Ndiaye vs MGW

[Beans]

Hi S2,

I wrote a big old article for the Pinch that just came out today, taking a bit of a statistical deep dive into whether Iliman Ndiaye is having a better season this year than Morgan Gibbs-White did last year. I looked at how they stack up on:

• Goals
• Creating
• Shooting
• Defensive work
• Availability / involvement
• Team success

Here it is if you would like a read, hopefully not too dry / stats-nerdy : https://thepinch.substack.com/p/iliman-is-on-my-mind-ndiaye-vs-mgw

Also good luck to the Pinch and the Rainbow Blades at tonight's FSA Awards!

 

[Frank the tank]

Hi S2,

I wrote a big old article for the Pinch that just came out today, taking a bit of a statistical deep dive into whether Iliman Ndiaye is having a better season this year than Morgan Gibbs-White did last year. I looked at how they stack up on:

• Goals
• Creating
• Shooting
• Defensive work
• Availability / involvement
• Team success

Here it is if you would like a read, hopefully not too dry / stats-nerdy : https://thepinch.substack.com/p/iliman-is-on-my-mind-ndiaye-vs-mgw

Also good luck to the Pinch and the Rainbow Blades at tonight's FSA Awards!

Enjoyable read

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Great article and comparison.
Last Tuesday, I was having a conversation with a stranger on this very topic at the back of Kop.... but with none of the useful statistical insight.

If offered, I wouldn't trade Ndiaye for MGW right now.

Mainly because I think we're a more capable team this season. As a unit, we are better at getting the ball to the top of the pitch and keeping it there (Norwood's up-tick has been huge for this).
Once up there, Ndiaye is the man you want. 9 goals already tells the story.

In short, MGW could carry a team in ways Ndiaye can't. But we're a more capable team this season. And Ndiaye's potency is what's needed.

 

[Champagneblade]

Enjoyable work mate. Nice reading

 

[Lightsoot]

Good read with some great stats. Direct comparisons between the two are tricky for me, mainly because MGW played slightly deeper to Ndiaye who has primarily been a second striker for us for the majority of the season so far. Although arguably MGW played as a second striker towards the end of last season due to our injury crisis.

I still think MGW is a big loss, particularly when comparing him alongside the contributions of Berge & McAtee. For me, those are the players who have been occupying similar positions on the pitch allowing Ndiaye to push forward.

The stats on Ndiaye are really encouraging. 9 goals already and averaging 84 mins per game. That’s a huge improvement on last season!

Who is the better player between the two? It’s such a subjective call and a really tough one to make.

The one lingering question I have is: Can Ndiaye single handedly dig us out of a hole when we’re struggling and the rest of the team is playing badly? I’m not sure…. although Ndiaye fans will point to the winner at Bristol City, opener vs Preston and equaliser vs Burnley as evidence.

At times last season, I felt we were a one man team with MGW dragging us out of the mire. I don’t have the stats to back my gut feeling up though.

In conclusion, two fantastic players. One sadly missed and one future superstar who we’re lucky to have currently, who might eventually go on to have a better top flight career than MGW.

 

[Beans]

Good read with some great stats. Direct comparisons between the two are tricky for me, mainly because MGW played slightly deeper to Ndiaye who has primarily been a second striker for us for the majority of the season so far. Although arguably MGW played as a second striker towards the end of last season due to our injury crisis.

I still think MGW is a big loss, particularly when comparing him alongside the contributions of Berge & McAtee. For me, those are the players who have been occupying similar positions on the pitch allowing Ndiaye to push forward.

The stats on Ndiaye are really encouraging. 9 goals already and averaging 84 mins per game. That’s a huge improvement on last season!

Who is the better player between the two? It’s such a subjective call and a really tough one to make.

The one lingering question I have is: Can Ndiaye single handedly dig us out of a hole when we’re struggling and the rest of the team is playing badly? I’m not sure…. although Ndiaye fans will point to the winner at Bristol City, opener vs Preston and equaliser vs Burnley as evidence.

At times last season, I felt we were a one man team with MGW dragging us out of the mire. I don’t have the stats to back my gut feeling up though.

In conclusion, two fantastic players. One sadly missed and one future superstar who we’re lucky to have currently, who might eventually go on to have a better top flight career than MGW.

His improved fitness levels are such a big deal I think, massive credit to him (and United's conditioning team, for once!) for it. I can't imagine we'd be having as good a season if he was only able to play about 60 minutes per game as he was last season. Massive step up in just one preseason.

 

[Greenwich Blade]

Hi S2,

I wrote a big old article for the Pinch that just came out today, taking a bit of a statistical deep dive into whether Iliman Ndiaye is having a better season this year than Morgan Gibbs-White did last year. I looked at how they stack up on:

• Goals
• Creating
• Shooting
• Defensive work
• Availability / involvement
• Team success

Here it is if you would like a read, hopefully not too dry / stats-nerdy : https://thepinch.substack.com/p/iliman-is-on-my-mind-ndiaye-vs-mgw

Also good luck to the Pinch and the Rainbow Blades at tonight's FSA Awards!

Lovely stuff. It reminds me of an article in Flashing Blade back in the days when we had Simon Tracey and Alan Kelly vying for the goalkeeper's shirt at the Lane. They marked both 'keepers on all the things you'd expect such as shot-stopping, distribution, command of area and so on, and when everything was totted up at the end, they were dead level.

 

[bakeblade]

Hi S2,

I wrote a big old article for the Pinch that just came out today, taking a bit of a statistical deep dive into whether Iliman Ndiaye is having a better season this year than Morgan Gibbs-White did last year. I looked at how they stack up on:

• Goals
• Creating
• Shooting
• Defensive work
• Availability / involvement
• Team success

Here it is if you would like a read, hopefully not too dry / stats-nerdy : https://thepinch.substack.com/p/iliman-is-on-my-mind-ndiaye-vs-mgw

Also good luck to the Pinch and the Rainbow Blades at tonight's FSA Awards!

Excellent work mate, players such as MGW and Iliman are fantastic to watch and only come around occasionally.
We've been lucky to have them these last 2 seasons.

 

[Sharpestblade]

Fantastic article, if this was in The Athletic I'd be hitting the "Awesome" smiley button at the bottom. Like the way you ended with the "Iliman is on my mind". Something tells me you might just have done this sort of thing before

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Beans would be interested to hear your thoughts again on this one at the end of the season.