Declan Rice

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cyberman

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That's where I personally want to see the lad play. As a CDM that drops in between 2 CB to create a back 3 or a back 5 depending on our needs. He can be the first one from playing so deep to make an interception before passing to the BPD's next to him to initiate a quick counter attack.
He hasnt the ball playing skills for that too. He will have the ball in dangerous positions and would be pressured relentlessly into mistakes
 

starman

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What’s that based on? It’s simply young players. It’ll settle down, and once people realise he’s really quite poor on the ball, those forgivable aspects of his game become a problem. If he is going to play for a top team, he’s going to have to contribute way more than what he is now. If he can’t, he better be a beast defensively, which he is not.
Hes not poor on the ball, it not like he gives it away a lot. He just not a player that going to spray it about. And that's the issue people have with him, as they have it in their head he must that sort of player, otherwise hes a average player. First and foremost hes in the team to break down the play.
 

Aloysius's Back 3

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He hasnt the ball playing skills for that too. He will have the ball in dangerous positions and would be pressured relentlessly into mistakes
He was accused of only playing balls our side wards - that is all he has to do; lay off the ball to each side for the BPD to initiate a counter. That's the way I'd use Dier too as more attacking CB both defensively and offensively trying to set up the defenders around them for a quick counter.
 

ivaldo

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Hes not poor on the ball, it not like he gives it away a lot. He just not a player that going to spray it about. And that's the issue people have with him, as they have it in their head he must that sort of player, otherwise hes a average player. First and foremost hes in the team to break down the play.
That doesn't mean he's not poor on the ball. Smalling doesn't give it away a lot. You don't even need to spray it around. Receiving the ball in pressure areas and being capable of working it out is what is needed. He doesn't, he plays or straight back to the defenders or takes the easy option, and all that does is passes the pressure onto another player. His ability to break up play isn't nearly good enough to mitigate the absence of any strength in other areas. He's far too limited. For a team like West Ham he can get away for it, but not for England or a top PL team.
 

Dante

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Hes not poor on the ball, it not like he gives it away a lot. He just not a player that going to spray it about. And that's the issue people have with him, as they have it in their head he must that sort of player, otherwise hes a average player. First and foremost hes in the team to break down the play.
He actually is. His long passing is generally excellent.

He does lack flair and dribbling ability, tbf. But not every midfielder needs that.
 

lysglimt

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Not hard if his competition is Barkley, delph and Henderson.
Well good Point of course - but I am convinced Rice will be class. Probably the young player I most want at United.
 

starman

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That doesn't mean he's not poor on the ball. Smalling doesn't give it away a lot. You don't even need to spray it around. Receiving the ball in pressure areas and being capable of working it out is what is needed. He doesn't, he plays or straight back to the defenders or takes the easy option, and all that does is passes the pressure onto another player. His ability to break up play isn't nearly good enough to mitigate the absence of any strength in other areas. He's far too limited. For a team like West Ham he can get away for it, but not for England or a top PL team.
I honestly don't think you've watched him enough. Don't understand what playing for West Ham has got to do with it, when hes put in man of the match performances against top PL teams
 

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I honestly don't think you've watched him enough. Don't understand what playing for West Ham has got to do with it, when hes put in man of the match performances against top PL teams
It’s relevant when you take into consideration his all round game, or lack of. Schneiderlin was the boss at Southampton in similar games. He was/is better on the ball, too. He struggled at United because playing in midfield for United requires something more. Playing against the Netherlands press requires something more. Rice was part of the problem in midfield tonight and that problem would only be further evident in a United midfield against a top side.

Matic (for comparison) comes in for a lot of stick, quite rightly, but his ball game is on a different level to Rice’s. We’d be creating problems, not fixing them.

The difference between Rice and De Jong in a similar position tonight was glaringly obvious. It’s why one has just been bought to play in midfield for Barcelona and the other hasn’t. Taking the ball on the turn and using it with initiative being the main reason why.
 

AP88

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Garner will be a better midfielder with a few more games under his belt (although I’d still prefer him to develop into the genuine ballplaying centreback England need)

Longstaff and Lewis Cook will be miles better options for England in that role, or even dropping someone like Grealish or Maddison a bit deeper to control the game will substantially improve the quality of the midfield.
 

Yagami

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We need CMs who can pass and resist pressing opposition, and this guy doesn't fit the bill.
 

lsd

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Another overrated London based player that the media love hyping up .

McTominay is better . Hopefully some other team will be so stupid to take him and not us
 

Yagami

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Sadly true. I agree with Neville in that the defenders problem was having no midfielder to pass to. De Jong is exactly the type of player we are desperate for.
Yeah, agreed. Swap him for De Jong and our attempts of playing it out from the back become a lot better. He's decent defensively and that's about it.
 

George The Best

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If that was the best midfield an English National team can put out tonight then we are in real trouble. None of them are good enough to clean Pogba’s boots - but many want to see the back of him too. Herrera was better than all of those tonight and we’ve let him go as well. Grass is always greener I suppose ...
 

Classical Mechanic

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If that was the best midfield an English National team can put out tonight then we are in real trouble. None of them are good enough to clean Pogba’s boots - but many want to see the back of him too. Herrera was better than all of those tonight and we’ve let him go as well. Grass is always greener I suppose ...
Well it isn’t the best side we can put out in fairness. Arguably none of them would start with all options available.

I think we would have started with

Winks - Henderson - Loftus-Cheek

If we could.
 

ivaldo

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I honestly don't think you've watched him enough. Don't understand what playing for West Ham has got to do with it, when hes put in man of the match performances against top PL teams
It has everything to do with it. It’s why Schneiderlin looked a good player at Southampton. When you make the step up you have other responsibilities than sit on the edge of the box and make tackles. If you’re judging him on West Ham’s level then you’re going to think he’s great.

Edit: @Kag put it far more succinctly than I.
 
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Classical Mechanic

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Not even thrilled by that either, sorry.
I think Winks is the only midfield player we have that could have coped with the high press. Henderson is a better player than Delph and RLC was really starting to show some class towards the end of the season. He’s a better ball carrier through midfield and bigger goal threat than Barkley. Shame he’s got such a serious injury.

I think that midfield would have fared better tbh, even though it’s not stellar.
 

starman

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It’s relevant when you take into consideration his all round game, or lack of. Schneiderlin was the boss at Southampton in similar games. He was/is better on the ball, too. He struggled at United because playing in midfield for United requires something more. Playing against the Netherlands press requires something more. Rice was part of the problem in midfield tonight and that problem would only be further evident in a United midfield against a top side.

Matic (for comparison) comes in for a lot of stick, quite rightly, but his ball game is on a different level to Rice’s. We’d be creating problems, not fixing them.

The difference between Rice and De Jong in a similar position tonight was glaringly obvious. It’s why one has just been bought to play in midfield for Barcelona and the other hasn’t. Taking the ball on the turn and using it with initiative being the main reason why.
But nothing you stated has anything to do with what his main attributes are.
Why are you comparing him to De Jong and why Barcelona bought one and not the other :confused: they are not even the same type of player
 

starman

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It has everything to do with it. It’s why Schneiderlin looked a good player at Southampton. When you make the step up you have other responsibilities than sit on the edge of the box and make tackles. If you’re judging him on West Ham’s level then you’re going to think he’s great.
No it doesnt, Schneiderlin clearly couldnt cope, its a mentality issue. Rice's mentality is clearly one of his strong points. I know you have agenda, same stuff I see about Rashford and people making their mind up about him at the age of 20/21
 

George The Best

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I think Winks is the only midfield player we have that could have coped with the high press. Henderson is a better player than Delph and RLC was really starting to show some class towards the end of the season. He’s a better ball carrier through midfield and bigger goal threat than Barkley. Shame he’s got such a serious injury.

I think that midfield would have fared better tbh, even though it’s not stellar.
Inclined to agree CM, but it’s not world class is it? We seem to have forgotten about the engine room in this country. We produced Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes etc, etc, but we seem to only want to develop potential goal scorers and brutes of defenders nowadays. IMHO, you are a nothing team without a strong midfield. They are the glue that links defence to attack, form a first line of defence to win the ball before the opposition gets near the back line, and provide some creativity with killer passes. That requires a very, very high work rate, as well as talent obviously. Sadly we seem to have neglected this area in recent years.
 
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