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Eric Dier

Just really tired of watching mid table and even lower half teams having better quick 1-2 touch passing players deep in midfield than us.
Doesn't the fact that we tend to compact teams into their own half contribute to that?

I don't watch brick teams any more unless we're playing them, but I'd assume all their passers are deep in midfield because they're sitting deep.
 
Doesn't the fact that we tend to compact teams into their own half contribute to that?

I don't watch brick teams any more unless I'm a playing them, but I'd assume all their passers are deep in midfield because they're sitting deep.
I don't think so, although that's obviously a factor sometimes. Seri at Fulham, Mourinho and Neves at Wolves, Shelvey at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Høybjerg at Southampton. Just to mention a few.

Now some might disagree on some of those. And to be clear I'm not saying that they're better players than Dembele, Dier or Wanyama. Just that there are quite a few teams much lower down the table with midfielders that are better than the one's regularly starting for us in this particular aspect of the game.

Might very well be that I value that particular aspect higher than I should. But for me it's the most obvious weakness/imbalance in our wonderful squad.
 
I don't understand calls for rigidity of formation. We have frequently had a player drop back to make a three. As long as players get forward to support the attack, it shouldn't matter and what @braineclipse is calling for here is a ball player to speed up transitions.

We get fluidity playing 4-2-3-1 and flexibility too

Playing 4-3-3 or whatever we were starting vs pool doesn’t work with the players we played

Winks and Dier looked horrible and lost.... it may have worked with sissoko playing right but then we lose something else maybe
 
I don't think so, although that's obviously a factor sometimes. Seri at Fulham, Mourinho and Neves at Wolves, Shelvey at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Høybjerg at Southampton. Just to mention a few.

Now some might disagree on some of those. And to be clear I'm not saying that they're better players than Dembele, Dier or Wanyama. Just that there are quite a few teams much lower down the table with midfielders that are better than the one's regularly starting for us in this particular aspect of the game.

Might very well be that I value that particular aspect higher than I should. But for me it's the most obvious weakness/imbalance in our wonderful squad.

Neves is a player I would love I have to say

Seri form what I’ve seen looks ok but no more and lost a lot of passes yesterday
Holbergbhas never looked great any game I’ve seen but that’s been a handful at best
Shelvey is a player who plays those lovely long passes people love but doesn’t the other side well at all... he had more yellow than assists last year

It comes down to balance and we look much more balanced playing like we did yesterday
 
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i will add that there are 2 players I’ve seen this season who I think would be perfect additiona for us in CM

neves and Ndombele

Both would be £50m players but that’s the equivalent of the £15 m we paid for dembele in modern money

Both are young and would arguably have their better years here too

But I could see Neves playing for Madrid or Barca and I think someone like United, City or PSG would be all over Ndombele especially after his game vs City midweek
 
Thought Dier had a good game yesterday ( i must have been watching a different game to some on here), he is a very important player for us and still only 24 years old. Is he going to become the next whipping boy for some fans?
 
Thought Dier had a good game yesterday ( i must have been watching a different game to some on here), he is a very important player for us and still only 24 years old. Is he going to become the next whipping boy for some fans?
Already is
I have a mate who can stand him
But then doesn’t notice half the things in the game
When I told him he made two great passes for the second goal he was adamant it was Toby
 
Already is
I have a mate who can stand him
But then doesn’t notice half the things in the game
When I told him he made two great passes for the second goal he was adamant it was Toby

It does seem that way, i understand fans getting frustrated about results at times but the way they have to find a spacegoat ( and it seems Dier is that player at the moment) is way over the top. He is still 24 and played non stop football for a couple of years in several positions with hardly any rest.
 
