Kevin Strootman

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Where would you rank Hamsik in there? Genuinely interested as you seem to have a good grasp of midfielders in Italy. Always quite liked him as a player. Not sure hes up there with Vidal and Pogba who in my eyes were Serie A's best two. I know ver little about Pjanic i have to admit.
Only really watch Roma in the Serie A and see Juve now and then, so can't really judge the others. The few times I've seen Hamsik for Napoli or Slovakia though I've never really been that impressed. Like he's good, but that's it. Nothing really all that amazing. Haven't seen him enough though probably as plenty of people rate him very highly.
 
Why are you comparing Strootman with Pogba, they are different players. The likes of Pogba, Pjanic, Modric, Kroos, Thiago, Vidal, Herrera, Fabregas are similar players - #8.
Strootman is more of a box 2 box #6, if you want to compare him to anyone, compare him to Matic or Khedira. He's better then both of them.
 
Why are you comparing Strootman with Pogba, they are different players. The likes of Pogba, Pjanic, Modric, Kroos, Thiago, Vidal, Herrera, Fabregas are similar players - #8.
Strootman is more of a box 2 box #6, if you want to compare him to anyone, compare him to Matic or Khedira. He's better then both of them.

Better than Matic and Khedira. Really? Seems unlikely to me.
 
Why are you comparing Strootman with Pogba, they are different players. The likes of Pogba, Pjanic, Modric, Kroos, Thiago, Vidal, Herrera, Fabregas are similar players - #8.
Strootman is more of a box 2 box #6, if you want to compare him to anyone, compare him to Matic or Khedira. He's better then both of them.
You do know that Herrera / Vidal are box to box players, Fabregas/Thiago/Kroos/Pjanic are playmakers. Pogba is most certainly not a playmaker.
 
You do know that Herrera / Vidal are box to box players, Fabregas/Thiago/Kroos/Pjanic are playmakers. Pogba is most certainly not a playmaker.

Their all #8. The same way as a Scholes #8 and Carrick/Fletcher #6 CM pairing.

#8 play maker/box 2 box player
#6 defensive mid/box to box defensive mid (Khedira/Keane)
 
Why are you comparing Strootman with Pogba, they are different players. The likes of Pogba, Pjanic, Modric, Kroos, Thiago, Vidal, Herrera, Fabregas are similar players - #8.
Strootman is more of a box 2 box #6, if you want to compare him to anyone, compare him to Matic or Khedira. He's better then both of them.

He's nothing like Matic in terms of playing style & isn't better either.
 
Very good player but for some reason very overrated on here.
 
He's nothing like Matic in terms of playing style & isn't better either.

They are very similar players if you have actually watched both of them and not just passing judgement on them.
Strootman is a little more attacking.
Matic is little more defensive.
Overall attributes the players have are very similar.
 
Voetbalzone reported that he requested his club to open talks with United. Not sure how good the source is though, but there's that.

I saw goal reporting the same without any actual quotes. BS most likely, unless someone can show actual quotes of this apparent public admission.
 
Sorry to bump this thread again,

Ole Gunner ScholesNew Member

Sorry to msg you out of the blue, but i saw the interesting Strootman vs Pogba discussion u were indulged in with others & how you were being ridiculed for suggesting Strootman is in fact better. Not surprising by the response as most of them act like muppets without having any facts to back up & buy into any hype created by the tabloids/media.

So, i did a Squawka comparison for Strootman & Pogba for the season they played fully (per 90 minutes matrix). And Strootman outscores Pogba for most of the criteria required for the midfielder (Defensively & in attack). Here is the comparison:

Spoiler: Strootman vs Pogba - a Comparison for season 13-14
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Who's place in the team is most at danger when Strootman joins us?
 
Who's place in the team is most at danger when Strootman joins us?

I think its more to do with having a midfield that can do everything. We can pick and choose to match our needs. Strootman is good in thr tackle and box to box. Herrera is more of a passer akin to a better cleverley. Fellaini can be a strong physical presence and blind can be our defensive shield. Di maria can be our most attacking minded cm.
 
I think if we were to get him we would play with a CM pair and a #10. That would mean Blind would be most at risk.
 
According to Mitten a January move for Strootman is in our sights. About £30 million should be enough to convince them to sell.
 
Don't really see the point in signing him tbh, Di Maria should stay central & Herrera is at least as good as Strootman so £30m for someone who wouldn't exactly improve our starting XI would be a bit of a weird one.
 
Don't really see the point in signing him tbh, Di Maria should stay central & Herrera is at least as good as Strootman so £30m for someone who wouldn't exactly improve our starting XI would be a bit of a weird one.
Move Di Maria in front of them and sell Mata would be the obvious choice there, although the more probable would be moving Di Maria out wide which would waste him.
 
Move Di Maria in front of them and sell Mata would be the obvious choice there, although the more probable would be moving Di Maria out wide which would waste him.

Yeah one of Di Maria or Herrera could play further forward but then we seem to be trying to fit RvP/Falcao/Rooney in as much as possible while giving Januzaj and Wilson time aswell so I dunno whether we'd go for that or not. Can see Mata being shifted though.
 
