We Don't Need Big Hard Bastards In Midfield - Xabi Alonso

[Pureblood]

How can a purely subjective opinion be wrong?

[TheHowieLama]

In my opinion, yes.

[Pureblood]

Yep.

 

Chelsea bought a ballwinner and won the league. Wenger bought two ball winners and won the double. They're indispensable unless you're Barcelona and have yet three best attacking mids in the world and play in a league where everyone is content to let you do what you want because to not do so is somehow anti football.

 

For me it does Vieira and Petit a disservice to label them as ball winners.  They were both great players in their own right.

[Jay86]

That is a last resort tackle. The mistake has already been made by allowing too much space on the wing. In an alternative universe the attacking player anticipates that sliding tackle and makes Nesta look like a chump.

Don't know about that being a mistake from Nesta exactly but that's a quality tackle from him.

[Pureblood]

Don't know about that being a mistake from Nesta exactly but that's a quality tackle from him.

 

It's a great tackle.  I'm not sure why it was posted or what it proves on its own in the context of Xabi's comments.

[3 Stacks]

Yep.

 

Chelsea bought a ballwinner and won the league. Wenger bought two ball winners and won the double. They're indispensable unless you're Barcelona and have yet three best attacking mids in the world and play in a league where everyone is content to let you do what you want because to not do so is somehow anti football.

 

He's not saying ball-winners are useless. He's saying that tackling isn't a very important football skill. The likes of Kante are so important because they break up play by anticipating passing lanes and they force/take advantage of bad touches, not because they fling themselves into other players at full speed. 

[Boss]

He's not saying ball-winners are useless. He's saying that tackling isn't a very important football skill. The likes of Kante are so important because they break up play by anticipating passing lanes and they force/take advantage of bad touches, not because they fling themselves into other players at full speed. 

 

Kante has the second most tackles in the league.

[stringvest]

No, it's a hot topic.  He did an interview for The Times and said there was too much emphasis on tackling in England.  He said Eric Dier was his favourite current English player in the Premier League.

 

 

he has said the same before - at least 12 months ago, and if I remember correctly, it was discussed on here at the time.  It is a big stretch of plausibility to suggest that not having combative midfielders equals our midfield is good enough.  In fact, it's just not correct. 

[G Richards]

If we can sign a midfielder of the quality of a younger Alonso, who doesn't need to fly into tackles because he reads the game so well, then he can protect our back four all day long and build the play from there with his excellent range of passing. Bring it on.

 

If a player like that is not available to us, I'd come down on the side of the fence that we need a defensive midfielder, but they need to be a quality player too. I wouldn't want to see the term 'defensive midfielder' reduced to meaning limited player but likes a tackle. We absolutely don't need that sort of thing.

 

First and foremost we need quality. And in this position I'd want someone to be good on the ball, good at anticipating, and able to cover a lot of ground to shut dangerous situations down before they turn into goal scoring opportunities for the other team.

[G Richards]

PS - Keita's the man we need.

[Pureblood]

he has said the same before - at least 12 months ago, and if I remember correctly, it was discussed on here at the time.  It is a big stretch of plausibility to suggest that not having combative midfielders equals our midfield is good enough.  In fact, it's just not correct. 

 

Should we get Poulsen back?  Is he a Klopp type player?

[stringvest]

Should we get Poulsen back?  Is he a Klopp type player?

 

 

if that's some sort of jibe from the past, you'll have to excuse me, I don't get it.  Good to see I still wind you up though Martin.  

 

I just disagree with your point about there being not much wrong with our midfield, that's all.  I think it is an area of weakness we need to address, as we are not going to install a world class back 4 and goalkeeper anytime soon.

[Pureblood]

if that's some sort of jibe from the past, you'll have to excuse me, I don't get it.  Good to see I still wind you up though Martin.  

 

I just disagree with your point about there being not much wrong with our midfield, that's all.  I think it is an area of weakness we need to address, as we are not going to install a world class back 4 and goalkeeper anytime soon.

 

Just trying to find out which kind of player you'd like instead of the ones we have.  I don't think Klopp will go for the tough tacking type.

[stringvest]

Just trying to find out which kind of player you'd like instead of the ones we have.  I don't think Klopp will go for the tough tacking type.

 

 

It's difficult to gauge what Klopp would ideally want to do, and he has to pick in the context of the other players we will have, but the sort of player we need is an intelligent shielding player.  Like a Hamann, or like a Carrick.  Ideally with more pace and agility, but with the same ability to read the game and close gaps before the opposition take advantage of them.  

[TheHowieLama]

My guess is Klopp would love to have a world class midfielder.

 

I will also hazard a guess that he would like the same in defense.

 

Probably would accept world class at the striker position too,

 

Just a guess.

[razor]

Left field opinions.

[Funkasy]

Who would win in a bar fight, Iniesta vs Lallana ?

[Trumo]

When it comes to midfield supremacy, Graeme Souness' mantra as a player is the one to follow. To paraphrase:

 

"If you want to take us on in a fight, we'll batter you. If you want to try and out-football us, we'll batter you."

[VladimirIlyich]

No matter how good our midfield is it will be bypassed every now and again and my lack of faith lies more with one or two behind the midfielders rather than the midfield itself.