. Let’s start by assessing his defensive skills. By being a specialised number 5, he is normally the deepest player in the midfield and has an excellent positional awareness, knowing exactly when to drop back and cover defenders out of position, track runs into the box or just hold his position. What makes him extra effective is his quick acceleration when he anticipates a pass where he dashes to intercept it. Combining this with his aggression and desire to win the ball, he is a man that is hard to get around in the middle of the pitch and protects his defence very well. He is also mature with his tackles, knowing when to stay on his feet and not just dive in and give free kicks away. If we signed him this would allow us to play a flat back 4 instead of a 5 and have another attacker without being exposed like we would be now.

His pace is quite unique for a typical player you would expect to see in that position. But his qualities do not stop there. When he does win the ball he will look to drive forward himself and has the ability to go past players, using his pace and tight ball control. This would be particularly useful when setting up for the counterattack. Instead of relieving pressure by booting the ball away, particularly like we do against bigger teams when we are sat back, he can beat a man, drive forward and then has a fantastic range of passing to play to teammates who are making the counter attack runs behind.

Paredes also has a very powerful and accurate long shot, and a great whipped delivery on corners and free kicks, which is something which we have lacked since Payet left. His delivery from free kicks and corners should increase our percentages of scoring from set pieces, as the bigger players will have a quality ball to attack. What I love about him when I watch him is his range of passing. He can hit raking cross field balls with ease from both feet, he can give quick 1, 2’s when in tight areas but his best asset is that he has his head up and wants to pass forward and break the lines. Players like Lanzini and Arnautovic would benefit greatly from finding spaces if he was picking them out. He fizzes the ball to the feet of other players which makes it harder to intercept and really does put opponents under pressure. He is not bothered about backwards and sideways passing to bolster up his pass completion percentage but is really focused on breaking teams down and being effective when in possession.

If I were to compare him to someone I’d say he is a better, more athletic, Jonjo Shelvey with a more advanced disciplinary. Seeing as we were linked with him in January and are so desperate for a player of that ilk, I would love for us to scout him for the remainder of the season and make a move for him. He could potentially be going to the World Cup, so using the Argentinian link with Lanzini and Zabaleta could be an option for the club to explore in their bid to sign him. Some people will say ‘if he is that good why haven’t a top club signed him’ and to that I would say that big clubs like Madrid and Liverpool are looking at him, but there is so much competition within those squads to get a game. So, coming to the premier league into a team trying to show ambition (as the board said they would) could become an attractive prospect for him if he would be one of the most important players.

 

https://www.whoscored.com/Players/93700/Show/Leandro-Paredes

[lucio 5,418]

21 minutes ago, !Hazard! said:

I haven't seen a good corner kick from us since Munich 2012

right, in those days I expected a chance from every corner on either side. Now i barely bother watching

[Special Juan 28,088]

When we get a corner now it's a great counter attack for the opposition.

[lucio 5,418]

Imagine this dropping to jorginho/kovacic

[the wes 7,212]

I hope this deal will be done for tomorrow 

[the wes 7,212]

23 minutes ago, lucio said:

Imagine this dropping to jorginho/kovacic

I think Jorginho will be looking over his shoulder Paredes is good enough to get Jorginho benched 

[!Hazard! 3,394]

7 minutes ago, the wes said:

I think Jorginho will be looking over his shoulder Paredes is good enough to get Jorginho benched 

Its always good to have some competition. It was clear from the start that Cesc was only a backup, not a serious competitor to Jorginho

Jorginho clearly needs a break. He has pretty much been playing non-stop from mid-July

[ja1 1,166]

42 minutes ago, the wes said:

I think Jorginho will be looking over his shoulder Paredes is good enough to get Jorginho benched 

Given Sarri doesn’t rotate even with talented players in reserve and Jorginho is literally *his* player, I don’t think there’s any chance there will be competition so to speak for Jorginho’s place, more so he replaces Fab as back up. I did question this - he basically seems overqualified as a back up player in a position we will not rotate, but then it’s still good for us we have such a good player in reserve, if not good for him.