What Did We Think Of Our Midfield Today? A Lot Going On?

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The Fat el Hombre

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What did people make of our midfield today? Seemed like there was a lot going on (in a good way)?

Cherki seemed to be coming into the centre a lot from the right making a box with Nico G, Bernie and Phil. Generally Bernie and Nico G were behind Phil and Cherki as you'd expect but there seemed to be a lot of interchanging going on, with both Phil and Cherki dropping deep at times and sometimes Bernie and Nico G going further forward with one of Phil or Cherki behind (alongside Bernie or Nico G).

We were incisive through the middle with with some ballsy passes played to great effect as we saw with the goals and Phil and Cherki comfortable taking the ball in tight spaces. It felt there was some real advanced stuff going on in that midfield today - really fluid and some real quality with one touch stuff and even good picking up second balls and layoffs, but with players consistently in the right positions at the right times (and a lot of the credit for that goes to that exceptional first half from Nico G).

Cherki needs to start now he's all but up to speed, he's a killer. I was wondering how Pep would fit him and Phil in but today it worked a treat and we could be seeing the early signs of something very promising with those two, with some handy link up play and them getting close to each other often. We're not gonna miss Kev so much with Cherki playing some of the passes he did today. Looks like he can play Erling in for fun. We've got to be getting those balls in behind the creaking van Dijk for Erling to get at next week.

We're suddenly looking stacked in midfield with Bernie playing effectively, Nico G consistently doing a good job, Rodri coming back, Foden having a good season and Cherki making his mark. Last years Seria A midfielder of the year Reijnders on the bench today and a pkayer of Kovacic's quality seemingly not having much chance of a look in right now, and Pep looks to be having fun with it all. Nico OR also available to play there but smashing it at full back so don't see any need for him to move unless the situation changes (dramatically).

Curious as to what other people made of the midfield today? It looked good.
 
The most surprising thing for me was the freedom that Doku was given to roam wherever he wanted basically. I thought he was dangerous all first half but second half he was put back on the wing for some reason- I can’t work out why we changed our shape at half time. There must be a reason.

The first half was very good. Bournemouth playing that line helped though.
 
The Fat el Hombre said:
What did people make of our midfield today? Seemed like there was a lot going on (in a good way)?

Cherki seemed to be coming into the centre a lot from the right making a box with Nico G, Bernie and Phil. Generally Bernie and Nico G were behind Phil and Cherki as you'd expect but there seemed to be a lot of interchanging going on, with both Phil and Cherki dropping deep at times and sometimes Bernie and Nico G going further forward with one of Phil or Cherki behind (alongside Bernie or Nico G).

We were incisive through the middle with with some ballsy passes played to great effect as we saw with the goals and Phil and Cherki comfortable taking the ball in tight spaces. It felt there was some real advanced stuff going on in that midfield today - really fluid and some real quality with one touch stuff and even good picking up second balls and layoffs, but with players consistently in the right positions at the right times (and a lot of the credit for that goes to that exceptional first half from Nico G).

Cherki needs to start now he's all but up to speed, he's a killer. I was wondering how Pep would fit him and Phil in but today it worked a treat and we could be seeing the early signs of something very promising with those two, with some handy link up play and them getting close to each other often. We're not gonna miss Kev so much with Cherki playing some of the passes he did today. Looks like he can play Erling in for fun. We've got to be getting those balls in behind the creaking van Dijk for Erling to get at next week.

We're suddenly looking stacked in midfield with Bernie playing effectively, Nico G consistently doing a good job, Rodri coming back, Foden having a good season and Cherki making his mark. Last years Seria A midfielder of the year Reijnders on the bench today and a pkayer of Kovacic's quality seemingly not having much chance of a look in right now, and Pep looks to be having fun with it all. Nico OR also available to play there but smashing it at full back so don't see any need for him to move unless the situation changes (dramatically).

Curious as to what other people made of the midfield today? It looked good.
Click to expand...
I’ve just posted a (very brief) version of this in the Pep thread. This was a new formation today with the two full backs providing the width to enable the midfielders to operate in that way. It meant most things came down the middle with Cherki and Foden playing very close to Haaland. Doku roamed everywhere. Bernado sat deep.

We’ve also been using the Stones as a hybrid midfielder/centre back formation when he’s available which we haven’t really used since the treble season.

I’m really positive about both. Much better than us ending every move with the winger one on one with two defenders in a non dangerous area which was happening too often with our more classic 433.
 
I've not been Nico Gonzales ' biggest fan, I'm worried that he's not got the awareness and control, the fast thinking, to dominate the midfield. But today he was immense.

Doku coming inside is potentially a solution to getting his numbers up. He can beat a player anywhere, so if beating a player centrally means he has a better chance to get a shot off or get into the box at a better angle for a shot to go in, then it's worth having in our thoughts.

Cherki, I don't want to put too much on him straight away, but he looks pretty decent doesn't he! He reminds me of Yaya, Kev and Merlin all slightly, in the way he takes the ball and makes sure the bounce is favourable to him because he has the ability to take it under control to a much greater degree than most players.

Pep is cooking up something, we all knew he would be, but it's days like today when you get a smell of it drifting out the kitchen and it really makes you hungry for more.

Much more to be done, but this iteration of city is big, powerful, skillful, pacey, combative, and as compact or wide as the game needs us to be. The tools are there, the mentality is coming along nicely, find some consistency and that'll be our best weapon in hunting down Arsenal - we'll be in their heads regardless of whether they're top at Christmas or not if we're within touching distance.
 
