Ok so it wasn't 'crap' without Buendia but it was ineffective

This article from Bailey in Feb 2021 sets it out quite starkly if you have access to Athletic:

User Posted Link

When it was written the difference between win percentage was 49% to 6%. We had only won 1 out of 16 games without Emi. As Bailey says:

"The figures make it clear 1) Buendia is hugely influential for Farke’s side and 2) When he doesn’t play, things simply do not work as well"

Now I love Farke but the point is that it wasn't the style that people loved as much as winning lots of games with Emi, who as someone else pointed out was a 'cheat code' in the championship. Without him, the style was much less fun, which is the accusation that Smith often faces. In other words, if we win a few games, noone will be banging on about a lack of style. All people want is wins.

Posted By: Knitted Jesus, Aug 14, 13:46:44