It’s the midfield it’s the midfield it’s the midfield

Hobjo

Hobjo

Well-Known Member
It’s the midfield.

When your centre halves are the quickest most direct passers of the ball, you have an issue

also when the least played midfielder - Arfield - is the one whose runs link best with intelligent players like Hagi, you have another issue
 
MSF said:
£10m spent this summer. You’d think our biggest weakness would have been addressed.

But no, we still haven’t improved the starting 11. Scary use of funds.
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Morelos is a block on things off and on the park at the minute IMO but yes, there’s no doubt we need at least one more starter in the middle of the park (I’d say two)
 
MSF said:
£10m spent this summer. You’d think our biggest weakness would have been addressed.

But no, we still haven’t improved the starting 11. Scary use of funds.
Click to expand...

Was the same last season too.

There's supposed to be a structure there to prevent this type of thing from happening.
 
KensingtonBlue said:
I hope some people who couldn't see it before now realise what Jack brings.

Huge miss today.
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To be fair we can see what Jack, Davis and Kamara bring when they are on their game. It’s a freshness and alternative to the midfield we require badly as they aren’t always on it. He’s done well in his last few appearances but dare I say it’s a younger, better Arfield we need.
 
Midfield hasn't been addressed, same players who lets us down guaranteed starters and squad players no where near the level we require.

People being labelled panic merchants when talking about the lack of quality in our midfield. It's supposedly the best in the league, which is untrue.

Asking Davis to play every game and watching Kamara fail to make a telling forward pass whilst slowing it down to a snails pace.
 
Hobjo said:
Morelos is a block on things off and on the park at the minute IMO but yes, there’s no doubt we need at least one more starter in the middle of the park (I’d say two)
Click to expand...
Thing is now, looks as if Roofe is going to be injury prone and Defoe is prone to a number of weeks out at a time.

We can’t really sell Morelos now unless there’s a guaranteed replacement on way.

It’s been a slightly botched transfer window so far.
 
Could've sworn their goals today came from errors by Barisic, Goldson and the linesman, we dominated most of the game, and their keeper pulled off a few great saves...

Not sure what part of that was down to the midfield, but carry on.
 
The midfield has no dig, virtually no urgency or tempo, everything goes out wide and we have no creativity especially from the sitting midfielders who's roles are to sit and protect the full backs.

We don't really have a midfield everything goes through the full backs and Kent now that's evident in how we play.

But to not improve the midfield this summer so far and rely on the same players who are all very similar is pretty shocking by the management.

I understand Jack and Aribo were hugely missed today but the bottom line is we need an urgent injection of quality into this midfield immediately.

Why can't the management see it's the issue because it's downright negligence imo.

Build your team around a strong midfield base not two attacking full backs, Kent, and the unpredictable Morelos.
 
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SuperGers07 said:
Thing is now, looks as if Roofe is going to be injury prone and Defoe is prone to a number of weeks out at a time.

We can’t really sell Morelos now unless there’s a guaranteed replacement on way.

It’s been a slightly botched transfer window so far.
Click to expand...
I'm actually quite surprised we weren't lining up Alfie replacements as early as January window. Why the apparent surprise he was moving on?

We midfield I think it's partly deliberate. He wants the Liverpool thing where midfield are water carriers and the damage is don from out wide, and through a three prong strike force.
 
TN8 said:
Could've sworn their goals today came from defensive and linesman errors, we dominated most of the game, and their keeper pulled off a few great saves...

Not sure what part of that was down to the midfield, but carry on.
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I agree mate. We scored two, should have scored two more at least with the Kent and Arfield chances.
 
TN8 said:
Could've sworn their goals today came from errors by Barisic, Goldson and the linesman, we dominated most of the game, and their keeper pulled off a few great saves...

Not sure what part of that was down to the midfield, but carry on.
Click to expand...

I’m not talking about the goals, I’m talking about how we play as a team. We have serious quality in the final third but most of the time it’s receiving the ball with its back to goal and the cast of f*cking Zulu behind it.
 
For the third summer in a row we’ve spent no real money in midfield. It’s absolutely amazing considering Gerrard was a world class midfielder himself yet can’t seem to see how inconsistent and average our midfield is.

All the big money since Gerrard has been here as went up front or defence.

Jack is bang average. Inconsistent, not good enough on the ball (other than in flashes) and doesn’t dominate games or dictate the play.

Kamara isn’t good enough. Neat and tidy but can’t handle games that are a battle. Also inconsistent.

Davis is well past it. Flashes of the player he was but often drifts out of games. Also isn’t suited to a battle and, like all the others, is inconsistent.
 
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Hobjo said:
Aye, against Marseille in a friendly. Do that quickly against Hibs son - and by the way I’m very happy with Jack in the team but at the moment he, Davis and Kamara are the same player filling two shirts. One is enough and we need something different alongside
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Point being he has the ability to do that some don't. No point in trying it when 99% of the teams we face in Scotland have 11 men behind the ball, it won't work because of no space. Shooting from outside the box creates space when facing packed defenses forcing players out to block. But for whatever reason we are not doing this.
 
