I've always been confused to why people use that as an insult. A huge part of football is being in the right place on the pitch anywhere, at any time, and to be a "tap-in merchant," you've got to consistently have the instinct and ability to be in the right place to do the single most decisive thing in the game. It is.... not easy. Pippo Inzaghi was one of my favorite players, because he just was always in the right place in the six-yard box at the right time to score. If being a "tap-in merchant" was easy, any player with half a brain would just loiter in the six yard box and net 20+ a season. But the vast, vast majority cannot, because consistently being in the right place at the right time is one hell of a skill.
@@Prederick Because tap ins are hugely dependent on team service and role and can frankly be scored by a lot of players, football hipsters have gone too far in deifying tap ins as some of of cerebral pinnacle because they dont get that. Most strikers would have the brains to read rebounds and to know to move between CBS and to the backpost, just most strikers dont play for city and modern strikers usually have more responsibility to be fluid rather than just stick inbetween the posts Edit: for those asking about jesus I've responded to another reply in this chain explaining in detail, but basically jesus still gets waaay more chances than players like kane vardy etc, is more fluid than haaland so has less tap in responsibility and is an objectively bad finisher
@@Prederick a huge part but not the only part. That's the point of using it as an insult, to describe someone being one-dimensional. Tap-ins are important but they shouldn't be all a player has.
@carrot2556 You're simplifying it way too much. Gabriel Jesus was in this city team for years and couldn't score a quarter of the "tap-ins" that Haaland can. There is skill in being in the right place at the right time. If it is because city is a great side why didn't Jesus score that much? He's been celebrated at Arsenal for being a good player which he is. But Haaland is a class above and has the natural instinct that Jesus doesn't have
As a defender I can tell its freaking hard to defend a back post attack. You can stand between the attacker and the goal but this makes you weak for a first post run and it denies off-side. The next best thing is standing on the inside between the ball, the goal and the attacker but this you have the opponent in your back or having a eye on your opponent means you have your back to the goal, which makes you weak for runs. This means you are screwed any way if the crossball is good/perfect.
Mark Carey is freed from the scattergram. Mark Carey is freed from the scattergram. The scattergram is no longer his prison, and now Mark can kill again.
I think Haaland has the best off-the-ball skillset in the world right now. He is the best classic 9 of this era. Even though his on-the-ball skills are somewhat limited, they are generally offset by his positioning, spatial awareness, and finishing abilities.
Nketia has 0.79 npxg/90 this season compared to kanes 0.52 and vardys historical around 0.4. Chances and tap ins are mostly determined by teammates and how attacking your role is - lewandwoski kane benzema far more fluid than poachy- unless kane watches in awe and jealousy at how nketia can stand in between CBs
@@jotarokujo9587 Yeah heatmaps bare this out, kane and lewandwoski about 40 touches per game with spread heatmaps, kane increases when he plays false 9, haaland low 20s for touches and benzema about 50, benzema and haaland role and involvement wise are like firmino and vardy which is a huge factor in haalands superior numbers- and jesus aguero had more touches and fluid heatmaps than haaland as well
I'm surprised the percentage for Man City has gone up so much. A few years ago it felt like Sterling scored a back-post tap-in every other week. And I don't think it helps to include header chances with those at foot-height; headers are much less likely to lead to goals. In general, weaker teams hit crosses to a forward (like Fulham and Mitrovic); teams with more talented players get behind the defensive line and square the ball across the 6 yard box for an easy finish beyond the keeper.
If the central space in defense needs extra cover, that should always be the work of central/defensive mids, 6s and 8s. Fullbacks should never be pulled to the center like that, unless the happen to have a winger in front of them who is really dedicated to coming back and helping with defense. Then if they pull to the center that winger covers for them on the flank. However I still think covering for CBs should be the job of Mids not fullbacks.
But he doesn't graft as hard as Wout "runs his socks off" Carthorse- I mean Weghorst. Or so the Man Utd chin stroking faithful would have you believe .
Man city win over liverpool gets a video.. but Newcastle(which is above liverpool and playing in a more interesting match up against a top 4 rival) demolish man utd does not. The big 6 bias is strong in this one.
