Yoof
Tony Parks
Sorry, I'm not sure what you're asking. We don't know for sure how any player would fit into the team so all we can do at this point is project.
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Adrian Rabiot
- Thread starter Mumorn
- Start date
Sorry, I'm not sure what you're asking. We don't know for sure how any player would fit into the team so all we can do at this point is project.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
Not sure about any player, but I agree about Rabiot. I probably misread you then, I thought you were saying Rabiot "would fit into either" (role) as in he's capable of playing both roles at this point or soon. A bit like Bentaleb (arguably) is. If you're saying that at this point we don't know I have to agree on my own part at least, although GB and Maltese seem to be claiming to know otherwise.
I don't know many successful teams that don't have a specialist holding midfielder. I don't like the idea of two jack of all trades types...
Bedfordspurs
Chris Waddle
Real Madrid and barca effectively employ no stopper, just technically strong players who are disciplined and their light years away from any side in this league
Cochise
Steve Carr
Personally I'd like a double pivot where both players are happy to do both roles. Having one defensive midfielder and one offensive midfielder pigeon holes those players and can make the oppositions job easier. A coach could just deploy his midfielders to shut down the creative player whilst focussing less on the defensive player who lacks the imagination and technical ability to open up the opposition. Having two players that can both attack and defend means that if the opposition try to close one down then the other can still do some damage. Let's face it, Bentaleb did very well in that position this season and having two players with his physicallity, passing range and defensive reading on at the same time would be great. Certainly with the links to Schneiderlin and Rabiot we are looking at that type of player.
With all that said, I'd still like to see us switch to something akin to a midfield three (433 or 4321) with Bentaleb as the #8 and Eriksen as the #10. It's also the only formation where I can see us being able to give sufficient game time to players like Carroll, Onomah and Alli.
With all that said, I'd still like to see us switch to something akin to a midfield three (433 or 4321) with Bentaleb as the #8 and Eriksen as the #10. It's also the only formation where I can see us being able to give sufficient game time to players like Carroll, Onomah and Alli.
parklane1
Tony Galvin
That would be the happy scenario, but in our case neither of our two CM players have the defensive side of the game right. Bentaleb may turn out to be one but from what I have seen of Mason he lacks the ability/mind to read the defensive part of the game.
milo
Jack L. Jones
I think that a lot of modern coaches are prepared to sacrifice this in order to be more fluid going forward.
I think that a lot of fans would like to see a dynamic ball winner, whereas I think most coaches would prefer a player who closes off space, intercepts passes and recycles play.
parklane1
Tony Galvin
I do not disagree with most of that, however as I have said we have to have someone who has more defensive awareness then either of our two CM players. We call our defenders for being all over the place but one of the reasons for that is they have no proper cover from the players in front of them.
Bentaleb may get better at that but I see no sign in Mason that he will.
This would be ideal but how many people can do all of those things at a top level - players like that are Toure, Pogba, Busquets, Modric etc who are all unobtainable.
People who are a level down that may have the attributes but not the application are people like Dembele, Holtby etc that we already have so a difficult conundrum.
Oh yes, Barca and Real do it therefore we can replicate it right? Unfortunately its not quite that simple. When we have two or three world class CMs who seldom lose the ball then great, maybe then we can look at not needing a proper DM but until that time which isn't going to be anytime soon we will need someone with a proper defensive side to their game. These players who are great playmakers whilst having great defensive nous don't grow on trees and play for the elite unfortunately.....
milo
Jack L. Jones
It is a system that Poch used at Southampton. The difference there is that both Wanyama and Schneiderlin are naturally more defensively minded than either Bentaleb and Mason.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
Busquets is primarily a DM; only difference being that offensively he's as good as most "creative" midfielders in the Premier League... but make no mistake, his role is that DM.
Real? The team where the chair buys players like I used to collect Panini stickers (where a card of a Maradona was exchanged for 5 cards of defenders) and then expects his coach to come up with a working formation? A club that saw it's best league run when they played Sami Khedira, again primarily a DM.
Even if these were not the case, do you not think we are also "light years" away from the players these two clubs can attract and afford? So why the untenable comparison?
greatwhitenorf
Edgar Davids
Sure, it's only pre-season friendlies, but got my first first-hand look at Rabiot Saturday night and surely there is no chance PSG let this lad go.
There's a swagger to his game that every great player has. Played a deep midfield role against Benfica but ranged forward often and was menacing on several occasions. Nice eye for a pass, excellent touch on give and go plays, mazy dribbler and when his frame fills out to match his height, he'll be an imposing presence. Took no merde from anyone.
We have no chance of nicking him now. Blanc just laughed off a question about his status at the post game conference.
There's a swagger to his game that every great player has. Played a deep midfield role against Benfica but ranged forward often and was menacing on several occasions. Nice eye for a pass, excellent touch on give and go plays, mazy dribbler and when his frame fills out to match his height, he'll be an imposing presence. Took no merde from anyone.
We have no chance of nicking him now. Blanc just laughed off a question about his status at the post game conference.
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milo
Jack L. Jones
I agree. Baldini was meant to be laying on the charm in January
I
indianspur
Guest
no-one can resist the silver fox
NaijaSpurs
Les Ferdinand
Maybe because Mason is by a nature an offensive player who has been forced by Poch to play in a defensive position
parklane1
Tony Galvin
More reason why we need to get a more defensive M/F player in then.