the_georgian_genius wrote:Alioune DVToure wrote:He's nothing like any of those players. Being 6'2" and black doth not necessarily maketh the defensive midfielder. Game-wise, he's more Gascoigne that Makelele. I honestly think the papers struggle with the concept of a black playmaker.
He's nothing like Gascoigne or Makelele. He is like the names i mentioned - Vieria, Keane and Essien and not because he is black or 6ft 2 but because his style of play is similar to Vieria, Keane and Essien.
I'm sorry but I don't agree. Keane and Vieira, as rounded as their games might have been, were primarily ball winners who would only join an attack if it were 100% safe to do so. Yaya is the type of player who:
A) Gets on the ball on the halfway line and drives the team forward at pace,and
B) Links up play around the box with incisive passing.
I'm not saying that he's the exact same type of player as Gascoigne was, but I do think that Yaya's physical appearance has caused a lot of people to misinterpret his game. He plays much higher up the pitch than Keane, Essien, Vieira etc., and is the most advanced of the De Jong, Barry, Yaya CM trio.
I also don't think he's exceptionally strong either in the air or in the tackle.