Starting Anew
Well-Known Member
After all the debate on other threads, thought it might be sensible to try to have one for the topic. Can we please try to not slag off players or slag off posters who don’t believe that your favourite player is Beckenbauer.
Assuming that we continue to play 3 midfielders, who will they be? If we play the Christmas tree you could argue that there is more scope for defensive mids. If we play 4,3,3 then all the midfielders need to be able to play box to box and link to the attack.
Our options seem to be (2 most controversial first):
Arfield. One of our best players last year but arguably one who doesn’t actually play his best in the midfield 3. Better played further forward in the Christmas tree as part of the 2. When playing in the 3, he can get pinned back too far behind the forward line to maximise his attacking threat. This may have been exacerbated by playing with players who were not great at bringing the ball forward so the whole midfield got pinned down. This may have improved with new personnel.
Jack: great reader of space defensively and crucial for breaking down opponents’ play. Gives great cover to Tav as well, dropping to shadow right back at times. Also good at seeing the runs of others. But limited in skill on the ball. Not great at dribbling and his range of passing does not match his ability to see the passes. Benefits from having a midfield colleague near him so Jack can win the ball and lay it off for someone else to create with. But this then means that 2 players need to be near each other and deep.
Davis. Elder statesman. Great vision. Great range of passing. Can create from deep. Reads the game at least as well as Jack and can create with the ball himself. But not as fast as Jack and not quite as strong in the tackle. Probably doesn’t help Tav as much just because he no longer has the legs. IMHO our first choice holding player but won’t play every game at his age.
Kamara. Massively improved the team when he came in. First midfielder we’ve had in a while who can take the ball for a walk and ride through challenges. Great vision for forward passes and range of ability to do them. Can tackle though not his main feature. Not known for scoring much.
Aribo (by reputation and YouTube videos). Fairly complete box to box engine. Strong in the tackle but also good at dribbling and passing. Able to play creatively in tight areas. Genuine goal threat. Biggest down side is not knowing if he will live up to all this.
McCrorie. Strongest tackler in the squad. Great at retaining the ball through a tackle and walking away with it under control. Athletic and able to burst through opponents with strength and change of pace. Not great at passing and uses strength more than skill when dribbling. Not always the best reader of the game and can be caught out of position.
Docherty. May or may not feature in the squad. Proper box to box athlete but doesn’t really excel at any one area. Almost certainly a squad filler rather than a starter.
Rossiter. Who knows? Could be a midfield general in the proper Gerrard mould. Could play one game all season. His career may depend on this preseason and his next move.
In my view, our strongest 3 are Davis, Kamara and Aribo, offering a balance between defensive and offensive abilities and complementing each other. Arfield plays further forward for me and is competing with Ojo and Hastie. Jack will get a lot of game time replacing Davis at times and maybe replacing Kamara or Aribo in tougher games.
All of the first 5 will play 20 games plus. The others are all really too hard to call right now
Assuming that we continue to play 3 midfielders, who will they be? If we play the Christmas tree you could argue that there is more scope for defensive mids. If we play 4,3,3 then all the midfielders need to be able to play box to box and link to the attack.
Our options seem to be (2 most controversial first):
Arfield. One of our best players last year but arguably one who doesn’t actually play his best in the midfield 3. Better played further forward in the Christmas tree as part of the 2. When playing in the 3, he can get pinned back too far behind the forward line to maximise his attacking threat. This may have been exacerbated by playing with players who were not great at bringing the ball forward so the whole midfield got pinned down. This may have improved with new personnel.
Jack: great reader of space defensively and crucial for breaking down opponents’ play. Gives great cover to Tav as well, dropping to shadow right back at times. Also good at seeing the runs of others. But limited in skill on the ball. Not great at dribbling and his range of passing does not match his ability to see the passes. Benefits from having a midfield colleague near him so Jack can win the ball and lay it off for someone else to create with. But this then means that 2 players need to be near each other and deep.
Davis. Elder statesman. Great vision. Great range of passing. Can create from deep. Reads the game at least as well as Jack and can create with the ball himself. But not as fast as Jack and not quite as strong in the tackle. Probably doesn’t help Tav as much just because he no longer has the legs. IMHO our first choice holding player but won’t play every game at his age.
Kamara. Massively improved the team when he came in. First midfielder we’ve had in a while who can take the ball for a walk and ride through challenges. Great vision for forward passes and range of ability to do them. Can tackle though not his main feature. Not known for scoring much.
Aribo (by reputation and YouTube videos). Fairly complete box to box engine. Strong in the tackle but also good at dribbling and passing. Able to play creatively in tight areas. Genuine goal threat. Biggest down side is not knowing if he will live up to all this.
McCrorie. Strongest tackler in the squad. Great at retaining the ball through a tackle and walking away with it under control. Athletic and able to burst through opponents with strength and change of pace. Not great at passing and uses strength more than skill when dribbling. Not always the best reader of the game and can be caught out of position.
Docherty. May or may not feature in the squad. Proper box to box athlete but doesn’t really excel at any one area. Almost certainly a squad filler rather than a starter.
Rossiter. Who knows? Could be a midfield general in the proper Gerrard mould. Could play one game all season. His career may depend on this preseason and his next move.
In my view, our strongest 3 are Davis, Kamara and Aribo, offering a balance between defensive and offensive abilities and complementing each other. Arfield plays further forward for me and is competing with Ojo and Hastie. Jack will get a lot of game time replacing Davis at times and maybe replacing Kamara or Aribo in tougher games.
All of the first 5 will play 20 games plus. The others are all really too hard to call right now