A Midfield: general/warrior/great player - who?

Since the game this has been on my mind perpetually.

Forget the experimental rout - we need a world class midfield and to do that, we need a world class midfielder in there who can live with the very best of them.

The ability to pass, retain, read play, intercept and not panic when in the thick of it against the elite sides is all paramount.

The most important thing is that the person is a player first and foremost.

In my head, it's narrowed down to De Rossi and Hamsik now. After that I've still got Stephen Ireland in mind, but as said before, that's possibly as big a pipe dream as De Rossi.

Yaya Toure impressed me from the very first moment I saw him in the '06 WC, and I dug up all my posts pertaining to the player, but thought I'd spare you all my ramblings. Suffice it to say, he, and players like him (of which there are few) are what we need to be looking at, give or take for attacking ability vis-a-vis defensive talent.

Obviously, in the three players I've mentioned you have 3 different roles and 3 different sets of requirements.

For De Rossi, we'd be looking at complete comfort in two roles and could even play a 4-4-2 with him next to any midfielder we have. Essentially, this would be the player who would become the first name on the teamsheet in midfield, much like Rio is at the back, for example. You're not going to get many goals from him, however, but everything else he can do when and where it's necessary. He is the #1 pick for me.

With Hamsik you've got a CAM - someone who can do defensive work, but wants to do most of his business offensively. Like De Rossi you can put him in a myriad of systems and next to any one of Hargreaves, Fletcher or Carrick in a 4-4-2, and in one way or other, next to almost anyone in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. He has quality oozing from him and I expect him to blow up in the next few years no matter which big club he goes to.

The last is Ireland, and I've already covered my thoughts on him earlier in this thread.

To note; we do not want a destroyer who isn't a top notch player. First and foremost, whoever comes in has to be an S class footballer before the specifics of his position is mentioned.

Our defence is arguably the best in the world and would warrant at least an 8/10 from even the harshest of critics.

Our attack, even though it's incomplete, can range from a 7 to a 10 on any given day.

The problem area is midfield where, on a bad day, you're looking at a 3 or a 4 and on a good day a 7 or maybe an 8.

In the grand scheme of things, amongst CL contending clubs, in midfield we're definitely behind these 3: Barca, Liverpool and Chelsea whose midfields have nothing at all separating them on any given day. Our aim, then, should be to meet these 3 sides on an even keel in midfield on any given day - they should know that the midfield war will be a battle and one they are not certain to win, even if they do stick to their own guns.

Amongst those 3, playing against each other, there's no guarantee whatsoever of who would win the midfield and it's always 50/50. We need to be in that company through the middle to allow the rest of our side to function how it should.. rather than hope it 'may' come good, or, that it can be altered to improve in one aspect (passing when Scholes comes on) whilst losing another in the same moment (the legs of whoever comes off and the stability in the tackle/harass).

I don't feel this is a complex issue, I do feel, however, that we'd be better advised to not gamble here with a potential talent but rather, go out there and get one of those players who gives us a level expectation to come in and deliver as soon as possible.

We do not need to gut the squad. We do not need multiple signings (this is a summer of one or two purchases, for me) and we do not need to run around like headless chickens in a tail-spin.

As has been said for the last two summers... please, please make a move for De Rossi...

I don't tout the big money buys often, but along with: Rooney, Torres and Yaya, this is another of those guys I feel extremely strongly about. Unlike the rest, De Rossi has no doubts about him from detractors, where I (had) argue(d) and defend(ed) etc the rest before they made the big move.

Damn muppet summers.. just when we tawt we wuz out, they pull us back in!

 

I hope management see that we're now at a level within the squad and with what they have achieved over the last two seasons, where only elite players can actually enhance us.

Otherwise, we may as well go with our own and tolerate the growing pains accompanied by the lack of assurance of them making the grade of what we'd need to match up with those 3 sides in the middle at a 50/50 level

To me, we're at the either or stage now. Our squad is fantastic, but regarding a settled, bona fide top class 1st xi, we're not where we need to be to avoid having the same difficulties we've faced this season in big games, remain big issues into next season.

 

But it's any one from general, warrior or great player.

Iniesta and Xavi are great players and Xavi is a general. You don't need a warrior, per se, if your midfield is world class anyway.

The way they are, you've basically got Scholes in his Indian summer-prime and Scholes of a few of the late 90's (with more pace but less goals) playing together with a top class anchor sitting behind them.

Any one of their midfielders would stroll into our first xi, none of our midfielders (now that scholes is done) would make theirs. That's the difference.

Our forward lines are down to preference and none of their backline would make our defence unless the manager wanted the attacking nous of Alves over the defensive solidarity of Brown.

Toure isn't the same kind of player, but he is levels above Fletcher as an actual footballer. Passing, shooting, dribbling, first touch, heading and so on, Yaya is top percentile per his position for all of them.