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Well just watched the replay of the Spurs/Villa game (first half, the second we weren't tested).
And got to say for the first time since Luka Modric left that I feel like we now have someone who can perform to the levels of Luka.
Christian just looked so good demonstrating his movement, passing and vision.
With this year under his belt, a good break and preseason with a new manager he has the potential to be our next "worldie" along with Hugo i'm hoping with a couple of good buys we can give a real good go at 4th or higher. .
And got to say for the first time since Luka Modric left that I feel like we now have someone who can perform to the levels of Luka.
Christian just looked so good demonstrating his movement, passing and vision.
With this year under his belt, a good break and preseason with a new manager he has the potential to be our next "worldie" along with Hugo i'm hoping with a couple of good buys we can give a real good go at 4th or higher. .
IMO he brings more than Modric. He can finish and create moves that lead to actual goals. His passing stats may be a few % off but thats because he is more positive than safety first ratty Modders. He also gives us better set pieces than Modders did.
We just need to give Eriksen protection and Paulinho and Sandro were fantastic.
But Modric had better defensive skills imo. One of the reasons why he's played as a CM rather than as a number 10. Modric comes from deep more and is more involved in the build-up (is that the correct term?) of the game, while Eriksen stays further forward on the pitch. Or do youn think he could become a deeper-lying player like Modric did?
I think thats where you start talking about different systems of play.
Eriksen and Modric are similar at the moment in that they are initially being played from the left to afford them no defensive duty and to let them do their thing.
Modric was lacking (by comparison) in the final 3rd to Eriksen, but was better defensively. He ended up playing deeper in midfield as thats where he had a greater impact on the game.
From here I can only imagine Eriksen playing as a #10 or a forward that drifts around, I dont think he will go deeper into the side. As Gibbs sugegsted, stick him ahead of Sandro and Paulinho and I think thats a fantastic midfield 3.
Eriksen and Modric are similar at the moment in that they are initially being played from the left to afford them no defensive duty and to let them do their thing.
Modric was lacking (by comparison) in the final 3rd to Eriksen, but was better defensively. He ended up playing deeper in midfield as thats where he had a greater impact on the game.
From here I can only imagine Eriksen playing as a #10 or a forward that drifts around, I dont think he will go deeper into the side. As Gibbs sugegsted, stick him ahead of Sandro and Paulinho and I think thats a fantastic midfield 3.
Agreed. Eriksen is not the type to dictate the middle third like Modric is, as in a typical deep-lying playmaker. Unfortunately, without Holtby learning how to play better defense, Dembele having a miraculous hip recovery, or Paulinho choosing to dial in and integrate with our team on a consistent basis, we don't really have anyone who can efficiently control the middle and consistently link up with Eriksen.
If anyone thought this kid looked good this year, linking him up with a more dynamic, forward-thinking No 8 would do incredible things for his proficiency.
I agree Modric is better than him now at that aspect, but that is through necessity. Around the same age they were equally terrible in defence. Real Madrid bought him and all of a sudden they were having cricket scores. They had to buy the most expensive player in the world to save their second season.
Modric's lack of unlocking defences and goals has forced him into playing as a withdrawn pass monkey and with that comes more defensive duties and he has got better.
I'm convinced that Modric is only pretty to watch. World class close control and passing but when it comes down to it he is generally saftey first.
It was with great pleasure I watched that rat blow the league title for a second year over the last week, taking 1 point from Valladolid and getting stuffed 2-0 vs Celta Vigo. The monkey king IMO made Modric look a lot better than he was at this club and at Real. Take away players like Ronaldo and Bale and you get a ratty loser at the end of the day that can't supply the goods. Eriksen can. Way more guile and is better at disguising passes.
We need to hold onto him at all costs. We need new contracts for him, Kane, Bentlaeb etc. We also need to keep Holtby as backup and play him in the same role.
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I think that player can be Lamela. Paulinho, Capoue, Sandro and Dembele should be the guardians of our little cherubs.
I'd be a happy camper if I never see Lennon and co in a Spurs shirt ever again. Was he injured or dropped?
