Cheick out this guy
- Thread starter Fabio
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Cheick Mate!!!
May as well hijack Chelsea's Olise bid while we're at it.
You’re another one that’ll be more mobile with my foot up yer hole!!!
Do not break the spell!!!
I like the concept but not as a thread title.
Thank god we can sign someone again
Did well alongside Fofana at Lens. 3 months before his move to Crystal Palace 😉:
http://sixcrazyminutes.com/threads/the-rebuild-how-would-you-plan-it.184383/page-3#post-2128273
Dated 11 Jul 2022: Cheick Doucoure: A perfect fit for Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace rebuild
[article]
Cheick Doucoure appears to be ideal for Crystal Palace under Patrick Vieira.
He has become Palace’s third-most expensive signing at €21 million (about £18.2 million), potentially rising to €25 million and has signed a five-year contract with the club. That will place a level of expectation on his shoulders, but he is accustomed to that.
At Lens, the midfielder has operated mostly “in the shadows”, offering a platform upon which Seko Fofana has been able to probe forward, dominate the space and provide an attacking outlet for a team that plays progressively and on the front foot.
They are a club with lofty ambitions who hauled themselves back from Ligue 2 into the upper echelons of Ligue 1 sooner than expected, and Doucoure, along with Fofana and former Chelsea forward Gael Kakuta, has been instrumental.
The role played by the 22-year-old does not naturally lend itself to being noticed — a midfielder primarily tasked with breaking up play and distributing the ball to more technically minded forwards.
That phrase of being in “the shadows”, of doing the unfashionable work, quietly, assiduously, crops up time after time in discussions about him. Fofana himself used the term. “He works in the shadows and is very important,” he told French newspaper La Voix du Nord.
Despite this, Doucoure has attracted attention over recent transfer windows. A defensive midfielder, he is the perfect facilitator to allow others to shine, but is equally still capable when carrying the ball forward.
Tottenham Hotspur, Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach were among the admirers last summer, but Lens held firm.
Palace have persuaded them to part with a player who has made a vital contribution since he made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2018. The performances of Fofana and Kakuta may have been the more eye-catching, but without Doucoure in that more combative role their work would have been more challenging.
The fee will bring pressure, but as a teenager he held down a regular role in that defensive midfield position. It is rare for that level of trust in such a vital position to be placed on a youngster.
“Cheick knows how to do everything on the pitch,” Fofana said. “He’s one of the best players I’ve played with. He knows how to shoot from a distance, pass, break the lines, dribble, defend. He does not feel the opposing pressure.”
For all the exciting feedback and the impressive performances from Doucoure, there are areas in which he will require development.
Despite his strong physical presence, some who have watched him suggest he may initially be vulnerable in the Premier League to agile and nimble forwards.
Doucoure is not a player who is expected to play defence-splitting passes at Palace, even if it is something he can do. There is a capability in more attacking situations, but he is suited mostly to defensive duties.
An excellent receiver of the ball who is secure in possession and suited to playing out from the back, he will slot into Palace’s side as a No 6, with Vieira expected to revert back to a midfield three, with two more attacking No 8s ahead of him.
That would mark a change from having two deeper midfielders that were used towards the end of the season. Returning to the more attacking midfield preferred in the first part of last season would put pressure on Doucoure to ensure he secures the stability of the midfield out of possession.
Vieira is eager to have choice and flexibility in his system.
At Lens, one centre-back brings the ball out and the other prefers to play it long so Doucoure was not required to drop deep to collect the ball.
He should find it relatively easy to come into the same role at Palace given Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen replicate what he is used to.
The Lens full-backs were adventurous. That may not be quite so at Palace, but the style is a familiar one and he has the potential to be an excellent fit in Vieira’s system.
In that respect, he will take the place of Cheikhou Kouyate, who is expected to leave with his contract having expired. Doucoure is more accomplished in possession than Kouyate and more suited to his specialist role.
Similarly, Doucoure is accomplished as a centre-back, but is a specialist midfielder.
