Defensive Midfielder

wolviedinho said:
It would be great to have an athletic dm but other priorities need addressed first.

Our problems stem from the wings. The wide players are not effective. We lose the ball in or around the oppositions penalty area and within 2/3 passes they end up with goal scoring opportunity.

A prime Fern could not fix this issue. It’s no wonder the defence looks all over the place and the midfield is bypassed.

Ball retention is a necessity in the pep system. The match yesterday was full of passing errors which led to our downfall.

What’s the answer? Stop relying so heavily on the wings to create next to nothing. Work on how we deal with the counter. Defenders and midfielders running back to goal is a recipe for disaster. Oh and stop playing Mendy.
Click to expand...

I agree, a lot of our problems stem from the wings, but in my opinion it's more the inverted wingers that is causing the problems.
When was the last time one of our wingers took a defender on the outside, burn them for pace and whip a cross in, I'm struggling to remember. Yesterday, our wingers were Sterling and Mahrez, any good defender just needs to show them the outside and this then nullifies their effectiveness. Their natural instinct is to cut back inside onto their stronger foot which means joining an already conjested area of the pitch and in turn slows our play down to pedestrian levels.
We need to start stretching teams again and we need players in their natural positions, and Mendy nowhere near the team.
 
Gabriel said:
Yes, I tend to agree with that, yet at the same time Guardiola admitted that he was going to have younger players around the first team this season, and I naively hoped that might mean making the bench for league games. If we work on the basis that Bernardo and Laporte are possibly leaving, then we would still have space on the bench for younger players when regulars are out injured.
Click to expand...
There was never a chance the kids would make the match squad/bench.It was all lip service from Pep,and very predictable.
Unless those kids get quality loans,we will see them stagnate and sold for peanuts.....rinse and repeat.
 
Gabriel said:
If we are losing two or three players, then let’s see Doyle and Lavia on the bench for games like Norwich at home. We’re not going to buy a defensive midfielder this window, probably not this season, so let’s get some meaningful game time in those two, especially Lavia.
Click to expand...
Doyle is not good enough for me, if it wasn't for his surname and background fans would not be calling for him to be in the squad. He needs a season on loan at a good standard to see what he is about.

Lavia is clearly something special, a real talent.
 
Crazy that we still need a dm, left back & 2 strikers. I’m sure we have had these issue for 2/3 seasons now.

i do see Grealish playing dm at some point. fern & Gundy are too slow & old. Great servants but we should not be relying on them now. Rodri has too many mistakes in him sadly
 
Keeper! said:
Cancelo has no discipline and most importantly, no bottle to take that role.

WE need a leader and a hard player in the center of the park.
Click to expand...
A matter of opinion I think he could be well suited to the role very mobile and a good passer of the ball and also a good reader of the game.
 
red 2 hats said:
I agree, a lot of our problems stem from the wings, but in my opinion it's more the inverted wingers that is causing the problems.
When was the last time one of our wingers took a defender on the outside, burn them for pace and whip a cross in, I'm struggling to remember. Yesterday, our wingers were Sterling and Mahrez, any good defender just needs to show them the outside and this then nullifies their effectiveness. Their natural instinct is to cut back inside onto their stronger foot which means joining an already conjested area of the pitch and in turn slows our play down to pedestrian levels.
We need to start stretching teams again and we need players in their natural positions, and Mendy nowhere near the team.
Click to expand...
The problems started when we brought in Mahrez. He has been fantastic but losing a Sane type player and replacing him with a winger that cuts inside has shifted our attacking focus. We crowd the opposition box with numbers but lack the final pass to create a goal scoring opportunity.

The ability to stretch play with fast wingers was a dangerous weapon at our disposal and left the pitch wide for the Am to cause havoc.

Now we are left with slow wing play that breaks down easily, we get turned over and can’t recover to stop the counter. Pep may need to rethink how we attack and change the formation to suit the personal.
 
