What Do We Do With A Problem Like Mitro

[blingo]

He'll never score if we don't let him play.

Not a convincing argument considering Mitrovic has failed to find the back of the net in 40 of his last 45 appearances in the Premier League.

Who else have we got?

[Statto]

He'll never score if we don't let him play.

Not a convincing argument considering Mitrovic has failed to find the back of the net in 40 of his last 45 appearances in the Premier League.

Wait...I didn't know it was that bad.   

Some players can make the jump...some can't.

But he has also found the back of the net 13 times in his last 45 starts in the Premier League, which suggests he can make the jump

[Plodder]

We need to start giving him the ball even if its a hoof upfield

He cant do anything if he isnt getting the service

He needs to do more to get the service, especially in the penalty area, where (to my eye) he is not making enough attempt to find half a yard of space, but relies entirely on his bodily strength and ability in the air to beat the defender.  Outside the box, his work rate and body language are lamentable, and he could do a lot more for the team and his own game, but I could forgive him that if he was doing his job inside the penalty area.

[perry geyton]

Hes had zero service but he's been crap anyway, this leagues all about speed and Mitro is slow as it gets, he looks so out of shape, he looks like how I feel when I get out of bed in the morning after a night out and I'm 50
Can he still finish, I believe so yes, he's one of the best in the league with his head, maybe we should use 2 strikers, a fast one and sluggish Mitro
I've still not completely written him off yet he just NEEDS a goal, all strikers are confidence players he needs to get his mojo back

[Arthur]

He'll never score if we don't let him play.

Not a convincing argument considering Mitrovic has failed to find the back of the net in 40 of his last 45 appearances in the Premier League.

Wait...I didn't know it was that bad.   

Some players can make the jump...some can't.

What makes statistics an interesting topic for debate, in my opinion, is that they are factual information and yet open to interpretation.

And this is my interpretation. I appreciate that you (and, perhaps, others reading this) will decide whether you think it's reasonable to say it supports the view that Mitrovic lacks sufficient attributes to be expected to be an asset to a struggling P.L. team.

2018-19:
Opening 6 games - 5 goals
Remaining 31 appearances - 6 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

2020-21:
8 starts (+ 6 substitute appearances) - 2 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

At a rough calculation. Mitrovic has now played more than 2000 minutes of Premier League football since he last scored a goal in open play with his feet.

[We Are Premier League]

Suspect he will come off the bench in both of our next two games - which will be his main role in our current setup. I also think (or perhaps hope) he will score one, a sothers have said, that might be all thats needed to get his mojo back.

Tete and Bryan will suit him better than Reid and Robinson

[SouthIslandWhite]

Last 15 minutes only "emergency we need goal now!" striker. He runs as fast as he can for 15 minutes max, and if it doesn't work, oh well I guess we get relegated....again.  :dead horse:

[St Eve]

Hes had zero service but he's been crap anyway, this leagues all about speed and Mitro is slow as it gets, he looks so out of shape, he looks like how I feel when I get out of bed in the morning after a night out and I'm 50
Can he still finish, I believe so yes, he's one of the best in the league with his head, maybe we should use 2 strikers, a fast one and sluggish Mitro
I've still not completely written him off yet he just NEEDS a goal, all strikers are confidence players he needs to get his mojo back

Mmmm. Mitro and Kamara

[Statto]

What makes statistics an interesting topic for debate, in my opinion, is that they are factual information and yet open to interpretation.

And this is my interpretation. I appreciate that you (and, perhaps, others reading this) will decide whether you think it's reasonable to say it supports the view that Mitrovic lacks sufficient attributes to be expected to be an asset to a struggling P.L. team.

2018-19:
Opening 6 games - 5 goals
Remaining 31 appearances - 6 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

2020-21:
8 starts (+ 6 substitute appearances) - 2 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

At a rough calculation. Mitrovic has now played more than 2000 minutes of Premier League football since he last scored a goal in open play with his feet.

I started reading this post and raised an eyebrow at the suggestion the "opening 6 games" should be treated separately as if they don't count. "Were they just practice games then?" I chuckled to myself.

Then I saw penalties are also excluded, as if strikers' scoring stats don't always include penalties. "Wow", I thought, "this guy really is thinking creatively to find ways to undermine Mitro's record."

Then I read the last line, 2000 minutes since he last scored "with his feet." "So we're excluding headers?!!!!!" I exclaimed to myself...

Then the penny dropped. I realised the post was ironic. A joke. I have to admit Arthur, you had me going for a minute there. I thought you were being serious until I read that last line.

082.gif

[Bassey the warrior]

Hes had zero service but he's been crap anyway, this leagues all about speed and Mitro is slow as it gets, he looks so out of shape, he looks like how I feel when I get out of bed in the morning after a night out and I'm 50
Can he still finish, I believe so yes, he's one of the best in the league with his head, maybe we should use 2 strikers, a fast one and sluggish Mitro
I've still not completely written him off yet he just NEEDS a goal, all strikers are confidence players he needs to get his mojo back

There are examples of slow players being effective in the Premier League, case in point Giroud and Dzeko when he was playing for Man City. Charlie Austin was decent a few years back too and he was pretty slow.