This is no Conor Gallagher replacement, even if some of his metrics are similar. He will play the Kouyate and Luka Milivojevic role, but offers Palace flexibility in how they set up. He will allow the team to be built around him and has the talent and application to play a more advanced role if necessary.
This is shown below using smarterscout, which gives players a series of ratings from zero to 99 relative to how often a player performs a given stylistic action or how effective they are at it compared with others playing in their position.
He had strong defensive intensity but ranks in the 93rd percentile of Ligue 1 midfielders for progressive carries, likely influenced by the team’s more attacking style.
Despite being only 22, Doucoure has ample experience, having played more than 100 games across Ligue 1 and 2.
He is a relatively clean tackler, with seven yellow cards and one red last season, while there were eight bookings in 2020-21.
Here, during Lens’ 3-1 victory over Troyes last season, he demonstrates an ability to track his man back and make a perfectly timed tackle.
The challenge allowed the ball to run to a team-mate who brought it forward and drew a foul to relieve pressure on the defence.
In a 4-0 win over the same opposition in November, Doucoure chased the striker back from the halfway line…
He then again made a timely interception. His strong, committed challenge from behind was clean and won the ball without issue, stopping a potentially dangerous attack and regaining possession for Lens.
In April’s 3-0 win over Nice, he showcased that ability to carry the ball out from the back. Here, he picks it up deep inside his own half and brings it forward…
Then, having entered the opposition half, he plays a precise, accurate, defence-splitting through ball for a team-mate. It is an example of how he was still afforded some level of freedom given the intensity with which Lens play.
Doucoure scored one goal from 31 shots last season, 11 of which were on target. This is not surprising, again, considering the role he was asked to play. That is the same role he will be tasked with at Palace.
But that goal he did score — the second in that win over Nice — was an accomplished finish. He picked up the ball on the edge of the area, and curled it expertly beyond Walter Benitez.
These are isolated examples but it is evident that he is a versatile player who is technically capable, if not overly accomplished.
He will fit into the system preferred by Vieira. Even if there are other areas in which he might be able to improve, Palace have secured one of Ligue 1’s most accomplished young talents. The fee is not excessive, even if it represents a significant outlay for a club like Palace, and his best years are ahead of him.
They will be optimistic that Doucoure will prove to be a bargain.[/article]
http://sixcrazyminutes.com/threads/the-rebuild-how-would-you-plan-it.184383/page-3#post-2128273
Dated 11 Jul 2022: Cheick Doucoure: A perfect fit for Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace rebuild
[article]
Cheick Doucoure appears to be ideal for Crystal Palace under Patrick Vieira.
He has become Palace’s third-most expensive signing at €21 million (about £18.2 million), potentially rising to €25 million and has signed a five-year contract with the club. That will place a level of expectation on his shoulders, but he is accustomed to that.
At Lens, the midfielder has operated mostly “in the shadows”, offering a platform upon which Seko Fofana has been able to probe forward, dominate the space and provide an attacking outlet for a team that plays progressively and on the front foot.
They are a club with lofty ambitions who hauled themselves back from Ligue 2 into the upper echelons of Ligue 1 sooner than expected, and Doucoure, along with Fofana and former Chelsea forward Gael Kakuta, has been instrumental.
The role played by the 22-year-old does not naturally lend itself to being noticed — a midfielder primarily tasked with breaking up play and distributing the ball to more technically minded forwards.
That phrase of being in “the shadows”, of doing the unfashionable work, quietly, assiduously, crops up time after time in discussions about him. Fofana himself used the term. “He works in the shadows and is very important,” he told French newspaper La Voix du Nord.
Despite this, Doucoure has attracted attention over recent transfer windows. A defensive midfielder, he is the perfect facilitator to allow others to shine, but is equally still capable when carrying the ball forward.
Tottenham Hotspur, Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach were among the admirers last summer, but Lens held firm.
Palace have persuaded them to part with a player who has made a vital contribution since he made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2018. The performances of Fofana and Kakuta may have been the more eye-catching, but without Doucoure in that more combative role their work would have been more challenging.
The fee will bring pressure, but as a teenager he held down a regular role in that defensive midfield position. It is rare for that level of trust in such a vital position to be placed on a youngster.
