What is going to be our first choice midfield when Lucas is back?

[The_Adder]

We now have six excellent centre midfields at the club, but we are clearly missing Lucas who is our only true defensive midfielder and I think this has shown in the goals we are conceeding.

 

Joe Allen has been the stand out since coming in and Sahin has started to show what he can do too, then there is Shelvey who is turning out to be our main goal threat from midfield.

 

Stevie has been good in some games and not so in others, especially on Saturday and I have never been convinced about him playing as part of the central two.

 

Henderson has been steady when he has played lately too, but is clearly sixth choice.

 

When Lucas is back, I think it is safe to assume he is a shoe-in to start, with this, what do people think our first choice midfield will be? I think no matter what options we have both Lucas and Allen are dead certs to start and it could be any of these:

 

Lucas - Allen

 

Gerrard

 

or

 

Lucas - Allen

 

Shelvey

 

or

 

Lucas - Sahin

 

Allen

 

I'd actually go with the last one and try Stevie as the wide right attacker we know he has goals in him and he was excellent there a few seasons ago, convincing him that is where he is going to be used wouldn't be easy though.

 

I think with a three of Lucas, Allen and Sahin we'd very, very rarely give the ball away like Stevie did on Sunday and would be able to dominate possession even further with both Sahin and Allen given the chance to push on when they can to help out the attack knowing that Lucas is there to protect.

 

Thoughts?

[Swipe]

Yeah, I'd go Lucas, Allen and Sahin in the middle and Stevie pushed up closer to Suarez.

 

Worth a try. May as well get someone who can score in the front three alongside LS.

[Hassony]

Yeah, I'd go Lucas, Allen and Sahin in the middle and Stevie pushed up closer to Suarez.

 

Worth a try. May as well get someone who can score in the front three alongside LS.

 

me too

 

Gerrard to replace Sterling/ Suso in the team that started against Stoke

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

Shelvey left back, Gerrard right back.

[Knox_Harrington]

--- Gerrard -------- Agger ---

Johnson ----- Leiva ----- Downing

------- Allen ----- Sahin ------

--- Sterling - Suaz - Borini ---

 

EDIT: More next season that, I reckon. Hopefully with better/more experienced players ahead of Downing, Sterling and Borini.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Knox_Harrington

[Hassony]

--- Gerrard -------- Agger ---

Johnson ----- Leiva ----- Downing

------- Allen ----- Sahin ------

--- Sterling - Suaz - Borini ---

 

'Knox and his crazy ideas '

[Knox_Harrington]

'Knox and his crazy ideas '

Chris Waddle has come with this morning.

[David Hodgson]

--- Gerrard -------- Agger ---

Johnson ----- Leiva ----- Downing

------- Allen ----- Sahin ------

--- Sterling - Suaz - Borini ---

 

EDIT: More next season that, I reckon. Hopefully with better/more experienced players ahead of Downing, Sterling and Borini.

 

Flashy. It's this :

 

Johnson---Gerrard----Agger------Downing

 

Sterling-------Leiva--------Allen---------Borini

 

-------------------------Shaheeen

 

--------------------------Suarez

[fred milne]

--- Gerrard -------- Agger ---

Johnson ----- Leiva ----- Downing

------- Allen ----- Sahin ------

--- Sterling - Suaz - Borini ---

Ours is a team struggling for goals and you put our most reliable finisher at centre-half.

[Knox_Harrington]

Ours is a team struggling for goals and you put our most reliable finisher at centre-half.

Thinking more next season than this. Just using this season's players to illustrate.

 

I'd have a look at Gerrard wide left. But the manager hasn't gone near it yet.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Knox_Harrington

[fred milne]

Thinking more next season than this. Just using this season's players to illustrate.

 

I'd have a look at Gerrard wide left. But the manager hasn't gone near it yet.

The manager needs to show a bit of pragmatism if this season isn't going into turn into a disaster. He can revert to his beloved 4-3-3 next season when he has more suitable players. At the moment, the 4-3-3 feels more like 4-5-1 and even then the 1 is someone who likes to drop off.

[Knox_Harrington]

The manager needs to show a bit of pragmatism if this season isn't going into turn into a disaster. He can revert to his beloved 4-3-3 next season when he has more suitable players. At the moment, the 4-3-3 feels more like 4-5-1 and even then the 1 is someone who likes to drop off.

What would you have him start, Fred?

[Murphman]

We have so many choices now,I wouldn't argue with anybody's pick, it's f*cking great innit? All we need now is a couple of trillion quids worth of strike force and Pepe back to his old self.

