The popular myth that Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama can't
play in defensive midfield together has been turned on its head.
The popular myth that Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama can't
play in defensive midfield together just simply isn't true.
Yet the Dutchman, who has signed as a utility man to
play in defensive midfield and out on the left two summers ago, has emerged as not only a solid, short - term fix next to Chris Smalling this season at the back for Manchester United but as a central defender adept enough to stare down the best that the Premier League has to offer.
Juan Mata was subbed off to give Ander Herrera a chance to
play in the defensive midfield.
He is with Rosenborg and not Lillestroem as earlier reported by this portal, and in our usual style we have obtained official pictures of the central defender who can also
play in defensive midfield in the colours of Rosenborg.
A santi replacement is not just about creative play but (1) having the discipline to
play in defensive midfield and (2) ability to dribble out of tight spaces.
When
I play in defensive midfield I don't really have to run as much to mark players, so marking a striker at centre back is a lot more physical and has been a new experience for me.
I believe he can
play in defensive midfield and that's where I see him.»
Despite Antonio Valencia's tremendous start to the season, Mourinho has little full - back options to choose from and so signing 23 - year - old Fabinho — who can also
play in a defensive midfield role — would undoubtedly bolster this area and thus the strength of the overall squad.
N'koulou also has the ability to
play in the defensive midfield role.
Just one more player that could
play in defensive midfield and center back would have greatly improved the team.
If he can play as a CB I do nt see why it is more of a risk
playing him in defensive midfield.
Playing in defensive midfield this season, Eric Dier has looked solid so far for Tottenham and seems likely to resume this role against City.
Well Elneny, Coquelin and Xhaka are considered and
plays in a defensive midfield position for both club and country.
I think Flamini will go next season and we will buy a player that
plays in defensive midfield and defense.
The Dutchman sees his compatriot
playing in defensive midfield, although he will also use him at the back as well.
Playing in defensive midfield, the versatile 24 - year - old was hugely impressive, leading Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp to claim that he is a player who «puts out fires».
With Cameron Borthwick - Jackson and Guillermo Varela at left and right - back respectively, full - backs Donald Love, Sadiq El Fitouri and Joe Riley were
played in defensive midfield, on the right wing and the left wing.
While he normally
plays in a defensive midfield role, he starts slightly further back in this XI.
Not exact matches
The Gunners defence has been fortified by the return of Laurent Koscielny, and against the Hammers Arsenal
played with two
defensive midfielders in Flamini and Coquelin and Wenger has been very pleased with the recent performances.
Played in midfield against Besiktas, but should be moved back into the
defensive three to help cope with City's attacking threat.
Throughout his career so far, the
midfielder has shown that he is capable of
playing in central area of the pitch, with the
midfielder being deployed as an attacking
midfielder, central and
defensive midfielder.
and as i mentioned yesterday the notion that Coquelīn will get injured is hypothetical and even without any clear competition from anyone
in the team for his position he still produced performances that put him
in the top 10
defensive midfielders in Europe despite
playing half a season..
obviously I would prefer to have a much more suitable alternative
in the
defensive midfielder positions but if they focused more on
defensive end and the occasional long - ball, this would allow Bellerin and Sead ample opportunities to bomb forward on their respective wings while still having enough cover to maintain their
defensive shape... it would likewise allow for overlapping runs on both wings, thereby letting both Sanchez and Perez to cut inside and get shots away
in and around the top of the box with their most dominant feet... if goals were needed I would sub Bellerin for OX and bring Ramsey
in for Elneny then switch to a 3 -2-4-1 (more of a 3 -1-5-1 with Ramsey
playing higher up the pitch) and I would only use Giroud as a sub when the game dictated it for tactical reasons... this would allow us to be a high energy team with incredible link - up
play and a much more direct approach
in the offensive end
But he is one of the best off the ball runner that we have — opponents does not want to
play high
defensive line or press our
midfielder higher on the pitch due to the threat he pose — you may argue that the long distance scorcher by Sanchez
in the FA final is due to their CBs slow
in closing him down, wearying of the Walcott threat.
