I watched the Manchester United-Chelsea game today....and didn't see how the center-backs for Chelsea are clearly better than MM. I'm biased, perhaps, but I just didn't see much from Chelsea that a player like Miazga wouldn't fit in there.....
Hard to argue that Chelsea’s current CMs are good enough for Chelsea either. Look, Matt could go there and play on that team, but I don’t think it would be good for him or for the reputation of American players in Europe. It’s ok to miss out on that tire fire.
They have Pele AND Puskas. Two all-time greats worthy of DP slots. The NASL would still have signed both.
On the bench: 🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨A debut for @RAFAELCABRAL90 this evening between the sticks, and a first involvement for @Ejaria since his Royals return as he makes the XI.The team in full 👇 pic.twitter.com/1piVwdj0b3— Reading FC (@ReadingFC) August 13, 2019
And today it happened! Reading played with THREE at the back. No one believed it could ever happen. But they put their three good CBs to play: Miazga in the center, Morrison RCB, Moore LCB. And they won 3-0. Richards and Swift as wingbacks.
I watched the game, Matt played RCB but was often positioned right on the right touchline higher up the pitch than usual. Richards and Yiadom were the wing backs and Swift played centrally in the midfield. Matt was very good - easily Reading's best defender on the day. He had lots of key defensive interventions, dominated aerially, and mostly kept it simple, but effective with his passing.
Ah thanks, I just reported the lineup as given at FlashScore, I guess they got the positions wrong. The fans at HobNob were happy with the defense, and so far are quite high on Miazga. I have no way to watch Championship games so far here in Canada (except through crappy streams, I refuse to subscribe to DAZN), so I follow on their boards (text).
Made team of the week: 🏴 Championship Team of the Week -- @ReadingFC dominate with 4⃣ players following their 3-0 win over Cardiff@1BartMan1 Cranie@MattMiazga3 DawsonRobinson@jarrodbowen_ @Ejaria @JohnSwift8 @Ivancavaleiro17 @puski47 @BorjaBaston https://t.co/7094SxKrhN pic.twitter.com/BDb0joBtJI— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 19, 2019
The thing about Miazga, and this from watching him through the years, I've not been watching this season so far (a situation coming to an end next weekend), is not that he's just a decent defender (good enough for a top Championship team, IMO), but that he directs the back line in-game. He talks, directs during set pieces, and points during plays. The guy understands the game. In that sense he may be our next Cameron, the organizer of the back line.
Imagine if he played with guys that he did not have to direct. 2 good game reading CBs would really make a difference in a team defense.
That's assuming they need to be directed. Good CBs are always pointing and talking to each other. It's called communication.
Except on BS, where so often we manage the pointing and talking part yet forget that the goal is communication.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/matt-miazga/profil/spieler/245893 https://www.transfermarkt.us/geoff-cameron/profil/spieler/31642 Here you go
He wanted to compare their careers and transfermarkt gives an in depth break down of each season. Not sure why inflation would matter in that regard