Not necessary a player with wicked skills to get by defenders but somebody who is industrious and can play with his back to the opponents goal, passing the ball back and to our defense and playing off them, keeping our ball moving and holding it, never rushing it, but having the know-how to slide the critical passes through to space for our front men to latch onto. We don't need a defensive midfielder, that is not the problem. We need to learn to control the ball and hold onto it in the middle. I hope the midfield is sorted out.
We do need a defensive midfielder, someone who reads play well and positions himself to break up play and then instigates our counter attacks, Faurlin is the perfect example and hopefully Diakite will be as good. You certainly wouldn't want to play with your back to the opponent's goal in your own half, if you are aware of where your team-mates are you simply pass and move. Take a look at Scott Parker, that is a defensive midfielder in a nutshell...
We certainly do need a defensive midfielder without a doubt as it looks like Barton can't do that either ... He is club captain and has failed in nearly every game to have the sort of influence that is a minimum requirement for that role Still think we have easily enough here to get into and win the middle league as the fixtures couldn't really be better for us albeit all tough games
This, although i don't think Faurlin is an out and out DM. I actually think that Faurlin is caught somewhere between the two CM roles. But he does have the ability to piece the play together, slow it down when needed and speed it up when needed. Your mention of Parker is not far off the mark. Look at how he and Modric play together. Parker sits back and breaks up opposition play and then allow Modric to get on the ball and link with the front men. This is exactly what we have been missing. We do not have anybody sitting in front of our back four breaking up play. Barton is caught somewhere bwtween both roles as well. Not aggressive enough in defence and certainly not creative enough going forward at the moment. If Diakite can sit and protect our back four then it could allow someone with more creativity to link our midfield and forwards. Ideal for Adel or an inform SWP. Think Smith could also play this role.
Yappy, you can't say in your opening that we need a holding midfielder and then say further down that we don't need a DM. Thats a little bit of a contradiction mate. ADM midfielder is a holding player.
Claude Makelele was what a defensive midfielder should be. Hopefully Diakité will be in the same mould. Would agree that Faurlin is a bit of both, attacking and defensive.
Not if we stop playing 4-4-2! Where in 4-4-2 do you see a DM? I don't. But somehow MH has figured out a way to play it more like 2-2-1-3-2 or something silly like that with the LB and RB caught halfway upfield and leaving that silly DM to be sitting in the middle in front of the 2 CBs, losing the ball. You've got 4 at the back. Let them defend. Let the Midfield be wider and play 4-3-1-2. Then you will have a holding midfielder in the middle, and an attacking one right behind the strikers.
Yappy, you have lost me mate. In every 4-4-2 i have ever seen and played in there has always been one of the central two midfielders who sits and protects the back four. How can you not see how to play a DM in a 4-4-2. Man Utd played a simple 4-4-2 for years until he realised that he would always struggle in Europe against top oposition with this formation. Keane and Scholes played ina basic central 2. Scholes to create and score, keane to destroy.
Mate...judging by most of your posts, especially this thread starter, I've forgotten more than you'll ever know about tactics/formations etc. Of course you can have a defensive midfielder in a 4-4-2. One of the central players holds and one can attack more. It's fluid.....4-1-3-2 when you have the ball and it reverts to 4-4-2 when you lose the ball. You always push the idea of 4-3-1-2, but that still works out the same.....the centre of the 3 holds and the 1 behind the attackers attacks more. Your original op was a complete contradiction and I'm getting fed up with having to give you these tactical lessons.
nuts...we posted at the same time mate...but you're right of course. Yappy is either a complete idiot when it comes to tactics/formations etc or he's a WUM........or both!!!!!!!
Col, i wonder if Yappy ever played the game himself. He talks utter pants, then again it does take all sorts.
What is the different between a DM and a holding midfielder? last time I checked it was the same thing....
I can hardly be bothered but why do you think MH got Diakite. Transfer window has closed which may present a small stumbling block too! I'd be interested in your posts on my new thread 'we could do with a goalscorer'!
It's because you're all thinking about having the LB and RB attack behind the wingers the whole time, exposing the sides and leaving that triangle of the 2 CBs and the DM by themselves. That's how we've been exposed pretty much most matches. I'm saying that we don't need the RB and LB to move so far up. They can play a staggered back-4 line, and switch the stagger depending on the side from which we're being attacked. And that'll alleviate the CM to be more up and be a holding midfielder to supply the ball up front and to the wings, but always roaming and being the outlet for one-twos on the way forward. No need to have a DM, as it were, for that. The back 4 can truly be defensive, pushing the line up high, but always staggered to provide freedom for the holding midfielder to bounce. What you're saying is almost the same as playing 3-5-2, then.
