Poor midfield recruitment model
As I understand it, we employ some sort of model and simulation in our recruitment process for all positions together with key skills the players need to have, well, whoever has devised the midfield model wants the sack
Midfielders being able to play No6 and No8 and offer/lend themselves to a fluid 3 should be a pre requisite
Midfielders having the type of passing ability necessary to release our forwards and full backs or find them in isolation should be a pre requisite - This has to include centre to forward left or right up and down passing and centre or advanced forward left or right up and down passing and right to forward left and advanced forward left passing and left to forward right and advanced forward right passing
All of that being the most effective passing to release our forwards and full backs or find them in isolation and to create opportunities to create chances through switching the play from a compressed area of play to a player on the opposite side in lots of space
The tactic of picking up all our players ahead of the ball and letting our No6 have it when our No6 hasn't got this type of passing or any notable ability with the ball to release players and hurt sides, making us go sideways or backwards or play easy balls barely going forwards to the full backs, all of it on the deck in front of the defending side really needs to be addressed and considered, too many sides have employed it too effectively too many times now, a fair few of those games we've won, but only just for this reason and it isn't coincidence, it's one of the best tactics to employ when sides know we'll have most of the ball and our No6 won't hurt them with it, force us to have to keep going back to him
Hendo and Milner (except for Millies age and frailty now) are our 2 best midfielders at playing Jurgens system, they we here before he arrived, the only midfielder we've brought in since Jurgen arrived who has been successful, although whos passing also fell a long way short of the required type and quality was Gini
ONE, one successful midfield signing in 6 years simply doesn't cut it, Fabinho has been a relatively successful signing, but he isn't as suited or complimentary to Jurgen's system of play as Hendo, Milner or Gini and his passing is even less suited to our other players abilities and limited than Gini's was and we do have issues with teams setting up to play off him or teams letting him have the ball, he's a good player for certain games, not for the system for me
Something is badly wrong with our midfield recruitment, it hasn't been nearly successful enough at all for a very long time, despite all the accolades our recruitment department has received
Edit: WITH the other obvious pre requisites, athleticism, strength, power, ability to control and keep the ball and be composed in tight areas with it, obviously ability to read the game and to play and understand how to play the pressing and counter pressing game
Last edited by Nineteenx; 29th December 2021 at 05:59 AM.
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