McTominay is a box to box player, Rice is a defensive midfielder. Rice understands defensive positioning, covering space, holding position in the midfield to close gaps, and shows himself to receive the ball as a deep midfielder better than what McTominay does. All mental parts to the game that are very hard to coach. We need an actual defensive midfielder in our team the way we want to play, and McTominay just isn't one.
Hes not wrong? Both are natural defensive midfielders with their positioning and play style which only Matic is in our squad. McTominay or Fred are not, they're box to box players. We need a sitting midfielder if we want to toss Pogba and Bruno in the middle in front.
Nah, they're not. They're both solid Def Mids, arguably better in the defensive element than Fred or McT (positioning, timing of tackle, physicality) but neither are better going forward, never mind miles better.
As a DM, Rice is much better no doubt.
I don't see Bruno and Pogba working well consistently in the same midfield. Pogba s move to the left is just about right.They're both too attacking and creative to work with one DM IMO. We should focus ok strenghening our two rather than shoehorning Pogba into it.
Do we? Rice is a destroyer and we've never targeted that type of limited player, his passing is not an upgrade on what we have.
I agree, but if we do keep Pogba then it's the only hope for it tbh. Pogba adapting his own game a bit and getting a true DM as a partner.
But we need an elite level one, not Phillips or Rice - they are not THAT good.
Rice is a defensive midfielder who holds his position well and covers space well. If there is any hope for Pogba and Bruno in midfield (which I disagree with anyway), the only hope for it is with a Rice behind them to hold the midfield together defensively.
Barella isn't a sitting midfielder. He was used as the advanced midfielder of the 3 by Mancini. Jorginho was the sitter and Veratti/Locatelli was the 2nd deeper midfielder with more license to roam. Barella was closest to being a box to box.
That's just patently not true. He also plays for West Ham, with zero pressure. When the pressure was on at the WC, I think he made plenty.
My whole point is that if we keep Pogba as we seem to be trying to do, then there has to be a view on how to make it work. And the only way to make it work is by using a pure DM like Rice.
Compared to all midfielders in the big leagues:
We've used Pogba on the left out of necessity. Rashford and Greenwood are both inside forwards, and not creators. We needed a creator out wide which Pogba provided us, but now we have Sancho to be the wide creator. We also had/have no defensive sitting midfielder to partner Pogba. With Sancho, we can have Greenwood or Rashford on the opposite flank to him, and move Pogba in midfield but need a defensive midfielder who will sit.
There is a serious undervalue going on here.
I don't doubt those stats, but he's playing in a shite team, with zero pressure top perform and don't exactly play quick passing football. Your quoting of Jorginho is pertinent, who was a standout at the euros in that role and played against Rice in the final and was found lacking. If you could get the same stats at the Euros, I would hazard a guess as he came out pretty poor in that respect.
I agree with that post. We can either sign a top top DM and pair him with Pogba (which I don't think will work well anyway), or sign defensively minded all-round player who we'll pair with either of Fred/McTominay/van de Beek. I am sure the second option is better and more possible.
