We have a very poor centre midfield

[Orbital]

It's painful to watch how few options they make for the man on the ball.

Whenever you watch our centre backs, full backs, or wide men with the ball, they are just closed down. There's hardly ever a sensible option for them into the centre midfielders. It's why we never play any decent football at the moment.

If occasionally it does end up with them, they never turn into space and most of the time bounce it to the next player with the least space, putting them under pressure. Or make the easiest pass for themselves, which more often than not is the worst for the team, but puts the responsibility on someone else.

This, however is the type of team all of those people who think Dembele is the answer to all our prayers would leave us with. I always would, and always will, have Huddlestone over him.

Bentaleb can play a bit.

 

[Mumorn]

Any team willing to go to the Emirates and play two central midfielders against Arsenal was asking for a loss, really.

I mean we could have had Modric next to Sandro in that midfield and I don't think we'd have won that game if I am honest with you.

 

[Viper]

We seem to have gone from 1 rigid 'manager' to another. What is wrong with changing the system to the opponent. 4-4-2 at home against ****e, 4-5-1 away to the big teams. It's not rocket science.

 

[Jordinho]

Big ask of Dembele to do it all on his own though.

 

[Sandman]

We seem to have gone from 1 rigid 'manager' to another. What is wrong with changing the system to the opponent. 4-4-2 at home against ****e, 4-5-1 away to the big teams. It's not rocket science.

Im not really sticking up for Sherwood. But I think he believes that he can make a 4-4-2 work in a manner that when we are not in possession the wingers can close in and make it 4 v 3 in the middle. But for that to work we also have to have our full backs pressing high as Le Scum like to use theirs high up to make if 5 across the middle. This was why Arteta could always drop deep to be the pivot. I thought Ade or Soldado had to do a better job of hassling their pivot man.

All that said. Sherwood has had the team for 3 weeks with barely any time to get them training to his methods with game after game and injury after injury. Arsenal have had the same manager and system for years now and we are changing both of ours yet again.

It does feel though that he wants to play 4-4-2 no matter what.

 

[Modric THFC]

You should change the title from midfield to defence.

 

[Rossi22]

We seem to have gone from 1 rigid 'manager' to another. What is wrong with changing the system to the opponent. 4-4-2 at home against ****e, 4-5-1 away to the big teams. It's not rocket science.

We won playing 442 away to a big club just a few days ago, just like we've lost away to plenty of big clubs whilst playing 451.

 

[Yiddo]

Bentaleb is not good enough.

 

[tw12yid]

Injury list contains Sandro, Paulinho, Holtby, Sigurdson and your moaning about a poor centre midfield....
Most teams in the PL would miss Sandro & Paulinho

 

[Rossi22]

Bentaleb is not good enough.

Yet or ever?

I do hate this place after we lose :lol:

 

[Sandman]

Bentaleb is a young players starting his first game. For such a young guy he is very composed in possession and good at keeping the movement going. The slight i have on him at the moment is that he is very subtle in what he does and is neither a defensive type player or seem to be an offensive player who can create or get goals. He seems very much the middle man and although i like some of what i see i feel i want to see what else he can bring to the game.

he seems like an ideal player to have in a 4-3-3. With maybe a defensive type behing him and an offensive one in front. But in a 2 man midfield the effect he has on the game seems very limited.

 

[Spurs852]

Bentaleb is a young players starting his first game. For such a young guy he is very composed in possession and good at keeping the movement going. The slight i have on him at the moment is that he is very subtle in what he does and is neither a defensive type player or seem to be an offensive player who can create or get goals. He seems very much the middle man and although i like some of what i see i feel i want to see what else he can bring to the game.

he seems like an ideal player to have in a 4-3-3. With maybe a defensive type behing him and an offensive one in front. But in a 2 man midfield the effect he has on the game seems very limited.

This.

 

[SPURSphenomenon]

Any team willing to go to the Emirates and play two central midfielders against Arsenal was asking for a loss, really.

I mean we could have had Modric next to Sandro in that midfield and I don't think we'd have won that game if I am honest with you.

Spot on.

Even when we've beaten them at WHL we always seem to concede the midfield by playing two in there. Simply will not have enough of the ball, we have to respect that they're good maniputalors of the ball so we should really match them. Difficult for Tim with what was available today (although maybe couldve dropped Soldado in favour of an additional midfielder?), but its frustrating to watch time and time again.

 

[Hootnow]

Yet or ever?

I do hate this place after we lose :lol:

I hate it even more over the past few years. People have been getting more and more entrenched in their views for certain managers or players and come on here after every loss to either slate the player/ manager they don't like or big up their choice. It is pathetic and boring (this isn't in reference to Yiddo, who I haven't noticed doing so).

Am I in some parallel universe where we regularly beat Arsenal at the Emirates playing 4-5-1? Or am I in the real one where we get smashed up there regardless of the formation?

 

[SPURSphenomenon]

Am I in some parallel universe where we regularly beat Arsenal at the Emirates playing 4-5-1? Or am I in the real one where we get smashed up there regardless of the formation?

To my knowledge we've only gone there with a 5 man midfield once, and lost narrowly. (this season in the 1-0)

 

[Yiddo]

Yet or ever?

I do hate this place after we lose :lol:

I'm not going to write the kid off at such a young age but to stick him in against the Scum at the Emirates was not ideal. Far to soon for him to be starting games against opposition like that. He was out of his depth.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Sandro, Paulinho, Capoue, Dembele, Holtby and Siggy is as good a line-up of CMs as there is in the league.

We just need to play 3 of them.

 

[milo]

I hate it even more over the past few years. People have been getting more and more entrenched in their views for certain managers or players and come on here after every loss to either slate the player/ manager they don't like or big up their choice. It is pathetic and boring (this isn't in reference to Yiddo, who I haven't noticed doing so).

Am I in some parallel universe where we regularly beat Arsenal at the Emirates playing 4-5-1? Or am I in the real one where we get smashed up there regardless of the formation?

Spot on

 

[Rossi22]

Sandro, Paulinho, Capoue, Dembele, Holtby and Siggy is as good a line-up of CMs as there is in the league.

We just need to play 3 of them.

You know that we only had two of them available today right?

I don't really agree with the main point you're making either, Arsenal certainly have a greater pool of CMs.

 

[SteveAWOL]

Injury list contains Sandro, Paulinho, Holtby, Sigurdson and your moaning about a poor centre midfield....
Most teams in the PL would miss Sandro & Paulinho

This.

Bentaleb has potential but clearly far from the finished article... might've been very different with Sandro shielding the back line alongside Dembele... Paulinho (if he played like he did against Stoke before Adam injured him) would've been a nice option to have in midfield too...