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Ok, to be clear, Gana did not turn the ball over. He was absolutely one of our best players in NOT losing the ball.I was a fan of Gana for his work rate and defensive skills but was frustrated by his poor distribution and contribution to attacks. I've thought for a while it is possible that with a midfielder who is tidier in his passing than Gana was there will be fewer interceptions and tackles required so his replacement does not necessarily have to be a like-for-like carbon copy. Time will tell if this lad will prove this point but I'm very optimistic. Our best midfields included players that were good tacklers but also good at more than just defensive duties - Reid and Bracewell prime examples but players like Carsley, Dacourt, Hutchison, Speed etc were known for their tough tackling and work rate but were also good on the ball. Would love to see a return to that level of all-round midfielder
Gana didn't turn the ball over much because he'd just give it to the nearest player to him most of the time. No problem - he knew his limits. When he did try to be more adventurous it normally didn't turn out too well. I'd like to see that place in the team held by someone with steel but also a bit of guile. Players like Bryan Robson, Patrick Viera and dare I say it Gerrard had that all-round midfield game. All I'm saying is I'd like Gana's replacement to be more than just a defensive shield, and I'm hoping JP can be that. Also forwards can be let off for losing the ball more often because they have licence to try things, to be creative and take chances in areas of the pitch where losing the ball doesn't have the same consequences. I don't want our forwards to curb that for the sake of possession, because when they lose out it rarely leads to us conceding but when it works it can lead to a goal-scoring chance. Different remits.Ok, to be clear, Gana did not turn the ball over. He was absolutely one of our best players in NOT losing the ball.
Did he create much for his teammates? Not much. He wasn't a real dynamic player. Nor did he have great passing range. But he was not the problem with giving the ball to the other team. That was very much Walcott and Richarlison, although Richy got a bit better as the year went on.
Big Man, that's an anagram of his surname, which since I'm not sure hows it's pronounced I'm just going to call him Big Man.
Gana didn't turn the ball over much because he'd just give it to the nearest player to him most of the time. No problem - he knew his limits. When he did try to be more adventurous it normally didn't turn out too well. I'd like to see that place in the team held by someone with steel but also a bit of guile. Players like Bryan Robson, Patrick Viera and dare I say it Gerrard had that all-round midfield game. All I'm saying is I'd like Gana's replacement to be more than just a defensive shield, and I'm hoping JP can be that. Also forwards can be let off for losing the ball more often because they have licence to try things, to be creative and take chances in areas of the pitch where losing the ball doesn't have the same consequences. I don't want our forwards to curb that for the sake of possession, because when they lose out it rarely leads to us conceding but when it works it can lead to a goal-scoring chance. Different remits.
let the shoosting beginIf he’s half as good at doing the dirty work as gana was I’ll be happy.
As long as he’s twice as good at shooting
oh god here we goOk, to be clear, Gana did not turn the ball over. He was absolutely one of our best players in NOT losing the ball.
Did he create much for his teammates? Not much. He wasn't a real dynamic player. Nor did he have great passing range. But he was not the problem with giving the ball to the other team. That was very much Walcott and Richarlison, although Richy got a bit better as the year went on.
Sigursdson would stay in a team with that midfield if he played as a false 9 like Firminio. Can't see it happening though.I can’t see Gomes not starting considering he played for the most of last season and for a fair chunk of it being one of our better players
Weirdly, I think a midfield three of Gomes, Gbamin and Delph would be really balanced and effective defensively and offensively, but it accommodate that you’d have to drop Sig from the number 10 role which just isn’t going to happen
Silva has some decisions to make that’s for sure
I was a fan of Gana for his work rate and defensive skills but was frustrated by his poor distribution and contribution to attacks. I've thought for a while it is possible that with a midfielder who is tidier in his passing than Gana was there will be fewer interceptions and tackles required so his replacement does not necessarily have to be a like-for-like carbon copy. Time will tell if this lad will prove this point but I'm very optimistic. Our best midfields included players that were good tacklers but also good at more than just defensive duties - Reid and Bracewell prime examples but players like Carsley, Dacourt, Hutchison, Speed etc were known for their tough tackling and work rate but were also good on the ball. Would love to see a return to that level of all-round midfielder