| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. 04:39 - Aug 9 with 3983 views | Westcountryblue |
Firstly, i'll start with the one major positive from last night which was the defense. I thought Greaves and O'Shea were imperious. They had a lot of work to do last night (possibly more than they'll normally have to do week in, week out at this level) but did a magnificent job keeping it to 1, having been totally overrun in midfield. Davis wasn't able to go forward as much, but defended very well and Johnson, who i've seen some people criticise, again did well, but i think people have to understand just how much work he had to do with Birmingham coming down the right side with Anderson again and again. Young didn't give the ball away once and brought a level of calmness to the side. For me, we have the best backline in the Championship and full credit to them for keeping it at 1 last night.
The midfield on the other hand was nothing short of atrocious. Outmuscled, bullied, lacked any form of intensity, leaderless, lost a huge amount number of aerial battles, slow, ponderess and i could keep on going...Taylor sat too deep, Azor, while he made some good interceptions, was physically outmuscled and bullied off the ball a number of times, Clarke a total passenger and pushed off the ball in a child-like manner and Ogbene running through treacle post achilles OP. To be brutally honest, neither Taylor or Ogbene are nowhere near good enough to be starting in a top 2 aspiring Championship side. Azor will need time to adapt to the speed and physicality of English football, but his relationship playing alongside Cajuste should help him in coming weeks. AHH playing on the right wing summed up where we are in terms of our midfield options right now.
For me, we need to seek to replace Broady (unfortunately), Hutchinson, Ogbene and Taylor. We really lack muscle, leadership and physicality (particularly in wide areas of the pitch- similar to what Burns offered us). The composition just isn't right, with too many diminutive ball carrier types. Think we'll need 4 more midfielders through the door, excluding Cajuste, so a huge amount of work to be done here. With Broady and Hutchinson gone, luckily we should have the best part of 30m, perhaps even more, to do this business.
[Post edited 9 Aug 4:43]
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| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 16:46 - Aug 9 with 443 views | blueoutlook |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 15:58 - Aug 9 by ottovonbismark |
In terms of midfield being a massive issue (that McKenna has created), how confident are you that he seems to identify Hayden Hackney as the answer to that problem? We have no presence in midfield, no leadership, are you sure the manager knows how to solve this issue? Because i'm not. |
Agreed. None of them are physical enough. Cajuste included in that. Hackney definitely wouldn’t be. KM does favour slightly built players. And that’s in all forward positions too except Hirst. |  | | |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 16:46 - Aug 9 with 443 views | southnorfolkblue |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 15:58 - Aug 9 by DavoIPB |
Midfield will be fine have cajuste to come back in. Attacking threat on other hand. That is a worry |
You won’t have an attacking threat if the midfield are unable to get the ball in the first place. | |
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| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 16:52 - Aug 9 with 413 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 15:44 - Aug 9 by blueoutlook |
He played most weeks in the premier league and our midfield disappeared after about 20 minutes every match. He isn’t going to like the physical side of this league, he maybe big but he won’t like the rough and tumble. |
Tbf playing against the best players in the world that can happen... |  |
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| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 23:38 - Aug 9 with 318 views | itfcsuth |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 15:44 - Aug 9 by blueoutlook |
He played most weeks in the premier league and our midfield disappeared after about 20 minutes every match. He isn’t going to like the physical side of this league, he maybe big but he won’t like the rough and tumble. |
Him nor Morsy went missing at all in the PL, never once did it look like they weren’t in there for the battle and dirty work of that role.
Of course there were times when they were played through, against the very best operators in the world it is easy at times to look like you’re chasing shadows.
But never once did either Cajuste or Morsy shirk away from the physical competitiveness of the PL. |  | | |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 08:02 - Aug 10 with 203 views | franz_tyson |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 23:38 - Aug 9 by itfcsuth |
Him nor Morsy went missing at all in the PL, never once did it look like they weren’t in there for the battle and dirty work of that role.
Of course there were times when they were played through, against the very best operators in the world it is easy at times to look like you’re chasing shadows.
But never once did either Cajuste or Morsy shirk away from the physical competitiveness of the PL. |
Let's not kid ourselves.... we got overran in midfield most weeks in the PL.
No-one is saying anyone shirked away from the physicality, but we still came out second best. For all his 6ft2 stature, I wouldn't say Cajuste is a particularly physical player. I wouldn't say he's a lightweight, too.
We're just going to have to see how Cajuste adapts. I'm just not sure yet. This level should be no problem for him in terms of skill, but it is a physical league. For a supposedly Premier League level player it was only Burnley who had some interest in him.... I'm not so convinced he is PL level, but that's OK because we're in the Championship.
We definitely need at least 1 high quality CM who could start matches and battle it out with Cajuste and Matusiwa for 2 places. Possibly 2 more CMs to be brought in. | | | |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 08:26 - Aug 10 with 135 views | NthQldITFC |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 10:31 - Aug 9 by ArnoldMoorhen |
We play four attackers, and Leif is more attack minded than defensive, too.
Why does our Right Back need to be an attacking outlet primarily? Get the bloke in who can stop them scoring. A unit like Kipre is fine by me. |
I think the crucial characteristic of our right back (apart from the defending) is that he needs to be instantly in the right position (very wide and a little advanced of the CBs) and demanding to take the ball quickly from the keeper, good enough on the ball to take it under pressure and move it either down the line or inside and forward to the Morsy or Chaplin role, and then go forward for the return.
He draws an opponent out or forward and opens up the space for us to build.
Tuanzebe was great at it, Clarke tries and I'm sure Young will get it and come good there, but Johnson for me doesn't do it because whilst he has the faculties (perhaps more than all of those others) he's not urgent enough and risk-taking enough. He wants to dally on the ball too much. His seems to rely on his physicality (which is really good) getting him there late, but that's too passive for us, and takes away all of our high speed building capability.
I wish Johnson could fix that, cos he'd be a helluva player if he was sharper and more aggressive and risk-taking. |  |
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| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 08:28 - Aug 10 with 130 views | ipswichtillidie |
| Midfield - A HUGE issue currently. on 08:02 - Aug 10 by franz_tyson |
Let's not kid ourselves.... we got overran in midfield most weeks in the PL.
No-one is saying anyone shirked away from the physicality, but we still came out second best. For all his 6ft2 stature, I wouldn't say Cajuste is a particularly physical player. I wouldn't say he's a lightweight, too.
We're just going to have to see how Cajuste adapts. I'm just not sure yet. This level should be no problem for him in terms of skill, but it is a physical league. For a supposedly Premier League level player it was only Burnley who had some interest in him.... I'm not so convinced he is PL level, but that's OK because we're in the Championship.
We definitely need at least 1 high quality CM who could start matches and battle it out with Cajuste and Matusiwa for 2 places. Possibly 2 more CMs to be brought in. |
We will look for two more and let one of Taylor or Cam out if assume. We need two more in that department as it’s been decimated this summer. |  |
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