What's our best centre-back partnership?

When the paperwork for Lisandro Martinez gets completed, our best CB pairing on paper is Varane and Martinez?
 
95% sure 1st choice pairing will be Martinez and Maguire. It might change based on performances but I'll be very surprised if that isn't the partnership against Brighton. Varane has gotten himself injured yet again and the pre-season has just started. Don't think he can be relied on at all at this stage.
 
Varane vs Maguire basically. Injuries versus form/quality.
 
ETH played Maguire as RCB in the last game instead of his usual position at LCB, so my money is on a Martínez - Maguire partnership. Varane hasn't really shown anything here so far, plus he's been injury prone, but hopefully that'll change this season so we could have 4 good centre backs at the club.
 
Dazzmondo said:
95% sure 1st choice pairing will be Martinez and Maguire. It might change based on performances but I'll be very surprised if that isn't the partnership against Brighton. Varane has gotten himself injured yet again and the pre-season has just started. Don't think he can be relied on at all at this stage.
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ETH said it was just a small knock so he should be ready for the next game against CP
 
sullydnl said:
Varane vs Maguire basically. Injuries versus form/quality.
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We didn't splunk 50m+ on Martinez for him to not be a starter. How often did ETH rotate his CBs at Ajax? It will be interesting to see who forms the best partnership between Varane, Maguire, and Martinez.
 
He's keeping Maguire as captain which surely means he'll be starting more than not.
And you don't lash 50m or so on a guy from your old club without having him earmarked to start most games either.

So that looks awkward for Varane.

Unless there is something else in mind, 3 at the back, or playing Martinez in front of the two of them while we bed a system in.
Yet people in the know say he hasn't played there for 2 years, so that seems very unlikely.
 
Do we not think Martinez has been bought as a DM? I personally just can't believe we've signed a lad who is 5ft 9" to replace Raphael Varane or Harry Maguire at CB

Or, could we be planning to play a back three?
 
peridigm said:
We didn't splunk 50m+ on Martinez for him to not be a starter. How often did ETH rotate his CBs at Ajax? It will be interesting to see who forms the best partnership between Varane, Maguire, and Martinez.
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I read that post you quoted as Martinez + Varane/Maguire.

Varane is the quality option and Maguire is the option when Varane is unfit or out of form.
 
Hard to say until we've actually seen Martinez in the PL. Varane can't be relied on so it's likely to be Martinez and Maguire the preferred choice. But we have nearly 2 games a week until the World Cup so plenty of games to work it out.
 
I think it's Maguire-Varane until proven otherwise. Martinez was expensive but I think he will be used as a DM at the start.
 
Even if he is not a starter from day 1...all he has to do is stay fit! The CB's at the club are all sicknotes and the other one is a donkey.

I would guess its going to be easy work for Martinez.
 
I know sod all of Martinez to be honest, had never heard of him until recently. But if we have spent that fee for him to be played as a centre back, you would think it would be to be starting.

Our best centre back is Varane, but he hasnt been here. He is a leader though and a quality defender even though personally I think he has been a tad over hyped durign his career at Madrid in comparison to Ramos who I feel the opposite about.

If he can stay fit and adapt this season, he is the best defender we currently have though and comfortably. Personally the next best defender on paper is Bailly but the fitness and erratic moments....dont see him coming into the equation.

SO for me its Martinez and Varane if fit, otherwise Maguire.

What I do hoep to see if Lindelof benched, I cant believe he has racked up so many appearances here. Is a good squad option, but a refular starter he certainly isnt. Cant believe there are many talkig about him as our right back.......well, Dalot is garbage, but come on
 
On paper: varane/martinez
Most fun to watch: bailly/martinez
In reality: magurie/martinez
 
Impossible to know before trying things out and seeing how partnerships develop, but by my count, we have 21 CB combinations if we play a back 4. I'd try them out in this order

Code: 
Martinez - Varane

Martinez - Lindelof

Varane - Lindelof

Martinez - Bailly

Martinez - Tuanzebe

Martinez - Jones

Varane - Bailly

Varane - Tuanzebe

Lindelof - Bailly

Varane - Jones

Lindelof - Jones

Bailly - Jones

Lindelof - Tuanzebe

Bailly - Tuanzebe

Jones - Tuanzebe

Phelan - Ten Hag

Maguire* - Martinez

Maguire - Varane

Maguire - Lindelof

Maguire - Bailly

Maguire - Jones

Maguire - Tuanzebe
* Some would argue that we should try Shaw out at CB before desparately resorting to Maguire, but that might be taking it too far.
 
slored1 said:
I think it's Maguire-Varane until proven otherwise. Martinez was expensive but I think he will be used as a DM at the start.
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I would have thought last season would have been more than enough evidence to prove otherwise
 
Martinez is our only LCB and that position is pretty important to ETH’s game so he will start. Maguire will fight it out with Varane for the other spot. I reckon Maguire’s overall position in the team is too strong though and he will get it with Varane being first choice backup to both.
 
We've still got Maguire, Lindelof, Varane, Bailly and 1 or 2 others at the club. Sure some could leave before the window shuts but there hasn't been a great deal of rumours.

With everyday that goes by I think Martinez has been signed to sit in the DM role and make our defence look much much better.
 
Martinez and Varane is the best.

Due to injuries we will quickly end up with Martinez and Maguire.

By the end of the season it will be Martinez Lindelof as ETH realises Maguire can't do his passing game.
 
If Ten Hag can coach Maguire into a high line defender he's probably the best coach of all time. What's more likely to happen is that he'll realise he's crap by christmas and quietly phase him out.
 
Maguire- Martinez . A bit slow but it'll be interesting to see how it does. Varane and Lindelof as back up with maybe Lindelof covering for Dalot as well at right back if AWB goes.
 
Undecided for me.

You would think they haven't bought this guy for extortionate money to warm a bench so Martinez +1.

It's all very well saying Varane but will he stay fit and will he actually perform like the world cup winning centre half we thought we were getting? Neither of those things have happened, his performances were lukewarm at best and if you can't build a partnership it makes life difficult for the defence. My money would be on Maguire.
 
With a high line and possession football I’d say top 3 is:
Varane - Martinez
Lindelof - Martinez
Varane - Lindelof

Maguire shouldn’t be anywhere near a high line and has to be said the way Bailly has been playing there’s an argument for him to be 4th choice.
 
Varane and Martinez is what I expect Ten Hag will try to do, but Maguire will come in for Varane when he is inevitably out for eight weeks with a thigh injury.
 
peridigm said:
We didn't splunk 50m+ on Martinez for him to not be a starter. How often did ETH rotate his CBs at Ajax? It will be interesting to see who forms the best partnership between Varane, Maguire, and Martinez.
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Stadjer said:
I read that post you quoted as Martinez + Varane/Maguire.

Varane is the quality option and Maguire is the option when Varane is unfit or out of form.
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Yep that's what I meant.

Martinez is nailed on for LCB so it most likely leaves Maguire vs Varane for RCB.
 
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