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Busting our balls [Vadis odjidja ofoe]

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toffeejack said:
we're playing osman alongside gibson which is a bit more attacking than the gibson/fellaini partnership we had at the end of last season. so felli sitting deep and breaking up play alongside osman, won't be too much of a difference.
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I'm just not convinced Fellaini can do Gibson's job without compromising what makes him so good. Hope he can prove me wrong but I think much like Mikel he works better with a mdifielder behind him and another midfielder in front.
 
toffeejack said:
we're playing osman alongside gibson which is a bit more attacking than the gibson/fellaini partnership we had at the end of last season. so felli sitting deep and breaking up play alongside osman, won't be too much of a difference.
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Fellaini remained in the ACM at the end of last season.

Gibson was being partnered by Neville.
 
Osman is better defensively than Rodwell in all honesty. It's easy to look at the size difference and just go with that but if your breaking down the positional sense, work rate and all round defensive awareness of the player, then Leon comes out on top. I'm sure Rodwell will improve in this area with game time but he was never even close to a good defensive player with us.

Gibson is hardly an out and out defensive midfielder himself, he's a passer who screens the back four to a decent standard but hardly a specialist. It's not needed in all honesty.
 
Animal Farm said:
Have you got any highlights from last week, or the Villa game?

You know, when Fellaini dropped deep and we improved so much?
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In the last 30 minutes of games? Preparing for a game in a position is completely different.

Come on mate, I've just given you two excellent videos there, atleast give me something to think about.
 

ToxtethBlue said:
Osman is better defensively than Rodwell in all honesty. It's easy to look at the size difference and just go with that but if your breaking down the positional sense, work rate and all round defensive awareness of the player, then Leon comes out on top. I'm sure Rodwell will improve in this area with game time but he was never even close to a good defensive player with us.

Gibson is hardly an out and out defensive midfielder himself, he's a passer who screens the back four to a decent standard but hardly a specialist. It's not needed in all honesty.
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Fellaini is much more destructive than either Rodwell or Gibson but positionally he plays further up, he isn't a screener and he often doesn't pick up runners but rather tries to break up play further up the pitch.

I'm just not convinced that either Fellaini or Osman work as the deepest lying midfielder. The two of them both do fine sitting alongside Gibson but I'm less convinced by the pair of them together than you are. We just haven't seen it much.
 
Artetafan said:
I'm just not convinced Fellaini can do Gibson's job without compromising what makes him so good. Hope he can prove me wrong but I think much like Mikel he works better with a mdifielder behind him and another midfielder in front.
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i'm still not convinced with felli in the ACM position. his finishing aint up to much except from with his head. a great target man and it was utalised brilliantly against united, but i wouldn't want to see it every game. you saying felli was gash in DM before gibbo came along?
 
ToxtethBlue said:
In the last 30 minutes of games? Preparing for a game in a position is completely different.

Come on mate, I've just given you two excellent videos there, atleast give me something to think about.
Click to expand...

Christ, I don't have the time, energy or inclination to try and source footage of Fellaini inadequately protecting our defence, but I can assure you that it is out there.

He shit out against Villa and they scored from it. He lost his runner for West Brom's second goal. And I don't even want to talk about the FA Cup Semi-Final. There are other instances as well, I just don't keep a tally chart of them.

Fellaini might be OK at CM when playing next to Gibson, but even Neville and Osman look OK when they play alongside Gibson.

The proof will be in the pudding anyway, I hope I'm wrong, but lets see how he does at CM in the next few games? I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not hopeful about the prospect.
 

toffeejack said:
i'm still not convinced with felli in the ACM position. his finishing aint up to much except from with his head. a great target man and it was utalised brilliantly against united, but i wouldn't want to see it every game. you saying felli was gash in DM before gibbo came along?
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I'm saying he never played in DM.

The distinction I'm making is between being destructive (which is breaking up attacking play by the other side and winning back the ball) and being defensive (which is a positional thing and is about being a body which screens the defense and blocks runners) Fellaini is, imo, the former but not the latter.

Which is why we tend to play a passing midfielder slightly deeper than Fellaini when he's part of a two man midfield and behind a cahill type (Arteta played there as did Rodwell and later Gibson and it's also what Neville and Heitinga are meant to do). Fellaini is the destructive player but not the defensive one and you're suggesting the idea of getting him to be both.

I'm not sure it will work.
 

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