Which midfielder do you prefer?

norm87cro said:
I wasn't into Rice a long time but now I am convinced that he is the real deal. Personally I would take him and partner him with scott. Bruno is the AMF and if anything should happen to him surley Donny deserves a shot. If we exclude the Leeds game in August Pogba hasn't really contributed much up front.
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For me our midfield is very lacking and this is why our fans can want different midfielders.

What do we have?

1. Our Box To Box - Mctominay
2. Our Energy Pressing Player - Fred
3. Our Shielding Player/Anchorman- Matic
4. Our Deep Lying Creative Playmaker ( Pogba even if it's not his main role, he is our most creative midfielder).

Now people bring up players like Tchouameni and Bissouma who are good players but when I watch them they are more CM'S than CDM'S- and they are more like an improvement of our Box to Box player or Energy Pressing Player.

As a Shielding player - Rice is the main one I see and the other one is the Sporting Lisbon CDM Palinha

If we lose Pogba however then we are going to need a bit more of a creative player aswell- I'm not sure of Tielemans but getting him as a replacement for Pogba doesn't sound bad at all and softens our blow a bit.

Then I think we can think about improving Mctominay and Fred - once we have added a Shielding and creative CM to the team.
 
Champ said:
You mean the guy who was on the bench V United last season at AC Milan?

Fairly certain they'd know.... especially as he came through the ranks at Arsenal too...
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Well I hope they know more than you, since he was injured and would've started if fit. He didn't even make the bench for the first leg.
 
Bebestation said:
For me our midfield is very lacking and this is why our fans can want different midfielders.

What do we have?

1. Our Box To Box - Mctominay
2. Our Energy Pressing Player - Fred
3. Our Shielding Player/Anchorman- Matic
4. Our Deep Lying Creative Playmaker ( Pogba even if it's not his main role, he is our most creative midfielder).

Now people bring up players like Tchouameni and Bissouma who are good players but when I watch them they are more CM'S than CDM'S- and they are more like an improvement of our Box to Box player or Energy Pressing Player.

As a Shielding player - Rice is the main one I see and the other one is the Sporting Lisbon CDM Palinha

If we lose Pogba however then we are going to need a bit more of a creative player aswell- I'm not sure of Tielemans but getting him as a replacement for Pogba doesn't sound bad at all and softens our blow a bit.

Then I think we can think about improving Mctominay and Fred - once we have added a Shielding and creative CM to the team.
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Don’t necessarily need a like for like when Pogba leaves. We need someone to compliment what we have rather than someone that needs shoehorned in.
besides I think Hannibal will replace Pogba
 
Todd Cantwell of Norwich FC seems to be a good prospect, might be able to pick him up for around 8 mil, should be an upgrade on Mctominay and Fred.
 
Terminator2017 said:
Todd Cantwell of Norwich FC seems to be a good prospect, might be able to pick him up for around 8 mil, should be an upgrade on Mctominay and Fred.
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Would certainly take him as a squad upgrade, if Solskjaer is gone before January i would expect Donny to stay, if he is gone in the summer i'd suspect Donny will be gone in January so not sure about him. I'd say we'd need upgrades on both Fred and McTominay personally, as well as a new CDM to replace Matic, on top of Pogba probably gone in the summer. We're going to have to focus all transfer efforts in this area I think

If we could get Ruben Neves and Cantwell on the cheaps, i'd then splash out more on a great CDM personally, this is assuming that VDB and Pogba are gone at a minimum, along with potentially Matic?
 
the_cliff said:
Well I hope they know more than you, since he was injured and would've started if fit. He didn't even make the bench for the first leg.
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My point was he was on the fecking team sheet so they would quite obviously be aware of him...
 
If Pogba is leaving we'd need two new midfielders... Tchouameni and Bellingham would be my options.
 
Bebestation said:
For me our midfield is very lacking and this is why our fans can want different midfielders.

What do we have?

1. Our Box To Box - Mctominay
2. Our Energy Pressing Player - Fred
3. Our Shielding Player/Anchorman- Matic
4. Our Deep Lying Creative Playmaker ( Pogba even if it's not his main role, he is our most creative midfielder).

Now people bring up players like Tchouameni and Bissouma who are good players but when I watch them they are more CM'S than CDM'S- and they are more like an improvement of our Box to Box player or Energy Pressing Player.

As a Shielding player - Rice is the main one I see and the other one is the Sporting Lisbon CDM Palinha

If we lose Pogba however then we are going to need a bit more of a creative player aswell- I'm not sure of Tielemans but getting him as a replacement for Pogba doesn't sound bad at all and softens our blow a bit.

Then I think we can think about improving Mctominay and Fred - once we have added a Shielding and creative CM to the team.
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Totally forgot about Donny already?
 
Davicho said:
If Pogba is leaving we'd need two new midfielders... Tchouameni and Bellingham would be my options.
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We need two if he stays!
Matic and Fred need to be sold.
That would leave Donny, Pogba, Mctomminy and 2 more. Mctomminy would be happy to be a squad player as players who come through the youth system tend to have loyalty.
 
Davicho said:
If Pogba is leaving we'd need two new midfielders... Tchouameni and Bellingham would be my options.
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My problem with this is that we still have to play 4231.

Tchouameni is a defensively capable CM but not a CDM.

Id go for Rice to replace Matic.

