Ill be disappointed if we miss out on Willian but frankly £30m is the absolute most I'd like to spend on him. If the only way we get him is by matching Chelsea's £34m then I'd rather we moved on.
I'm talking about a player that plays predominantly in attacking positions, like VDV (Sig) rather than a Carrick who is more like a Modric-role
Well, yes, i was, but with Sig in mind. My terminology: Playmaker: VDV/Sig/Bale(last season) Deep lying playmaker: Modric/Carroll/Carrick When did positions become so hazy? I think there is space in a team for 2 which is why i wouldn't be upset to see Sig tried deeper (admittedly where we have massive depth and would prefer Carroll)
I would class a playmaker as someone who creates team opportunites with clever passing. I don't think Bale falls into that catergory. He is all about creating his own chances for the most part. Maybe Paulinho will come into this catergory for us.
Yes I agree in fact Spurs are reminding me more and more of Chelsea in the style of playing we are adopting under AVB.
How do they fit it all in. If my maths is right then: Defensive mid Box to Box Deep lying playmaker Playmaker Left wing Right wing Is 6 players. I guess they don't have a DLP? I don't watch Chelsea much. I guess it boils down to whether you want to play with out-and-out wingers. If you don't then you can go: DM B2B DLP Attacker Attacker with 1 or both attackers providing the playmaker role
Hopefully, if he gets really fit, Holtby could do this job. There were good signs when he first joined us, but I guess he wasn't fit enough to fulfil his potential. I know he's been injured, but if he can get really fit over the next few weeks, he could do a job for us as a No10?
Yeah, i've aired my approval at giving him a crack at no10 throughout the summer. I've not seen enough of him in that role to make up my mind yet but that was his role at Schalke i believe. The signs were positive on his debut (Norwich?) but then i dunno what happened
My preference is for a pair of strong midfielders who can provide defensive cover, get into the box and can pass from deep on occasions. We've got four of these now (Sandro, Paulinho, Capoue and Dembele). Then you need three attacking midfielders who can pass, beat players by skill and/or speed and score goals. We've got a good crop of these too: Bale, Chadli, Holtby, Carroll, Sig, Lennon. Townsend. The best place for your most effective passer is in the middle of this front three where good short passe can do a lot of damage. Passes from deep look spectacular but don't lead to goals very often.