I can't understand the anti Hernandez stuff. He does the job asked of him with zero fuss and maximum efficiency. He's one of the closest things to a no brainer in the Prem right now. And to say he contributes nothing but tap in goalsis to forget that he only gets them because his ability to find space, focus in front of goal and overall movement are phenomenal. He's no Zlatan or Christiano Ronaldo but then they cost far more. Purely in terms of value for money Hernandez has to be one of the best out there.
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Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous
If anything, I think that because of better conditioning and medical treatments as well as smarter rotations and minutes rationing, that at least in the NBA 38 is the new 32 (i.e. just past their prime but still a solid threat and playing at an elite level). Is it the same with league soccer?
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In theory that's true but even though players are now fitter, the game itself is arguably more physically demanding now than it's ever been, so I imagine it roughly evens out - although at 22, Balotelli's issue isn't his age or fitness but his sanity.
The issue of whether he stays or not seems ultimately down to whether City can find a team they can do a deal with that are naive enough to take a (massive) chance on him. Although his media profile is massive, his value within the game itself must have really plummeted. He cost Man City £22m. I'd be surprised if another team would pay anything like that for him now and because of financial fair play rule City can't just offload him cheap.
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in the NBA you find out their entire career averages are ruined by a few slumping years on the bench getting a fraction of the playing minutes they logged in their prime.
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I don't think football is very stat-centric to begin with. Players are too interdependent on their team mates. A good defender in a mediocre defence will likely have just as distorted a set of stats as a mediocre defender in a good defence. And some of the best players out there play in positions where their contribution can't really be translated into any meaningful number. So even the most cut and dried of stats, goals scored and clean sheets, are taken largely with a pinch of salt, at least when it comes to individuals. Going purely on the numbers, Torres was the best striker in the last Euros. Nuff said. It's possible to make a stat of whatever you want in football but whether they're really meaningful or not is another matter. I'm sure that's true of Basketball, too.