Mateo Kovacic

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Sammyjunn said:
Pogba? Veratti?
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Also up there, as is Thiago and Koke.

Kovacic is the youngest of that lot though and I think he has the ability to be the best. I think Pogba is a bit of a highlights player, and that Verratti, for example, is better than him, as is Koke. Kovacic has strength and acceleration to go with his excellent dribbling and passing abilities, and I think he's potentially a once in a generation type of midfielder.
 
He isnt a CM, he's a primarily an AM so dont understand Pogba and Veratti comparisons. Sure he can play as a CM but he's best used as a AM and plays that position for national also. He is a great player in the making and is fabulous to have him in the NT but not the player we need right now even if it were interested and it seems we're not.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
He isnt a CM, he's a primarily an AM so dont understand Pogba and Veratti comparisons. Sure he can play as a CM but he's best used as a AM and plays that position for national also. He is a great player in the making and is fabulous to have him in the NT but not the player we need right now even if it were interested and it seems we're not.
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He's a CM and is best used as one.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
Maybe he is but he doesnt play as a CM for Inter right now as far as I know. Or most of his games for NT and Inter both.
And he's best used as an AM imo.
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Then he's being misused. Coaches often misuse players and play them in roles that won't get the best out of them and that's exactly what's happening to him atm and its stalling his progress. He's extremely dangerous when he gets the ball from deep and builds the team's play. He's got a variety of ways to hurt the opposition.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Then he's being misused. Coaches often misuse players and play them in roles that won't get the best out of them and that's exactly what's happening to him atm and its stalling his progress. He's extremely dangerous when he gets the ball from deep and builds the team's play. He's got a variety of ways to hurt the opposition.
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I think playing him as an AM is exactly how he should be used.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
Maybe he is but he doesnt play as a CM for Inter right now as far as I know. Or most of his games for NT and Inter both.
And he's best used as an AM imo.
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Where have you seen him play best as an AM? That's not his best position at all, he plays from deep, if anything it's a sort of DMC role behind the midfield, but he changes in transition to attack and can burst forward, saying he's an AM implies he spends most of his time behind strikers, he doesn't, he may burst to that point, but he always looked best when returning deep.
 
AngeloHenriquez said:
Where have you seen him play best as an AM? That's not his best position at all, he plays from deep, if anything it's a sort of DMC role behind the midfield, but he changes in transition to attack and can burst forward, saying he's an AM implies he spends most of his time behind strikers, he doesn't, he may burst to that point, but he always looked best when returning deep.
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When have you last seen him play from the deep and was he any good then?
He is not a sort of DMC at all. AM doesnt just sit behind the strikers, they can come back for ball and burst forward or change positions. He played there for Croatia most of the games and generally was very good. Against Azerbaijan he played a left mid in a diamond formation but that's not exactly a deep CM or a DM and was very good until he got injured. When he played as a deep lying CM with Modrić he was generally crap.
 
In my opinion he would be perfect as a CM in Man Utd under LvG where he would be given the opportunity to move a lot. A CM in 442 og 4231 are restricted quite a bit, and needs good positional awareness.

In 433 og 343 (where the CM operate in the same way) they are given more freedom. I think this change have helped Fellaini alot.

I think Kovacic would be a perfect fit for Man Utd actually. He would offer a lot of pace (a quality we really miss), and some of the same qualities di Maria does when we deploy him there. Difference is he plays at a lower risk, and would be better at keeping the ball in the team.

Considering the position Inter is in, it would be silly not trying. If he were young and english he would cost £50 mill + (Barkley). Inter would probably listen to offers in the region of £25-30 mill.
 
The above post kind of answered my question of whether he would fit in as one of the #8's in LvG's system.
 
Di Maria and Kovacic driving forward from midfield would be a thing of beauty :D
 
no chance they'd sell him now, unless they want to finish 10th. The only player they got with real potential. Of course with a crazy offer you never know, but nothing under 30-35m.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
When have you last seen him play from the deep and was he any good then?
He is not a sort of DMC at all. AM doesnt just sit behind the strikers, they can come back for ball and burst forward or change positions. He played there for Croatia most of the games and generally was very good. Against Azerbaijan he played a left mid in a diamond formation but that's not exactly a deep CM or a DM and was very good until he got injured. When he played as a deep lying CM with Modrić he was generally crap.
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He played as a CM the season he got to inter and put out some of the best midfield performances I've ever seen from anyone vs lazio and napoli. That's the best football he's played since moving to inter. Ever since then he's been moved around and generally been inconsistent.
 