“Cheick knows how to do everything on the pitch,” Fofana said. “He’s one of the best players I’ve played with. He knows how to shoot from a distance, pass, break the lines, dribble, defend. He does not feel the opposing pressure.”
For all the exciting feedback and the impressive performances from Doucoure, there are areas in which he will require development.
Despite his strong physical presence, some who have watched him suggest he may initially be vulnerable in the Premier League to agile and nimble forwards.
Doucoure is not a player who is expected to play defence-splitting passes at Palace, even if it is something he can do. There is a capability in more attacking situations, but he is suited mostly to defensive duties.
An excellent receiver of the ball who is secure in possession and suited to playing out from the back, he will slot into Palace’s side as a No 6, with Vieira expected to revert back to a midfield three, with two more attacking No 8s ahead of him.
That would mark a change from having two deeper midfielders that were used towards the end of the season. Returning to the more attacking midfield preferred in the first part of last season would put pressure on Doucoure to ensure he secures the stability of the midfield out of possession.
Vieira is eager to have choice and flexibility in his system.
At Lens, one centre-back brings the ball out and the other prefers to play it long so Doucoure was not required to drop deep to collect the ball.
He should find it relatively easy to come into the same role at Palace given Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen replicate what he is used to.
The Lens full-backs were adventurous. That may not be quite so at Palace, but the style is a familiar one and he has the potential to be an excellent fit in Vieira’s system.
In that respect, he will take the place of Cheikhou Kouyate, who is expected to leave with his contract having expired. Doucoure is more accomplished in possession than Kouyate and more suited to his specialist role.
Similarly, Doucoure is accomplished as a centre-back, but is a specialist midfielder.
This is no Conor Gallagher replacement, even if some of his metrics are similar. He will play the Kouyate and Luka Milivojevic role, but offers Palace flexibility in how they set up. He will allow the team to be built around him and has the talent and application to play a more advanced role if necessary.
This is shown below using smarterscout, which gives players a series of ratings from zero to 99 relative to how often a player performs a given stylistic action or how effective they are at it compared with others playing in their position.
He had strong defensive intensity but ranks in the 93rd percentile of Ligue 1 midfielders for progressive carries, likely influenced by the team’s more attacking style.
Despite being only 22, Doucoure has ample experience, having played more than 100 games across Ligue 1 and 2.
He is a relatively clean tackler, with seven yellow cards and one red last season, while there were eight bookings in 2020-21.
Here, during Lens’ 3-1 victory over Troyes last season, he demonstrates an ability to track his man back and make a perfectly timed tackle.
The challenge allowed the ball to run to a team-mate who brought it forward and drew a foul to relieve pressure on the defence.
In a 4-0 win over the same opposition in November, Doucoure chased the striker back from the halfway line…
He then again made a timely interception. His strong, committed challenge from behind was clean and won the ball without issue, stopping a potentially dangerous attack and regaining possession for Lens.
In April’s 3-0 win over Nice, he showcased that ability to carry the ball out from the back. Here, he picks it up deep inside his own half and brings it forward…
Then, having entered the opposition half, he plays a precise, accurate, defence-splitting through ball for a team-mate. It is an example of how he was still afforded some level of freedom given the intensity with which Lens play.
Doucoure scored one goal from 31 shots last season, 11 of which were on target. This is not surprising, again, considering the role he was asked to play. That is the same role he will be tasked with at Palace.
But that goal he did score — the second in that win over Nice — was an accomplished finish. He picked up the ball on the edge of the area, and curled it expertly beyond Walter Benitez.
These are isolated examples but it is evident that he is a versatile player who is technically capable, if not overly accomplished.
He will fit into the system preferred by Vieira. Even if there are other areas in which he might be able to improve, Palace have secured one of Ligue 1’s most accomplished young talents. The fee is not excessive, even if it represents a significant outlay for a club like Palace, and his best years are ahead of him.
They will be optimistic that Doucoure will prove to be a bargain.[/article]
Last edited:
He sounds exactly like a French Fabs.
I was being too creative, or just wrong?
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