The midfield 3.....

[Rammy Blue]

.....very poor today, and people question why Bob is so keen to strengthen the middle and get Vieira in there???

Ireland - just couldn't get going, looks like he is not fit and was blowing big style.

Barry - must need his op, can be only reason why he is struggling.

De Jong - good in the tackle, dreadful with the ball, never looks up for a decent pass or carries it forward.

Good result to get 3 points and keep a clean sheet but Pompey just strolled past us in the middle today.

Interesting to see the "fabled" 4-3-1-2 however Petrov didn't look right in behind the front two and he sure isn't no right winger.

Good to see Kolo back, some useful interceptions.

 

[lunebleu]

.....very poor today, and people question why Bob is so keen to strengthen the middle and get Vieira in there???

Ireland - just couldn't get going, looks like he is not fit and was blowing big style.

Barry - must need his op, can be only reason why he is struggling.

De Jong - good in the tackle, dreadful with the ball, never looks up for a decent pass or carries it forward.

Good result to get 3 points and keep a clean sheet but Pompey just strolled past us in the middle today.

Interesting to see the "fabled" 4-3-1-2 however Petrov didn't look right in behind the front two and he sure isn't no right winger.

Good to see Kolo back, some useful interceptions.

Got to agree with all that mate.----Still nice to get 3 pts when we're playing badly.[Top 4 teams have been doing for years.]

 

[Shooter 83]

We are missing a top class box to box Midfielder. Weather this Mcdonald is the answer I don't know.

 

[yellamcfc]

Agree mate, but can't help thinking that the players would obviously be a bit deflated after wednesdays efforts.

Petrov needs to be played on the left, but never in a million years would he be played before Bellamy if I had a say so.
I reckon next week at Hull, we might see a different approach in midfield with Viera and Mariga introduced.

 

[squirtyflower]

doesn't work in the prem

either you are stretched and the other team passes through you middle or they stay compact and they go around you down the flanks

 

[Rammy Blue]

If I have to see Petrov starting a game then the only frigging place I want to see him is on the left wing, I understand possibly the idea of not subjecting Garrido to no help in front of him but I can't believe at no point did I see Petrov out on the left.

Good delivery for the corner for Vince's goal, other than that did fuck all.

 

[Chrisja1000]

Agree with the above , the midfield 3 looked lost today with no fluency . I Would love to see Bellemy on the left , Swp on the right with De Jong and Barry in the middle . Then play Tevez in a roaming role just behind Ade . There was no width for an outlet ball today and kept turning back on ourselves which gave pompey time to get back .

 

[lunebleu]

Yeh Petrov should be on the left wing, if Bellamy is not playing.but Garrido is just not good enough[and very Prem manager knows it]--Poor again today for me.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

I find myself watching us and time and time again thinking 'What does our midfield actually do'?

They dont add anything to our attacks, and yet I see the opposition running through us with relative ease so i am not quite sure wha they add to us defensively.

Barry has been awful for a number of weeks, its like he is trying to run through treacle with skis on.

Ireland is a shadow of the player we saw last season, playing in front of two defensive midfielders should mean he can do as he pleases, unfortunately he pleases to do fuck all at the moment! Dare I say we are watching the same Ireland now as we saw 18 months ago!

De Jong I simply cant work out, I watch him some weeks and I think 'we have a cracking defensive midfielder here' and then I watch him other weeks like today and I find I am pulling my hair out because he frustrates the life out of me with his constant 3 yard sideways passes!

Like others have said it is easy to see why Mancini thinks we need more central midfielders despite on paper it looking like we are overloaded with quality in that area!

 

[Neil McNab]

Thought our midfield wasn't good enough at the start of the season, since then Barry hasn't been up to what I expected, Johnson's been missing all season, Kompany's been used elsewhre and Ireland's looked half the player he was last season. Whilst I think there's more to come from what we have, I don't see the athleticism or creativity that we need.
For me De Jong is a player for certain cirumstances but not a regular starter, he isn't a midfielder he's a midgit sweeper!