Qwiss! wrote:
Ricky1985 wrote:
Talking as if Alexander-Arnold is levels above Bellerin a year into his career is exactly what I'm talking about. It's taking the success of a team, the current hype around a player, and failing to assess them objectively. See Kieran Trippier last summer for England: Similar hyperbolic statements were made. Would people stick by them now? I'd sure hope not.
Well Bellerin is underrated, Trippier way overrated. TAA has a higher ceiling than both though and has been the best RB in the PL this season, he's better than Wan-Bissaka who we pretty much all covet.
The point is Kieran Trippier is overrated now, with hindsight. 12 months ago I was getting into all kinds of debates on here because I said he was a bang average fullback. He scored a freekick and was integral to the England love story last summer so I was fighting a losing battle.
I haven't seen tons of Wan-Bissaka but enough to know that we'd be ripping into him after 5 minutes of his first game when he stands in front of his marker and has no idea how to beat him or gets a chance to put in a cross completely unopposed and hits the first man or floats it into the keeper's arms.
I'm not saying he doesn't look reasonably impressive defensively, streets ahead of Alexander-Arnold obviously, but at this point, he's another that is flavour of the month.
The other night I watched a right back I've heard raved about this season for Nice called, Youcef Atal. I could see where the excitment comes from because his dribbling was impressive, but his defending was pathetic. Worse than that even. Gelson Martins took him to the cleaners and he was caught square on more times in one game than Mustafi has this season.
You (not you personally, QS) have to remove the context and look at what these players are good and bad at outside of the protection or, lack of it, afforded by the quality of the team or suitability of the sytem they're playing.