Playing as a
defensive midfielder, he is
in a position to receive the ball from the defenders, distribute the ball and providing a platform for Carzola and Co. to
play with simple, accurate, and urgent passes.
Monreal
in at CB provides an adept and semi creative ball
playing presence
in the
defensive third which I think is important to keep us moving the ball fluidly and intelligently and also means opposition need to compensate for the possibility of Monreal clipping the ball over the top to Lacazette and cutting the
midfield out.
Our
defensive frailties
in midfield and
in defense are known by all managers that
play us.
in the Mould of Fabinho, who can
play as a defender and also as a
defensive Midfielder.
Also Coquelin is a pure
defensive midfielder who
plays best just
in front of the back four.
The Gunners may have sorted out most of their problems at the back and eventually started
playing with a
defensive midfielder in Francis Coquelin, but Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott aren't really good enough up front to lead you to the title
It's difficult to blame Ozil for the difficulties he's faced at Arsenal without looking at the big picture... like the fans, he too was lied to by Wenger... there is no doubt
in my mind that he was told by Wenger that he was trying desperately to recreate our earlier success by acquiring players that fit the system he ran when Henry was
in his prime... as we know this hasn't happened...
in order for Ozl to flourish he needs some speed up front, forwards that can make intelligent runs, a boss
in the
midfield to compensate for his obvious
defensive liabilities and defenders who can transition from defence to offence quickly and efficiently... much like he had
in Real and with the German National squad... unfortunately he ended up on a squad that has a striker who
plays with his back to goal, very few intelligent runs into the box, minus Sanchez, no one to take pressure off him
in the
midfield, once Cazorla was injured, average
defensive midfielders around him, which simply highlighted his lacking
defensive qualities and defenders who lack the necessary cutting edge when it comes to transitional passing... instead of blaming Ozil, which is simply too easy, especially considering his mopey disposition, we should be asking ownership and / or Wenger why they brought him
in if they didn't intend on doing what was necessary to get the best from him... can you imagine Ozil
playing with the likes of Henry, Viera, Petit and Pires, it would be incredibly to watch and even more difficult to stop... so the only thing different between his experiences
in Real and with the German team versus his time at Arsenal are the players around him and we all know who is
in charge of making those decisions, the Grinch who stole soccer
You cant escape he fact that Podolski was
played rarely and when he was he was
played out of position much the same way that Wenger has assembled a squad of players most of which are a talented bunch, but, Wenger has failed to build a team who fit n with each other, we have a
midfield that overtly populated with players who al excel
in the same role BUT have no solid
defensive midfield talent and no options
in defence when players have crap periods or are long term injury problems.
we've a strong
midfield and lots of options
in the forward line which affords him the luxury of doing so, mustafi is a different case though due to the
defensive crisis we're having with koscielny the only experience cb fit to
play so it was a no brainer to throw him
in from the start.
Although Wilshere has not nailed down a regular position
in his career so far,
playing both as an attacking
midfielder, either centrally or on either flank, as well as a more
defensive - minded player, it appears that he wants to work on becoming more of a deep - lying ball player
in the Alonso or Pirlo mould.
bsides it wasn't only strikers we lacked... wat of
defensive midfielders????? wat rili pisses me off is dat sim1 like kondongbia went for $ 35m (less than # 25m and we refused to bid???? must he b
playing for Madrid ir barca b4 we r
in d running or r Madrid / barca players specially designed by God.....
Maksimovic is a versatile defender who can
play in any position across the defence and as a
defensive midfielder, much like his international compatriot Branislav Ivanovic.
Chambers would easily slip back into the Saints team and has been
in training as a
defensive midfielder as well as being able to
play as centre - back or right - back while Vilhena is acclimatising to his new team - mates.
The Barca youth player, who
plays as a
defensive midfielder, has established himself as a key figure
in a Barca side featuring world class players such as Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi.
My faith
in the Coq relies on his willingness to
play like a
defensive midfielder and not like Song before he went to Barca.
While Barca may be blessed with three outstanding attackers and fairly good
midfielders there
defensive line constantly make errors, which are not capitalised on by their opponents
in spain, it will be a rather different situation
playing against arsenal.
