Antoine Semenyo
- Thread starter King Binny
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Branksome Cliff?
Iraola out before he’s even in!!!!!!
We've already got one busted signing who is great at counter attacks and struggling in a team that doesn't get many opportunities to counter any more. Is that the profile we need?
Is that true though? He is currently playing in a team that has the 8th most possession, 7th most touches in the opposition box and 4th in possession won in the final 3rd.
They've scored 40% of their goals from open play.
If anything he is excellent at counter attacks but also excels in a team that have a lot of the ball and attack against a settled defence while giving us a physical presence that can press.
I think he would be excellent for us. Great ability, dribbling skills, ball carrier and works extremely hard.
Plays for a possession based team that press from the front. Bournemouth look very balanced and have attacked 43%/25%/32% in terms of left/centre/right.
Is this a reference to Isak?
It's not a Grealish at Villa situation though, is it? Bournemouth have got a bunch of creative attacking players who contribute fairly regularly, he just seems the best of the lot
Is Isak specifically great at counter attacks? Seems he's more of a clinical finisher who thrives on balls into feet in and around the box, I know he's quick and skillful, but he's not really got the strength of Semenyo, who is different again and can carry the attack, if you've got him and Ekitike doing the donkey work then Isak should really thrive on exactly that.
No, thats a SCM myth for some reason. He had more touched on the ball than any striker in the league per game last season, created more open play chances than most of them and scored 17 open play goals.
Newcastle only scored 7 goals from counter attacks, in total.
Those stats to me don't suggest a team that excels with a lot of the ball if they are only 8th in possession.
I also don't think Isak being in a counter attacking team is a myth. The eye test tells a lot more than the Opta Test.
They've scored 40% of their goals from open play, so not a counter attacking team in all honesty.
The eye test is subjective. The stats aren't.
Not sure I understand the correlation between open plan and counter attacking tbh
Bournemouth have finished 15th, 12th and 9th. Being 8th and upwards in the stats this season does suggest a more playing team imho. Compared to were they are as a team quality wise.
Not sure if relevant but;
An Opta counter-attack goal (or "Fast Break" goal) is a goal scored from an attack that starts with winning the ball in your own half, quickly transitioning defense to attack, overcoming the opponent's disorganization with speed and intensity to create a dangerous opportunity. Opta tracks these as distinct events from regular open play or set pieces, often analyzing the speed of progression and key player actions (like carries) to measure contribution
An Opta Open Play Goal is simply a goal scored from a fluid, continuous phase of the game, not from a set-piece (corner, free-kick, penalty, throw-in) or restart; Opta tracks build-up play (sequences, possessions) leading to goals, distinguishing these from dead-ball situations to provide context on attacking patterns, like how many passes or distance covered before a goal is scored from open play.
How Opta Defines Open Play
An Opta counter-attack goal (or "Fast Break" goal) is a goal scored from an attack that starts with winning the ball in your own half, quickly transitioning defense to attack, overcoming the opponent's disorganization with speed and intensity to create a dangerous opportunity. Opta tracks these as distinct events from regular open play or set pieces, often analyzing the speed of progression and key player actions (like carries) to measure contribution
An Opta Open Play Goal is simply a goal scored from a fluid, continuous phase of the game, not from a set-piece (corner, free-kick, penalty, throw-in) or restart; Opta tracks build-up play (sequences, possessions) leading to goals, distinguishing these from dead-ball situations to provide context on attacking patterns, like how many passes or distance covered before a goal is scored from open play.
How Opta Defines Open Play
- Sequence: A passage of play belonging to one team, ending in a shot, defensive action, or stoppage.
- Possession: One or more sequences by the same team.
- Phases of Play: Opta categorizes play into Transition (recovering the ball), Established Possession, Direct Long Play, and Attacking Play, all occurring within open play.
He seems to have zero confidence at the moment as well, so seems incredibly nervous in doing anything adventurous with the ball. Very different to his Newcastle days. Hopefully he can get that back because right now he’s utterly useless.
Some excerpts from the article
View: https://x.com/Ankaman61v6/status/2001581024380358978
Why clubs find Semenyo impressive
The forward’s blistering speed and finishing ability make him a potent counter-attacking threat. On top of that, he can be a clever manipulator of the ball in smaller spaces.
