We can try this combo but with Bruno dropping deeper next to Mainoo like he has done several times this season. Mount can play at No. 10. Maybe then we can keep the ball a little better.
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Its looks ruinous because we can't keep the fecking ball, and a large part of that is down to how bad Casemiro is in the first phase. Have a look at teams like City and Arsenal. They have holding midfielders who are possession monsters. As a result, their team can peg teams back and create relentless attacks.
Us, on the other hand, have players who consistently struggle to pass a ball 5 yards. Now, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know you cant build relentless attacks if your midfielders continously lose the ball.
Now, going back to the midfield of Mainoo, Mount and Bruno, although it's a small sample, the three had no problems during pre season, and actually, Mount dropped quite deep to receive the ball. Therefore, as I said, I'd love to see that midfield three again.
I was wrong about him, I criticized this deal and said its a mediocre signing, but I must say I was wrong, with the performances he is putting for us, our best signing in the last decade.
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It’s never happening
We get attacked on because of the lack of midfield dominance. We often get into basketball games with teams which often leaves us very open. Instead, we should be controlling games and building more methodical attacks.
Pretty hard to control games with Bruno and Casemiro being the 2 main midfielders. Both a bit erratic with there passing and can’t keep possession well enough.
My point, exactly...
Played his best football from the left at Chelsea, didn’t he? Could be an alternative for Rashford aswell as Bruno
I’d like to see him with a few games there, think Højlund would benefit with a creative LW. You’d have him and Garnacho supplying him.
Oh is he? Thats great news. It would be good to have options for once this season especially up top.
Agreed regarding if he's fit. I imagine we go Bruno / case / mainoo as starting then mount and MCT come on as subs
Why are people trying to re-write the plan? ETH believes Case-Mount-Bruno is the best midfield. He bought Case. He bought Mount and gave him the number 7. And he gave Bruno the Captaincy. That's his vision. Let's see it.
Mainoo could eventually become a number 6, but it's asking a lot of a 19 year old, especially as both Bruno and Nason are not very godd at tracking back, If Mainoo is playing at 6 we need a number 8 (like Gore e.g)
If he gets injured again before the end of the season, I'll be really pissed.
And it’s been played a few times and hasn’t worked. We’re cut open with the midfield we’ve been using recently so we’re gonna get even more slaughtered with that midfield. Casemiro will be either left on his own at times or we’ll have no midfield completely as even he likes to wonder upfront at times.
It’s likely he could get injured again before the end of the week.
I can't see it working either but ETH says otherwise. Why question him. We are trying to fix something that hasn't been proven to be broken.....yet.
Didn't ETH start dropping Mount before the injuries kicked in?
I'm sure that happened. Like he'd also given up on the plan given how badly it worked first few games.
Bruno and keeping the ball in the same sentence ??
So you saying he bought Case for 60 then decided his ideal partner was Mount for 55. Gave Mount the 7 shirt. Gave Bruno the captaincy. Played 3 games then said fk it. This ain't going to work is it.
Maybe his tactics won’t allow it to work. I mean we’ve been playing with Mainoo and Casemiro which on paper is more solid but we’ve still looked very light in midfield and been out run by teams like Everton.
Well, it clearly didn't work. Did you watch the Spurs game?
“Why question him”
Beacause we are 6th and largely fecking shit all season with horrid tactics? Might be a good reason
Personally think either Bruno or Casemiro has to be moved out for Mount. Either have Mainoo at the base of the midfield so you at least get better carrying and distribution, or have Mount in Bruno’s position to ensure we can keep the ball better further up.
6th actually flatters us this year. We have 11 defeats, and teams that have double digit losses are usually around 9-10th.
Oh I’m well aware. Our underlying metrics are a joke
Mainoo's development threw a wrench in that plan. So we have to either run Mount - Mainoo - Bruno (won't work and also he won't drop Casemiro) or move one of Bruno / Mount out to the wings.
I'm not saying it. I'm remembering it as literally what happened.
Did Mount get dropped before being injured? Was he on the bench?
Injured after the Spurs game.
Once back he started the next two league games. Subbed off in both. Was then on the bench for the next four league games before getting injured again.
He was also on the bench for both of the Copenhagen games.
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I don't buy the argument that 'we could have had him for free' this summer.
