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Hmmm... Apparently Messi is unsettled in Barcelona. We should tell Coco to start lobbying him hard to come to us on a Bosman (it's not like we could afford to pay the fee otherwise).
Agreed when he plays he is really creative but that's not his job. As Kane gets more PT we'll see if he and sadio are equal in their production. Reports saying united are looking at Jan. Ugh we can't get the guys we want or keep the guys we have. Hopefully Mitchell can get us a Matic/Schneiderlin in January b/c that is the engine Poch is looking for and it has to be our number 1 priority
I've not agreed with a single thing you've posted so far, hasn't changed here.
If Soldado plays as an attacking midfielder, his job IS to create. That is his job, if you want to call it that. Football isn't as simple as people only having "one job".
We won't let Jan leave in Jan (That made even me cringe) but I think every Spurs fan is resigned to him leaving. He hasn't looked good in a season and 1/4. No real loss to be honest. If we can get 25ish mil for him I'd be more than happy, assuming we spend every penny on a like for like replacement.
The last thing we need is another midfielder. It's not our priority in the slightest. We've needed a striker for about 4 years now, still need a top quality one. Also a new winger (R or L). Would like a new CB, but can't see it happening in January. If we got rid of 3-4-5 and bought in 2, I'd be happy.
It might not be the immediate answer but i think the best way to deal with our winger problem would be to play townsend on the left and by a right winger... Im not sure who would be available with the qualities that we need but thats the way i would go about solving that problem.
Unfortunately at attacking mid it's also his job to score goals.
At the end of the day, he won't be with us next season. He's a broken man and we shouldn't expect him to score; he's just not mentally capable of it anymore. It's like watching a 3 legged race horse try to sprint; it just can't.
Should expect as little as possible. If he gets a few assists, great, but he won't go on a scoring spree ever again. Up to the manager to decide whether playing Soldado for that purpose alone is worth it. For this reason alone (Never mind the Juju curse on Ade
) that a good striker is #1 priority in January.
All these rumours of Jan going don't bother me tbh, he hasn't played well for a while so aslong as we get a replacement like Moreno then ill be happy.
Recall Yedlin
Get Konoplyanka (Contract expires in summer)
Get a striker (You won't get an amazing striker until summer, just buy someone to do for now; loan?)
Get Delph (Depends how many people we sell. Not bad for cheap and has resale value, not great though)
Sell Naughton (He's improved, but would be third choice Rb. Not needed)
Sell Dembele (He's never had a true role in the team. Isn't a DM or a ball playing CM)
Sell Paulinho (He's not even getting games anymore, isn't a good enough CM and doesn't fit the system)
Sell Chiriches or Kaboul (We don't need 5 Cb's, most of whom are poor. Chiriches prime suspect)
Sell Adebayor (Doesn't perform, fans don't like him, lazy, offers nothing...the list goes on)
Sell Lennon (Isn't as quick as he was, always had a poor cross, can't play on the left, no goal threat)
Sell BAE or loan him (Amazing how he's STILL here..)
Lloris/Vorm
Walker/Yedlin-------Dier/Fazio-------Kaboul/Jan------Rose/Davies
Stambouli/Capoue--------Delph/Mason
Chadli/Townsend -------Eriksen/Soldado------Lamela/Konovplyanka
Kane/Loan option
Cuts the fat off the squad, not too many new faces, extremely cheap, lots of depth and interchangeability and an incredibly young squad with potential
Get Konoplyanka (Contract expires in summer)
Get a striker (You won't get an amazing striker until summer, just buy someone to do for now; loan?)
Get Delph (Depends how many people we sell. Not bad for cheap and has resale value, not great though)
Sell Naughton (He's improved, but would be third choice Rb. Not needed)
Sell Dembele (He's never had a true role in the team. Isn't a DM or a ball playing CM)
Sell Paulinho (He's not even getting games anymore, isn't a good enough CM and doesn't fit the system)
Sell Chiriches or Kaboul (We don't need 5 Cb's, most of whom are poor. Chiriches prime suspect)
Sell Adebayor (Doesn't perform, fans don't like him, lazy, offers nothing...the list goes on)
Sell Lennon (Isn't as quick as he was, always had a poor cross, can't play on the left, no goal threat)
Sell BAE or loan him (Amazing how he's STILL here..)
Lloris/Vorm
Walker/Yedlin-------Dier/Fazio-------Kaboul/Jan------Rose/Davies
Stambouli/Capoue--------Delph/Mason
Chadli/Townsend -------Eriksen/Soldado------Lamela/Konovplyanka
Kane/Loan option
Cuts the fat off the squad, not too many new faces, extremely cheap, lots of depth and interchangeability and an incredibly young squad with potential
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Quite clearly he IS a ball-playing CM. Arguably the best on our entire team with the ball at his feet, but unfortunately he's just not a good playmaker.
I disagree. Look at the best ball playing Cm's in the world. Modric, Xavi, Di Rossi, Alonso, Pirlo. They generally don't make many runs forward, they stay back and pass the ball into space for other players to run on to, moving behind the attack themselves.
Does Dembele do what these players do? No. Dembele does not PASS the ball forward he dribbles forward with it and then passes it side ways. It's his trade mark and the only thing he's amazing at. That isn't a ball playing CM.
Maybe it's just a clash of opinions, or confusion over definition. Quite a good article here http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/opinion-pieces/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-passing-midfielder/. Claims there are three types of midfielders; passers, creators, destroyers. Dembele is good at all and great at none.
My point is that he's great on the ball. He's not great at getting rid of the ball.
With the ball at his feet I think that there are few players in the prem that are more gifted than Dembele, but he doesn't have that extra bit of vision and passing ability or finishing ability for him to excel in either a creative or attacking role. Give him the ball and on a good day Dembele could probably run with the ball for 90 minutes and hardly ever give it up.
So, you say that he's not a great ball-player, and I disagree. He's excellent on the ball, but unlike every other player that you've mentioned, he's not a great play-maker, which I agree with and argue is a different thing entirely.
We both agree on the same points; he is good at dribbling (Few people can go past someone as easily) and then poor at passing or making an impact after that dribble.
This is part of the problem, but I agree. He said himself in an interview he loves possession football and doesn't feel comfortable taking riskier options and going for goal.
Argument about definition basically. In England, my understanding has always been a play-maker is an Eriksen type player. Just googled it and found, "In English football, the term overlaps somewhat with attacking midfielder, but the two types of midfielders are not necessarily the same."
Either way, I think he should be sold. Just doesn't fit into the style of play, isn't getting minutes either. Would be great in a 3-man midfield, but not a 2.
Moutinho has been linked to Woolwich..
Never in a million years would we buy a player like Mile Jedinek at Palace, but he would make us better.
That Bolasie guy looks decent too.
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