I think if we were to get him we would play with a CM pair and a #10. That would mean Blind would be most at risk.
I think when Blind came, he was expected to be a (very good) squad player who could cover a few positions. As we failed to get Vidal, he was needed as a first team regular however.
 
Yeah one of Di Maria or Herrera could play further forward but then we seem to be trying to fit RvP/Falcao/Rooney in as much as possible while giving Januzaj and Wilson time aswell so I dunno whether we'd go for that or not. Can see Mata being shifted though.

Mata has to go I feel, there's no place in the team for him at the minute and he's a difficult player to fit in honestly. I like him and have defended him for a while but there's just no need.
 
What i dont like about van Gaal and buying his players is that he wont drop them when they perform poorly. If Strootman arrives he will be a guaranteed starter and the others cant surpass him no matter how much effort they put in. Even if he fits in well and improves us, there is too much sympathy involved from the coach. Pretty sure Herrera would be out of the team. Mata is as good as gone now already.
 
Don''t think Strootman would take Blind's place if i'm honest. I think they complement each other in a midfield 3, rather than them being direct competition. Strootman seems to have a reputation as a holding player, but from what i've seen he's more of a proper central midfielder. Blind is basically Carrick's replacement.
 
What i dont like about van Gaal and buying his players is that he wont drop them when they perform poorly. If Strootman arrives he will be a guaranteed starter and the others cant surpass him no matter how much effort they put in. Even if he fits in well and improves us, there is too much sympathy involved from the coach. Pretty sure Herrera would be out of the team. Mata is as good as gone now already.

He signed Herrera. He has also recently dropped him.
 
Don''t think Strootman would take Blind's place if i'm honest. I think they complement each other in a midfield 3, rather than them being direct competition. Strootman seems to have a reputation as a holding player, but from what i've seen he's more of a proper central midfielder. Blind is basically Carrick's replacement.

True, I agree with that and its an option.

Blind
Herrera..........Strootman

or

Herrera.......Strootman
Rooney
Depending on how we set up against the opposition
 
I hate seeing formations where Di Maria is pushed out wide, especially as I fear it could well happen. Why do it when he's one of the best CMs around?
 
I hate seeing formations where Di Maria is pushed out wide, especially as I fear it could well happen. Why do it when he's one of the best CMs around?

I disagree. If we have a midfield that can control a game I personally think that allows a wide player the freedom to take up various positions as and when required and to effect the game. Robben is a good example, a solid midfield behind himand while he's a "ide player" in terms of where he is on teh team sheet, he has more freedom than that.

As it is Di Maria is having to do midfield work that others could do in a 4-5-1 leaving him free to create. Given that he likes to run with the ball and deliver from wide areas, rather than being a metronomicpasser I think that's preferrable.
 
I hate seeing formations where Di Maria is pushed out wide, especially as I fear it could well happen. Why do it when he's one of the best CMs around?

For me the midfield Strootman-Herrera-Blind is better than the midfield Di Maria-Herrera-Blind, with Strootman you have a better control of the events.
Di Maria is individually better but he is less stable, less regular and weaker defensively.
 
Herrera - Blind - Strootman with Di Maria in front of them basically being allowed to do what he wants could work out very well I think. Give Rooney similar freedom and have one of Falcao/RvP/Wilson up top. I think that would be a very solid formation.
 

Thanks for that. Vidal is a fecking machine, isn't he?

Loving that forward passes stat with Carrick. From a season where he was well below his usual standards too.

All the "he only passes backwards or sideways" chat that has persisted throughout his United career is the perfect example of football fans preconceptions distorting what they see on the pitch.
 
Thanks for that. Vidal is a fecking machine, isn't he?

Loving that forward passes stat with Carrick. From a season where he was well below his usual standards too.

All the "he only passes backwards or sideways" chat that has persisted throughout his United career is the perfect example of football fans preconceptions distorting what they see on the pitch.

i think this is mainly referred to when he is in a good position up the pitch to put a incisive forward pass... Carrick usually choose recycling of the game because that's his style.

But because as usually he is the deepest midfielder (or even central defender), its obvious the majority of his passing are mostly forward.
 
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It's all well and good buying more midfielders, but if we keep cnuting around putting two up front and making Rooney a sort of midfielder then it won't matter a jot anyway.
 
i think this is mainly referred to when he is in a good position to put a forward pass... Carrick usually choose recycling of the game because that's his style.

But because as usually he is the deepest midfielder (or even central defender), its obvious the majority of his passing are mostly forward.

Dunno why you mention the handful of games he's played as a central defender. They're irrelevant really, when you're looking at stats from an entire season. In terms of him playing as the deepest CMs he passes the ball forwards significantly more than other players who play the same position. And not just in 2013/14 either. This is from 2012/13 (total number of forward passes)

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There's no two ways about it. The idea that Carrick tends to avoid passing the ball forward is one of the most brain-dead myths in football.
 
I rate Strootman but kind of feel we've missed the boat here. Roma are not just gonna give him up easily knowing how desperate (and rich) we are. Also it's a bit risky signing him so soon after a serious injury.
 
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