Endless Summer Mercato 2016 (63 Viewers)
- Thread starter JuveJay
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We have so many midfielders. Matuidi is the last thing we need. Between Marchisio, Pjanic, Khedira, Asamoah: All 3 are starting quality. Then you have depth in Lemina, Sturaro, and Hernanes. Pjaca according to Allegri can also play as a central mid (although I think that is a bad fit). My point is for a 3-5-2, we're fine when healthy. There two real positions we could add. I think one would involve selling Hernanes.
1) A trequartista. That mean James Rodriguez, Christian Eriksen, Medzut Ozil...no exceptions. We can't add a Saponara.
2) A true DM. We don't have a real water carrier. This is a luxury though, and this would certainly involve clearing Hernanes' salary. The ideal player would have been Mascherano or even Kante. Gustavo is an option, but I would only buy if Hernanes was leaving. It is a luxury and not a necessity.
Otherwise, our team is battle ready.
1) A trequartista. That mean James Rodriguez, Christian Eriksen, Medzut Ozil...no exceptions. We can't add a Saponara.
2) A true DM. We don't have a real water carrier. This is a luxury though, and this would certainly involve clearing Hernanes' salary. The ideal player would have been Mascherano or even Kante. Gustavo is an option, but I would only buy if Hernanes was leaving. It is a luxury and not a necessity.
Otherwise, our team is battle ready.
Not a ball winner no. Asa and Lemina and sturaro are all very capable winners of the ball that combine speed, agressiveness and grinta. Matuidi is too similar to them even if he is better. We are covered here so we shouldnt spend there unless mascherano (a serious upgrade) is available on a great deal.
What we do lack depends on how we see the permanent future role of pjanic. He is either going to be taking (a) Marchisio's role of distributing and organizing the midfield or he will take (b) Pogba's job which is similar to his role at Roma. I am assuming 3-5-2 as primary formation.
If the long term plan for him is (a), then we need a CM/box to box that can create the way he did at Roma and Pogba did for Juve. I dont have anyone in mind that can be good at this. Maybe witsel is the best available I dont know. Eriksen would be great ofc but impossible to buy.
If the long term plan is (b) then we need a vice-marchisio that is not called hernanes. A distributor not a destroyer. Alonso or Scwheinstiger (assuming they are not finished yet) or someone of that type. Tielemans would be the very young option.
I'd rather we go for plan (b). Pjanic is as good as any creative CM can get and so instead of deploying him in the regista role we should keep him in his best role and look for a good upgrade on Hernanes that can play until marchisio returns.
What we do lack depends on how we see the permanent future role of pjanic. He is either going to be taking (a) Marchisio's role of distributing and organizing the midfield or he will take (b) Pogba's job which is similar to his role at Roma. I am assuming 3-5-2 as primary formation.
If the long term plan for him is (a), then we need a CM/box to box that can create the way he did at Roma and Pogba did for Juve. I dont have anyone in mind that can be good at this. Maybe witsel is the best available I dont know. Eriksen would be great ofc but impossible to buy.
If the long term plan is (b) then we need a vice-marchisio that is not called hernanes. A distributor not a destroyer. Alonso or Scwheinstiger (assuming they are not finished yet) or someone of that type. Tielemans would be the very young option.
I'd rather we go for plan (b). Pjanic is as good as any creative CM can get and so instead of deploying him in the regista role we should keep him in his best role and look for a good upgrade on Hernanes that can play until marchisio returns.
A water carrier is a distributer. Not sure about Gustavo's game, but both Kante (on Conte's team - based off the two Chelsea games I watched) and Mascherano play a distribution role. Intelligent defensively, and in Kante's case, has destroyer characteristics, but first and foremost, links the defense and midfield.
As far a the 3-5-2: It will be our primary formation, but eventually, given the age of BBC, I wouldn't be surprised if Allegri transitions to a 4-3-1-2. If we do, we need a TQ. He also isn't a man of one formation.
As far a the 3-5-2: It will be our primary formation, but eventually, given the age of BBC, I wouldn't be surprised if Allegri transitions to a 4-3-1-2. If we do, we need a TQ. He also isn't a man of one formation.
We seem to mean different things by distributing. Think Alonso, Pirlo, Scholes, Besquets, Modric, or Marchisio's, role in their teams. You are thinking more of Moussa Sissoko style link between defense and midfield, I am thinking more of what Pogba was tasked to do for France. Kante's is purely a ball winner and simple pass player.
A DM distributor (what I have in mind) organizes the midfield and sets the tempo. A regista with some extra defensive duties. With the ball he (while under pressure) picks out passes (must have good passing range and intelligence to do that) to players up the field and can switch play from one side to the other. Without the ball, he has the right off the ball movement to make himself available to team mates under pressure and then does what I described at the beginning of the paragraph. When the other team has the ball, his main duty is not to recover it but rather to be close to the area where the ball is recovered by a Kante-type or a defender so he can receive it quickly and launch it to players on the opposite flank or upfront in space. Thats what marchisio does for us and what Pirlo did before him (with less defensive and more offensive responsibilities given Pirlo's exceptional range). Pjanic will be given that role until marchisio is back. I'd rather we got someone else to do that job capably so that pjanic can be a play maker whether as a CAM in 4312 or CM in 352.
Ben Atia and Rugani are back up for BBC so dont worry about their age.
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We want to win the CL now not wait around till he grows into a top player. We need someone who is ready and in a few years if Lemina grows he can take a starting spot.
A DM distributor (what I have in mind) organizes the midfield and sets the tempo. A regista with some extra defensive duties. With the ball he (while under pressure) picks out passes (must have good passing range and intelligence to do that) to players up the field and can switch play from one side to the other. Without the ball, he has the right off the ball movement to make himself available to team mates under pressure and then does what I described at the beginning of the paragraph. When the other team has the ball, his main duty is not to recover it but rather to be close to the area where the ball is recovered by a Kante-type or a defender so he can receive it quickly and launch it to players on the opposite flank or upfront in space. Thats what marchisio does for us and what Pirlo did before him (with less defensive and more offensive responsibilities given Pirlo's exceptional range). Pjanic will be given that role until marchisio is back. I'd rather we got someone else to do that job capably so that pjanic can be a play maker whether as a CAM in 4312 or CM in 352.
Ben Atia and Rugani are back up for BBC so dont worry about their age.
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We want to win the CL now not wait around till he grows into a top player. We need someone who is ready and in a few years if Lemina grows he can take a starting spot.
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