Centre back pairing

[GoMancini7]

Just a stat from Arsenal:

Koscielny/Mertesacker duo: started 32 games together, 23 wins, 9 draws and 19 clean sheets.

They used a midfield trio, they are lot less open in last 18 months then they were before, we all remember how shit they were sometimes with Vermalene/Koscielny not even knowing where to run, who to mark, while Szceczny had more flops than other top keepers together etc.

 

[sh249]

Richards and Barry were also good in 2012. Time has moved on.

I get mystified by these 'he has the qualities, 'he's young' etc throw away remarks... Would he be in chelsea,Arsenal, Liverpools back 4 -Not a chance........
What are these 'qualities' -he has no pace, he is rubbish in the air, he cannot tackle, his passing is average..The only 'quality' he seems to have is that he's under 25 ... let's deal in facts and evidence rather than emotion.

Last season he had the highest successful tackle % out of any defender in the whole league so don't give me the he can't tackle bollocks. He is also very calm with the ball at feet. I agree he should work on his ability in the air but he's only 20 and still learning a role you don't truly master until you are into your late 20 's. He just has zero confidence right now and that shows but im shocked at how fast some on here are writing him off. Seems to be the city fan mentality now "just keep buying players if one has a bad game".

He is composed on the ball, and that can obviously be a huge positive. But it's also a weakness at times, in the sense that he takes far too long on the ball, and very rarely gets it forward into midfield quickly enough. Against Chelsea there were countless ocassions when he had the ball under little pressure, took an age on it, was pressed, and then ended up shunting it back to Hart. Chelsea pressed hard, Hart ends up launching, meat and drink for Terry and Cahill.

Demichelis is the exact opposite, of course, in that he gets the ball forward extremely quickly from the back, but often takes risks in doing so.

 

[shemnel]

Personally i think stability and consistency at the back are a bedrock for a solid team.

Now, he's the manager and he gets to see them everyday in training and with a very critical eye so perhaps he believes not one of them is doing enough to cement a place next to Vinny - well, has one of them done enough? not for me

having said that, i would much prefer a consistent duo at the middle of defence.

 

[Burtonblue]

Personally i think stability and consistency at the back are a bedrock for a solid team.

Now, he's the manager and he gets to see them everyday in training and with a very critical eye so perhaps he believes not one of them is doing enough to cement a place next to Vinny - well, has one of them done enough? not for me

having said that, i would much prefer a consistent duo at the middle of defence.

Absolutely this!
A stable partnership is essential at the heart of any defence. We have just not had this.
I would venture saying that it almost matters not who you play with VK as all the alternative players have their own strengths and weaknesses. They are all good players but until one of them gets a consistent run in the team I think we are going to be conceding more than we should.

-- Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:13 pm --

Personally i think stability and consistency at the back are a bedrock for a solid team.

Now, he's the manager and he gets to see them everyday in training and with a very critical eye so perhaps he believes not one of them is doing enough to cement a place next to Vinny - well, has one of them done enough? not for me

having said that, i would much prefer a consistent duo at the middle of defence.

Absolutely this!
A stable partnership is essential at the heart of any defence. We have just not had this.
I would venture saying that it almost matters not who you play with VK as all the alternative players have their own strengths and weaknesses. They are all good players but until one of them gets a consistent run in the team I think we are going to be conceding more than we should.

 

[bloodyboutsa]

Definitely agree that the key to a solid defense is consistency.

Answer to this question I still want a Kompany - Nastasic pairing.

 

[Matty]

Just a stat from Arsenal:

Koscielny/Mertesacker duo: started 32 games together, 23 wins, 9 draws and 19 clean sheets.

They used a midfield trio, they are lot less open in last 18 months then they were before, we all remember how shit they were sometimes with Vermalene/Koscielny not even knowing where to run, who to mark, while Szceczny had more flops than other top keepers together etc.

Didn't Koscielny and Mertesacker start the game at the Etihad? I realise Koscielny went off injured, but still, a starts a start and they most certainly lost that game!

 

[The_Maverick]

Just a stat from Arsenal:

Koscielny/Mertesacker duo: started 32 games together, 23 wins, 9 draws and 19 clean sheets.

They used a midfield trio, they are lot less open in last 18 months then they were before, we all remember how shit they were sometimes with Vermalene/Koscielny not even knowing where to run, who to mark, while Szceczny had more flops than other top keepers together etc.

Didn't Koscielny and Mertesacker start the game at the Etihad? I realise Koscielny went off injured, but still, a starts a start and they most certainly lost that game!

It was some bollocks in the media yesterday that Arsenal had gone 2 years unbeaten when Koscielny and Mertesacker have played together. It's actually only when they have played the whole 90 mins together and in that time there has been 32 games.

Sounds great though doesn't it, 2 years unbeaten.

 

[omcfc]

Think there is an advantage, as in Chelsea's case, where the two centre backs speak the same native tongue. If the keeper does too, even better. Communication is so important at the back.