Vidal is a proven high quality CM with high energy and
defensive ability who can
play with either Carzola / Ramsey or Coquelin
in our
midfield.
Strikers - Lacazette COULD and Auba SHOULD have the quality to
play in a 442 or 3421 but we need to address what we don't have now that we had
in abundance during our years of success, namely
DEFENSIVE STABILITY
MIDFIELD CREATIVITY / With all round abilities WINGERS WITH PACE.
In the midfield, (including RWB & LWB) we have a whole bunch of tweeners... none offer the full package, none make sense in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
In the
midfield, (including RWB & LWB) we have a whole bunch of tweeners... none offer the full package, none make sense
in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in our manager's current favourite formation, except for Sead on the left and Ox on the right, and all of them have never shown any consistency for more than a heartbeat... Sead, who I'm including
in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in this category because of our present formation, looks like a positive addition, minus his occasional brain farts, but I would rather see what he could do
in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in a back 4 before making my mind up... Ox, who has never
played better, which isn't saying much considering his largely underwhelming
play in previous seasons, seems to have found a home in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in previous seasons, seems to have found a home
in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in this new formation; unfortunately, can we really expect this oft - injured player to handle the taxing duties that come with said position over the long haul, not to mention, it looks like he has no intention of staying... Ramsey has relied on the empathy that stems from his gruesome injury years ago and the excitement that was generated a few years back when he finally seemed to put
in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in altogether, but on the whole he has been a big disappointment (neither he nor the Ox have scored enough to warrant a regular spot)... Wiltshire should be put on a weekly contract then
played until he suffers his first injury, if and when that occurs he should be shipped - out and no one should very be allowed to say his name on club grounds ever again... Elnehy & Coq are average players who couldn't make any of the top 7 teams currently
in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting... in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in the EPL... both have showed some great energy on the pitch, but neither are top quality and no good team can afford to have that many average players on their bench
playing the same position, especially with Coq's injury history / discipline concerns and Elheny's headless chicken tendencies... as for Xhaka, his tenure here so far has been incredibly underwhelming... we know he has some skills to provide the long ball but his
defensive work is piss poor and he gives the ball away too cheaply and far too often... finally, the enigma himself, Ozil, so much skill with his left foot but his presence has been more frustrating than uplifting...
in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger'
in many respects his failure has been directly related to the failure of this club to provide him with the necessary players up front, minus Sanchez of course, and unless something drastic happens very soon his legacy will be largely a negative one (much like Wenger's)
Wenger should
play a
defensive game with counter attack but he won't so we will probably be dominated
in midfield.
Having Ozil of all people
play as a winger especially
in front of either full back
in Debuchy or Monreal is suicide because he will not track back whatsoever and
in a formation like that which is designed to thrive on position you need a work horse on the wings for whichever full back you plan to have overloading the wing AS WELL AS a positionally astute
defensive midfielder to come across and provide cover.
I think he can
play everywhere
in the
midfield — certainly not
in a
defensive role — but all the other positions are not out of reach for him.»
Chelsea were spotted using an unorthodox 4 -2-4 formation during pre-season — a system Conte is yet to deploy
in the Premier League — and Luiz could easily
play as a central defender or as a
defensive minded central
midfielder.
Louis van Gaal changed his tactics to try to surprise Arsenal and counter his team's
defensive problems, with three central defenders and with Luke Shaw and Valencia
playing as wing backs
in a
midfield five, with Rooney and van Persie up front.
If Arsenal stick with three centre backs then Mustafi must be considered a far better choice for the third birth alongside Kos and Holding rather then Monreal.Kolasinac has to come back
in at left eing - back and Bellerin revert to the right.
Midfield is a very different matter.Arsenal still desperately need a proper
defensive central player.Ozil
in this current side can not be considered anything more than a luxury.All of Bournemouth's creativity will come down the flanks so it's necessary to put players on to the pitch who are prepared to fulfill their
defensive duties.This also means that unless Ramsey can work out that he's
playing in midfield not as a number 10 he has no place on the team either.