The three C's: Cabaye, Cabella and Clément Grenier

The three C's: Cabaye, Cabella and Clément Grenier.

From left: Yohan Cabaye, Rémy Cabella and Clément Grenier

Today's post is all about Newcastle United's most missed player, Yohan Cabaye A.K.A 'The Dreamboat'. Yohan Cabaye is easily better off at Paris Saint-Germain F.C, after departing Newcastle United in the January transfer window of the 2013-2014 season for roughly 19 million pounds, which is reportedly 6 million less than what we wanted for him. Sadly we failed to bring in a replacement, which is one of the reasons why Newcastle struggled to create chances in the second half of the season.

Yohan arrived at Newcastle in 2011 from Lille after they had just won the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe De France, he was described as instrumental to the team's success. Newcastle were able to snatch him for 4.8 million pound's, everyone can agree this was a fantastic bit of business for such a creative talent. We were able to get just under two and a half season's from him, which has left very proud memories within the Geordie faithful, Cabaye brought fantastic passing and stunning goal's, like his brilliant free kick against Manchester United when we beat them 3-0 at home. Also you can't forget his other major contribution to the team, his best-friend Mathieu Debuchy.

Debuchy has been an important player for Newcastle United and without Cabaye's influence I don't think we would have seen him in a Newcastle shirt. So to summarise, today's post is going to be a comparison between Cabaye, and his two possible replacement's that Newcastle United have been linked with. The two players are Rémy Cabella, an attacking midfielder from Montpellier, and Clément Grenier, an attacking midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais. I have compared all three players using statistics from the 2013/2014 season to see where the three players excel, and to pinpoint some similarities and differences.

This is a list of statistics from the 2013/2014 season for the three players:

2013/2014 Season	Yohan Cabaye	Rémy Cabella	Clément Grenier
Appearances	27 ( 11 subs)	36 (1 substitution)	29 (4 subs)
Goals	8	14	5
Assists	5	5	6
Key Passes	45	81	70
Average passes per game	50	42.4	48.1
Pass success - completed	87.63% - 1644/1900	79.8% - 1252/1569	79.15% - 1228/1585
Cross success - completed	21.1% - 23/109	26.1% - 51/195	25.32% - 59/233
Long balls success - completed	66.22% - 147/222	58.44% - 45/77	69.59% - 119/171
Through balls success - completed	33.33% - 8/24	64.29% - 9/14	100% - 1/1
Total shots - per game	89 - 2.34	101 - 2.73	87 - 2.64
Dribbles	9	47	37
Dispossessed by opposition	32	75	55
Total tackles completed	96	73	53
Interceptions	67	34	19

Yohan Cabaye

Yohan Cabaye 'The Dreamboat'

'The Dreamboat'

The statistic's in the table show Cabaye to be the most accurate passer of the ball, with a phenomenal pass success percentage of 87.63%, while Cabella and Grenier struggle to get above 80%. This is why Cabaye has a fantastic reputation as a play-maker, because he has a consistent ability to distribute the ball accurately. Also Cabaye is dispossessed less by the opposition than Grenier and Cabella, showing he not only has the technique to pass the ball in a fantastic manner, but he is efficient at doing so, which allows the team to retain possession and control the game. I think this part of Cabaye's game is also backed up by the fact in 38 games he only dribbled with the ball 9 times in total showing he relies on his passing ability to defeat opposition players while Cabella and Grenier favour dribbling past the opposition to create space and chances.

Although Cabaye is fantastic at picking out passes, it appears he doesn't create enough direct chances, with only 45 key passes, which is 25 less than Grenier, even though Cabaye has been involved in 5 more games than Clément. Also you have to take Cabaye's defensive contribution's into account, because he doesn't take that part of his game lightly either, with 96 tackles completed and 67 interceptions, showing that he is a fighter in the centre of midfield, who can win the ball and then distribute it to team mates very effectively. Furthermore, Cabaye appears to be the more defensive minded of the three, which may explain why his assist tally and key passes made don't appear to be on the same level as the other two midfielder's, because his job is to sit deep and orchestrate the play, thus making him less directly involved in the goals in comparison to Grenier and Cabella.

Rémy Cabella

Rémy Cabella. Price estimated at £15,000,000

He looks like a great player.