However, if you're slow then you need to be bringing goals and link up play to the team and Mitrovic is doing neither.

He was quicker the last time we were in the Premier League, so if he works hard in training he should be able to get quicker and he also seems worse at holding the ball up, maybe lacking a bit of strength. He needs to improve on both to get games, as we can't afford to carry him whilst he gets match fit.

[Arthur]

What makes statistics an interesting topic for debate, in my opinion, is that they are factual information and yet open to interpretation.

And this is my interpretation. I appreciate that you (and, perhaps, others reading this) will decide whether you think it's reasonable to say it supports the view that Mitrovic lacks sufficient attributes to be expected to be an asset to a struggling P.L. team.

2018-19:
Opening 6 games - 5 goals
Remaining 31 appearances - 6 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

2020-21:
8 starts (+ 6 substitute appearances) - 2 goals (inc. 1 penalty)

At a rough calculation. Mitrovic has now played more than 2000 minutes of Premier League football since he last scored a goal in open play with his feet.

I started reading this post and raised an eyebrow at the suggestion the "opening 6 games" should be treated separately as if they don't count. "Were they just practice games then?" I chuckled to myself.

Then I saw penalties are also excluded, as if strikers' scoring stats don't always include penalties. "Wow", I thought, "this guy really is thinking creatively to find ways to undermine Mitro's record."

Then I read the last line, 2000 minutes since he last scored "with his feet." "So we're excluding headers?!!!!!" I exclaimed to myself...

Then the penny dropped. I realised the post was ironic. A joke. I have to admit Arthur, you had me going for a minute there. I thought you were being serious until I read that last line.

082.gif

Seeing as my post acknowledges it is no more than my interpretation - and that mine is not the only possible interpretation - your attempt to trivialise my motive for posting seems, to me, more of an act of desperation on your part.

I shall, however, do my best to address your effort to dissect my post.

If the opening games didn't count, I wouldn't have counted them. But I did: 6 games - 5 goals. Maybe our subsequent Premier League opponents did their homework on those early games and worked out how to negate Mitrovic's strengths. (And, in reference to your earlier post, while there may be P.L.-quality defenders at Championship clubs, none has an entire defence of P.L. quality. Tosin played against Burnley, but he couldn't keep out our opponents' uncelebrated forward line single-handedly.) Whatever it was, there his scoring run ended - never (yet) to be repeated. A 'false dawn' is, perhaps, an apt description for this 6-game spell; the harsher reality, in my opinion, is the ongoing 39-game spell since then.

Nor did I exclude penalties; on the contrary, they are included in his number of goals. (If they were excluded, I would have put 'exc.' But I put 'inc.'). As Mitrovic has now relinquished the role of penalty taker, it is valid to indicate how many of his goals were penalties; any future projection as to how many goals he might score would need to be adjusted accordingly.

Excluding headers? Yes, I can see there is a theme running through your post that, from a literary point of view, links the paragraphs together nicely. As an argument in Mitrovic's favour, however, it doesn't have the same impact.

If, in the aforementioned 2000-plus minutes of football, Mitrovic had a dozen headed goals, it could be argued (very likely, strongly) that his heading prowess alone is sufficient to earn a place in the starting XI. But he's scored just 3 headed goals in this time. He's never going to be a 15-goal a season striker for us at this level if he can't score with his feet.

My post did not rule out that Mitrovic could suddenly start scoring freely this season; I said the statistics suggest it cannot be expected; that it is unlikely to happen. You've had a go at picking holes in my interpretation and I've not shied away from answering your every criticism. I suggest we leave it at that.

[hongkongfulham]

If we dont get in a good striker this window, then we need to find a way to get Mitro playing - I think its pretty much that simple. Otherwise we will draw our way to relegation.

Lookman has an eye for goal, as does BDR but Cav, RLC have shown they do not thus far. We can only play it safe with known quantities for so long

[The Rational Fan]

He'll never score if we don't let him play.

Not a convincing argument considering Mitrovic has failed to find the back of the net in 40 of his last 45 appearances in the Premier League.

Wait...I didn't know it was that bad.   

Some players can make the jump...some can't.

But he has also found the back of the net 13 times in his last 45 starts in the Premier League, which suggests he can make the jump

Mitrovic has scored goals in the Premier League and for Serbia against France and Croatia in a 4-3-3 formation that is his level. Mitrovic is quality striker that can put good service into the back of the net and hold up the ball bringing people into play in the EPL or Interbationals, don't expect much more.

Mitrovic is not at the level he can score in a 7-2-1 formation as required by Parker. Tony Khan has found 7 defenders and a goalkeeper that can play the 7-2-1 formation, but failed to find strikers in our price range that can play this formation in premier league.

[MJG]

We stay up with a proper striker in the team or we dont without one.

I see it as simple as that. Parker has built his ultimate defensive team to start games now....we saw much of it in his plan b subs last year when he went to 3 cbs....but in those games we were under pressure and rode our luck at times holding out. We are now doing it for game after game.

Mitro is the best striker we have in the squad. He simply should play because we will only stay up winning games, and goals win games, and he's the best long term (rest of season) option we have. If your banking on Cav getting another 5 goals this season then go sit down and contemplate that and let me know how he will do that?

[HillingdonFFC]

We stay up with a proper striker in the team or we dont without one.

I see it as simple as that. Parker has built his ultimate defensive team to start games now....we saw much of it in his plan b subs last year when he went to 3 cbs....but in those games we were under pressure and rode our luck at times holding out. We are now doing it for game after game.

Mitro is the best striker we have in the squad. He simply should play because we will only stay up winning games, and goals win games, and he's the best long term (rest of season) option we have. If your banking on Cav getting another 5 goals this season then go sit down and contemplate that and let me know how he will do that?

Completely agree that if we're not bringing another striker in, & that ,depressingly is starting to look more & more likely then we have to find a way with Mitro
When the ship needed to be steadied & the new defenders were being bedded in I can see why he wasn't being played. We were looking to counter & defend from the front & with all the will in the world Mitro is not going to be comfortable in that system, he actually said that himself about his final days at Newcastle
Now we have to start winning games & quickly ,so as the only player with a history of scoring goals, he really has to be persevered with , either that or get another quality striker in, but can't see that happening. We can't keep drawing our way to safety
My worry and this is speaking as a big Mitrovic fan, is it's pretty evident something is not right with the player, he doesn't look as fit or as sharp as he was, body language not always great either, he now seems to cut a forlorn figure. I know it's not always easy for out of form ,low on confidence players to come in & shine when they're not regularly starting,but even last season, despite all the goals there were times where he was very quiet
As I said I love him & desperately want to see him firing again but I do worry

[toshes mate]

Statistics are not facts unless they are given meaningful context. 

As an example the number of appearances a player may make during his/her career may include last second substitutions where the player concerned does not even touch the ball before the final whistle.  As another example you may say that one hundred thousand people tested positive for an antigen but you cannot say those same people were infected by that antigen unless the test concerned was proven to be 100% accurate i.e. always correct.  You may find it disturbing that tests are very, very seldom perfect and statistics share that same tendency to confuse us because their meaning is elusive without explicit context.

A good factual statistic about FFC is that we are not scoring enough goals with or without Mitrovic.  A follow up fact is that the last time we scored three or more goals in a game Mitro was playing and our current crop of decent defenders were not.  If you want to reason out what has gone wrong then look at the players who have been used in place of Mitrovic, tell us who the direct replacement for him was, and tell us when he last scored twice in a game for us.  Then I will believe you have put a statistic about Mitro v. alternative in meaningful context.

[junior white]

We need to start giving him the ball even if its a hoof upfield

He cant do anything if he isnt getting the service

While thats true, he could go looking for the ball as well.

On Sunday we did hoof a few upfield, thats Hectors number one tactic, and he didnt get on many or go looking for them.

Love mitro he has been great for us but he is just not the player from the last few seasons at present, hopefully something ignites in side him and he hit those heights again. The mitro we had in the prem last time would be enough to help us out of the bottom 3 in my opinion

[Bassey the warrior]

I don't think we can start Mitro at the moment, not until he is in better shape. I also don't really trust our defence to be as solid with a back 4.

Mitro needs to make an impact off the bench and earn the right to start games, he shouldn't be given it based on his goalscoring record last year. I also feel Lookman can chip in with more goals so long as he plays as our main striker, rather than playing as a left winger.

[KJS]

His head is totally screwed after missing that penalty for Serbia v Scotland and unless he sorts it out he is no use to FFC

[MJG]

We stay up with a proper striker in the team or we dont without one.

I see it as simple as that. Parker has built his ultimate defensive team to start games now....we saw much of it in his plan b subs last year when he went to 3 cbs....but in those games we were under pressure and rode our luck at times holding out. We are now doing it for game after game.

Mitro is the best striker we have in the squad. He simply should play because we will only stay up winning games, and goals win games, and he's the best long term (rest of season) option we have. If your banking on Cav getting another 5 goals this season then go sit down and contemplate that and let me know how he will do that?

Completely agree that if we're not bringing another striker in, & that ,depressingly is starting to look more & more likely then we have to find a way with Mitro
When the ship needed to be steadied & the new defenders were being bedded in I can see why he wasn't being played. We were looking to counter & defend from the front & with all the will in the world Mitro is not going to be comfortable in that system, he actually said that himself about his final days at Newcastle
Now we have to start winning games & quickly ,so as the only player with a history of scoring goals, he really has to be persevered with , either that or get another quality striker in, but can't see that happening. We can't keep drawing our way to safety
My worry and this is speaking as a big Mitrovic fan, is it's pretty evident something is not right with the player, he doesn't look as fit or as sharp as he was, body language not always great either, he now seems to cut a forlorn figure. I know it's not always easy for out of form ,low on confidence players to come in & shine when they're not regularly starting,but even last season, despite all the goals there were times where he was very quiet
As I said I love him & desperately want to see him firing again but I do worry

Agree with all that pretty much, but id still play him