Bertie Wooster
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- Jan 21, 2021
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That was me.Then I don't think you fully followed the conversation. The poster I initially replied to mentioned that Tim Vickery regularly used to say that a midfield needs "one to win it, one to give it, one to go", describing a #6 (DM), #8 (B2B) and a #10 (creator) and made a point that a midfield trio of Ugarte (6), Mainoo (8) and Bruno (creator #10) could potentially be very good.
The point I was trying to make is that you don't need a #10 (creator) in your midfield, because all midfielders are able to create chances, particularly if your midfielders have excellent ball retention and are superb in possession (Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta / Casemiro, Kroos, Modric). So, the primary goal should not be to have a creator, but a good and balanced midfield that ensures you control the midfield. Perhaps I should have clarified that initially, but I didn't think it needed to seeing as the poster had already mentioned a number 10 as the creator.
So, instead of playing Bruno as the number 10, I think we'd improve overall and create more chances as a team if we had another box-to-box midfielder (#8) that is good on the ball and who contributes offensively. Who that is, I don't know, but that is my opinion.
And just to clarify, I used 4-2-3-1 (with a #10) as the example of ours because that's what we currently play with Fernandes always featuring there.
But of course that Tim Vickery quote also works for a 4-3-3 midfield that includes two number eights and a six - provided at least one of the #8's has high passing / creative levels as well. The saying is more about what qualities the midfield needs to cover, and of course the very best players can cover more than one of them on their own. In the Barcelona and Real Madrid examples you gave - Busquets and Casemiro are the ones to win it (but also good passers for DM's) and Xavi/Iniesta and Modric/Kroos both good enough to take care of the 'give it/go' parts as they were all world class all-round midfielders.
If your initial point was just the above, then fine. And, yes, it's obviously true that we could replace Fernandes with a player of the ability of some of the greatest creative CM's of recent times in Xavi, Iniesta, Modric or Kroos and we'd be even stronger.
However, that's a pretty obvious point - which you complicated by talking down the others as not creators, when they are actually some of the most creative midfielders of the last 30 years. And of course they could all be the ones to 'give it' in the Tim Vickery quote.
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