[David Hodgson]

The manager needs to show a bit of pragmatism if this season isn't going into turn into a disaster. He can revert to his beloved 4-3-3 next season when he has more suitable players. At the moment, the 4-3-3 feels more like 4-5-1 and even then the 1 is someone who likes to drop off.

 

Absolutely. The player we need more than any other is a Beardsley/Dalglish/Bergkamp/Zola/Litmanen. In this contrived 4-3-3 set up he's nominally at the tip of the midfield 3. In reality he's a withdrawn striker.

 

--Johnson------Skrtel-------Agger-------proper left-back

 

 

----------------------Gerrard-------Allen

 

 

--Top winger----------------------------------------Sterling

 

 

---------------------------Beardsley

 

 

--------------------------------Suarez

[Wunderbar]

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique

Allen Lucas Sahin

Gerrard Suarez

Falcao

 

Yeah Atletico have a big debt and are willing to sell Also ppl who say that he wants CL football can go f*** themselves. Atletico don't offer CL football for starters. Sell Andy Downing, Cole and Linda to fund his transfer fees.

[fred milne]

What would you have him start, Fred?

I've been wondering whether we might benefit from 3 at the back in the short term. Something like this:

 

Reina

Skrtel Coates Agger

Johnson Gerrard Allen Sahin Downing

Borini Suarez

 

Gerrard and Sahin have licence to get forward. For the tougher games, Lucas comes in for Sahin.

Edited October 9, 2012 by fred milne

[Swipe]

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique

Allen Lucas Sahin

Gerrard Suarez

Falcao

 

Yeah Atletico have a big debt and are willing to sell Also ppl who say that he wants CL football can go f*** themselves. Atletico don't offer CL football for starters. Sell Andy Downing, Cole and Linda to fund his transfer fees.

 

Haven't a chance of getting falcao. He'll go for an absolute fortune. It's gonna be City or Chelsea I'd say.

 

Your argument about Atletico and CL football doesn't make sense either. If he's not bothered about it he'll just stay where he is, not go to another non CL club.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Swipe

[johngibo YPC]

Haven't a chance of getting falcao. He'll go for an absolute fortune. It's gonna be City or Chelsea I'd say.

 

Your argument about Atletico and CL football doesn't make sense either. If he's not bothered about it he'll just stay where he is, not go to another non CL club.

 

Wunderbar is off his head. He's got us getting Reus for £20m as well

[Swipe]

Wunderbar is off his head. He's got us getting Reus for £20m as well

 

Aye, I thought he might be messing with that smiley in there but then I remembered the Reus thing. He needs to be brought down to earth gently.

[Wunderbar]

If he's not bothered about it he'll just stay where he is, not go to another non CL club.

 

 

Even if Atletico want to sell? So Chelsea are gonna buy Cavani and Falcao? City with Tevez, Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli want Falcao as well? Yeah right.There are many decent forwards out there we can buy. For the last few years, I have heard the same bulls*** about how City/ Chelsea/PSG/ Milan are going to buy Cavani/Falcao/Llorente/Soldado and that these players will only go to CL teams. Yet, none of that has happened. If we offer the money, they will come yeah. My valuation of 21 million pounds for Reus was based on transfermarkt.com-it actually values him at 17 million, I added a premium.

 

I do live in a fantasy world but it is still better than your overly pessimistic world. There are many world class players out there. We will not buy all of them, but we will buy some. I am a pretty young fan and over the last years, I have seen us buy players like Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, Suarez, Reina, Johnson(yeah he was very good when we bought him), Allen and the likes of Sahin on loan to name a few. There is no reason for me to think that we will not buy one of the many exciting players out there. Moreover, we need players on the wings and forward positions, and I select the players who I think will be best for the positions. I don't actually think that they will come here, but since we need players, we might convince one or two to come here.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Wunderbar

[yellow jumper]

i don't see gerrard as an effective centre half. it's just magnifying the issues we have with him at centre mid. the midfielders that are getting converted there effectively in general are already defensive players. i'd play him as wing back ahead of centre half, even if it meant shifting johnson left.

 

The manager needs to show a bit of pragmatism if this season isn't going into turn into a disaster. He can revert to his beloved 4-3-3 next season when he has more suitable players. At the moment, the 4-3-3 feels more like 4-5-1 and even then the 1 is someone who likes to drop off.

 

i don't think we're at a point where we can talk with certainty about disasters. in my view it's worked as much as it's failed. not convinced the system is the reason for the majority of our bad results. or that it's specifically about a problem in the final third.