Semenyo’s experience across the English Football League — he had spells at Bristol City, Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland — has turned him into a forward of maximal efficiency. He’s a player capable of nutmegs, but who also understands the value of a quick drop of the shoulder, and an even quicker release of the ball to demolish a defence.
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Things are made more complicated for his opponents due to his two-footedness. If we look at the share of shots players have taken since 2024-25, Semenyo is perhaps the most ambipedal player in the league.
Semenyo is supposed to be stronger when passing and shooting off his right foot, but, remarkably, has shot slightly more with his left (55 per cent) since the beginning of last season.
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Semenyo does not have an obvious “tell” when winding up a shot or going for a cross in the same way other wingers have when deployed on their opposite flank. Force him outside, and he has the pace to beat many full-backs down the wing. Stand off too much, and he can still cut inside to get off a cross or shot.
We recommend you watch his first goal against Fulham for another instance of how many attacking tools Semenyo has in his locker — you can find it here.
Defensively, he compares favourably to many of the Premier League’s best wingers when working against the ball. Forming part of a high-pressing unit under Andoni Iraola, Semenyo is more of a front-foot defender, looking to snatch the ball off opponents who take a heavy touch or don’t check their shoulders when close to their own box.
He does not track back in the same fashion as Bournemouth’s Alex Jimenez, who played on the opposite wing at Old Trafford, but that is partially due to instruction, given much of Bournemouth’s play is centred around getting the ball to Semenyo in space after regaining possession.
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His passing ability off either foot means he can capably shift from goalscorer to goal creator when needed, but he can fall foul of hitting his through balls too quickly, missing the sort of consistent execution that separates the good from great.
But many of these weaknesses will likely change if he were to move to a bigger club, where he’ll work alongside other top forwards who can give defenders problems. His current situation feels similar to that of Sadio Mane in 2016. A decade ago, the Senegalese opted for a move to Liverpool over United.
View: https://x.com/Ankaman61v6/status/2001581024380358978
Why clubs find Semenyo impressive
The forward’s blistering speed and finishing ability make him a potent counter-attacking threat. On top of that, he can be a clever manipulator of the ball in smaller spaces.
Semenyo’s experience across the English Football League — he had spells at Bristol City, Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland — has turned him into a forward of maximal efficiency. He’s a player capable of nutmegs, but who also understands the value of a quick drop of the shoulder, and an even quicker release of the ball to demolish a defence.
=====
Things are made more complicated for his opponents due to his two-footedness. If we look at the share of shots players have taken since 2024-25, Semenyo is perhaps the most ambipedal player in the league.
Semenyo is supposed to be stronger when passing and shooting off his right foot, but, remarkably, has shot slightly more with his left (55 per cent) since the beginning of last season.
=====
Semenyo does not have an obvious “tell” when winding up a shot or going for a cross in the same way other wingers have when deployed on their opposite flank. Force him outside, and he has the pace to beat many full-backs down the wing. Stand off too much, and he can still cut inside to get off a cross or shot.
We recommend you watch his first goal against Fulham for another instance of how many attacking tools Semenyo has in his locker — you can find it here.
Defensively, he compares favourably to many of the Premier League’s best wingers when working against the ball. Forming part of a high-pressing unit under Andoni Iraola, Semenyo is more of a front-foot defender, looking to snatch the ball off opponents who take a heavy touch or don’t check their shoulders when close to their own box.
He does not track back in the same fashion as Bournemouth’s Alex Jimenez, who played on the opposite wing at Old Trafford, but that is partially due to instruction, given much of Bournemouth’s play is centred around getting the ball to Semenyo in space after regaining possession.
=====
His passing ability off either foot means he can capably shift from goalscorer to goal creator when needed, but he can fall foul of hitting his through balls too quickly, missing the sort of consistent execution that separates the good from great.
But many of these weaknesses will likely change if he were to move to a bigger club, where he’ll work alongside other top forwards who can give defenders problems. His current situation feels similar to that of Sadio Mane in 2016. A decade ago, the Senegalese opted for a move to Liverpool over United.
