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Date Posted: Thursday, January 16, 03:27:44pm
Author: eganonoa
Author Host/IP: pool-108-18-149-21.washdc.fios.verizon.net / 108.18.149.21
Subject: Adama must play!

Adama is so frustrating and yet, I believe he must play. A few reasons: (1) all our play goes down the left and, as a result, we compress play over there and leave huge amounts of space on the right for him to run into. I believe our most impressive performances came in the first 1/3rd of the season, when he was playing there; (2) his pace and power give teams pause in pressing us high, potentially relieving our defenders from some pressure; (3) he offers natural width down the right, something that is necessary if we play only one defensive midfielder and expect our right back to step in as a second DM (which certainly was the case with Tete, and looked to be the case with Castagne); and (4) he offers unparalleled aerial threat in a team that badly needs it.

To focus on the last of those points: aerial threat. For a team that crosses so frequently, and that struggles both offensively and defensively at set-pieces, we are shockingly poor in the air, yet Adama is incredible in that aspect of the game. Of the forwards we have had in those three seasons that have played enough to qualify he has the best aerial dual win percentage across his overall career and Premier League career): Adama (50% overall, 50% PL); Mitro (48% overall, 49% PL); Raul (43% overall, 43% PL), Muniz (43% overall, 42% PL). Here are some additional numbers:

---2022/23 Season: As a team we were 2nd in crosses (769) and 2nd in completed crosses into the penalty area (97), but 15th in Aerial Duel win percentage (48.2%). Our best defender was Tosin (ranking 15th in the league overall), our best midfielder was Palhinha (35th overall), and our best forward was Mitrovic (130th overall, 13th among all forwards). Adama at Wolves was the 52nd best overall and 1st among all forwards (Raul, also at Wolves, was 12th among forwards, just ahead of Mitro).
---2023/24 Season: As a team we were 4th in crosses (736) and 2nd in completed crosses into the penalty area (94), but 14th in Aerial Duel win percentage (48.9%). Our best defender was Tosin (ranking 25th in the league overall), our best midfielder was Palhinha (74th overall), and our best forward was Raul (152nd and 20th among forwards). Muniz was 161st overall and 26th among forwards. Adama didn't play enough to qualify, but his 60% success rate in the games he did play would've placed him 54th overall and 2nd among forwards.
---2024/25 Season: As a team we are 1st in crosses (473) and 1st in completed crosses into the penalty area (55), but 16th in aerial duel win percentage (48.2%). Our best defender is Diop (ranking 25th in the league overall), our best midfielder is Berge (ranking 11th in the league overall!), and our best forward is Adama (ranking 71st in the league overall and 5th among forwards). Muniz is 110th overall and 17th among forwards, while Raul is 136th overall and 28th among forwards.

Granted, his numbers might be inflated somewhat because he plays on the right and doesn't as regularly go up against the big central defenders. But irrespective, his numbers are ridiculously impressive for someone who isn't at all tall and he absolutely brings a presence that we don't have. And because we are so remarkably weak at winning balls in the air and have a real need for it given the number of crosses we put in and our struggles at set pieces, I think Adama must play. To do so, I'd move Wilson centrally into the right "no. 10 position" and have Andreas and ESR compete for the left "no 10 position".

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