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The Midfield Three


Delphinho123

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3 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Not sure I agree.  

This squad, first half of last season could turn it on.  

Smith got sacked because he failed to continue that but for a significant amount of time we could play good football and take points.  That first half of season we were really good.

Yes Grealish left but we brought in Ings, Bailey, Buendia, Digne and Coutinho…that’s not too shabby!

This squad isn’t great but it was a young squad, not a squad on their last legs and have done it before.  Yes, Gerrard needs more time but I’m not having this is a poor squad.  

Smith couldn’t continue that tune he got out of them and got fired for it but aside from a few flashes neither has Gerrard.

The problem is that its an unbalanced squad. As someone pointed out earlier we have the same central midfielders now as when we came up. I’d say the combination of Marvelous, Dougie and SJM is a central midfield that screams lower mid table. In fact you could say that’s being generous. Individually they’re all ok and on their day can be great. But as a central 3 they’re not going to dominate many games. 

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1 hour ago, ferguson1 said:

Sanson will go this this summer if anything remotely suitable is offered.

Luiz may force our hand to sell him, perhaps Carney also.

However, and this is probably a little controversial but I’d be willing to listen to offers for McGinn and Nakamba.

Not sure if we can have that much change from our crop of midfielders and with the squad as a whole but it’s needed.

Minimum of two new midfielders need to be found this summer, possibly three.

Crucial puzzle for Gerrard to solve that could ultimately be the difference between success and failure next season.

I think we need to keep Nakamba as we don't have many options at DM. Other then that I tend to agree. Mcginn is a very good player, but his skills don't suit possession football. If Gerrard is fully committed to his system then he needs to make the tough decisions to make it work. That means benching or selling Mcginn. 

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16 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

He’s not the answer either. We’re not progressing with Luiz as a 6 or an 8. He’s a decent player, that’s it. 

He's also one of the last, along with Ramsey, that we should be looking to move on of our current midfield 3. There's a reason that we as a team perform better when he is on the pitch as opposed to off it.

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2 minutes ago, sparrow1988 said:

He's also one of the last, along with Ramsey, that we should be looking to move on of our current midfield 3. There's a reason that we as a team perform better when he is on the pitch as opposed to off it.

I kinda agree with you that he's the last we should be looking to move on but he most definitely needs to be a squad player next season. I actually think Carney and Tim will surpass him in the next couple of years regardless. 

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2 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

I kinda agree with you that he's the last we should be looking to move on but he most definitely needs to be a squad player next season. I actually think Carney and Tim will surpass him in the next couple of years regardless. 

They might but I wouldn't be banking on it just yet. They need to be managed well in order to fulfill their potential. I would look to bring in definitely one, maybe two ball winning midfielders who can play a bit. A mixture between Nakamba and Dougie if you will. Easier said than done of course. I would also try and keep Luiz (new contract permitting) and if he rises to the occasion of the challenge of the two new midfielders who are in theory already better than him then happy days. However at the moment, he and Ramsey (although I would also like to see JJ tried further forward for his energy, pressing and goal threat) are my two first choice midfielders.

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  • 1 month later...

Since the discussion is going on in multiple player threads I'll put it here that I'm not sure Ramsey & McGinn is an ideal partnership as the two 8's in our midfield 3. At least not if we aim to play possession based football.

Kamara will be a defensive upgrade once he gets used to the league (he's also a strong passer) and both Ramsey & McGinn have useful strengths. With Ramsey there is also a big chance he takes further leaps in development.

I like Luiz but at the same time I'm not saying he needs to be in the team no matter what. I do feel Kamara, Luiz with either McGinn or Ramsey is a better 3 than any current combinations without him. Speculation of course as we've not seen Kamara play for Villa yet.

Still would like us to add another CM since I think Nakamaba is too limited and Sanson doesn't seem to be rated. Who knows, maybe Chuk, Tim or some other youngster takes a big leap.

 

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What ever money remains 80-90% of that needs to be splashed on a number 8 upgrade

You're right. Nakamba is very limited and can go. Sanson can go. 99% of Villa fans have never seen Kamara play a 90mins so you're right again its speculation how good Kamara is!

DM- Kamara, Luiz
CM- Ramsey, Mcginn, NEW, Carney 

Loan- Tm Iroegbunam

Even with a new Midfielder coming in we still look short unless you wanna throw Coutinho and Buendia in the mix. 

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What we need is some type of press resistant number 8.

A player that is good at resisting the press from the opposition and being able to spread the ball out to other players. 
 

Once we have that, our ball retention will be higher and we can carry out a better counter attack.

I believe this is what we were looking for hence why we tried to sign Bentacur. He is very skilled at resisting the press..

Edited by Reivax_Villa
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I think a cm/dm who is a bit more physically imposing than what we currently have would be great.

Kamara as our defensive minded midfielder with good passing skills.

McGinn/Ramsey as our more forward thinking, harassing midfielder who can chip in with forward runs and goals.

New player/Douglas Luiz as a slightly further forward version of Kamara, stabilizing the middle of the park.

 

Iroegbunam A. Ramsey and Chukwuemeka to go on loan and get regular men's football.

That leaves Sanson and Nakamba to either sell or use as cover. Ideally the new midfielder would be someone who can take Kamara's role if needed.

Douglas Luiz situation depends on his contract I guess.

 

If Dougie was to leave I would love to see Soucek from West Ham and Ward-Prowse from Southampton come in. Would be able to move Nakamba and Sanson on as well in that situation.

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1 hour ago, Reivax_Villa said:

What we need is some type of press resistant number 8.

A player that is good at resisting the press from the opposition and being able to spread the ball out to other players. 

Frenkie de Jong is leaving Barca I hear😅

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  • 4 weeks later...

For mine, we start with Kamara in the 6 with Luiz and McGinn either side.

It's a midfield that won't be as easily dominated and, to some degree, they can rotate positions.

JJ doesn't do enough off the ball for me to start games. I'd prefer Sanson to start over JJ.

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Just now, ozvillafan said:

For mine, we start with Kamara in the 6 with Luiz and McGinn either side.

It's a midfield that won't be as easily dominated and, to some degree, they can rotate positions.

JJ doesn't do enough off the ball for me to start games. I'd prefer Sanson to start over JJ.

McGinn doesn't do enough off ball for me to start games either. 

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On 26/06/2022 at 17:02, Reivax_Villa said:

What we need is some type of press resistant number 8.

A player that is good at resisting the press from the opposition and being able to spread the ball out to other players. 
 

Once we have that, our ball retention will be higher and we can carry out a better counter attack.

I believe this is what we were looking for hence why we tried to sign Bentacur. He is very skilled at resisting the press..

Gallagher.

Edited by TRO
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7 hours ago, ozvillafan said:

For mine, we start with Kamara in the 6 with Luiz and McGinn either side.

It's a midfield that won't be as easily dominated and, to some degree, they can rotate positions.

JJ doesn't do enough off the ball for me to start games. I'd prefer Sanson to start over JJ.

JJ for me has lost a bit of his edge....I hope its only temporary as he is still young and developiing.

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