The desire to not do the safe thing by passing the ball backwards when under serious pressure, but instead to stop, protect the ball, turn, and then look forwards, whether by trying to take it past a player or two before passing upfield or to just see a killer pass and fucking go for it, even if it's unsuccessful, is a joy to behold.
 
The Fat el Hombre said:
What did people make of our midfield today? Seemed like there was a lot going on (in a good way)?

Cherki seemed to be coming into the centre a lot from the right making a box with Nico G, Bernie and Phil. Generally Bernie and Nico G were behind Phil and Cherki as you'd expect but there seemed to be a lot of interchanging going on, with both Phil and Cherki dropping deep at times and sometimes Bernie and Nico G going further forward with one of Phil or Cherki behind (alongside Bernie or Nico G).

We were incisive through the middle with with some ballsy passes played to great effect as we saw with the goals and Phil and Cherki comfortable taking the ball in tight spaces. It felt there was some real advanced stuff going on in that midfield today - really fluid and some real quality with one touch stuff and even good picking up second balls and layoffs, but with players consistently in the right positions at the right times (and a lot of the credit for that goes to that exceptional first half from Nico G).

Cherki needs to start now he's all but up to speed, he's a killer. I was wondering how Pep would fit him and Phil in but today it worked a treat and we could be seeing the early signs of something very promising with those two, with some handy link up play and them getting close to each other often. We're not gonna miss Kev so much with Cherki playing some of the passes he did today. Looks like he can play Erling in for fun. We've got to be getting those balls in behind the creaking van Dijk for Erling to get at next week.

We're suddenly looking stacked in midfield with Bernie playing effectively, Nico G consistently doing a good job, Rodri coming back, Foden having a good season and Cherki making his mark. Last years Seria A midfielder of the year Reijnders on the bench today and a pkayer of Kovacic's quality seemingly not having much chance of a look in right now, and Pep looks to be having fun with it all. Nico OR also available to play there but smashing it at full back so don't see any need for him to move unless the situation changes (dramatically).

Curious as to what other people made of the midfield today? It looked good.
Click to expand...
Before KO, we were told it was powder puff, lack of workrate among them basically.

LOL.
 
The Fat el Hombre said:
What did people make of our midfield today? Seemed like there was a lot going on (in a good way)?

Cherki seemed to be coming into the centre a lot from the right making a box with Nico G, Bernie and Phil. Generally Bernie and Nico G were behind Phil and Cherki as you'd expect but there seemed to be a lot of interchanging going on, with both Phil and Cherki dropping deep at times and sometimes Bernie and Nico G going further forward with one of Phil or Cherki behind (alongside Bernie or Nico G).

We were incisive through the middle with with some ballsy passes played to great effect as we saw with the goals and Phil and Cherki comfortable taking the ball in tight spaces. It felt there was some real advanced stuff going on in that midfield today - really fluid and some real quality with one touch stuff and even good picking up second balls and layoffs, but with players consistently in the right positions at the right times (and a lot of the credit for that goes to that exceptional first half from Nico G).

Cherki needs to start now he's all but up to speed, he's a killer. I was wondering how Pep would fit him and Phil in but today it worked a treat and we could be seeing the early signs of something very promising with those two, with some handy link up play and them getting close to each other often. We're not gonna miss Kev so much with Cherki playing some of the passes he did today. Looks like he can play Erling in for fun. We've got to be getting those balls in behind the creaking van Dijk for Erling to get at next week.

We're suddenly looking stacked in midfield with Bernie playing effectively, Nico G consistently doing a good job, Rodri coming back, Foden having a good season and Cherki making his mark. Last years Seria A midfielder of the year Reijnders on the bench today and a pkayer of Kovacic's quality seemingly not having much chance of a look in right now, and Pep looks to be having fun with it all. Nico OR also available to play there but smashing it at full back so don't see any need for him to move unless the situation changes (dramatically).

Curious as to what other people made of the midfield today? It looked good.
Click to expand...
It was great. It reminded me of Pep’s best ever team in 2018 where KDB and Merlin swapped positions at 8 and 10 all the time. It destroyed everyone we played. I think Pep is trying to replicate that with Phil and Cherki. Sadly we don’t have Leroy and peak Sterling on the wings any more. Nico G was superb today in the middle though.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
It was great. It reminded me of Pep’s best ever team in 2018 where KDB and Merlin swapped positions at 8 and 10 all the time. It destroyed everyone we played. I think Pep is trying to replicate that with Phil and Cherki. Sadly we don’t have Leroy and peak Sterling on the wings any more. Nico G was superb today in the middle though.
Click to expand...
Pep’s best ever team imo was 20/21 when half a dozen players swapped positions the whole time. The closest the world has come to total football since the 1970s Ajax / Holland teams
 
Personally, I don't think the balance is quite right. Quite a few times they tended to occupy the same spaces (I'm sure Foden and Cherki were on virtually on each others toes in the oppo area at one point), like overloading the right allowing B'mouth a breakaway into our half.

I think Gonzalez needs to learn to be a better outlet and control the mid like Rodri did as soon as he came on. I'd like to think swapping out Gonzalez for Rodri anchors the Foden/ Cherki dynamic way better, right now.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
It was great. It reminded me of Pep’s best ever team in 2018 where KDB and Merlin swapped positions at 8 and 10 all the time. It destroyed everyone we played. I think Pep is trying to replicate that with Phil and Cherki. Sadly we don’t have Leroy and peak Sterling on the wings any more. Nico G was superb today in the middle though.
Click to expand...

I thought the same, watching it, but that mid had Ferna or Touré anchoring it, which made the difference.

That's why I think a fit Rodri would do the same.
 
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