We still require a lot of work to become a top team. Our ball progression through midfield is levels below what it should be and it caused us so many problems in the first half. A good side would have destroyed Everton in the first half, yet we contrived to almost get destroyed ourselves because we are just not a team that is comfortable with the football.
Mainoo coming in and doing first-phase midfield work was a help, but there was nothing 10 yards in front in the second line. McTominay doesn’t want the ball. There was a moment in the first half where Onana played it to his feet twice and he just have it back to him. Eventually, Onana kicked it out for a goal kick under pressure. The idea was for Scott to turn and play, but he is incapable. Bruno is a 10 who seeks to be decisive, but not the sort of 10 who goes looking for the ball and wants to get on it and get his team playing. Having Scott and Bruno as two thirds of our midfield helped drag us down into the sort of game we really shouldn’t have been in with Everton. First half we passed it back to Onana so many times because we don’t have a midfield that is comfortable doing the bits of midfield that constitutes 80-90% of the actual role of a midfielder, cert
Mason Mount was supposed to be that second line midfielder who can help progress and carry, but it remains to be seen what level he can reach here. We really need a midfielder to come and play 5-10 yards ahead of Mainoo who has similar on the ball qualities which would bring the best out of both of them. We don’t have this player in our squad. I have hopes that Dan Gore can do this, and I still have faith in Hannibal in this role. Mainoo is just the first step though, even as far as the midfield is concerned.
If we are convinced that Joao Neves is this player and want to spend big on him I won’t argue because we absolutely MUST get better. Mainoo being in the team will be good, but a midfielder can’t just play with other midfielders who don’t want to play. We will only unlock the best of Mainoo once he has a partner who is also wants to receive the ball and pass it. Eriksen has some of these qualities but simply can’t cover the ground both in and out of possession, and all the rest just simply don’t have the tools.
Of course, this is all assuming Mainoo becomes the player we want him to be. But we need a top class actual central midfielder. A player with high technical ability that can both play with the 6 behind him and the 10 ahead of him, sharing both of their duties with them and facilitating the transition between both.
Mainoo coming in and doing first-phase midfield work was a help, but there was nothing 10 yards in front in the second line. McTominay doesn’t want the ball. There was a moment in the first half where Onana played it to his feet twice and he just have it back to him. Eventually, Onana kicked it out for a goal kick under pressure. The idea was for Scott to turn and play, but he is incapable. Bruno is a 10 who seeks to be decisive, but not the sort of 10 who goes looking for the ball and wants to get on it and get his team playing. Having Scott and Bruno as two thirds of our midfield helped drag us down into the sort of game we really shouldn’t have been in with Everton. First half we passed it back to Onana so many times because we don’t have a midfield that is comfortable doing the bits of midfield that constitutes 80-90% of the actual role of a midfielder, cert
Mason Mount was supposed to be that second line midfielder who can help progress and carry, but it remains to be seen what level he can reach here. We really need a midfielder to come and play 5-10 yards ahead of Mainoo who has similar on the ball qualities which would bring the best out of both of them. We don’t have this player in our squad. I have hopes that Dan Gore can do this, and I still have faith in Hannibal in this role. Mainoo is just the first step though, even as far as the midfield is concerned.
If we are convinced that Joao Neves is this player and want to spend big on him I won’t argue because we absolutely MUST get better. Mainoo being in the team will be good, but a midfielder can’t just play with other midfielders who don’t want to play. We will only unlock the best of Mainoo once he has a partner who is also wants to receive the ball and pass it. Eriksen has some of these qualities but simply can’t cover the ground both in and out of possession, and all the rest just simply don’t have the tools.
Of course, this is all assuming Mainoo becomes the player we want him to be. But we need a top class actual central midfielder. A player with high technical ability that can both play with the 6 behind him and the 10 ahead of him, sharing both of their duties with them and facilitating the transition between both.
So, yeah of course, it is about getting a good combination. But for me personally, I always want a player in the team who has what I described, mobility, natural aggression, physicality, ball winning ability. The perfect player adds some drive to it, ability to progress with dribblings or passing. But those features, to me are 2nd priority for this specific player as long as the first boxes are ticked and available at an elite level. I think, having such a player opens up so many tactics and systems that it is crazy not to have one in the squad. I personally want such a player for the starting eleven, obviously then he has to have good technique on top of the basics and should be above 82 percentile either in progressive passing or carries. But I'd be fine adding such a player for the bench as well, as long as he is available when needed.