I think our emphasis changed yesterday. Livermore has slowed our play down as much as anyone this season but yesterday he was more adventurous as well. Who's to say Huddlestone won't come back and be pushed further up and increase our tempo? I guess we'll see on Sunday.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, you need to make sides wary with a bit of physicality and you need firm 'going forward' leadership in the MF. For me, Hudd's initially brought that to the side in bucketloads, but whatever reason (haircut, weight or lack of competition for his place) it has waned and he's looked very negative at times. Meyler and Ramirez brought those two qualities and intensity yesterday. Even when Brady replaced Rameriz it didn't drop off. Livermore also seemed to play with the yolk lifted off his shoulders. I noticed that a couple times when we did return to our recent defensive 'tippy tappy sidewards/backwards let's bring on trouble and lose the ball act', the crowd noticeably groaned, Brucey went mad and it stopped. My last word, not connected in any way to my main point is that Naismith is a feckin' cheating ****er of the first order... a bastard. I have my 7 year old grandson with me and couldn't say it out loud. I've said it now and I feel better for it...
I've alluded to this a few times. I don't know much, but if you want to win a lot of football matches, your most influential players need to find time and space so they can inflict maximum damage. Some players can make their own space and other teams set up where they think the space will be. There's games where Brucie might want to play a 3-5-2 shape but there's no need for three out and out cenner backs staying back in there. So why not have Hudds in a sweeper role, stepping into the midfield to dictate moves and giving us more midfield runners for him to aim for. Worked for Hoddle at Swindon.
Huddlestone is definitely overhyped, I'm much more excited at Diame coming back eventually. Huddlestone needs to stop making crude challenges and should learn to shoot better.
I actually think Diamé is our best midfielder, he tackles better than Huddlestone and scores more regularly.
I actually think that this time out will re-energise him, he maybe has got a bit complacent, but yesterdays performance will make him think he will not just step straight back in to the team.
Huddlestone must be played higher to give his game more urgency and to enable him to offer fully attacking passes and the occasional shot that we miss; he did this when he was good and then some said the opposition has found him out, but, perhaps, it was simply manager's instructions.
I like Diame, but we have other very good midfielders who need to be played in the right way. HBA was a gamble not really used to it's best advantage, although his attitude stunk; so something a little creative in January would be good.
I'd rather play Tom in a back 3 and Diame as the furthest forward midfielder in a 352, he's an incredible goal threat from midfield
I personally think Huddlestone is best used deeper. He's got excellent ball retention ability and can hold up play from the back, effortlessly ping a pin point accurate pass 70 yards across the pitch to launch a counter attack, and I think his defensive skills are almost, if not as good as his technical ability with his feet. His passing is eye catching which I believe makes his defensive work often be overlooked. Gaston Ramirez is the player we want in the advanced position playing in the tight spaces and making defence splitting balls, leave Tom to what he's best at.
To be fair Dawson has proved pretty outstanding at pinging long pinpoint balls to one of our players on either touch line, so I would like to see what Tom can do a bit further up the pitch again but it is difficult to see a way of playing both Tom and Diame in advanced midfield roles in any of our current regular formations.
I'm just watching last nights MOTD and I hve to wonder how many of these comments are based on Savages comments on Gerrard. Set a bell ringing instantly
I think Huddlestone was looking for a christmas holiday and got himself a few games off, he ought to not walk straight back in the team and as has been mentioned here he probably slows the momentum down too much at times
Savage comments about Gerrard where ridicules. There is no way in hell Gerrard could play in a back 3. He may have the great passing ability, but he'll have win headers, follow runners and cover behind the other centre backs. You only have look at the way Barry played in a back 3.
Exactly. I also found it strange how MOTD showed Everton as playing a 4-5-1 (and us playing 4-4-2) and the pundits after talked about their supposed 'back four'. Shows how much attention they actually pay to the games. On a side note **** knows why they played Barry at centre back, thought they missed him in midfield where I feel we overrun them. Barry did not look comfortable at the back at all.
I would like to think anything other than an outstanding performance from Huddlestone against Arsenal would mean he cannot jump straight back in the team.
I thought Hernandez played it very cleverly. He played in little gap between Barry and Jagielka. Not because Barry had zero pace, but because he didn't know whether to follow him or leave him to Jagielka.
I'm assuming, due to the time of the post, that you sent this from a mobile device whilst getting ever more pi$$ed sat at the bar TC
