Disagree and thus this goes nowhere. You think he should be playing a certain way. He's not going to be.Originally Posted by jloome
Sorry, I like what you write normally, but when it comes to defensive input by a striker, I trust Justin Morrow a bit more. Team as a whole thinks he's doing more then fine. That's good enough for me.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 05-10-2016 at 04:09 PM.
Altidore not scoring is only a problem if we aren't winning. We've been getting results lately and he's clearly played a role in getting them, so I'm happy with him. But sooner or later you do figure he needs to start scoring in order for us to keep getting the results.
I posted at the end of last year about how Altidore simply didn't take enough shots. Altidore only took 37 shots last year - it's such a small amount that every shot essentially becomes more important, because if you miss a big chance, at that rate of shooting you might have to wait a whole other game or two to get another opportunity. 13 goals was a great haul for him last year on that number of shots. The xG model says he finished with over 5 more goals than you would've expected (sort by G-xG), good for what you could say made him the 3rd best finisher in the league last year. The issue is if he takes a similar number of shots this year, but his finishing is even just slightly worse, he'll end up on the wrong side of 10 goals. Whereas if he takes double the shots, even with worse finishing he'll be passing 15 goals.
I also mentioned that Altidore finished the year with 0 assists and that we should expect him to pick up a few this year. Well, he's got 2 already. I attribute that to his improved hold up play and mobility (credit to him for improving his fitness over the off-season). So it's good to see him being even more involved in our general play.
Still, he needs to be a bigger threat around the goal by shooting more. 50 shots would be a respectable number. 50 shots should be enough that he has a reasonable year, and if he can finish near the same level that he did last year, it'll be a lot more than reasonable. Factoring in games remaining and that Altidore will be missing at least a few, he needs to average somewhere around 2 shots a game, maybe slightly more, to hit 50. That's not so much - remember, all these numbers are shot attempts, not shots on target. It's actually incredible that Altidore scored 13 last year - of those 37 shots he took, 18 of them were on target. When he shot on target, he scored 72% of the time. Crazy.
He would probably manage a few more shots on goal if Seba passed more to the open man. I know he is the best the league has but sometimes he shoots from some low percentage areas when there are other options open. That and also because I have seen Endoh, Delgado, and Osorio pass up open men, Jozy included, to hunt for Seba. I know he can make something of nothing but when he shatters the league record in shots on goal then the other forward(s) will be missing out on scoring opportunities. That never seems to be factored in on why Jozy and Osorio are having less scoring chances.
For sure. Giovinco is our first option by a mile and he's incredibly shot-happy, so that eats into how many chances Altidore can get for himself. But that's also why I targeted 50 shots instead of something higher. Some comparables last year with similar minutes played or less: Aristeguieta (50 shots), Agudelo (54), Saborio (54), Igboananike (66). None of those guys were primary chance creators, nor were they guys that the offense is designed around feeding (hence why you can't really compare Altidore to Kamara's shot totals for example). So while I factor in that Altidore plays with a playmaker that takes way more shots than any of those guys played with, I'd also like Altidore to be more of a consistent threat than all those guys too.
I think Altidore just needs to be a tad more selfish around the box, really. I saw him try so many first-time flicks and lay-offs near the goal last year. Sometimes the right play really is to just turn and shoot. It feels like he only shoots when he knows he can score, but I'd like to see him shoot when he thinks he might score too.
For the folks who always say Jozy doesn't live up to his price tag and who are obsessed with what players get paid and seem only to care about goal production to judge a forwards worth, how about this:
Going by last year:
Seba made $7M and Jozy $4M. So he makes roughly 57% of Seba's salary.
Seba scored 22 goals and Jose got 13. So roughly 59% of his goal totals.
Going by what I've read a lot of people say about Jozy this year and last, I think this should solve the question of his worth for them. Is it right? No, but neither is judging a player solely by goals scored.
In the spirit of the thread, props to the man. Nice work. Nothing else to say.
I think everyone needs to wait. He hasnt had a healthy run of games yet in toronto where he is 100%. He really blew up in his 2nd season at alkmaar. I personally think Copa America will boost his confidence if he can grab some goals and stay healthy. He looked ready to light up the league before the hammy. Also he isnt the main guy here, Gio is. Jozy will get his goals but wont be scoring 25+ because gio is the main scorer.
An example is what benzema is to ronaldo.
15/16 season:
Benzema-28 goals
Ronaldo-49 goals
15/16 season:
Giovinco-22 goals
Altidore-13 goals
I love what I am seeing from Altidore. That is why I started the thread.
However, I have to agree, that he could/should take a couple of more shots per game. Not go crazy, with the shots alla Giovinco, but a shot a game is two low. Despite that I still think that we are getting a top level CF, and he is worth the money.
Interesting re-reading this thread.
Altidore has come up big in the playoffs, and now that the club is managing to keep him healthy he has turned into a huge asset. I love how he links up with Giovinco and he has the power to muscle more physical teams.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
ya definitely! I was critical of the big man when he was not scoring earlier this year, but I'm very happy to hold my hands up now.....Jozy has been in pure beast mode the past couple of months....the way he tossed Cabrera aside on the 2nd gosl was beautiful.....did it again a coupe of minutes later near midfield.....he's been great down the stretch!
Remember, it's called a "love tap," not tossing somebody aside. Altidore said so himself.
This was from May, pretty much bang on. He got 10 in 23 games, plus has 4 in 4 playoff games.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
That's 14 total
What a turn around - thinking back to that low point in May when he missed the PK, I thought he was done - shattered confidence. What a beautiful turnaround - you just have to love it!
When he scores 2 on Wednesday and a couple more on the 10th of December and ends with 18goals Trane is going to look foolish!That's 14 total
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote