rotherham_red
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- Mar 12, 2005
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The more I think about yesterday's game, the more I think getting Fred fit and in form will be crucial to how our season will go.
It was readily apparent that when we tried to keep any sort of possession we looked pedestrian and ordinary, and Chelsea were passing us off the park that first 25 or so minutes. However, once we got our pressing game going and were starting to win the ball high up the pitch we had them on the ropes, and that was where we got the first goal. But not every team will be like Chelsea, and we often struggled when the other team sat back last season, which is precisely what Wolves did to us twice last year. In those sort of games, Pogba needs to be further forward, but McTominay alone isn't enough of a screen for our defence. This is where Fred (at his best) comes in, with his high energy style and his short and sharp passing range. I think he'd be much more effective than Pereira as part of that double pivot which would allow Pogba to go further forward and play as the 10 which would help us to break down the low block defences much more than from the double pivot which he currently occupies.
Maybe I'm being harsh on Pereira, given that it was the first game of the season and he obviously wouldn't be at full speed, but he hasn't ever struck me as the sort of player that's needed in the double pivot. I think he needs to be closer to the attacking third and being more of a link to the attack, rather than being a water carrier.
Fred, on the other hand, has a track record in the Champions League of playing there and he can play at the high tempo that Ole likes to play. It's just a case of being calmer in possession, that's all that's really missing from him. Granted, it's the most important attribute that he's currently lacking in his short time here but right now, I can't see many, if any, alternatives.
It was readily apparent that when we tried to keep any sort of possession we looked pedestrian and ordinary, and Chelsea were passing us off the park that first 25 or so minutes. However, once we got our pressing game going and were starting to win the ball high up the pitch we had them on the ropes, and that was where we got the first goal. But not every team will be like Chelsea, and we often struggled when the other team sat back last season, which is precisely what Wolves did to us twice last year. In those sort of games, Pogba needs to be further forward, but McTominay alone isn't enough of a screen for our defence. This is where Fred (at his best) comes in, with his high energy style and his short and sharp passing range. I think he'd be much more effective than Pereira as part of that double pivot which would allow Pogba to go further forward and play as the 10 which would help us to break down the low block defences much more than from the double pivot which he currently occupies.
Maybe I'm being harsh on Pereira, given that it was the first game of the season and he obviously wouldn't be at full speed, but he hasn't ever struck me as the sort of player that's needed in the double pivot. I think he needs to be closer to the attacking third and being more of a link to the attack, rather than being a water carrier.
Fred, on the other hand, has a track record in the Champions League of playing there and he can play at the high tempo that Ole likes to play. It's just a case of being calmer in possession, that's all that's really missing from him. Granted, it's the most important attribute that he's currently lacking in his short time here but right now, I can't see many, if any, alternatives.