Big Willie I think that's why: bloke basically just disappeared right when he should have been at his peak. He was expected to be a key player at Real Madrid or Barcelona with that kind of talent. Instead he tailed off at Valencia, went to Zaragoza who got relegated within two seasons, and then had a spell in Portugal I think. Such a sad story.
Speedster You need intelligent players to move into the space and read it quicker than the opposition.
I think this is basically the essence of football, and it can't be coached or accounted for by tactics. It's just about getting the best possible players onto the pitch together and letting them solve it. Wenger was great at this, Ancelotti too at Milan. I remember one Champions League game where they had Seedorf, Maldini and Pirlo, all in their 30s, standing around and discussing what to do on a freekick. That discussion was probably on a level way beyond any manager's coaching ability.
Speedster They whacked veron in a midfield where Keane isn't that combination player, scoles just hit perfect long diagonal balls all game. Their was nobody for him to combine with in that way.
This is why I think Nwaneri will really enter full bloom as we get more of these guys who can challenge higher up the field. Think us switching to a more direct style will really suit him. Much of modern football is too geared towards midfielders creating chances, and it's become quite easy to defend against with low blocks where you simply close off the space for them to pass the ball into. You need more maniacs who can challenge people directly and combine at pace if you want to win.
