It´s the opposite. Football has moved towards players like Rice that do a few things decently but nothing exceptionally. Szobo, Grav, even Mac. Camavinga, Fabian Ruiz, Anderson, Tonali, even Bellingham though you could say he´s a goal scoring mid.
´Generalists´
Bellingham is far more than a goal scoring midfielder.
Also, all the ones you have mentioned, excluding our players have gone for high fees and the best midfielder atm, Rodri is another generalist and can do the lot, apart from run fast.
If we’re saying that the players we have in midfield are generalists then God help us.
I have seen repeatedly at Anfield how shockingly bad Grav is at passing.
Macca is a superb passer but we keep asking him to be a destroyer and that not fair on him. But what is he supposed to do when Szobo and Grav are caught way up the field?
Dom has a sweet strike on him and an incredible engine but for a top midfielder, his ball retention skills are shockingly poor. And he tries to do “clever” turns in areas where he should be passing to a teammate.
What we have is average specialists.
He´s an all rounder, though he is not that great defensively nor can he run the game with the ball.
That´s my point. Teams now go for all-rounders. Hasn´t made them very good though.
When I say specialist, I don´t mean they have literally just one skill. I mean their primary role in the team is specific.
Well that´s it.
Other than players like Gerrard and Keane, it´s very tough to be skilled in many key areas. That´s exactly why specialists are better in my view. Doesn
t mean a passing player can not have some defensive nous (Alonso), or a defensive player has to be bad on the ball (Busquets)but their primary role is clear in the team.
Mac is a decent passer. He´s not amazing at breaking the lines but he´s tidy enough. I think he´s very good at attacking the box and he´s a decent enough passer. Of all our midfielders he has the best skillset.
But what do any of our midfielders specialise at? When I say specialist I mean of the three main roles of midfield as I see it - protect the back four, run the game with the ball so your attackers get on the ball, create and score.
I’ll tell you what they specialise in:
Grav: turning away from pressure with the ball and galloping on (while feeling pleased about himself).
Szobo: Running and…erm…running. And McDonalds
Okay his shooting is pretty good but he doesn’t take enough shots.
Macca: Long and short passing…in specific scenarios.
I hope they don’t send Koumas out on loan. The kid has got character and a work ethic that inspires. The stuff he wrote about repaying his mum for all her sacrifices was very moving. We need more players like him IMO and he deserves a chance.
I suppose they do have quite limited and specific skills.
Of all of them, Mac is probably the one with a clear role. In my view we have to play all 3 OR Mac/Nyoni Wirtz and one other.
I feel the only “safe” place to play Wirtz is nominally on the left wing.
Playing him in midfield leave us shorthanded when we don’t have possession.
Probably true. Doesnt work in possession either if we are playing Grav and Szobo behind him.
I want to see him play with Mac and Nyoni though. Together or seperately. They´re the midfielders we have who are best at passing and might feed him the ball much better.
Grav and Dom as the base of a midfield is just mad! Both of their natural instinct is to gallop forward. And neither are good passers.
I can see Macca and Nyoni working
I guess this should be in the midfield thread so maybe we should move it there. Going to edit
But with Dom or Wirtz? Macca, Nyoni and Wirtz is a very mobile midfield with passing ability but is it too soft?
I didn’t think Wirtz was half as bad as some are making out.
I’d like to start both Macca AND Nyoni in a three-man midfield. This means Wirtz and two of Grav, Frimpong and Szobo must be dropped.
I think with Dom. He is not as creative as Wirtz but he has good individual skills and had a thunderous shot. And as an 8 his volume and speed of running is an asset both in and out of possession.
We need unreliable rumours not strong ones
This is all reasonable analysis but is all besides the point - Iraola doesnt want a specialist 6 dropping off and mopping up situations like the two their goals came from. He definitely wants more balance in how the 2 he has in there go forward so the “rest defense” is in better shape. And he wants better decisions and effort from the players when they are in position to affect the counter attack. But the answer to that is not “scrap the entire philosophy and a buy a player with a role that doesnt exist in this team.”
To be clear, it is just as possible to buy a proper 6 and get him to adapt to these demands the way he is currently demanding his existing midfielders adapt to them. There is possibly a way to improve us by bringing in a more defense minded player who is going to be happy to sit behind the ball when we have it. But he would not be playing like the 6 lots of fans are demanding.
@Noo_Noo is here
There’s a thread for discussing the squad and preferred lined ups…
And another for discussing the central midfield.
Should be some transfer movement this week so any chance of keeping this thread for those rumours so we don’t have to wade through swathes of recycled discussions about the need for a 6 or the role of existing midfielders.
https://x.com/Plettigoal/status/2091841828379136109?s=20
Let’s hope it’s 2-3 before deadline day and another 2-3 on the day itself 