He’s been struggling to get game time in Atletico Madrid and underperforming. Koke, Lemar & Llorente are playing over him in pecking order, I guess if we want him we can get him for very cheap now. Although, personally, we should avoid.
Potential Matic Replacements
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He’s been struggling to get game time in Atletico Madrid and underperforming. Koke, Lemar & Llorente are playing over him in pecking order, I guess if we want him we can get him for very cheap now. Although, personally, we should avoid.
Do you not reckon that a fresh challenge might revitalise him
I do believe it could be the case. But too much risk so it depends how much he will be available. Player who can’t cement Atl madrid regular spot or even getting the Spain national team anymore shouldn’t be a player we are aiming for and if we want him then it needs to be a very reasonable fees or bargain one.
I guess Ole thinks/says you can change our 20 percent of a team per season, so I'm assuming 3-4 signings this summer (he may count Diallo). That should be an LCB, a RB, a DM and a RW with Pogba, Lingard, Matic and Mata leaving and then some fringier guys like Ighalo, Rojo, Jones and Brandon Williams going with the last one maybe on loan.
Can't imagine we'll go one more year with Matic and McTominay as our DMs. Maybe we'll just buy someone like Rice instead of an CB and a DM and make it weird and confusing like we did with Blind and almost did with Dier and should have done with Fabinho (who would also have been first choice at RB).
I keep telling myself that surely we can't go another year with just Matic as the only proper DM in the whole squad (would say Scott is more box to box) but then another part of me wonders if Ole sees any issue in that position whatsoever hence the lack of concrete links to any. I hope we don't buy someone who is able to play both positions because that makes us look like we are just trying to save money instead of buying a specialist CB & DM.
As far as I'm aware though, Koke has always been 1st choice. But this may actually be good news for us that Saúl hasn't been playing much - chance to get him at a knock-down price.
Perhaps in normal times but those sort of players will be too expensive for now. Either we buy potential or look for established players at bargain prices.
He will be a great addition...
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Great game from him and a player I’ve admired for the past two seasons (bought him on Soccermanager for the forum game world) but his problem is he’s very likely to stay in Italy and I’m not sure where the major CM/DM vacancy is at the top Italian clubs.
I feel like this is slightly unfair on him, he's just a victim of a revitalized Llorente and Madrid's going for the league, so not really going to switch a winning formula. That has a knock on effect for the national team. He's someone we've followed for a while, so we'd be aware of the qualities he possesses. Llorente is actually a great example who at Real couldn't get a game and now a key part of a title topping team since moving.
I think Matic being at 550 minutes and Fred and McTominay at near 1000 suggests we should be optimistic that this summer will be Matic out and a DM in.
So you reckon come the summer there will finally be some concrete info about us signing a DM
Athletic article I read says Ole says you can't change more than 20 percent of the team, so I'm assuming 4 signings give or take one.
Presumably that's an LCB, RB, RW and DM with Pogba and fringe guys leaving, but if we only sign 3 guys cuz they count Diallo as new say or we feck up one signing, I'd certainly hope we rather go without a CB and hope Tuanzebe (or Mengi) steps up or an RB and hope Williams or Dalot or even Laird looks a new man or even a RW and try a year of Martial-Cavani-Rashford with James-Greenwood-Diallo backing up the 3 ably enough there rater than than another year of Matic. Upside over decline baybeee.
Do we need to replace Matic ? I feel like it would be more expensive than keeping him. He can be a quality backup to Fred and Mctominay for some time to come
Tough to replace, he does have great positional awareness, way more so than Fred, McT. Anyone there Prem wise doing this job to a level we could exploit ie not top 4?
I wouldn’t take it 100% literally. Sometimes the right players come along unexpectedly, and we will buy if that’s the case.
25 man squad. That’s 5 in, 5 out - that’s a pretty tasty turnover.
I agree with Ole. Otherwise you don’t give players a chance, and you just end up buying players to replace players who have never been given the chance
Presumably one in is an academy type. 25 man squad I'd see like this next year:
Cavani, Martial, Greenwood
Rashford, RW, Diallo, James
Bruno, Van De Beek
DM, Fred, McTominay, Matic/Garner
Telles, Wan-Bissaka, Shaw, RWB, (Williams/Dalot)
LCB, Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly (Tuanzebe)
De Gea, Henderson (Grant)
So 6th midfielder could well be Matic again if it ain't Garner, but hopefully instead of just plugging in Matic/Garner we would look more to play 2 up top (Martial drops deep anyways and Greenwood and Rashford aren't really lone strikers so not a terrible idea) or 3 at the back (shaw is comfy at LCB).
Starters are in Italics, but I don't see Cavani or Martial as first choice if we do sign a RW, more of a horses for courses deal since they're so different and hopefully Greenwood passes them both and has his first 20 goal season anyways.
Would like it be
RW Sancho, I like Grealish but not played there since 2013
DM Zakaria
RWB Aarons
LCB Badiashile/Torres, my first choice is Konate but he is a RCB
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Agreed. I don't think we need to get rid of him at all. He's still very useful. Great at keeping the ball, great at progressing the ball too. He just needs legs beside him to fill the space. I think McFred are the guys to do the running beside Matic but they can't pay his role well at all. They haven't got the positional sense or the quarterback ability that he has. We should therefore sign a young DM to take over for Matic as soon as possible. Locatelli looks like a player. Great in the tackle.
