Central Midfield - our fulcrum

Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
He has two kinds of game does Ilkay - he is either in stormer mood or stinker mood. It was twenty minutes into the CFC game before I realised he was on the pitch! He doesn't dictate any part of the play unless the rest of the team are purring and then his qualities come to the fore. I want our players to take games by the scruff of the neck and dominate teams, hopefully with our strikers seizing on the opportunities that are provided. Gundogan blows too hot 'n cold at the moment. He'll have a cracking game one match and follow it with something rather mediocre! He should be steaming. It might be that he'll need a full half season under his belt in order to show his full repertoire!
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I think similar about de Bruyne too. He's either one of the top five players in the world or can't pass to our own players and has a stinker.
 
OB1 said:
Yaya is the fulcrum of the side, that's why he has more touches on the ball than any other player in the league. It's a myth that he can't do quick one and two touch passing and, like all the best players in that role, you see him looking for the pass before he receives the ball.

Yaya has has a fine line in long passes: witness equaliser at QPR.

I do agree that Nasri is a good candidate to sub for Yaya in a three man midfield. He took responsibility to drop deep in second half and receive ball from the defence and then work it forwards.
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Agreed.
 
why do we have a side that is clearly balanced around one position, for a few seasons, with no clear and able successor to that exact position in case of injury/suspension/fatigue?

cant see Fernandinho being that precious?
 
You need someone who can sit back defend but also transition the ball from defence to attack quickly. Utd are also crying out for that type of player IMO. If Pep had any sense he'd try going after someone like Wilshere.
 
shemnel said:
I think this might be obvious to some, but central midfield has become the absolute pivot on which our team, performances and seemingly seasons rely on.

Everything radiates from there; the defence seems nervy and over-exposed if the protection goes wandering, the strikers get frustrated and the tempo is dictated. When Ya Ya plays bad, the team seems to visibly crumple. When Lampard played well last night, there was a sense of togetherness and organisation (crucially).

So, are we, as a system, putting way too much pressure on central midfield? Ya Ya does what he does, floats and produces magic, or floats like an unflushable turd. We have 5 central midfielders (Jimmy a possible 6th) for this very reason but for some reason most aren't stepping up. I genuinely think Lampard, if he can take it, deserves a run until the others get back into form.
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bring back Lamps I'm sure he would sort this shower out.
 
Not going for Kante in summer is looking like a bad move, would be perfect for us at the minute.

As it stands Kante and Mane would have been better signings that Gundogon and Sane for around the same total price.
 
Never warmed to Javi Garcia, but he was instrumental in the PL victory, 14. At least the 2nd half of the season. Why did we let him go when things started working out for him? Don't know how he's been doing in Zenit since.
 
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