Sandro-Dembele partnership

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WindyCOYS said:
Really not into Dembele as a starter, and worry that the Dembele/Sandro (I refuse to write Dembro!) partnership is lacking something...

For me Dembele seems to *prefer* playing deeper, where he takes the ball and runs with it... all well and good until he ends up passing square to a player who he could have instantly passed the ball to when he received it. This happens too often IMO.

Can see Dembele leaving at the end of the season myself.

He's a good player, and so nearly a *very* good player, but he's lacking the passing ability to make him into a 10, the burst into the box to make him a box-to-box player, the range of passing to make him a regista, and the overall defensive nous to make him a DM.

That said, he has his uses - particularly in games where we're probably going to be playing mostly on the back foot, or coming off the bench to see out a match (and therefore retain possession).
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While I see where you're coming from vis Dembele's core skills, I disagree that a Sandro/Dembele partnership is lacking something. Our best run of form last season coincided with them getting an extended run together, and ended precisely when Sandro went down and Dembele had to work in a less convincing partnership with Parker.

As I mentioned in the piece, the one thing I don't think you can underestimate is chemistry. Sandro and Dembele seem to have a much better understanding than any of our other midfield pairings of when to push forward and when to drop back in relation to the movements of the other. Even if you don't think Dembele is peggable in any particular role, he just seems to know how to operate alongside (arguably) our best player to maximal effect for the rest of the team.

Aside from everything else, I've just not been convinced by Paulinho much this season. I think he's suffered as much as Dembele has from the nonsensicality of playing them together- but I also think he offers less in terms of ballwinning and involvement owing to his preference for being involved near the box. The description of him as a Brazilian Lampard is apt because I don't think Lampard offers that much to any given side outside of scoring and moderately responsible passing either. That's all opinion rather than fact, though.
 
WindyCOYS said:
Really not into Dembele as a starter, and worry that the Dembele/Sandro (I refuse to write Dembro!) partnership is lacking something...

For me Dembele seems to *prefer* playing deeper, where he takes the ball and runs with it... all well and good until he ends up passing square to a player who he could have instantly passed the ball to when he received it. This happens too often IMO.

Can see Dembele leaving at the end of the season myself.

He's a good player, and so nearly a *very* good player, but he's lacking the passing ability to make him into a 10, the burst into the box to make him a box-to-box player, the range of passing to make him a regista, and the overall defensive nous to make him a DM.

That said, he has his uses - particularly in games where we're probably going to be playing mostly on the back foot, or coming off the bench to see out a match (and therefore retain possession).
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well said, sums my feelings up to a tee

we've already benched our Argy international attacking midfielder, so lets not bench our Brazilian international box to box midfielder too
 
Mad Yid said:
well said, sums my feelings up to a tee

we've already benched our Argy international attacking midfielder, so lets not bench our Brazilian international box to box midfielder too
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Based on the second half of Newcastle game you have to give Paulinho and Sandro a game together, then if things still don't look right, Dembele comes in - I just fear Paulinho is knackered but by same token Dembele never looks 100% fit - a touch of the VDV's about him with 70mins in the tank
 
Mad Yid said:
well said, sums my feelings up to a tee

we've already benched our Argy international attacking midfielder, so lets not bench our Brazilian international box to box midfielder too
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Don't get this line of argument. They come from Argentina and Brazil and play for their countries, so they have to start for Spurs?
 
Paulinho and Lamela both have a faaaaarrrr bigger scope for improvement than Dembele who unless you give a brain transplant he will never learn how to take his game to the next level and truely become top class. Last season we had Bale running rampant infront of the midfield, this season not so much. Sandro and Paulinho have everything you could possibly want in a midfield partnership. Dembele for me frustrates and flatters to deceive alot of the time. He has a role to play and like I also said Windys post sums my feelings up perfectly.
 
This is where I show my utter ignorance of tactics, but in my 'umble opinion, as long as Sandro plays, don't think it matters who plays alongside him...... a bit like Ledley really - as long as he played, the choice of his partner wasn't that crucial.
 
Personally for me Sandro and Paulinho would be the holding two for me, (and that I believe AVB wanted to play) with Sandro doing his thing deeper and Paulinho box to boxing. Whatever we end up doing I think we need to stop tinkering around and just play a team who will be used to playing with each other rather than changing things and experimenting new things when we need results.
 
Mad Yid said:
Paulinho and Lamela both have a faaaaarrrr bigger scope for improvement than Dembele who unless you give a brain transplant he will never learn how to take his game to the next level and truely become top class. Last season we had Bale running rampant infront of the midfield, this season not so much. Sandro and Paulinho have everything you could possibly want in a midfield partnership. Dembele for me frustrates and flatters to deceive alot of the time. He has a role to play and like I also said Windys post sums my feelings up perfectly.
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http://www.squawka.com/players/paulinho
http://www.squawka.com/players/mousa-dembele

Anyway, Berserk needs a week off, i think. AVB ran him into the ground.
Dembele is a quality replacement. The only issue i have with him is that he couldn't score a goal if his life depended on it. What's worse is that he doesn't even try.
 
truetomyself said:
http://www.squawka.com/players/paulinho
http://www.squawka.com/players/mousa-dembele

Anyway, Berserk needs a week off, i think. AVB ran him into the ground.
Dembele is a quality replacement. The only issue i have with him is that he couldn't score a goal if his life depended on it. What's worse is that he doesn't even try.
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I really don't need stats to show me Paulinho is a better more complete midfielder than Dembele, I've got eyes. :harrysmile:

Dembele is a good player with a role to play, but Pauli has world class potential.
 
Mad Yid said:
I really don't need stats to show me Paulinho is a better more complete midfielder than Dembele, I've got eyes. :harrysmile:
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You sound like Sammy :avbnaa:.
"I really don't need stats to show me Jenas is a better more complete midfielder than Holtby, i've got eyes."
Mad Yid said:
Dembele is a good player with a role to play, but Pauli has world class potential.
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Potential is cool... but at the moment Dembele is a better player than Berserk. Even if less 'complete'.


I don't even know why i am arguing with you though. I like Berserk myself :adebaehug:.
 
It was abit of a joke tbf hence harrys gob slapped on at the end, but I really don't agree that Dembele is currently a better player. For me when we're on the front foot and teams are sitting in defending deep Pauli is a far better option. New country, new league, new hemisphere yadda yadda but he's got a great future here. :thumbup:
 
jimmyriggle said:
but i thought AVB has had us playing shit the whole time he's been here. This article seems to suggest that we were pretty good at time last season
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Even a stopped clock is right twice a day etc. etc. :bae:

Seriously though, AVB does get key things right. What frustrates me about him is that (in my opinion at least) he also gets a fair few key things wrong and inflexibly refuses to tweak them either at all, or until it's too late- and this in turn stops his system from working to its potential. To tie it back to the subject of this thread, Paulinho/Dembele is clearly a Wrong Thing, and AVB should revert back to a tried and tested solution rather than trying really hard for far too long to make it work.
 
sandro-dembele
paulinho
soldado
problem solved guys....

with eriksen out injured this set up becomes more viable, though i expect holtby to be in the number 10 role..

My dream formation 4-2-2-2

walker dawson/kaboul, vertonghen, rose
sandro paulinho
lamela chadli/siggi
Adebayor Soldado
 
I fucking love Dembele. I think a man that is playing premier league football whilst being permanently stoned is due some respect. Cut him some slack
With Benny out on loan he has more green to smoke, once his body adjusts he will be back to his best.
 
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