Quote:
Originally Posted by John the Writer
It's hardly ridiculous. I wouldn't say Anderson is worldclass at defending, but he has a physicality in his play that I hadn't anticipated. The slight improvement Hargreaves offers in this respect doesn't justify his price tag or his place in the team (neither does the fact he's injured more than he's fit but hey).
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Except Hargreaves does offer much more in terms of defence - at least part of this is about his reading of the game and his experience allowing him to function well despite the pressure. With Hargreaves in the side we will be able to 'empower' the more creative players alongside him to an extent that is not brought by any alternative in our squad, when we need the extra defensive solidity, he will bring that as well.
Lastly,
it is way too early to be having discussions like this if they are to be meaningful - we need more games with different combinations to come to any judgements. (Just consider how differently you probably felt about Carrick in April compared to November last season.)