Poll: Best Winger in the PL?

Best Winger in the PL?

  • Nani

    Votes: 25 11.8%

  • A.Young

    Votes: 8 3.8%

  • Valencia

    Votes: 66 31.1%

  • Lennon

    Votes: 4 1.9%

  • Bale

    Votes: 73 34.4%

  • Walcott

    Votes: 4 1.9%

  • Oxlade Chamberlain

    Votes: 11 5.2%

  • Ben Arfa

    Votes: 10 4.7%

  • Downing

    Votes: 7 3.3%

  • Other (Please state)

    Votes: 4 1.9%
  • Total voters
    212
That's the problem you have if you're being so strict with the term, players that conform to the term as it was used 10+ years ago you could count on one hand. You're being overly picky if you ask me, it's serves the purposes of the poll to call them wingers :p.
 
Tom84 said:
What are they then?
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Inside forwards.

And no it's not a FM term, it's a term that's been applied to that posistion since the late 1800's.

They are wide players that supplement the attacking threat of the striker/s where as a wingers primary roll is to supply the forward.
(in its very simplest terms).

It's like when people used to call Beckham a winger, no he was a right midfielder.
People laughably refer to Park as a winger, he's sometimes played left midfield, he has none of the attributes required of a winger.
 
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You're right Beckham was a wide midfielder however his role was far more akin to what you're saying a winger should be :confused:

I'm trying hard not to call Valencia limited but if you're saying a winger is someone who does nothing but hug the touchline then I'd argue those players simply just dont have the ability (or confidence) to come inside and play more intricately/take shots on goal. For me the likes of Nani & Robben coming inside and getting involved is just an expression of their ability/evolution of the role.

Ronaldo & Messi are players I would class as inside forward's, neither a winger nor an out and out striker, I dont see someone like Nani ever evolving into that type of player so for me that makes him a winger.

EDIT: I do agree some on the list aren't wingers though, Downing for example I would call more a wide midfielder like Beckham, Walcott is probably best described as your inside forward (not a very good one), Ben Arfa & the OX are probably more attacking midfielders etc etc but as wedgie says for the purpose of the poll it's a lot easier to just pigeon hole them all as wingers
 
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So you are just being picky then.

Inside forward hasn't been in common use for a long time, are we supposed to keep to the strict defenition because that's what it meant in 1924? If you want to be that strict inside forward doesn't apply either, since the early examples of its use were in silly formations that had 2/3 defenders and almost everyone else in attack.

They are modern day wingers, deal with it :p.
 
<F0rb> said:
I'd say a winger generally covers any player in a wide attacking position. You have different types, but I feel there is a bit of pickiness for the sake of it here that shows nothing more than who the FM players are :P

One player I don't think is a winger though is David Silva. He used to play a wide position for Valencia in his early days but moved to a central position and during his time at city he has predominantly played centrally behind the striker as a playmaker. IMO Mata is not a winger because he also began to play centrally for Valencia and has clearly preferred playing centrally for Chelsea by way of always drifting in.

I've gone off topic there completely! I think Nani is probably the best because his best performances are better than the other players best. Valencia is definitely consistent though and offers a different option. A mention to bale also who plays in a weaker team and still supplies loads of chances and has the potential to be better than Nani IMO
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As for your first part, not really.
Modern football is littered with inside forwards, incorrectly labeled Defensive midfielders etc etc.
It's just as wrong to label Nani a winger as it is to label Vidic a sweeper.
 
The general play of a winger is to play high up on either flank and try to pick out the right crosses/passes to allow the play to develop in a forward-thinking fashion.

I think that Gareth Bale is overrated, he didn't do much in the second half of the season and I can't imagine him doing much in the up-and-coming season.

I wouldn't say that David Silva is an winger, but he's been impressive this season.
 
Silva has too much of a free role imo to be called a winger (to a lesser extent the same as Mata)

He is brilliant at what he does, but his touches on the ball are all over the pitch in a typical playmaker fashion, not like a winger at all where most of their touches are bombing up and down a yard or so from the byline
 
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Gilly said:
I said other and vote Silva.
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A winger is an attacking player that isn't a striker and is a luxury type player.

If we're playing a 4-4-2 silva is that man. He's my winger. There isn't anywhere else for him. Deal with it.
 
Gilly said:
A winger is an attacking player that isn't a striker and is a luxury type player.

If we're playing a 4-4-2 silva is that man. He's my winger. There isn't anywhere else for him. Deal with it.
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I don't agree.

I view 'wingers' as players, who look to play wide on the pitch at will supply the forwards with crosses. Valencia and Bale are quite good examples of this, they stick wide and supply balls in to the box, they primarily attack the full back.

The modern game has changed so much and 'traditional' wing play has changed so much, in a relatively short space of time (~40 years)

I don't think Silva is a winger at all, I think he's much more an attacking midfielder, who could occasionally drift a bit wider.

Each to their own though.
 
Would you have him as one of your CM's in a 442? I think that's the heart of Gilly's point, if he wants him in his team then LM is his only option because Silva would be useless as one of a pair of CM's in a 442 (a problem I suspect we're going to run into since I can't see him not being one of the top two CM's in the vote).
 
I believe what Tom's trying to do is create a team based on the results of each of these polls. It would have been better had he told us what formation he had in mind or in this poll on "wingers", maybe expanded it to include wide midfielders & wide forwards.

I voted for Bale (I don't want to have to explain why) as I assume we'll have another poll for the best "2nd striker/in the whole/off the front" player that will include the likes of Mata and Silva. If we aren't and it's going to be a 4-4-2 then I'd have wanted to pick Silva or Mata as my "winger".
 
tbh the XI at the end of these votes isn't really anything for anyone to get hung up on its just a way of cataloging all the winners of the respective polls. Very few teams of the season are named with the intention of would that XI function together or not. In the end though the formation may be dictated by the amount of votes but I haven't decided on that yet and won't until the votes for the strikers are in.
 
On any day i would take Nani over the rest. I think his biggest problem he was so close to Ronaldo i.e almost same age, same country, same team, same position, same flashy skill that most of his fan and united fans waited to see another Ronaldo but all in vain.
 
Tummy said:
I don't agree.

I view 'wingers' as players, who look to play wide on the pitch at will supply the forwards with crosses. Valencia and Bale are quite good examples of this, they stick wide and supply balls in to the box, they primarily attack the full back.

The modern game has changed so much and 'traditional' wing play has changed so much, in a relatively short space of time (~40 years)

I don't think Silva is a winger at all, I think he's much more an attacking midfielder, who could occasionally drift a bit wider.

Each to their own though.
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lennon is a far better example of an orthodox winger imo. bale drifts in a lot.
 
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