Backup CM- Who would you play?

[Bluemoon dan]

Bit left-field but Kompany? More comfortable inpossession than Demicheles, can run with the ball and bring it forward. Still going to give us the defensive option at set pieces etc.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

Milner all the way

Please no. He was garbage today.

Yeah and the guy playing alongside him was so much better?.....

No, but the guy playing alongside him IS so much better that he shouldn't be deployed five yards in front of the back four in order to babysit Milner.

 

[A...]

Some people on here are absolutely clueless. Milner's passing was generally bang on today, he made tactical fouls to prevent counter attacks, linked well with Silva and created a great goalscoring opportunity for Dzeko to half-heartedly head wide. This system is prehistoric, but Milner's interpretation of his duties within it were spot on. If Fernandinho put in the same performance he'd be hailed a hero by the very people who are calling Milner out.

 

[Nelly's Left Foot]

Some people on here are absolutely clueless. Milner's passing was generally bang on today, he made tactical fouls to prevent counter attacks, linked well with Silva and created a great goalscoring opportunity for Dzeko to half-heartedly head wide. This system is prehistoric, but Milner's interpretation of his duties within it were spot on. If Fernandinho put in the same performance he'd be hailed a hero by the very people who are calling Milner out.

Sounds about right to me. I would be interested in a detailed analysis of Milner's apparent abject failure to explain all the things he did wrong.He was given a holding role and we didn't concede a goal and the only threats on out goal came from the weaknesses of the full backs in defensive situations.

I wouldn't say he had a great game but he was ok and it was weaknesses elsewhere that cost us points.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

Nastasić needs a good run of ten or a dozen games next to Kompany. It's poor management to have him in for one, out for four when he's still not used to the system. He's never going to get used to it playing one game here and there and having his confidence shot by beng pulled for a month.

Second I've have Lescott.

Third I'd have Demichelis. I just don't rate him. He has interspersed elite performances between a large chunk of average or woeful performances. That inconsistency is just not good enough.

-- Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:51 am --

Some people on here are absolutely clueless. Milner's passing was generally bang on today, he made tactical fouls to prevent counter attacks, linked well with Silva and created a great goalscoring opportunity for Dzeko to half-heartedly head wide. This system is prehistoric, but Milner's interpretation of his duties within it were spot on. If Fernandinho put in the same performance he'd be hailed a hero by the very people who are calling Milner out.

Sounds about right to me. I would be interested in a detailed analysis of Milner's apparent abject failure to explain all the things he did wrong.He was given a holding role and we didn't concede a goal and the only threats on out goal came from the weaknesses of the full backs in defensive situations.

I wouldn't say he had a great game but he was ok and it was weaknesses elsewhere that cost us points.

I thought Milner was our second best of just four good performers yesterday (Jovetić Milner Hart and Silva). A...has his analysis of James' game spot on!

 

[KnaresboroughBlue]

Obviously a huge problem. I don't think Milner is good enough to play in the centre of midfield for us, certainly not in a two with Yaya. Demichelis can't play in a two except against piss poor teams at home.

Rodwell has more potential to play there, I think, but looks off the pace when he comes in at the moment, and perhaps lacks the discipline to play with Yaya in a two?

In view of all that, I'd probably switch to a three for the time being - all the more so as all of our strikers are currently struggling for fitness, so it makes sense to go to a 4-3-3. Something like:

----------Garcia------------
-------Yaya---Silva-------
Navas-------------Jovetic----
---------Negredo--------

.

That's what I'd go with too for the time being.

 

[Carver]

I'd play Zabaleta as DM and Richards at right back as long as Navas is playing, so that the team remains balanced.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

Some people on here are absolutely clueless. Milner's passing was generally bang on today, he made tactical fouls to prevent counter attacks, linked well with Silva and created a great goalscoring opportunity for Dzeko to half-heartedly head wide. This system is prehistoric, but Milner's interpretation of his duties within it were spot on. If Fernandinho put in the same performance he'd be hailed a hero by the very people who are calling Milner out.

Sounds about right to me. I would be interested in a detailed analysis of Milner's apparent abject failure to explain all the things he did wrong.He was given a holding role and we didn't concede a goal and the only threats on out goal came from the weaknesses of the full backs in defensive situations.

I wouldn't say he had a great game but he was ok and it was weaknesses elsewhere that cost us points.

No he wasn't, Yaya was. That's why Yaya played so deep and had no impact on the game, to allow Milner to play box-to-box. Milner had a pretty decent game in that position, I agree, but at the expense of Yaya's involvement in the game.

 

[keneke1234]

Garcia all the way... yesterday showed that Milner is not the right man for the cm job and Rodwell and Demi are liabilities.

 

[bluemc]

That Barry is looking decent for Everton today. Worth a cheeky summer bid?