Remy Cabella is a 24 year old attacking midfielder who play's for Montpellier in the French Ligue 1, he is different to Grenier and Cabaye, because they are both centre-midfielder's while Cabella is a quick footed, skilful attacking midfielder, he seems more like a replacement for Ben Arfa, with the ability to play all across the midfield, but his favoured position is playing behind the striker, in a number 10 role. To me, this says he isn't a perfect replacement for Cabaye, but depending on how we set the team out next season, he could really be an important player for us, if we build the team around him. Now, immediately when you look at the statistic's the first thing that stand's out has to be goals, 14 goals from a midfielder is excellent and something we've lacked severely since Kevin Nolan left. But not only has he scored plenty for Montpellier, he has made 81 key chances, and that is great when you compare it to Cabaye, who only created 45, but this is because Cabaye played a deeper role in the midfield, in comparison to Cabella. For me, Cabella is the most exciting looking player out of him and Grenier, and this is probably why Montpellier want 15 million for him because the lad just oozes quality.

Through balls are another strength of Cabella's, with a success percentage of 64.29%, and succeeding with 9 out of 14, it may not be many but striker's require service and Cabella look's like a player who is very capable of being a big player for us, as he doesn't just create chances, he puts them away too. Dribbling is another strong part of Cabella's game, with the midfielder completing 47 dribbles last season, making him a very dangerous player to the opposition. He's capable of passing,scoring and dribbling, and not only is he a player that looks very dangerous attacking, but he's also not afraid to get his hands dirty, with the midfielder completing 73 tackles and 34 interceptions, meaning we won't have to suffer any post match interview's of blame from Pardew, saying that he doesn't contribute enough attacking or defending. Anyway he's my pick out of the two and I hope we get him as he seems to be a quality player, but quality players require quality payments so I don't think we will sadly.

Clément Grenier

Clément Grenier valued at 7 - 8 million pounds.

This video will show you what the statistics don't!

Clement Grenier is a 23 year old attacking-midfielder who plays for Olympique Lyonnais. Grenier can play centre-midfield or attacking midfield, one of his main strength's is that he is a good set piece taker, which is something our team has lacked since Joey Barton. Not to say Cabaye's free kicks weren't great but his corner's were one of my main criticism's of the player, because they were just awful. Grenier is also quite versatile, being able to play centre-midfield, attacking midfield and on either wing making him a very useful player to have in the squad, especially with how thin our squad has been over the past few seasons. Now Grenier doesn't stand out in comparison to the other two players when you look at the statistics, but he does have good aspects in his game comparable to the Cabella and Cabaye. He is a healthy mixture of the two with a good range of passing, the technique to dribble and the ability to create chances, this is shown by Grenier's ability of quality passes, also contributing to 70 key passes in the 2013/2014 season.

Furthermore, Grenier is a much better crosser of the ball than Cabaye, with roughly 1 in 4 succeeding, while current Newcastle player's struggle to hit 1 in 10, this could add something to the team that we desperately lack. Also Grenier has a reputation as a good long shot taker and free kick taker which are two qualities Cabaye brought to the team which need replaced also. To sum Grenier up I think he would be a good addition but I don't think he would be as effective as Cabella, but if trained properly could be as good as Cabaye in a more deep-lying role.

Conclusion

Finally, to sum things up we have missed Cabaye dearly, the team has struggled to create and score chances without him in the second half of the season,  so a replacement need's to be picked. Although Grenier and Cabella aren't like for like replacements for Cabaye, there is no doubt of the two player's quality. I would personally have Cabella over Grenier, he just looks like a better player, who can only improve if coached properly. But I think Grenier would be a quality signing too who could also hopefully try and fill the void left by Cabaye's sale. In an ideal world I would love to get both, because having one creative outlet isn't enough, especially with player's such as Marveaux and Ben Arfa being linked with moves away, even though Marveaux barely makes it onto the bench, so we are truly desperate for creative players that the manager can work with. In conclusion, they are both quality players in different ways, but I would favour Cabella as he just seems to stand out in comparison to Grenier.

Statistics provided by: www.Whoscored.com

He's been given more than Arfa chance!

