Harry Maguire

[CWMCFC]

Why would we move one of the very best defensive midfielders in the world, so key to our success, out of position?

Very strong chance Rodri will be first choice by new year meaning that Fernandinho can be utilised as a utility player when he doesn't need to start at DM. We can afford to move one of the very best defensive midfielders in the world, because we just signed one of the other very best DMs.

I think if Fernandinho is to continue his career here on a more long term basis, his future will partly be at CB as he ages. He has the ability to be very good in this position.

Pep's played him there before in the past, but hasn't needed to, nor been afforded the opportunity to play him there more due to having no proper DM cover. Reports that he will be 4th choice next season haven't just been plucked from thin air.

 

[CWMCFC]

It baffles me why people are opposed to using Fernandinho at centre back. I completely understand he’s not the tallest and won’t win as many aerial duels as Maguire but that’s such a small part of the game, especially now we’ve got the additional height and aerial presence of Rodri at 6’3” which we’ve not had previously. Rodri’s size will help us at set pieces and he’ll also provide a shield against long balls into the more physical strikers.

To me it just means we push even higher up the pitch and give Ederson even more responsibility in mopping up the long hopeful punts, he only wore gloves in 50% of the games last season to protect himself from frost bite.

People are so fixated on height when it comes to CBs. Put Fernandinho up against Stones in an aerial duel and I'm backing the former, despite being significantly shorter.

 

[80s Shorts]

There's literally one example people use when touting a CM to move to CB, and it's always Mascherano.

Why people automatically then apply that theory to any aging CM is beyond me. It's not a done thing, Mascherano was the exception, not the norm. The guy was never that great in CM to begin with - certainly no where near Fernandinho's level.

Rodri will get his chance and game time, it's a long season and as we've seen Fern might need a lighter workload due to injury risk. As already said, the guy is one of if not the best in the world in his position - playing him in anything other than CM is madness, unless we're desperate.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

There's literally one example people use when touting a CM to move to CB, and it's always Mascherano.

Why people automatically then apply that theory to any aging CM is beyond me. It's not a done thing, Mascherano was the exception, not the norm. The guy was never that great in CM to begin with - certainly no where near Fernandinho's level.

Rodri will get his chance and game time, it's a long season and as we've seen Fern might need a lighter workload due to injury risk. As already said, the guy is one of if not the best in the world in his position - playing him in anything other than CM is madness, unless we're desperate.

Vincent...

 

[Coatigan]

There's literally one example people use when touting a CM to move to CB, and it's always Mascherano.

Why people automatically then apply that theory to any aging CM is beyond me. It's not a done thing, Mascherano was the exception, not the norm. The guy was never that great in CM to begin with - certainly no where near Fernandinho's level.

Javi Martinez, Beckebauer , boateng, deRossi (and back), medel, yaya toure (and back again).. and on occasion, fernandino..

 

[caseball]

Dinho's good enough in the air but the arrival of a tall DM should make it more likely that Dinho can sometimes be used at the back. He's got the speed to cover the open field against counterattacks and he's tactically very smart. At CB he won't be required to do as much legwork. That doesn't mean he'll never play in midfield. He and Walker would make a very quick pairing for snuffing out counters.

 

[RandomJ]

People are so fixated on height when it comes to CBs. Put Fernandinho up against Stones in an aerial duel and I'm backing the former, despite being significantly shorter.

I'm seeing some right shite being written about Stones on here lately. You do know that Stones statistically won more balls in the air per game than both Kompany and Laporte last season right? On top of being a far better passer. He makes a couple of fuck ups for England and suddenly we need to spend £90 million on Maguire to replace him? Before his injury and all the shit that was going on in his personal life he was rock solid for us.

 

[caseball]

People are forgetting Mike Doyle, who started out as a midfielder but turned into a much better player as a centre back. Filled in at full back on occasion and sometimes at centre forward. Tommy Booth did the trip in the other direction.

 

[Impeccable One]

Otamendi frightens me ..... seems to make mistakes every game

Presume you took the 17-18 season off ?

 

[leo_city]

Presume you took the 17-18 season off ?

why are people using that example? its been 2 years, he's not played regularly since and when he has, he has made some rash tackles and always looked shaky. Its time we move on from him.