Tchouameni to improve on what Fred does aka be our Energy presser.

Let Mctominay be our Box to Box player.

See if Hannibal or Galbraith can make the step up to be our creative midfielders. If not then try entice Tielemans to come on a free in 2023.


Finally when the time is ready possibly 2024 Bellingham comes but that's a long time to go - after Haaland leaves Dortmund etc.


All of that happening is unlikely, but it's showing who I want for each role. One shielding, one energy, one creative and one Box to box.
 
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AlexUTD said:
Totally forgot about Donny already?
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I personally dont value him deeper and I value him more further up the pitch.

It's the fact that when we play 2 in a double pivot now that our 2 midfielders are now 2 CDM more than 2 CM and I don't think that suits VDB at all.

VDB is a CM/CAM that passes and then immediately tries to go in to free space. When he plays in CDM role this is very very dangerous because he runs off that pivot whilst we do not have a proper CDM next to him at all.

I always see him more like a CAM that can play as a CM or the opposite, a CM that tries to get in to CAM positions say in a midfield 3, but not as deep as CDM positions or in a double pivot.
 
I’ve a horrible feeling Bellingham is Liverpool bound, otherwise I’d want him.

I like Rice, and the chat/stats about Tchauomeni makes him sound good.
 
Terminator2017 said:
Todd Cantwell of Norwich FC seems to be a good prospect, might be able to pick him up for around 8 mil, should be an upgrade on Mctominay and Fred.
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Come on, we hear this every time they get promoted. He’s not good enough, no better than what we have. I’d rather the young lads take the squad opportunities

besides you’re comparing apples and oranges. They might both be fruit but they’re different
 
If we play with a double pivot, we dont necessarily need a DM. Two defensively responsible box-to-box midfielders will be fine. A duo of midfielders like Kessie, Bissouma, Phillips and Tchouameni would be sufficient. You use them as 2 pistons.

DM is more a need if you play a single pivot, with 2 creative midfielders in front.

Our problem is we have box-to-box midfielders that are terrible at defending. And our defensive tactics and organization are inexistant, with our front 4 being absolutely useless (Bruno, Rashford, Greenwood, Ronaldo).

Bayern Munich is the prime example of the double pivot in a 4231, using two competent CMs and not a DM specialist. Their 2020 CL winning starting XI constantly featured Thiago and Goretzka, neither being pure DM like Rice. Then there is Muller that is not even a real no. 10, that contributed defensively, which our dear Bruno doesnt do at all.
 
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Bellingham plays very offensively for Dortmund, getting into the positions Fernandes does for us. I think he'd have some of the same problems as Van De Beek. He'd get forward and then we wouldnt have someone to find him in the dangerous areas where he can help with the attack.

Rice is a top quality DM which is what we need especially if Pogba leaves on a free. Its already the problem position without losing one of our better players
 
Swarup said:
With that Maguire / Shaw / AWB / Lindelof? I doubt it. Sincerely. Our Fullbacks (and no backups to them) are the worst among the top4.
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On paper apart from centre midfield we have a strong first team with some outstanding attacking options to come off the bench.

Anyway i change my mind from the post i made a month ago, even with Rice in midfield for us under this current management & coaching set-up we'll win feck all let alone the premiership....
 
I reckon we'll end up getting Reuben Neves next summer. Based on nothing except instinct of course. Just feel he adds something that we lack, would be a sort of natural replacement for Matic.
 
I think if we got Brozovic he'd basically step in and do what we've been wanting Pogba to do without success, specifically boss the midfield without sacrificing its shape and dscipline. Neves or Paulinho would be good alternatives. Rice too perhaps but not at the quoted fees.
 
I really like Kessie as an option. Maybe not on his own but alongside somebody else that complements him and our other options.

No he's not going to sit there and be ultra disciplined, we'd need somebody else if we're reducing the role to simply that, but he's got a bit of everything to be a midfielder in the PL from what I've seen. Which isn't enough really. But seems much more appealing than other so called affordable options (Neves)
 
Abraxas said:
I really like Kessie as an option. Maybe not on his own but alongside somebody else that complements him and our other options.

No he's not going to sit there and be ultra disciplined, we'd need somebody else if we're reducing the role to simply that, but he's got a bit of everything to be a midfielder in the PL from what I've seen. Which isn't enough really. But seems much more appealing than other so called affordable options (Neves)
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I feel like he plays the role Scott does for us, but Scott hasn't progressed enough to warrant him not being replaced. Kessie looks like he could have another level in him and is available, so I agree with you.
 
Declan Rice is a must buy.

And if we are facing a clear out in midfield, (Pogba, Matic, Donny, Lingard, Mata) then I hope we are looking at a couple of these guys

Fabian Ruiz
Bruno Guimaraes
Nicolo Barella
 
Depending on how Chelsea intend to use him next season, I would be seriously all over Billy Gilmour.
 
Bellingham and Rice. We'd have the midfield sorted for the next decade! (or maybe until the following transfer window)
 
I look at Jorginho and think that type of tempo setting ball player is just as important as a traditional CDM. I then look at the quality of Barella and Locatelli on the ball, their ability to press and most importantly their willingness to accept the ball and want the ball. It’s been a long time since we have had a centre midfielder that dictates a game, demands the ball, shows up when we need someone to take the ball in tight areas and get us out. Obviously Veratti but that’s just not going to happen.
 
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