RooneyLegend said:
He played as a CM the season he got to inter and put out some of the best midfield performances I've ever seen from anyone vs lazio and napoli. That's the best football he's played since moving to inter. Ever since then he's been moved around and generally been inconsistent.
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So, basically just 2 games?

He played the best football as a AM for NT.

So lets agree to disagree.
 
Great little player
Won't remain in Italy unless that league recaptures former glories
Not sure I see us in for him at this stage as our need would seem to be more a box to box strong midfielder but potentially in a few years
 
Mali_Zeus said:
So, basically just 2 games?

He played the best football as a AM for NT.

So lets agree to disagree.
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He played in midfield for them since he got there in january until the end of the season. Against Lazio and Napoli he put on some of the best midfield performances I've ever seen.
 
RooneyLegend said:
He played in midfield for them since he got there in january until the end of the season. Against Lazio and Napoli he put on some of the best midfield performances I've ever seen.
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I think he didnt play all the games in midfield, and as I said only 2 games are not enough to claim it's his best position cause he played more than 2 as an AM for NT and was very good.

Then again you maybe watched more Inter games than me so you're maybe right, I just think his qalities are best proved at AM.
 
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Mali_Zeus said:
I think he didnt play all the games in midfield, and as I said only 2 games are not enough to claim it's his best position cause he played more than 2 as an AM for NT and was very good.

Then again you maybe watched more Inter games than me so you're maybe right, I just think his qalities are best proved at AM.
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When you say AM do you mean basically a free role behind the striker or as a #8 like Rooney is currently playing for us?
 
Mali_Zeus said:
He's decent defensively but there's a lot space for improvement.

He could play a RM in a diamond formation, has done that for Croatia.
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LvG loves to develop and the fact he's versatile would also be in his favour. Would you say he is strong enough for the PL or would he need to adapt?
 
Thought he looked suspect at the world cup, if we are going for a young cm i would still take pogba back.
 
Devil may care said:
LvG loves to develop and the fact he's versatile would also be in his favour. Would you say he is strong enough for the PL or would he need to adapt?
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Still too weak for the kind of football which is played in the PL , he would spend a lot of time on the ground, but he would adapt quickly imo. Would need some time though.
 
He looks like a fairly solid unit. Google says he's 181cm and 80kgs. Should be more than enough for the PL once he learns how to cope with the physicality of the league. The thing that would hold him back, if the Youtube videos I've watched of him tell the true story, is that he spends too much time on the ball trying to do things on his own, but if Mata, Silva and Cazorla can play in the PL Kovacic should have no problems. He's only 20 and has good spacial awareness and technique, so he has the attributes and potential to be a star here.
 
Mali_Zeus said:
Still too weak for the kind of football which is played in the PL , he would spend a lot of time on the ground, but he would adapt quickly imo. Would need some time though.
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I think this is the kind of slack we'll need to cut most players that move to this league, it's been proven over the eyars that it takes 6 months or so to adapt to the physicality and pace of the PL, but he does look a decent sized lad so like you say he should be fine once he acclimatizes.
 
He loves playing against Lazio at home, that's for sure. His last 3 performances against them:



 
Mali_Zeus said:
He isnt a CM, he's a primarily an AM so dont understand Pogba and Veratti comparisons. Sure he can play as a CM but he's best used as a AM and plays that position for national also. He is a great player in the making and is fabulous to have him in the NT but not the player we need right now even if it were interested and it seems we're not.
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He is like Barkley
 
Devil may care said:
I think this is the kind of slack we'll need to cut most players that move to this league, it's been proven over the eyars that it takes 6 months or so to adapt to the physicality and pace of the PL, but he does look a decent sized lad so like you say he should be fine once he acclimatizes.
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He's already a lot stronger and better defensively than when he was in Dinamo so he'll buff up if he comes to the PL. :)
 
I would love him here and I think we could get him for a relatively good price. Yes, we would all like Pogba back but why throw £60 million at Juve when hes only really worth £40 million? Kovacic makes more sense to me.
 
Great player but

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If we are going for a young midfielder from Italy we should offer £40m for Pogba. I think Juventus would find it hard to say no.

Pogba has the lot. Technique, power, skill on the ball, great engine and a cracking shot. Patrick Vieira v2.
 
Bwuk said:
If we are going for a young midfielder from Italy we should offer £40m for Pogba. I think Juventus would find it hard to say no.

Pogba has the lot. Technique, power, skill on the ball, great engine and a cracking shot. Patrick Vieira v2.
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They would find it easy to say no as he just signed a new contract with a €60M buyout clause in it, of which I think they will expect to collect the full amount.
 
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