I think we're deploying Hojbjerg wrongly. As the Euros confirmed, he isn't a traditional DM no matter how much we wish him to be one. PS and i have often highlighted how in his eagerness to be everywhere, his positional awareness is badly lacking. I think HBIC is spot on: Deploy Hojbjerg further upfield as a box to box midfielder which is what he wants to be anyway, and use Skipp in the traditional DM position, starting further back. To me, that gets the most possible out of both players. We'll have a weird arse formation, something like 4123, but who cares? Anything has to be better than this 433 shyte we've endured for 2 years.
4-2-3-1 would be fine, as long as we've got a creative player in the 3. I'd prefer a deep-lying playmaker alongside Hojbjerg with Skipp as backup and competition. Not really an option at the moment though, unfortunately.
I think he works as you describe, or even in a double pivot. But he’s too instinctively aggressive in the press to be a DM on his own.
Skipp and Hojbjerg as a pairing with a proper playmaker in front of them would work well I think. Both Hojbjerg and Skipp's passing is an underrated aspect of their game, Hojbjerg can have more licence to be box-to-box and with a playmaker in front they can get the ball to them to then do the business. Coutinho's sounding more and more appealing now. C'mon Don Fabio, work your contacts.
As DH just said, if someone like Coutinho came in and we played him in the Eriksen role, I think a pivot of Skipp-Pierre could work, possibly using Lo Celso instead of one of them against weaker opposition. Alternatively, drop Skipp deeper and play a Pierre-Lo Celso high pivot ahead of him with Kane/NEW STRIKER up top flanked by two wide attackers. Whichever way i twist or turn this, I cannot see 433 working and I also don't see Ndombele - who by the looks of things won't be getting a single minute of pre season action - fitting in, regardless of the formation we use. Bottom line is we'd need a prime Fernandino or Kante type alongside him doing literally all the dirty work, and we don't have that. NEW RB Rodon Romero Reg Skipp Hojbjerg Tanguy Lucas Kane Son Is the only approach i see working with him. Purposefully allow him to drift between the lines and use the space there to pick things apart.
This was the issue last season, where we finally got to see Lo Celso and Ndombele in the same starting xi together...with Lo Celso in the pivot and Ndombele at a No10, which is the exact opposite to where they were expected to play when we signed the two of them The fact is there's definitely a place in the team for Lo Celso as he's very good at knitting play through midfield together and has tenacity, although realistically we need him pushing higher up the pitch so he can make late runs to the edge of the box as he can certainly finish - but the best way to get Ndombele into the tea regularly is build a teleporter, shove him and Sissoko into it, and hopefully Brundlefly the CM we need at the other end
Either way, Tanguy is ****ed. Nuno has had him for weeks - to be fair Nuno is nearly by all accounts as hot on fitness as Poch was - and he’s not had a peek. Sounds harsh but I’ve well and truly written him off.
I’ve decided I like Gollini. Reckon he’s a great lad to his teammates and a complete **** to the opposition. Has that mouthy look to him.
With just over a week to go then, Gollini may get his debut earlier than expected. If Lloris doesn’t play against Arsenal I think it’d be silly if he started the opener against City. Keepers may not need to be as fit as outfielders but they still need that match sharpness after a break.
Then I sincerely hope we just cut our losses and get rid. Strikes me as the type who could stink up a dressing room, especially without his mates Aurier and Sissoko to keep him happy.
Love Nuno's insistence that everyday is important and that standards must be maintained in training and on match day. Really liked Gollini saying "we need to..." and "we are..." and upstanding that every game v Arsenal matters ... particularly good coming from someone on loan. Impressed with the interviews
