Osman

Koul Khara!
Aug 30, 2002
61,499
Actually one of our main issues is that midfield IS weaker, and thats certainly the responsbility of the guy who decides who goes and comes to the club, no? Allegri having no clue is big part of it. But having no fight to win possession or playmaking or reference point in midfield to keep and maintain possession adds alot to the kind of pressure we get on us, and as consequence conceads goals for.
 

JCK

Biased
JCK
May 11, 2004
125,382

Nenz

Senior Member
Apr 17, 2008
10,472
Actually one of our main issues is that midfield IS weaker, and thats certainly the responsbility of the guy who decides who goes and comes to the club, no? Allegri having no clue is big part of it. But having no fight to win possession or playmaking or reference point in midfield to keep and maintain possession adds alot to the kind of pressure we get on us, and as consequence conceads goals for.
Is it that much weaker? A fit Khedira for Vidal is a slight downgrade no doubt. But Khedira is no shmuck defensively. And IIRC we haven't lost with Khedira-Marchisio-Pogba starting together. Defensively it's not that much weaker and in terms of not having that reference point in Pirlo, it was the conventional wisdom last season that Marchisio made for a better holding mid than Pirlo. We played best last season with Vidal - Marchisio - Pogba with Pereyra in the hole. So there is one real change in the possible starting line up and it doesn't look all that much weaker considering Vidal was so bad for so long last season.

The difference between last season and this one was the certainty in the 4-3-1-2. It's not the personnel but that lack of continuity in formation and line up due to injuries or Allegri's indecision that's made this team play with such a lack of conviction.

I admit, Marotta not buying a trequartista and loaning Cuadrado is partially to blame for that but we didn't have a trequartista last season either. Allegri doesn't have to play Cuadrado if it means playing in a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 that throws this team completely out of it's comfort zone. Cuadrado has become so important to Allegri that he's virtually rebuilt this teams attack around him to the detriment of any effective system of play. He ought to insist on playing a 4-3-1-2 with Pereyra (when he's fit) in the hole again like last season if that's what brings this side the most balance. Either Cuadrado can somehow fit into that system or he can go back to Chelsea. He's only scored one goal in all the time he's played. If the market really means nothing to Allegri's choices then he wouldn't appease Marotta by building our attack around Cuadrado and wasting Morata out of position.

The amount of injuries in midfield in conjunction with all the new players is also an unprecedented factor that cannot be ignored. That has undoubtedly contributed to this lack of continuity which is neither Marotta nor Allegri's fault.
 

GordoDeCentral

Diez
Moderator
Apr 14, 2005
70,802
Is it that much weaker? A fit Khedira for Vidal is a slight downgrade no doubt. But Khedira is no shmuck defensively. And IIRC we haven't lost with Khedira-Marchisio-Pogba starting together. Defensively it's not that much weaker and in terms of not having that reference point in Pirlo, it was the conventional wisdom last season that Marchisio made for a better holding mid than Pirlo. We played best last season with Vidal - Marchisio - Pogba with Pereyra in the hole. So there is one real change in the possible starting line up and it doesn't look all that much weaker considering Vidal was so bad for so long last season.

The difference between last season and this one was the certainty in the 4-3-1-2. It's not the personnel but that lack of continuity in formation and line up due to injuries or Allegri's indecision that's made this team play with such a lack of conviction.

I admit, Marotta not buying a trequartista and loaning Cuadrado is partially to blame for that but we didn't have a trequartista last season either. Allegri doesn't have to play Cuadrado if it means playing in a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 that throws this team completely out of it's comfort zone. Cuadrado has become so important to Allegri that he's virtually rebuilt this teams attack around him to the detriment of any effective system of play. He ought to insist on playing a 4-3-1-2 with Pereyra (when he's fit) in the hole again like last season if that's what brings this side the most balance. Either Cuadrado can somehow fit into that system or he can go back to Chelsea. He's only scored one goal in all the time he's played. If the market really means nothing to Allegri's choices then he wouldn't appease Marotta by building our attack around Cuadrado and wasting Morata out of position.