Magician, Le-Wizard and The Hatem-bomb, these are names given to Ben Arfa, a player of clear quality, but also clear frustration to fan's and team-mate's alike. Favouring to dribble past three players than to make a simple pass to fellow team-mate's on more than one occasion. He is clearly our best technical player, and his reason's for not being first choice every week is unclear to some, but I would like to throw my opinion into why this is. Many Newcastle fan's have compared Ben Arfa to three time Ballon d'or winner Lionel Messi because of his style of play, but there is more than a couple of difference's between the pair that I will go through later. There has also been criticism's of his work rate, team work and general attitude with a slight hint of arrogance in the way the player has conducted himself. This article will involve an in depth analysis on my view's on Ben Arfa's failure to shine consistently at St.James Park.

The French Messi

Lionel Messi and Ben Arfa are both fantastic dribbler's on the ball, but what makes Messi a three time Ballon d'or winner and Ben Arfa struggle to get off of Newcastle's bench? I believe it is attitude, tactics and work rate. For one Lionel Messi is an amazing professional, and players don't have a bad word to say about him, he is respected and idolised by players and coaches alike, while Ben Arfa is frustration, inconsistency and sometimes laziness, when I've watched games that  Ben Arfa's played in, he has drifted in and out of games while having sparkling moments but nothing consistent. This could be pinned on the fact that, the manager's tactic's don't compliment Ben Arfa, because he isn't allowed a free role like Gareth Bale was at Tottenham the season before he left for Real Madrid, he was fantastic that season. Also Lionel Messi has a free role because of Barcelona's style of play, where they keep a lot of the ball, which allows him to have the chance to make something happen,without him having to track back of course. The fact Ben Arfa isn't on the same level as Messi, could also be attributed to Ben Arfa's work rate, when a player like him should be able to have an impact on any game if they wanted too enough, even if they are on the wing, but some games he just stands there and doesn't look motivated, but this could be attributed to the manager being unable to motivate the player. Furthermore with Lionel Messi you rarely see him stop, he is always running and getting into position's to make something happen, because he has the drive within himself to be the best. I have no problem's with players who don't track back, if they provide enough going forward that you can accept the laziness defensively, but the truth is Ben Arfa doesn't and this will be shown later as I compare him and Moussa Sissoko.

Arrogance

Arrogant is a term that is defined by a person having an exaggerated opinion of one's own importance. This is a term that fits Ben Arfa perfectly, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. This arrogance is what makes him the player he is, who has the confidence to beat full backs, and dribble past the opposition because no matter what, he believe's he is better than them. This can be linked with statements from the player himself claiming he wants to win the Ballon d'or. Although he's not saying he will win it, he clearly has an idea in his head that he has a chance, and this shows he has a very high opinion of how himself. This is what separates him from the top players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, they believe they are the best and know they are, but a quality both of these player's contain is humility. Humility allow's them to know that they are part of a team, and even though they are world class they need to contribute all the time. This comes from passing and acknowledging other players runs, rather than show boating and trying to take on the world, because at the end of the day football is and always will be a team sport. Also Ben Arfa's arrogance has always been a problem with arguments in various dressing room's, which left him omitted from the France squad, the same as Samir Nasri. Being a player isn't just about how you play on the pitch, it's about how you conduct yourself off of it too. I believe this is why Ben Arfa has always struggled with manager's such as Didier Deschamps' and Alan Pardew, but Pardew is more understandable after the past couple of season's, it is still no excuse to not act professional, just ask Joey Barton, his ego problem's lead to him losing his place at Newcastle which disappointed everyone, let's just hope Ben Arfa doesn't make the same mistake.

Stat Attack

One of the main criticism's that falls to Ben Arfa is that he's greedy and doesn't pass enough, I agree that more often than not he would rather go for solo glory than provide an easy pass for a team mate. This greed has led to rumours of falling out with team mate's and with the management. Also this lack of passing would be accepted if the player had more of an end product, contributing with only 13 goals and 11 assists from 79 appearances, including 29 of these appearance's being substitution's, which can make the criticism seem harsh because these substitutions could have been Ben Arfa being brought on in the last 10 minutes, especially with Pardew in charge, but you have to remember these are statistics, and they don't give a full vision of how he plays. In comparison with that though, the statistics show that in every 50 games he has played, he contributed to around 15 goals by scoring or assisting them, which is what frustrates me about Ben Arfa so much, because he has all this potential and ability but he doesn't do all that talent justice.