I think if we really believe in Greenwood signing Grealish makes sense, with Bruno basically a false 9 and a tad further forward:
Option 1:
Rashford----------Greenwood
----------------Bruno----------------
-----Grealish--------------------------------
-----------------Fred/VDB-----------------
-------------------DM------------------------
Or or we could move Rashford right and basically play the unbalanced formation Dunga used in Brazil not sure the name, Madrid have used to accommodate Cristiano too at times when Bale is out, probably others it's not that wild, tactically:
-----------Martial-----------Rashford
Grealish-------Bruno------------------
--------------------------VDB---------------
-------------------DM-----------------------
And if Diallo becomes a star that looks nice and balanced too
-----------------Rashford-------------
Grealish-------Bruno----------Diallo
--------------------------VDB---------------
-------------------DM-----------------------
At least for two more seasons he can play at a reasonable level. Two years from now, that's the time for a replacement. Even because right now the market is totally inflated
I'll defer to the Bundesliga watchers here or even the people who got really into the Madrid-BorussiaMG-Inter-Shaktar group, but I see Neuhaus has a 39M release clause, and the 3-4 times I've seen him play 90 he looks like he'd make a lovely fit as a passer in a double pivot next to Fred as first choice pairing for us, with VDB and McTominay backing them up when we want more passing and movement and attacking play or size/tackling/defending/athleticism respectively. Seems to have shown some attacking verve for Germany too, so could even play Neuhaus + VDB in front of McTominay when Bruno is resting, or Neuhaus and another player in front of a 3 man backline with a bit more freedom to move forward.
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He’s an amazing talent for DM/CM/CB.
Absolutely will get snapped up by a bigger club on the cheap soon. By far the best midfielder in Eredivise so far this season and he’s 22.
Can you see why I’ve been adamant he’s a talent we should be looking at?
I haven't seen too much of him but what's clear from the little I have seen, is that he has a wand of a left foot. And with Pogba possibly leaving I feel we need a player who can control the game from the first phase of the build up and Koopmeiner's does seem like he could be that player and wouldn't cost a lot. He's definitely someone that i'm sure we're looking at along with a number of other clubs.
Koopmeiners is a leader as well and we get to rotate him when needed in a back 3 as a LCB a CDM in a 433 or even a LCM.
He gives me that leadership boost of a Bruno transfer since I watched him ( partly due to his penalties too). He reminds me of a slightly faster potentially well rounded version of Daley Blind aswell with his versatility and ball playing ability.
He gives me that leadership boost of a Bruno transfer since I watched him ( partly due to his penalties too). He reminds me of a slightly faster potentially well rounded version of Daley Blind aswell with his versatility and ball playing ability.
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Locatelli is similar to Koop but in my eyes less attainable for a reasonable fee and less versatile. Koop slots into a back 3 like a Matic does with his left foot and his physical presence has improved this season too. He’s also right footed which I think needs to be considered as we have lots of RF players and only Fred and Matic who offers those passing angles in midfield so my preference would be for a left footer too.
Koopmeiners
Zakaria
Rice
Locatelli
We get one of them in the summer, and assuming we keep Pogba, our midfield will be world class, perhaps best of the league. No more of Mcfred in the big games.
Zakaria
Rice
Locatelli
We get one of them in the summer, and assuming we keep Pogba, our midfield will be world class, perhaps best of the league. No more of Mcfred in the big games.
There is no doubt that the other three would certainly be cheaper than Rice
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I’m a fan of all 3 but none of those 4 are yet world class. They are all still learning their trade albeit they are excellent at it for different reasons. In 3 years time maybe they’ll be in the conversation for world class but right now they are all really good DM/CM options with the right age profile and skill depending on your preference.
What do you think about Soumare compared to those four as his name has also been touted around before as well
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I would personally steer clear. Not what I think we need but I’m sure would be a good DM for another side.
He’s not the best or most successful passer, not the best ball carrier but a good defensive player. Classic hyped French DM like Yann Mvilla flatters to deceive.
Wouldn’t make my shortlist.
Blimey Yann Mvila now there is a blast from the past and didn't he end up at Sunderland
Sorry to bump the thread but so worrying there is such a lack of links to any CDM's at all, at least with CB there are some stories around but this position looks like an absolute non starter at the moment
I want some discussion here as well.
I don't think we'll get Rice. He's going to Chelsea.
Sander Berge is a player I'd like the club to scout extensively. He will be available for a very reasonable fee.
I think he would have if Lampard had stayed manager however there seems no interest in signing one anyway
Maybe we’ve decided to put the money to other positions and try Garner in that role next season instead. Ole has always spoken highly of Garner.
Yes, I think you're right. Probably a CB and a striker. I think Garner may well go out on loan again next season, either 6 months or full season, depending on how Matic performs in that time. The position that Garner will take will possibly be part of a two, rather than a pure DM. Garner can spread the play, is decent in the air, and can tackle. Will ultimately be a replacement for Fred I think, whereas Hannibal could play in a two, or in Bruno's position, and would be Pogba's replacement.
We could really do with signing someone who is capable of taking the ball from our CB's and giving it to the forward players, however there doesn't seem any desire from us to bring in that sort of player which I find astounding