When we play 5-3-2 and McShane, Bruce and Dawson play as well as they have done in these last 2 games then we need to look at Brady and Elmo to push up in support of the Meyler,Hudd,Livermore axis far more. Brady has done well but I still think we are more offensive with Robertson. Also looking forward to our Senegal internationals linking up together.
Playing devil's advocate here.....did we allow them to dominate possession in the midfield, knowing they are toothless up front, allowing us more room and opportunity to break them down when we attacked? Was that the game plan we employed to expose their weakness, similarly to how teams have played us recently?
The thing that concerns and frustrates me the most about our midfield at the moment is the way that, when we have a choice of playing a backwards/sideways pass, or trying something a little more adventurous, we nearly always go for the former. I do understand the need to hold possession, but I just think we take the safe, negative option too often. Meyler is especially guilty of this. I've got nothing but admiration for the lad's commitment, but when he does this it just makes me think that even he doesn't believe he's good enough at this level. Livermore was guilty of it once or twice last night, too.
Myler, didn't particulary have a bad game, the fella was all over the park. To me, it's Mylers end product ie his passing that requires working on. He does give the ball away far to easy, if he could at least have a decent pass completion rate then I think it would make him a pretty effective player.
Vision is the key, the ability to see the pass seconds before the opposition close it down, Myler for all his endeavour does not have this ability.
On that basis you could ask why Man Utd ever bothered paying Fergie. Every team has an assistant, are you suggesting that this means they should all dispense with their managers? Let's not forget that we probably wouldn't have got Phelan had Brucey not been here.
And for all we bash Hudds, he has this in spades. He picks up the ball and can play a pass without looking up. He's already aware of exactly what's around him.
I'm sure that once Diame is fit, Meyler will return to the bench and to being the squad player that he really is. He is a decent option when other midfield players are unavailable (although I'd like to see Quinn in that left sided centre midfield berth ahead of him) but he's not really good enough to be a regular first choice for me.
If any of our midfielders had the complete all round game in their locker, they wouldn't be playing for us. Well not for long anyway. The trouble is none of them are but Ashbee aside (and he wasn't always immune), we tend to focus on what they can't do well rather than what they can. That's also why it is best to have players with different qualities in there that complement each other.
I had to be quick, I could feel the breath of the others on the back of my neck lining up to do the same thing