Already is
I have a mate who can stand him
But then doesn’t notice half the things in the game
When I told him he made two great passes for the second goal he was adamant it was Toby
Yes. He also made two superb long range passes out to the right touchline first half, both inch perfect, one to Moura one to Son (I think it was). But of course they were made by Dier not De Bruyne so they couldn't really have been all that good, could they!! ;)
 
Thought Dier had a good game yesterday ( i must have been watching a different game to some on here), he is a very important player for us and still only 24 years old. Is he going to become the next whipping boy for some fans?

Already is
I have a mate who can stand him
But then doesn’t notice half the things in the game
When I told him he made two great passes for the second goal he was adamant it was Toby

Not sure the term “whipping boy” is fair when expressing an opinion on a player. When it becomes nasty and offensive like in the Sissoko thread then you may have a point. I don’t rate Dier as much as others on here and when all our defensive midfielders are fit, he is usually the one to give way.
 
Not sure the term “whipping boy” is fair when expressing an opinion on a player. When it becomes nasty and offensive like in the Sissoko thread then you may have a point. I don’t rate Dier as much as others on here and when all our defensive midfielders are fit, he is usually the one to give way.

Sissoko could score 20 goals and still be hated but Dier really does contrast opinions
 
Yes. He also made two superb long range passes out to the right touchline first half, both inch perfect, one to Moura one to Son (I think it was). But of course they were made by Dier not De Bruyne so they couldn't really have been all that good, could they!! ;)

Did a few too Trippier too

But i will agree with the comments that when not under pressure he can do that

I don’t see many who can though
 
I don't think so, although that's obviously a factor sometimes. Seri at Fulham, Mourinho and Neves at Wolves, Shelvey at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Høybjerg at Southampton. Just to mention a few.

Now some might disagree on some of those. And to be clear I'm not saying that they're better players than Dembele, Dier or Wanyama. Just that there are quite a few teams much lower down the table with midfielders that are better than the one's regularly starting for us in this particular aspect of the game.

Might very well be that I value that particular aspect higher than I should. But for me it's the most obvious weakness/imbalance in our wonderful squad.
Aren't those players in the equivalent of the Winks/Dembele role though? If Dier were playing alongside Wanyama then I could understand that comparison but in our formation he has to be a passer, but can be alongside a better one.
 
We get fluidity playing 4-2-3-1 and flexibility too

Playing 4-3-3 or whatever we were starting vs pool doesn’t work with the players we played

Winks and Dier looked horrible and lost.... it may have worked with sissoko playing right but then we lose something else maybe

I think that is a distinction that Poch wouldn't see. 4-2-3-1 with one of the three dropping back is not really different from 4-3-3. I think that he is more concerned with players positions during passages of play.
 
Watch this move again


That goals was all about taking risks and it won us 3 points
No risk in any of those passes, except the nutmeg from Trippier, but if that hadn't come off, we would probably have got a throw in. None of the other passes were risky, as we had plenty of cover had they been intercepted. That's not the sort of risk we're talking about.
 
No risk in any of those passes, except the nutmeg from Trippier, but if that hadn't come off, we would probably have got a throw in. None of the other passes were risky, as we had plenty of cover had they been intercepted. That's not the sort of risk I'm a talking about.
They are good passes in that they are quick with few touches. But they are standard for decent professional footballers to make. None as good as Dier’s pass to trippier in the first few minutes of yesterday’s game or as good as James Maddison to set up iheanacho to score Leicester’s first goal yesterday.
 
I think that is a distinction that Poch wouldn't see. 4-2-3-1 with one of the three dropping back is not really different from 4-3-3. I think that he is more concerned with players positions during passages of play.

But the formation vs pool was a 4-3-3 but the midfield looked lost
 
No risk in any of those passes, except the nutmeg from Trippier, but if that hadn't come off, we would probably have got a throw in. None of the other passes were risky, as we had plenty of cover had they been intercepted. That's not the sort of risk I'm a talking about.

His second pass of if off could have been intercepted by one of 3 players and they would have had an attack through the middle of the pitch and starting it in our half.. that’s high risk football

Are you talking about a pass back or something?
 
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