I actually only 3 players who have performed better than Nagatomo. Palacio, Alvarez and Campagnaro, and even Campagnaro hasn't still returned, so not sure if his overall contribution is so large). Am I so biased, just blind, or are you just talking about your own team in PES or Fifa?
Before we get to Nagatomo, lets ask what it means to be an effective player given a specific position on the field. Each position requires the retainment of a number of primary attributes that are absolutely essential; other characteristics are secondary, but they can become more important (depending on the role occupied on the pitch).
Thereby, a lack of needed characteristics for a certain position results in the player being deemed "ineffective".
Lets now look at the wingback position, and what characteristics are needed there. Basically their role to the team is to provide both defensive and offensive width. They are tasked with the dual responsibilities of going forward and tracking back. That being said, the wingback is more important in the offensive side of the game than the defensive, although teams that utilize WBs that generally lack defensive ability typically have CMs that can cross and cover the width of the pitch.
The *best* scenario is to have wingbacks with strong defensive and offensive ability; e.g. someone like Zuniga. What this allows is the ability to form a back four easily if needed, and to also allow the CMs to cover width. Moreover, the wingbacks can also cover the central midfield and the wings if needed.
Thereby, positioning for those respective players would occur on an "ad hoc" basis tbh.
THe definition of defensive ability is fairly standard, but what does it mean to have "offensive" ability? Imo it's the ability to link up with other players, cross, and speed/dribbling down the wings.
Nagatomo links up fairly well tbh, but he's shit at crossing and terribly inconsistent in his dribbling. He typically performs against the lesser teams in Serie A rather than CL or Scudetto contenders; the only truly strong performance I've seen of him was in our win against Juventus (then again, Guarin was also one of the best players in that match).
All that being said, he is a very useful player, especially considering his versatility, and I see him as a VERY valuable option for rotation (if we manage an improvement over our current WBs).
- - - Updated - - -
so how else a STRIKER should be assessed for his price other than goal?
open room for other player?doing well in the match? remind me of allegri and matri
top scorer and golden boot are there for a reason
It's ridiculous for any argument to simply rely on statistics.
Statistically, Kovacic was a more effective dribbler last season than Messi; can we really say that the Croatian is better than the Argentine in this regard?
Statistically, Ranocchia was one of the best CBs in Europe in the first half of last season; can we really say that the Italian's performances were at this level?
Statistically, the only better player in Europe than Alvarez is Messi; can we also say that this is a reasonable conclusion to make?
Because we CAN field a lineup without the presence of Guarin; moreover, as previously noted, I would LOVE if we could replace him with a more effective box to box midfielder
