Memphis Depay

Laplacian said:

He is a striker in the same sense that Messi and Griemann are strikers. He is a former winger converted into a striker paired with another striker in Moussa Dembele, where the former is much more of a supporter and plays off the other one than the latter does. Does that not sound familiar to you? "Oh but we'll convert him to a pure number 9, don't worry."

Trying the exact same thing the 3rd time in a row and expecting different results.

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Birdy said:

He plays as a 9 in the Dutch NT with 2 other wingers on the left and right.
Koeman obviously wants to re-enact that, and not Lyon's 4-4-2

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Before that, Memphis had not played as a striker for Lyon except on one occasion against Bastia. Koeman took the risk and played Memphis up front against Portugal – the same Portugal that had won the EURO that the Netherlands had missed out on entirely. The Dutch won 3-0 and Memphis capped an impressive display with a goal.

Before the Portugal match, Memphis Depay had scored 8 goals and assisted 7 in 34 international matches matches. In the 14 games under Koeman, he has the same figures – 8 goals and 7 assists – averaging more than one goal or assist in every participation.

Whatever qualms anyone could find in his performances with Lyon, they disappear with the Netherlands. Even when his performances are subpar, he is decisive. In the Nations League semi-final, England sought to subdue Memphis, but they could not stop him being a catalyst in all three Dutch goals.

To their credit, the Portuguese had figured out how to mute their opponent’s only striker. As soon as Memphis was silenced, so were the Netherlands. Just as Memphis was integral in the Netherlands’ gameplan against England, so was his inefficacy against Portugal detrimental to the Netherlands.

At first glance, it seemed like Memphis was having another off-day, like the many others he had had with Lyon. However, what was really afoot was that Ronald Koeman had been found out.

When Koeman designated Memphis as a striker, he did give him a traditional role even if, on paper, Memphis was the only striker in 4-2-3-1 formations deployed in the Nations League finals. In reality, he played as a false nine, dropping deep to pick up the ball in midfield and construct attacks from there. As a result, many of his touches against England did not come in the final third, but in midfield.

The effect of Koeman’s plan was best on display when England, after conceding the equalizer, started seeking a goal. Enough space started opening up for Memphis to express himself. However, what is most damning in Koeman’s plan is what happened before that, while the Dutch were trailing.

Against Portugal, Memphis’ two worlds collided. With the Netherlands now a more powerful force, the opponents sat deep, as is often the case with Lyon. Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands struggled to create chances against Portugal, but it was not for lack of trying. Memphis adapted and differently from the match against England, he attempted no fewer than 7 crosses.

What does that make Memphis? The Nations League campaign showed us that the Dutchman is not quite a striker and not quite a playmaker, but somewhere in the middle. He is a false 9 that thrives not only with freedom, but most importantly in space, something that is not often generously given to Lyon.

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Laplacian said:

He has played less than 10 games as a striker for the NT LOL. The majority of his career he has played as a winger or a SS for the Dutch NT.

Also NT level sucks in comparison to Club level, which gives managers and players more freedom to try out "unconventional" roles that would otherwise not work in the club level. Coutinho worked as a CM for Brazil prior to Barcelona's purchase, does he work as a CM for Barcelona? Pogba works as a deep lying playmaker for France, does he work for United?

ALSO



Although Koeman initially experimented with him as a striker, other teams quickly found out how to shut Depay down and he evolved into his more optimal play style and played as a false 9 in the subsequent matches.

Heatmaps in two crucial games:

https://lyonoffside.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/nedeng-memphis-heatmap.png

https://lyonoffside.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/porned-memphis-heatmap.png

https://lyonoffside.com/2019/07/22/dr-memphis-and-mr-depay-the-two-faces-of-lyons-dutchman/

Even for the Dutch NT, he likes to drop deep, collect the ball, and play in the areas between midfielders and a striker. So for Lyon he's supported by a striker when he plays as an SS, and for the Dutch NT he plays as a false 9. It seems that once people's minds have been made in regards to a transfer, heat maps, stats, squad history, and so on no longer matters. There are 3 hybrid forwards in this team, 2 of them being support striker, and you still want to buy another because you think you can convert him with no substantial evidence to support that it would succeed.

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