FantasyIreland said:
There was never a chance the kids would make the match squad/bench.It was all lip service from Pep,and very predictable.
Unless those kids get quality loans,we will see them stagnate and sold for peanuts.....rinse and repeat.
Click to expand...
Guardiola has always struck me as someone who wants a three goal cushion before trusting anyone younger from the bench. Even when we have had kids on the bench, it’s been our inability to take our chances that’s meant they’ve stayed there.
I just hoped that 3-4 could be incorporated this season, not at the same time of course. But then again it’s the hope that kills you.
 
uwe rosler 28 said:
A matter of opinion I think he could be well suited to the role very mobile and a good passer of the ball and also a good reader of the game.
Click to expand...
All about opinions, just don't like the guy, not sure what he brings to us, in two season he played well in a handful of games in empty stadiums, always seems to go missing on the big occasions.

Kyle Walker is 10 times the player.
 
Last edited:
wolviedinho said:
The problems started when we brought in Mahrez. He has been fantastic but losing a Sane type player and replacing him with a winger that cuts inside has shifted our attacking focus. We crowd the opposition box with numbers but lack the final pass to create a goal scoring opportunity.

The ability to stretch play with fast wingers was a dangerous weapon at our disposal and left the pitch wide for the Am to cause havoc.

Now we are left with slow wing play that breaks down easily, we get turned over and can’t recover to stop the counter. Pep may need to rethink how we attack and change the formation to suit the personal.
Click to expand...

100% spot on, we've slowed down to walking pace which makes us so predictable.
 
Where's this idea that our biggest problem comes from the wings? We have some of the most talented wide players in Europe at the club.

Our biggest problem is the holding role for me, and has been for about 2 years. We still pose a goal threat without an undisputed number 9, albeit we could be more clinical. And we do need one.

But the absence of a dominant and quality footballer in that holding role is a huge flaw in a side that plays the way Pep wants us to. We haven't adequately replaced Fernandinho, Rodri simply isn't good enough.

Look at the number 6s Pep's had in the past. He's had Xavi and Busquets at Barca. Alonso, Lahm and Kimmich at Bayern. They're absolutely pivotal to the football his sides play.

Here he's had Fernandinho at the tail end of his career, while he still had his legs, and he was absolutely perfect in the role. Now Fernandinho is 36, legs are going, and his alternative is Rodri, who's never had any legs... or Fernandinho's quality.

It is a glaring weakness for us at the moment and it needs sorting just as much as up front, arguably more.
 
After watching yesterday's game I would easily trade Berna for a good dm or even Saul.
 
Fernandinho was the biggest worry for me and he's one that's had a pre season. They were just running past him from deep which left us completely exposed.
 
Keeper! said:
All about opinions, just don't like the guy, not sure what he brings to use, in two season he played well in a handful of games in empty stadiums, always seems to go missing on the big occasions.

Kyle Walker is 10 times the player.
Click to expand...
Kyle Walker also knows not to shoot in every bloody game!
Cancelo and Danilo before him seem to have had it written into their contracts that they’re entitled to have shot from outside the box every game.
 
Gabriel said:
Kyle Walker also knows not to shoot in every bloody game!
Cancelo and Danilo before him seem to have had it written into their contracts that they’re entitled to have shot from outside the box every game.
Click to expand...
Kyle Walker has the heart of a lion and that despite Cancelo having better technic, is what makes Walker such a special player and dressing room figure.

Talent is fantastic but lack of passion and desire nullifies everything.
 
Doesn’t matter how good the defensive midfielder is, if we concede possession by attempting to dribble into traffic, he will be exposed. Similarly, if he is drawn too far upfield, he will be exposed and leave the space between himself and the defense open for runners.
 
Pubteam Lomas said:
Fernandinho was the biggest worry for me and he's one that's had a pre season. They were just running past him from deep which left us completely exposed.
Click to expand...
Father times stops for no one.

But you would expect after a good long holiday and good preseason he would be flying, what he going to be like with a lot of minutes in those legs?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top