There's every reason to believe Chelsea would have done what was necessary to avoid a free exit. He's young, English, international, POTY x2 - that is a 50-80+ million pound asset every day of the week. The increased contract spend (they offered him 200k, so just 50k more) would've cost them roughly 5-10% of the transfer fee they'd make, potentially even a bit less.
If we had not purchased him, I fully expect they'd have secured him on a new contract and sold him for as much or more in 1 or 2 seasons. But they didn't have to, because we were there with an offer. I suspect he and his agents knew that too, but that he felt insecure about his playing future at Chelsea when they offered only a 1-year extension. So he decided to pursue a longer-term project and contract.
As for us, I'm looking forward to seeing more of him.
He's been recruited to do a role he's never really done before (#8). His defensive stats from last season suggest he has the attributes to do it, particularly in a high-pressing team. So he may need a full, fit season to gel with the team and understand his new role. I think we'll have a clearer picture of whether his evolution is effective around the second half of next season.
And even if it's not, he's got the tools to be successful elsewhere on the pitch - potentially as an option in any of the three slots behind Hojlund.
Bottom line, it's early days and I think there are several paths for him to become a success for us.
There's every reason to believe Chelsea would have done what was necessary to avoid a free exit. He's young, English, international, POTY x2 - that is a 50-80+ million pound asset every day of the week. The increased contract spend (they offered him 200k, so just 50k more) would've cost them roughly 5-10% of the transfer fee they'd make, potentially even a bit less.
If we had not purchased him, I fully expect they'd have secured him on a new contract and sold him for as much or more in 1 or 2 seasons. But they didn't have to, because we were there with an offer. I suspect he and his agents knew that too, but that he felt insecure about his playing future at Chelsea when they offered only a 1-year extension. So he decided to pursue a longer-term project and contract.
As for us, I'm looking forward to seeing more of him.
He's been recruited to do a role he's never really done before (#8). His defensive stats from last season suggest he has the attributes to do it, particularly in a high-pressing team. So he may need a full, fit season to gel with the team and understand his new role. I think we'll have a clearer picture of whether his evolution is effective around the second half of next season.
And even if it's not, he's got the tools to be successful elsewhere on the pitch - potentially as an option in any of the three slots behind Hojlund.
Bottom line, it's early days and I think there are several paths for him to become a success for us.
It's the lack of draws (just two in total) as to why it's double digits in defeats and would likely be a lot more draws than defeats with the season less hampered by injuries.
By all accounts he didn't want to sign a new contract.
And even if you don't think we could have got him for free (though I'm sure with some underhand tactics that could have been achieved) - we surely could have got him for a lot, lot less then £55m. There was always a deal to be done with Chelsea 'cos of the pure FFP thing.
I think those accounts you're referring to are very specific that he did not want to sign a 1-year extension, not that he didn't want to sign a new, full-length contract.
And I don't agree with your other point. The transfer market today is pretty clear that 50+ million is what it costs for a top club to acquire a 24 year old English international who's a proven, top player at a top-half PL club.
If you want to argue against his signing from a tactical perspective, fair game. But from a transfer cost perspective, the arguments simply don't make sense.
That's LB sorted than...
Ye it just means teams below us have been even worse. Brighton without Europe would probably be above us. Same with West Ham. We’re actually lucky Newcastle have been dog shite and same with Chelsea. Otherwise we probably would be about 9/10th.
There isn't another example of a player of Mounts level in the last year of their contract going for £55m.
Exactly....We are an awful side.
Can't just look at defeats. Yes, our lack of draws does mean that we've had more losses than you'd expect for a team sitting 6th, but it also means we've had more wins. They largely even out. We're on track to get 64 points this season, which would have us finish 6th in most seasons in the last decade (with a couple of 5ths and a couple of 7ths).
In saying that, your main point is probably true as we've won a few games we were second best in while I don't remember dropping points in many games we were dominant for.
Surely if he's been training all week then no harm in putting him on the bench tomorrow
If he doesn’t make bench then presumably they want to keep easing him into training speed.
For me, if there are any question marks then there’s much more to lose by rushing him back than to gain by putting him on bench for an extremely high-intensity match.
He had back-to-back injuries this season, so if caution is the order of the day then we should be supportive of that.
Edit: Especially true on cusp of an international break when he could get a good two weeks to finalize his recovery.
Bruno is statistically the most dribbled past player in the prem this season. Dropping him deeper doesn't add any solidity or control to our midfield.
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