Which is why the first thing I said was:
This season has made it almost impossible for me to pick.
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Which is why the first thing I said was:
This season has made it almost impossible for me to pick.
I'd wish to see that too, but realistically I think we have to consider the injury-concerns of Sandro and Dembele, the fact a bigger club will likely come in for Paulinho this summer, and also our blatant weakness at LW. I think overhaul is inevitable this summer.
Sadly, I actually couldnt care less who stays and goes right now
You give him too much credit with such a response. His solution to our wing issues is having Lamela, Dembele, and Eriksen standing and waiting compacted at the top of the box; awaiting a dual-shield of CDMs to somehow consistently get them the ball vertically; while forgoing wingplay altogether and having static fullbacks. It's not your fault we had an unbalanced squad and his ideas are ludicrous, self-destructive, and ignorant of anything that closely resembles a firm understanding of the modern game.
Do you think he will persist on the left next year? If so we need a Walker style left back to compliment him and give the width. I think he's a bloody accimplished footballer for his age and he can still produce from that left wing role knowing when to move inside and when to fade out. I'd put him centrally but we have a host of bloody talented players there already, I suppose its all down to who comes in manager wise.
I hate having Eriksen on the left of a 442. On a 4231 I wouldn't mind as I believe we could have two midfielders covering the gaps he leaves behind.
No, I think a manager with any common sense of the modern Premier League, and especially one of the Dutch school of Total Voetbol, will not continue with Eriksen on the left. Moving Eriksen to his original and best position in a three-man central midfield and bringing in a more complete left winger does nothing but improve the squad. The only way I can see Eriksen staying out wide is if we do indeed bring in a very fast and defensively aware LB as well as a No 10 better than Eriksen somehow willing to come. While we certainly do need to improve at LB, it makes much more economical and tactical sense to use a player of the quality of Eriksen in his best position and improve a position where we are drastically weak at LW.
It's not impossible. We have bloody good players. It's just AVB and Sherwood played funny buggers with wingydinz, Capoue and co and starved Soldado with Lennon etc.
----------------Ade--------------
--Eriksen--Paulinho--Lamela--
----Capoue----------Sandro----
With emerging players.
-------------Kane------------
--Eriksen---Ade--Lamela--
---Capoue----Chiriches---
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Eriksen has to run the attacking show for us, and leave the dirty work to people who enjoy it. If he is on the left, it should be cut in. If you watch his highlight reels, most of his goals and assists come from slightly cut in.
Completely agree with the fact he is a greater asset in the central area but I have a sneaky suspicion we won't buy a left winger, and with the assets we have I'd probably rather a Sandro Paulinho Dembele midfield trio with Eriksen on the left. I'd rather we deploy him nearer the no10 role but I cant see us getting a left winger. Ideally Konopkola will come, he looked bloody good, and I'm assuming the scousers are happy with Sterling and Coutinho on the left.
Eriksens best and only true position is at the point of a midfield 3 - and most important of all with three forwards in front of him.
That is how is has played, generally, for all his career at Odense, at Ajax, for all Denmark youth and Senior teams. All but at Spurs.
He has adapted better than I feared, but in the right formation we would get much more from him.
That is how is has played, generally, for all his career at Odense, at Ajax, for all Denmark youth and Senior teams. All but at Spurs.
He has adapted better than I feared, but in the right formation we would get much more from him.
Actually, a typically rather informed Liverpool fan just dropped a bit of news that 'pool have dropped interest in Kono in favor of actively pursuing Lallana. I would be very, very surprised if we didn't go after an improvement at LW this summer. While at LB we've been shit, at LW we hadn't a single player comfortable in the position aside from Eriksen, who is in no way shape or form a true winger and is self-deprecating to task him with the defensive responsibilities of a winger.
I still think the weaknesses you highlighted back then are valid though, so you were correct to have those concerns. Would very much like to see him improve those tenets of his game if he's to lockdown our No 10 position for the next few years.
I agree if we had amazing forwards but we don't have many. IMO Eriksen needs to be taking a lot more shots at goal rather than orchestrating them. Reason being, out of most of our team I think his finishing has the most potential. This seasons problem had the wrong people taking a lot of shots. People with poor scoring records where taking them. We REALLY need to start getting 10+ goals from our midfielders in the prem.
Id take him In a heartbeat, probably the best performance ive seen against Walker. Walker isnt the most accomplished but physically he was second best against Kono. I still never believe we can accomplish a transfer window whilst addressing all our weaknesses. It isn't Spurs.
Perhaps I was OTT then. Most of all because of the crazy abilities people associated him with. Quicker than Messi. Stronger than Ronaldo. Better passing than Xavi. As if each new day brought a further skill to his inventory.
Either way, I think this season have been an excellent showcase of what he does give us. Not that much raw pace, skill or penetration - but rather a whole lot of invention and proactivity. Always looking forward, always on the move, always available and always going for goal.
He has not been the superstar to lift the team on his own. But he is someone who will get better with the team, eventually. Also, since he doesn't depend on pace or stature, he will also continue to get better time and time again.
Don't blame you for that one bit, but with a good managerial hire and a vital piece put back in place in Ian Broomfield, I think we're set up for improved success. We may not get Kono specifically, but if we get in any sort of a LW that can contribute adequately offensively and defensively while moving Eriksen to his best position, it's an undebatable squad improvement.
I see what you mean - but Eriksen is not as such a forward, although converting him is an interesting thought.
As said, his natural position is on point of a midfield 3. But his true value from there is not finishing but rather feeding players in front of him. Of which 3 forwards is a must to breathe life into his potential.
Which in its own right is due reason to hope for LVG or FDB.
Absolutely. The primary role of the optimal No 10 is to connect the fed balls to the forward players, and create conditions that allow these players to find space through his runs and passes made. This is why I like Eriksen at the CAM/No 10 role, with Kono on the left, Lamela on the right, and Remy up top. Incredible amount of fluidity, interaction, unpredictability, and overlap there.
Id take that in a heartbeat. Think whatever the circumstances though our team needs to be built around this fella. Class act.