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2018/19 Lucas Digne

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BlueToff said:
He's a great asset down that side.

Both him and Zouma were very poor for the second goal, but it all came from a stupid mistake from Pickford as well.

Digne got criticised for being caught high up the pitch for the first goal, but the issue was that the midfielder's weren't covering. The point of having a holding midfielder (two!) is to cover the fb's when they get forward.
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where McCarthy may be used as he did it for Coleman and Baines when fit as he understands the role. Wont hold my breath hel be anyway fit though
 
BlueToff said:
Neither is Neves.

Gomes isn't as good with his passing as Neves, but he's better than what we have. He's also a ball carrier, which we miss.

Gana is a DM. It's what he's good at. But we're trying to play him - and have been for the last year now - as a box-to-box player. I think in Silva's case this is largely due to the options currently available, and that's why we've brought Gomes in.

Gomes - Gana - Gylfi is a good midfield three. It has a mix. Just like Rooney - Gana - Davies did last year.

The key is getting the ball into Gylfi and the front men where they can do damage. We simply struggle to do that too many times. Yesterday, Gana was the one tasked with doing it in the first half and he cost us the first goal with a crap pass. He was dreadful, but the point remains that if we're asking him to do that role we're barking up the wrong tree.

Ultimately, we need better. A Doucoure type who can get us on the front foot through sheer power but also has that pass in him as well.

But I wouldn't write Gomes off. I see him as being that player who drops back and dictates our play and moves us up the pitch.

Barkley was the last one who did it - not consistently enough - and not once in the last season and a bit since he's been gone have we sustained an attack. Everything is in moments. Because that's what we've got. Players who can play in brief moments.

One player changes it massively. Hopefully Gomes is that one, because we definitely have the front players to do damage.
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Foot Long Hot Dog said:
Stick a player in that midfield who can carry the ball and take players on, and it opens up space for our attacking talent. Ironically I reckon Barkley could have flourished under Silva.
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Totally disagree with this.

Firstly, Neves has been a defensive midfielder his entire career, you can see my posts from years ago when he broke through.

Wolves are giving him license to roam as a deep lying playmaker (of sorts) which is why he pops up on the flanks sometimes (like against us popping in crosses)...

Gana is indeed a DM, hes good at running around and tackling...but cant pass the ball forward to a team mate. How does he operate in a side wanting to play 1 DM = he can only play centre midfield because he cant pick the ball off the centre backs and ping it around...but hes rubbish there.

He shouldnt be in the team if we play 1 DM.

As for Gomes, yes he may be very good and pick up the ball and move forward with it. However he is never a defensive midfielder so what happens when he loses the ball or there is a counter attack like yesterday?

We concede goals...again.

The major weakness is the DM...drop Neves in there and we have a massive additional attacking threat from deep which naturally pushes back the opposition...hes also very good positionally and offers good protection.

We need a super DM before wondering about whose going to carry a ball forward.

Id replace the 3 in the centre tomorrow.
 
BlueToff said:
And switching it back to Digne, if we have that player who can get us up the pitch, it means we're not as stretched. It means we can move up as a unit and that means if we do lose possession, we're on hand to quickly press and ensure we aren't countered. There was so much space yesterday it was untrue.
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I think we will see teams frightened and naturally push back against Digne and Bernard (if richarlison is up front)...however were going to be screwed on the counter unless someone covers for his runs.
 
Zatara said:
McCarthy walks into the DM role...but always injured.
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McCarthy is literally everything that you've just said a 'super DM' isn't, though?

I agree, a Neves/Thiago type and class deep-lying playmaker (not a defensive midfielder to me!) is the key. But they still need legs around them anyway.
 

Zatara said:
I think we will see teams frightened and naturally push back against Digne and Bernard (if richarlison is up front)...however were going to be screwed on the counter unless someone covers for his runs.
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Which is where you need your DM to step up, and it's why a McCarthy/Gana is okay if they're fit and tasked with that role.

Which conversely is why you then need a player next to them who can dictate the play. Hopefully that's Gomes.

No, he's not a deep-lying playmaker, but he is able to get up the pitch on the ball either by dribbling or passing, and that's more than what we have at the moment.
 
BlueToff said:
That's the point - or should be, at least - of having holding midfielders. Neither Gana or Schneiderlin did their jobs yesterday and by the second half we had to go 4-4-2 so pretty much had nobody there.

It's why we're so limited with Gana being our playmaker. It's ludicrous.

He was abysmal in every department yesterday, and he gave the ball away for their first goal with a reckless pass. But why we're having him as that player is the issue.

Gomes will ideally sort that, and let Gana do what he's good at which is covering the space. He wasn't good yesterday, at anything, but we know he does have the capability to be good at that and has shown over his time here that is his best asset. McCarthy is waiting in the wings in few weeks as well and as much as people don't like him on here, he's a good option for that type of player.
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If people dont like McCarthy it underlines how far we've degraded as a fanbase.
 
Overall did well again yesterday. Bernard looks as though he could be decent too. We already know Charlie is.

If Mina and Gomes can bring the same sort of quality to the team then hopefully another window or 2 will see us with a decent team.
 

Barnfred 55 said:
Overall did well again yesterday. Bernard looks as though he could be decent too. We already know Charlie is.

If Mina and Gomes can bring the same sort of quality to the team then hopefully another window or 2 will see us with a decent team.
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Thought digne and Bernard showed little glimpses of a good partnership yesterday.
 

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