Personally don't think it was the midfield that cost us today. It's not as if we got overran there or outfought. All of Hibs joy came down the flanks.

Poor defending and poor finishing cost us - but I also don't think we created ENOUGH chances today, outwith the couple of sitters we missed.

We missed the clever non-stop movement of Roofe today and we'll always miss the creativity and drive of Aribo.

It's also been mentioned on other threads about our lack of shooting from outside the box. One decent effort from Hagi wasn't enough and even on that one occasion, not one of our players tried to follow that shot up for a potential spillage.

In my opinion we need to get another quality addition on board to compete for a place in the 3 in behind the striker.
 
Foolback said:
Point being he has the ability to do that some don't. No point in trying it when 99% of the teams we face in Scotland have 11 men behind the ball, it won't work because of no space. Shooting from outside the box creates space when facing packed defenses forcing players out to block. But for whatever reason we are not doing this.
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Agree apart from the fact that the space diminishes with every unnecessary touch our midfield take. We have too many tidy caretakers when only one would do.
 
Our midfield needs overhauled. Davis was poor and the structure of the team with no wide right doesn’t help Hagi is out of position as is arfield
 
MSF said:
£10m spent this summer. You’d think our biggest weakness would have been addressed.

But no, we still haven’t improved the starting 11. Scary use of funds.
Click to expand...
100% , we brought it two strikers and if morelos leaves I wouldn’t trust either to score 20+ a season.
 
Coplandbear said:
The midfield has no dig, virtually no urgency or tempo, everything goes out wide and we have no creativity especially from the sitting midfielders who's roles are to sit and protect the full backs.

We don't really have a midfield everything goes through the full backs and Kent now that's evident in how we play.

But to not improve the midfield this summer so far and rely on the same players who are all very similar is pretty shocking by the management.

I understand Jack and Aribo were hugely missed today but the bottom line is we need an urgent injection of quality into this midfield immediately.

Why can't the management see it's the issue because it's downright negligence imo.

Build your team around a strong midfield base not two attacking full backs, Kent, and the unpredictable Morelos.
Click to expand...
How is it negligence? The manager has said many times he wants at least one more in midfield. Or are you just wanting to ignore that?
 
DaveL said:
We need pace and energy injected into this area of the team. The ball needs moved quicker, passes need to be made quicker into forward players.
It's been needed for a couple of seasons.
Click to expand...

Nail on the head.

Put Davis, Arfield, Jack and Hagi in a race and none of them will win it.
 
Earl of Leven said:
I'm actually quite surprised we weren't lining up Alfie replacements as early as January window. Why the apparent surprise he was moving on?

We midfield I think it's partly deliberate. He wants the Liverpool thing where midfield are water carriers and the damage is don from out wide, and through a three prong strike force.
Click to expand...
I’d imagine we were lining up his replacement from January. Only problem is mate he’s not actually left. I don’t think we are surprised he’s wanting to move, do you want to just sell him for less than we value him at?
 
SuperGers07 said:
Thing is now, looks as if Roofe is going to be injury prone and Defoe is prone to a number of weeks out at a time.

We can’t really sell Morelos now unless there’s a guaranteed replacement on way.

It’s been a slightly botched transfer window so far.
Click to expand...

I’m still not completely convinced the purchases of both Roofe and Itten were not with one eye on Morelos being sold.

At the same time, real options up front were something we all complained about last term when Alfie was missing or out of sorts so in that respect it’s an area that’s been addressed.

Hagi’s permanent signing has also been weirdly overlooked. He’s a midfielder so we have addressed that area of the park too and Gerrard is on record as saying another is still required.

I think it’ll come, but the degree of quality looks to me to be dependent on whether Alfie stays or goes.
 
Steven said:
How is it negligence? The manager has said many times he wants at least one more in midfield. Or are you just wanting to ignore that?
Click to expand...

It should have been addressed a long time ago.

In fact it should have been the first signing of the summer and we are steadily coming to the end of the window and we have crucial games domestically and in Europe fast approaching and we have effectively the same team as last season now adding in with our growing injury list.

Yes I would call it negligence he's been too loyal to certain players.
 
Hobjo said:
I’m not talking about the goals, I’m talking about how we play as a team. We have serious quality in the final third but most of the time it’s receiving the ball with its back to goal and the cast of f*cking Zulu behind it.
Click to expand...
:) :) :)

Brilliant.
 
Coplandbear said:
It should have been addressed a long time ago.

In fact it should have been the first signing of the summer and we are steadily coming to the end of the window and we have crucial games domestically and in Europe fast approaching and we have effectively the same team as last season now adding in with our growing injury list.