Gutted to see Walker missed out on the WC.
Freund said he was injured before the game. I would be very surprised if we see him pull on the lillywhite ever again.
Lamela can link up with him, but he's in a more advanced and/or wide position. He needs someone to bring the ball from deeper with more open angles, and provide him more space to turn and interact with quick transitional play.
Pfff. We can do that all day. The problem was the wingydingz ruined our season and it's like playing with 10 men. This was the first game I can remember where a Townsend or Lennon were not derping up our buildup.
We have two monsters to aim for in Ade and Kane. Like i've been saying FOREVER: We needed more steel in the final third that can win battles. Kane IMO has proved me right.
We have everything we need. Apart from depth at right and left back and leadership.
You and I have each made our opinions on this known ten-fold over, so we won't be getting into it again. But for the sake of clarification purposes:
Yes, I agree we need more steel up top. That is not where our issue lies. No, we cannot make quick, transitional play from the center all day. It has been absolutely piss poor crap all season, and even Sherwood was capable of identifying it a few weeks ago while expressing regret on moving Holtby.
We do not have everything we need, and I think we'll unfortunately see yet another year of turnover. I think we can expect to see at least seven or eight players leave this summer, with at least five brought in. Tis the reality of bringing in a new manager, having an unbalanced squad as is, and the inevitability of further players leaving due to wanting out or being sold.
Love Walker, do not see any need to replace him, Rose and Naughton well er...... anyway we need a left back at least. Like Kane, really like him, clever bugger, Soldado don't mind if he stays or goes, still think we should get Bony or Lukaku as well. Other than that we are ok.
Walker is my fav player. We need better backup. And rose is not good enough for backup and is a liability.
I would rather spunk striker money on a marquee manager.
Soldado and Defoe proved that is exactly where our problems lie.
Yes, because our wingers were braindead.
That's because this squad, under both regimes, has been incapable of vertical throughballs. All we've done is cross, however shitty it is, and especially with Holtby out and Eriksen on the wing. Sherwood capitalized on this by putting Ade and Kane in the middle, which has indeed worked. So he adapted to a major problem without fixing the problem.
Lennon and Townsend injured plus steel up front fixed the problem.
You openly mocked my opinion of playing more central and how effective paulihno and sandro can be.
When they are not babysitting tiny wingdingz for 90 mins they can express themselves.
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No, I did not mock your idea of playing centrally. I've made it abundantly, abundantly clear by now that I want more effective central play and that your idea of fixing our problems in the middle by stacking the center and forgoing wing play altogether is not the solution as it eliminates balance and makes us predictable. Wanting "steel" up top and eliminating width is a direct contradiction. Because we found a way to make it through against that Villa side, that had also established safety the weekend prior, does not necessarily mean it should be anything that resembles a solution or plan going forward.
The best modern system is one that utilizes balance in the middle between defensive coverage and fast, incisive, and aggressive transitional and creative play; and pacy, creative, and dangerous wide players that also know when to provide defensive cover; this all behind a lone striker whose versatility allows him to interact with both systems of support via finding lanes for himself and others as well as getting under crosses. We don't have to be Real Madrid or Man City to do this, as many teams even in much smaller leagues run such a system, so I don't want to hear that nonsensical accusation again.
I've got a busy week ahead Gibbsy ol boy. If you'd like to appropriately interact with my responses, as you have recently, I think we can have a good conversation here. But if you want to try to misinterpret and point to illogical conclusions you concoct in your own mind yet attribute to me, then you'll find yourself barking down a one way road this time. Shall we toast to the furtherment of enlightening and civil swapping of ideas on this board then?
Nothing enlightening about your posts. You had Lennon starting and no ade or paulihno in the what would you do thread for the final game.
You let your hysteria get the better of you because of one poor wall.
And your vision for next year is trying to replace modrat? Yeah, just what we need. Another midfielder that can't score.
Balance? You want a team of children and midgets.
It's abundantly clear that our passing through the middle with the brazillians and eriksen was clicking.
Gtog.