 

I've been wondering whether we might benefit from 3 at the back in the short term. Something like this:

 

Reina

Skrtel Coates Agger

Johnson Gerrard Allen Sahin Downing

Borini Suarez

 

Gerrard and Sahin have licence to get forward. For the tougher games, Lucas comes in for Sahin.

 

although i'd be up for this.

[Swipe]

Even if Atletico want to sell? So Chelsea are gonna buy Cavani and Falcao? City with Tevez, Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli want Falcao as well? Yeah right.There are many decent forwards out there we can buy. For the last few years, I have heard the same bulls*** about how City/ Chelsea/PSG/ Milan are going to buy Cavani/Falcao/Llorente/Soldado and that these players will only go to CL teams. Yet, none of that has happened. If we offer the money, they will come yeah. My valuation of 21 million pounds for Reus was based on transfermarkt.com-it actually values him at 17 million, I added a premium.

 

I do live in a fantasy world but it is still better than your overly pessimistic world. There are many world class players out there. We will not buy all of them, but we will buy some. I am a pretty young fan and over the last years, I have seen us buy players like Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, Suarez, Reina, Johnson(yeah he was very good when we bought him), Allen and the likes of Sahin on loan to name a few. There is no reason for me to think that we will not buy one of the many exciting players out there. Moreover, we need players on the wings and forward positions, and I select the players who I think will be best for the positions. I don't actually think that they will come here, but since we need players, we might convince one or two to come here.

 

 

Yes you do. You also mistake pessimism for realism.

 

I love how you say "yeah right" to the idea that Falcao is more likely to go to the richest club in the world than to one who can't afford Clint Dempsey and who are nowhere near the CL. I never mentioned Cavani either, so I don't know what you're on about with that reference.

 

Here's a wacky idea - City might, you know, sell some of their forwards if they were to buy Falcao.

 

Oh, and your valuation of Reus was bulls***, pure and simple. He went for 17m merely months ago, and has been an immediate hit at his new club. He's not going anywhere unless someone offers ridiculous money.

 

Your point about continuing to get good players in is hopefully correct, but we are a world away from the Falcao's of the world right now, as s*** as it is to admit that. If Atletico decide to sell he's going to go for a fee that is far out or our reach. And he's going to have every big CL club after him.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Swipe

[schmuckdonald]

I really hope Wunderbar is just a brilliant troll.

[Wunderbar]

Oh, and your valuation of Reus was bulls***, pure and simple. He went for 17m merely months ago, and has been an immediate hit at his new club. He's not going anywhere unless someone offers ridiculous money.

 

Your point about continuing to get good players in is hopefully correct, but we are a world away from the Falcao's of the world right now, as s*** as it is to admit that. If Atletico decide to sell he's going to go for a fee that is far out or our reach. And he's going to have every big CL club after him.

 

What bulls***? 17 million euros is about 14 million pounds. Modric went for 28 million and Kagawa went for 17 million with add ons...It is fair to price Reus at around 21 million pounds with the good start he has had.

 

Every big CL club doesn't need Falcao. I mentioned Cavani cause we would have had the same argument if I had put him in the team instead. There are many good players we can buy and not all CL teams would want them. The argument that these good players only move to CL clubs is pretty facile. I personally think that we will offload Carroll and splash it on a decent forward-not 35 million. Yes we could not afford Dempsey but we had already spent 27-30 million.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Wunderbar

[Swipe]

What bulls***? 17 million euros is about 14 million pounds. Modric went for 28 million and Kagawa went for 17 million with add ons...It is fair to price Reus at around 21 million pounds with the good start he has had.

 

Every big CL club doesn't need Falcao. I mentioned Cavani cause we would have had the same argument if I had put him in the team instead. There are many good players we can buy and not all CL teams would want them. The argument that these good players only move to CL clubs is pretty facile. I personally think that we will offload Carroll and splash it on a decent forward-not 35 million. Yes we could not afford Dempsey but we had already spent 27-30 million.

 

It's bulls*** to suggest an exciting young player who has been at his new club - and doing well - for about THREE MONTHS is in any way obtainable.

 

No we wouldn't have had the same argument with Cavani. You've made that assumption based on nothing. I don't think we can get him but he's not Falcao. The latter is turning into a superstar and would cost millions more than the former.

 

Nobody made the argument that all good players go only to CL clubs. Again you've made that up yourself. But most of them do. That's just a sad fact of the position we are in now.

 

Falcao is now in the top tier of players now. Certainly seems to be the most hyped and sought after player in Europe at the minute. If you think we are in a position to afford or attract him you're mental!

 

Llorente is the one we should try for, what with the position he's in. It'd still be a task but he's a lot more obtainable than Falcao.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Swipe