Yes I would call it negligence he's been too loyal to certain players.
Click to expand...
Should have been the first signing of the summer 1 or 2 seasons back. To still not have addressed this is madness
 
TN8 said:
Could've sworn their goals today came from errors by Barisic, Goldson and the linesman, we dominated most of the game, and their keeper pulled off a few great saves...

Not sure what part of that was down to the midfield, but carry on.
Click to expand...

Plus the misses by Alfie, Kent & Arfield, so like you I am confused how Kamara & Davis were the problem. So if everyone does their job well like the midfield, we win 3 or 4-1. No one doubts we need a dominant midfielder but they were not who cost us today.
 
Midfielder should have been the first signing of the summer. Someone that's comes in and makes us better in that area.

Someone that brings urgency, a quicker tempo and ability to zip a ball about the park.

No more of this bullshit touch, pass, touch, pass, touch, pass at a snails pace or inability to raise the head and pick out that early pass.

Kamara gets a nose bleed in attacking areas, Davis cannot play every game (when he's off form he is a man down) and Jack has a long standing injury problem and is currently out. Arfield is a squad player at best.
 
DaveL said:
We need pace and energy injected into this area of the team. The ball needs moved quicker, passes need to be made quicker into forward players.
It's been needed for a couple of seasons.
Click to expand...

Spot on mate
 
SuperGers07 said:
Thing is now, looks as if Roofe is going to be injury prone and Defoe is prone to a number of weeks out at a time.

We can’t really sell Morelos now unless there’s a guaranteed replacement on way.

It’s been a slightly botched transfer window so far.
Click to expand...
We will be lucky to get a dozen games out of defoe this season.
Him mcgregor and davis should be let go in the summer.
The 3 wages must be massive
 
Kamara seems to only take risks in our half, too often he has the chance to drive on and he puts the brakes on and allows his market to get back goal side. He also looks as if he's afraid he'll hurt his foot if he kicks the ball too hard. He's a good player but he needs a kick up the arse to raise his tempo. Davis didnt have his best game today, passing was poor outwith the lovely ball for Arfield. Dont think the two of them provide enough of a shield defensively. Was too easy for them to get at our centre backs.
 
Paisleybear30 said:
Kamara seems to only take risks in our half, too often he has the chance to drive on and he puts the brakes on and allows his market to get back goal side. He also looks as if he's afraid he'll hurt his foot if he kicks the ball too hard. He's a good player but he needs a kick up the arse to raise his tempo. Davis didnt have his best game today, passing was poor outwith the lovely ball for Arfield. Dont think the two of them provide enough of a shield defensively. Was too easy for them to get at our centre backs.
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Both Davis and Kamara offer nothing beyond the half way line.

Today both had umpteen chances to drive forward but choose not too and even when they did get into the opposition half they did nothing productive with the ball.
 
SuperGers07 said:
Allan McGregor as soon as he got the gloves midweek should have been in today
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Mclauchin did nothing wrong today.
Mcgregor is shortly going into his 40th year.
We cannot keep wheeling out guys in their mid to late 30s
Liverpool have a policy of signing no one over the age of 29.
 
Coplandbear said:
It should have been addressed a long time ago.

In fact it should have been the first signing of the summer and we are steadily coming to the end of the window and we have crucial games domestically and in Europe fast approaching and we have effectively the same team as last season now adding in with our growing injury list.

Yes I would call it negligence he's been too loyal to certain players.
Click to expand...
Folk underestimate how difficult transfers can be.
 
Coplandbear said:
The midfield has no dig, virtually no urgency or tempo, everything goes out wide and we have no creativity especially from the sitting midfielders who's roles are to sit and protect the full backs.

We don't really have a midfield everything goes through the full backs and Kent now that's evident in how we play.

But to not improve the midfield this summer so far and rely on the same players who are all very similar is pretty shocking by the management.

I understand Jack and Aribo were hugely missed today but the bottom line is we need an urgent injection of quality into this midfield immediately.

Why can't the management see it's the issue because it's downright negligence imo.

Build your team around a strong midfield base not two attacking full backs, Kent, and the unpredictable Morelos.
Click to expand...
So true been saying this for two seasons now, not commented much but listen. I’m sick of all this the only decent midfielder we have for a full game is Aribo
 
Steven said:
Folk underestimate how difficult transfers can be.
Click to expand...

Come on we have needed quality reinforcements in midfield for a while the management have know this but have decided they want Davis, Kamara, Jack, Arfield, Aribo, which leaves only once space essentially available for one addition it's not good enough and they haven't been ruthless to make decisive decisions.

Take away Aribo the rest are pretty much all similar type players and in games like today it shows imo we lack a tempo, urgency, dig, pace, and creativity in that midfield.

One addition to this midfield will not make the difference.
 
We need a forward attack minded midfielder,always have needed this and a decent one at that.
 
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