 The main criticism Ben Arfa always faces is passing, so I thought using some statistics to show the amount of passes he has made would be an interesting read. Since he came to Newcastle Ben Arfa has made 1752 passes in 79 appearances which does show he is willing to pass to team-mates, but I don't believe the majority are when he wants to, more than likely they occur when he has dribbled past too many players and doesn't believe he can hold onto the ball, which is useful because it allows us to retain possession. Also throughout his time here he has averaged a successful through ball percentage of 0.34% completing 10 through balls out of 29 from 79 appearances, which you really have to ask from such a creative talent, is that good enough? I don't think it is. Furthermore everyone knows he has a tendency to cut inside, rather than put in a cross for the strikers who attack the box, which I don't mind but it becomes a bit predictable and it's a team sport, so would it be so bad for him to work on his crossing for the team, which could add something else to his locker. I can back this up with the fact in 79 games he has completed 42 successful crosses in his time at Newcastle out of 183 attempts, giving Ben Arfa a cross completion record of 23%, which for a winger shows a lot to improve and backs up the fact that he lack's consistency in his all round game. Also I know I have gone on about Ben Arfa's limitations in the passing department, but he has contributed with 94 key passes in 79 appearances which does show he is capable of creating key moments,although I think the main complaint people have is that he doesn't do it enough.

These statistics I have found aren't really much use, unless I compare them with another player. So I have picked Moussa Sissoko who this season has been preferred to Ben Arfa in the right wing/midfielder position. First of all Sissoko's contribution to Newcastle United since being here is 6 goals and 9 assists in 53 appearances,which means in every 50 games he plays, he contribute's to roughly 14 goals by scoring or assisting. So as you can see from what he has provided for the team he is similar to Ben Arfa, but doing slightly better, even though they are totally different types of player. Ben Arfa is more of a dribbler, who uses his skill to beat defenders, while Sissoko is essentially a 6'1" battering ram, who uses his power and pace to take on defenders. 

The amount of passes Sissoko has made since he has been a Newcastle player is more than Ben Arfa's, with Sissoko making 2064 passes in less games, which suggests why people have an opinion that Ben Arfa is greedy but like I said they are different styles of player.Secondly Sissoko's ability to pick out through balls appears to be better than Ben Arfa's, with Sissoko completing 14 successful through balls out of 40 attempts giving him a success percentage of 35% again making them similar in that respect, this surprised me if I am totally honest, but it shows Sissoko is willing to be more of a team player, as he has attempted more forward passes in less games than Ben Arfa, so I would say Sissoko is the more positive player in that aspect. 

Thirdly we come to crossing, which is an aspect that we have been heavily critical of to the team, as we just can't seem to be able to do it consistently. Sissoko has completed 38 crosses from 143 attempts, which give's Sissoko a cross completion percentage of 27%, which is better than Ben Arfa's but still not good enough for a winger in my opinion. Also you could argue that both players have claimed so few assists from successful crosses because the standard and form of our strikers have been sporadic. The final area I have looked at is key passes, with Sissoko contributing with 104 which is very impressive, meaning he has provided more key moments than Ben Arfa in less games. This clearly explains why Sissoko has been picked ahead of Ben Arfa this season, but I can't speak for any other players because I thought comparing two players that played in the same position would only be fair.

                                                 

Should we sell or keep?

I personally would like to keep Ben Arfa, if he was able to be more consistent and more of a team player, but if he is unable to maintain consistency, then I think we should get rid. Also if he doesn't fit into the managers tactics I don't believe he should be rotting on the bench, because it's not fair on any player who wants to have a decent career. I do believe he can perform well for a team that plays to his strengths, but if we aren't going to, then our love affair with the inconsistent Hatem-bomb will have to end. He has all the technical ability to be a great player for any team, but with our club in the state that it's in I don't think he is going to have a future for us.

                                                 If only there was more of this!

(I worked out the fraction's and other data myself and i am sure they are right I triple checked them. Also for the comparisons for Ben Arfa and Sissoko I put both out of 50 games as that was easier to understand.)

Further post's will be on the Facebook page: All Aboard! The Toon Rollercoaster <Click for link

Statistics provided by: 

1. http://www.whoscored.com/Players/10194/Show/Hatem-Ben-Arfa 
2. http://www.whoscored.com/Players/29595/History/Moussa-Sissoko