The amount of injuries in midfield in conjunction with all the new players is also an unprecedented factor that cannot be ignored. That has undoubtedly contributed to this lack of continuity which is neither Marotta nor Allegri's fault.

lol
 

B3N

Floro Fckin' Flores
May 16, 2010
6,634
That's our fucking luck this term. I mean Cesare Bovo scored an amazing goal tonight, an effort that 99/100 times he wouldn't be able to keep it down.
He would. Bovo's scored like that and from freekicks plenty of times. Hetemaj on the other hand I agree.
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,030
He would. Bovo's scored like that and from freekicks plenty of times. Hetemaj on the other hand I agree.
Prior to last night Bovo didnt score a single goal in the last four seasons. Overall the guy has 12 goals in 250 apps. Not sure if thats plenty.
 

B3N

Floro Fckin' Flores
May 16, 2010
6,634
Prior to last night Bovo didnt score a single goal in the last four seasons. Overall the guy has 12 goals in 250 apps. Not sure if thats plenty.
Did you take that sentence from whoscored or somewhere? :D don't become defensive man, I'm just saying the guy has a decent shots, regular spot kick takers at his teams. I remember he scored some beauties at Palermo. He's not particularly unknown for scoring screamers unlike Hetemaj.
 

Osman

Koul Khara!
Aug 30, 2002
61,499
There is a reason Bovo was taking the freekick, and he has a mean left foot. He doesnt score often, not a specialist perse, but a decent one, better then most his teammates in most clubs hence why he tends to take em.
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,030
Did you take that sentence from whoscored or somewhere? :D don't become defensive man, I'm just saying the guy has a decent shots, regular spot kick takers at his teams. I remember he scored some beauties at Palermo. He's not particularly unknown for scoring screamers unlike Hetemaj.
He has a decent shot, but as the stats point out his shots find the net on rare occassions and last night he scored an absolute screamer. Messi and CR7 would be proud. One of the last goals he scored was for Palermo and guess who was on the other side. :)

 

Xperd

Allegrophobic Infidel
Jun 1, 2012
34,916
To be frank, some of his signings have hugely imbalanced the attack as well as reduced the creativity too.
I don't blame him for the Mandzukic signing even though it's starting to look like a mistake, there was absolutely little need to blow €18m on Zaza while messing up the critical signing that is the TQ.
Really, would people have complained this much about our midfield if we had bought a quality playmaker ?
Our problem is scoring goals and creating more scoring chances not conceding.
The offense really looks imbalanced and messed up right now and Marotta has an equal hand as much as Allegri has helped in creating this one big mess.The other problems is less significant in my opinion compared to how poor and weak we look in attack.
 

Nenz

Senior Member
Apr 17, 2008
10,472
I'd have laughed too two seasons ago. But if you're making a comparison between this season and the last, its not so laughable. Vidal really stunk it up for most of last season. When he wasn't injured that is. Khedira isn't half the player Vidal was.
Anyhow his injury proneness is the biggest problem but weren't as foreseeable as most think. When/if he's fit he's a very good player and a lot of people have forgotten that, not because he's played badly but because he hasn't played.
 

JuveJay

Senior Signor
Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
74,947
There is a reason Bovo was taking the freekick, and he has a mean left foot.
Based on? He's a right footed centre back known for having a strong shot and being a half decent free-kick taker...with his right foot. He might be naturally powerful off either foot, but that means nothing for accuracy.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd have laughed too two seasons ago. But if you're making a comparison between this season and the last, its not so laughable. Vidal really stunk it up for most of last season. When he wasn't injured that is. Khedira isn't half the player Vidal was.
Anyhow his injury proneness is the biggest problem but weren't as foreseeable as most think. When/if he's fit he's a very good player and a lot of people have forgotten that, not because he's played badly but because he hasn't played.
With Khedira people either ignorantly or subconsciously merge the time he was injured with the time Real Madrid benched him. We knew injuries would be some issue with him early on, if anything because he sat out so much football, but long term he shouldn't be any different to any other player.

But hey, he's obviously the only injured player we've had this season...
 

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