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Mousa Dembele

DHSF said:
I am way more confident with Dembele in midfield playing than any of the other midfielders. He isnt as effective, needs to improve on that, but he retains the ball, rarely loses it and buys us a few seconds when under the cosh. He is also one of the best dribblers ive seen.
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He shields the ball extremely well (probably as well as any footballer), not sure your definition of confident as vs. effective

He's a good option now, but Mason/Bentaleb/Chadli/Eriksen are first team certainties if available, and we don't really play Dembele RW
 
I think Dembele is a better current option at RM than either Lamela or Townsend. I would play:

Kane

Chadli ..Eriksen...Dembele

Mason.....Bentaleb

This gives our full backs ample opportunity to attack.

Lamela and Townsend are best coming on as impact subs against tiring defences until they prove themselves.

Stambouli would be best against better opposition when a solid DM is needed.
 
I wanted us to sign Dembele from Fulham but I have come to hate seeing him on the teamsheet, if Poch can get Dembele to fulfil his potential then I will be chuffed, maybe he has told him he really could end up at Madrid.
 
Gazza Dazzla said:
For anyone to suggest that Dembele last night wasn't somewhere between very good and excellent does their argument no favours whatsoever, just looks like they have an agenda.
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Likewise I'd say that for anyone to flat out dismiss the idea that he wasn't great also shows an agenda.

It's a great skill to have if used to simply create space for yourself or unbalance the opposition, but so many times he just aimlessly dribbles himself into difficult positions.
 
He's got great assets. I'm happy when I see him on the teamsheet but I personally feel he should be fourth choice central midfield. Not saying that's bad, but we have four real good central midfielders who bring something different to the table.

Wouldn't mind him further forward neither.
 
I'm in the keep Mousa camp.

I think as part of a squad he's a great asset to have. He's got several great strengths which he can deploy against ANY standard of opposition - his ability to shield the ball, touch, his dribbling strengths, good engine. Physically he's a monster and can mix it with any CM who gives it.

His weaknesses are pretty clear also... we all know his general inability to pass the ball quickly and forwards, he has a bit too much head-down syndrome (rarely sees incisive balls quickly or early), he also seems to just love beating players because, well, he can. I think with Mouse he can be a bit of a playground/5aside 'baller' tbh. Not really an end product player either.

There are, IMO, some signs that Poch's coaching is starting to iron out a couple of his flaws though, particularly the head up/passing forwards thing. But nethertheless, I think if you pair up Mousa with the right partners and play him in the right contexts (primarily away from home, or if at home, against other big sides who give us more space to play) then he's a beast.
 
Jordinho said:
Likewise I'd say that for anyone to flat out dismiss the idea that he wasn't great also shows an agenda.

It's a great skill to have if used to simply create space for yourself or unbalance the opposition, but so many times he just aimlessly dribbles himself into difficult positions.
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I just don't see how anyone could watch that performance on Wednesday and think he played anything other than well. I totally get that some people like players who pass it quicker, but putting that bias to one side and looking at it from a neutral point of view, he clearly played well! Just look at the way we lost control when he went off. The neutrals I watched the game with and people who I've spoken to since have all said he was one of our best players, it's only on here that I've heard the theory that he was somehow not very good.

I'm not even saying he'd be in my first choice 11, I'm just surprised that people still say he didn't play well.
 
Like i said earlier in the thread, i really don't see much difference to our play when Dembele is not playing. I guess because he was one of the many spacegoats people are just picking for the sake of it.
 
SteveAWOL said:
Dembele in a nutshell, brilliantly dribbles past 3 players and then passes the ball backwards!
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If only all his dribbles were as productive as this one!

Now I have criticised Dembele on countless occasions but what fair's fair.

If you actually saw the game, the "passing the ball backwards" was a perfect pass to a teammate who had become free at the edge of the D because Dembele's dribbling unbalanced the Sheffield defence.
 
Another very good performance today. Fouled for our first goal, set up the second. If he can come up with end product on a regular basis like has done in the last two games, we have a superb player there.
 
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