Designated playmaker
Looks to me, patterns and all, like were trying to force the idea of a designated playmaker the last few games, well, as much as I lament our not having signed more midfielders with the necessary quality at certain types of passing to more readily release and find our forwards and full backs of other mids, although they could be better at it, one of our incredible strengths has long been being able to score or create from anywhere through anyone, if all those players are going to get less opportunities to create, we're going to fuck ourselves up
If this is trying to be forced as it appears to be to me, can we nip it in the bud now please, in the history of shit ideas, it's a really shit idea, especially when the player it appears we're attempting to make a designated playmaker is still making the play for Bayern and for the following reason, re availability issues it's an especially shit idea and a sure fire way to fuck up our own shit, which seems to be being born out in the stats of only scoring in the first half of one of our last 5 games according to Sky this morning, possibly our last 5 league games
It happened in 19-20 and it wasn't planned, in Fabs absence Henderson at No6 became an accidental playmaker, all the players movement and runs became honed around his ability to connect them and where and how he made the play, and although accidental, and not possessing the same level of technique as some players doing that, he actually did if far better than a great many, playing the right balls to release players or find them and connect their runs in the best possible positions for them to create or in isolation with the best grouping of players for them to be able to develop that into a fruitful attack, that's really what top quality playmaking should be about to me
What happened when we moved Henderson from No6 is all of that broke down, most noticeably and disastrously in the first leg of the Champions League v Atletico. He couldn't do it the same from RCM, for pretty obvious reasons and Fab couldn't do what he did from No6, and that was the reason our form and performances became poorer in the later stages of 19-20, the players continued making the same runs without having anyone at No6 to connect them. I wanted to keep Henderson at No6, not because I believe in a side having a designated playmaker, but because it has developed organically, by accident, the players worked it out between themselves and it worked bloody brilliantly, playing to all our players greatest strengths There's a reason we score more and concede less on average and remain unbeaten in the games Hendo has started at No6 this season
Noting particular types of ball were especially effective in helping our team play with incredible balance and players runs being connected to find them in their strongest areas to create all over the pitch, and the issues a player becoming the chief playmaker suddenly not being available created, I persisted, pretty relentlessly with my insistence we needed to sign more players for our midfield with the required level of ability at those types of passing in particular and Fab had to work on his ability to play them moving forward if Jurgen was going to insist on him playing at No6
To reiterate, we still need more players with very strong ability to play high levels passes of certain types so we are far more fluid an able to create from anywhere without a designated playmaker we try to force almost everything to go through, it being accidental is one thing, trying to force it and that player not being central or making the play for Liverpool players, well, it's a shit idea and only1 goal in the first half in the last 5 league games demonstrates that pretty unequivocally and it also hugely detracts from our greatest strengths
Feel free to snipe is you must, shooting the messenger seems very popular here of late anyway
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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