The Midfield Three

[CVByrne]

We need to overhaul the midfield. Luiz to be sold is a given and 2 new midfielders signed. McGinn to be a squad player. We will be shopping in the 3rd choice options though.

We need a leader in the centre of the park. We have to get 2 new players minimum for the first team. 

[Herman22]

I hate to be too harsh but any midfield 3 that Luiz is the DM in will struggle. 
 

I think if we went and got Bissouma (or someone similar) my starting 3 would be:

DM

McGinn Luiz

Yes it’s harsh on JJ  but that 3 can work as a 1-2 or a 2-1 with Luiz dropping deep if needed. 
The next question, how good is Iroegbunam? Could he start in the DM position and do a job? 

[CVByrne]

There is no way we will sign Bissouma. Why would he leave to join a club lower down the league than the one he is with. He will have better teams wanting him and he'll take those options over us. 

McGinn will always be inconsistent and thus unreliable as a regular starter. Luiz won't sign a new contract and we need to sell him anyway. So he will leave. Which means we need the CDM and a replacement for McGinn

[sparrow1988]

Just now, CVByrne said:

There is no way we will sign Bissouma. Why would he leave to join a club lower down the league than the one he is with. He will have better teams wanting him and he'll take those options over us. 

McGinn will always be inconsistent and thus unreliable as a regular starter. Luiz won't sign a new contract and we need to sell him anyway. So he will leave. Which means we need the CDM and a replacement for McGinn

 

[CVByrne]

I'd like to see JJ Chambers Sanson given a chance as a midfield 3 in one of the upcoming games

[VillaParkAvenue]

Midfield and especially defensive midfield seems to be a constant headache for clubs. Looking around forums, many seem to be crying out for their clubs to improve their midfield options.

Where are all these great midfield players today, if so many clubs feel the need to strenghten? Considering the number of defensive midfielders with french names and immigrant backgrounds, maybe they are in various housing projects outside Paris.

[MaVilla]

1 hour ago, Delphinho123 said:

Oh look, it’s still a problem.

tbh, i think only Ramsey is good enough/or high potential enough to be a nailed on starter in our midfield 3.

For me, the others just arent good enough, squad players certainly, but defo not pushing for top 6/8 starting 11 quality.

The only unknown on that imo is Sanson, as tbh, we havent seen him for a run of games, he may be, he may not be, who knows.

I can guarantee Luiz & McGinn arent good enough though (for anything other than a mid or lower end PL club)

[CVByrne]

3 minutes ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

Midfield and especially defensive midfield seems to be a constant headache for clubs. Looking around forums, many seem to be crying out for their clubs to improve their midfield options.

Where are all these great midfield players today, if so many clubs feel the need to strenghten? Considering the number of defensive midfielders with french names and immigrant backgrounds, maybe they are in various housing projects outside Paris.

Problem is you need that rare 2 in 1 player for the central midfield role of the midfield 3. They need to be defensively strong, breaking up and slowing opposition counters and also being the top passer in the team by linking with defence to play out from the back. 

It's why Bissouma is in such high demand because he has both

[VillaParkAvenue]

4 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Problem is you need that rare 2 in 1 player for the central midfield role of the midfield 3. They need to be defensively strong, breaking up and slowing opposition counters and also being the top passer in the team by linking with defence to play out from the back. 

It's why Bissouma is in such high demand because he has both

I agree about the profile, that’s why top clubs aren’t satisfied with players who only are ball winners, in a possession based style all players must be available passers.

I like Wolves midfield when Neves and Moutinho are playing.

 

[RichW]

Really hope Douglas Luiz is dropped next game. Him playing as a number 6 just doesn't work, haven't recruited a DM for nearly 3 years. Said it was disappointing we didn't sign one in the transfer window and in the 2 games we have seen since the window has closed it looks like the midfield is going to cost us a lot of games going forward. A new DM isn't going to just put us in the European places over night but will at least stop the midfield being so open in games like the last 2. Team looked more solid in the 4 games Nakamba started under Gerrard but since his injury it's just getting worse every week. 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

We knew this in the summer though that we needed major upgrades to our midfield. Didnt get any. McGinn and Luiz were well below average for 80% of last season. No surprise really that we are struggling massively again.

[CVByrne]

I think Nakamba coming back into the team when he is fit is a given. He's the only CDM we have at the club. 

Luiz will be dropped for the next game. It's a bit tough on Sanson though, he's being asked to fill in for a position which isn't ideal for him either.

[VillaParkAvenue]

5 minutes ago, RichW said:

Really hope Douglas Luiz is dropped next game. Him playing as a number 6 just doesn't work, haven't recruited a DM for nearly 3 years. Said it was disappointing we didn't sign one in the transfer window and in the 2 games we have seen since the window has closed it looks like the midfield is going to cost us a lot of games going forward. A new DM isn't going to just put us in the European places over night but will at least stop the midfield being so open in games like the last 2. Team looked more solid in the 4 games Nakamba started under Gerrard but since his injury it's just getting worse every week. 

The whole team has had a completely different shape lately than in those early Gerrard games. The team stayed really tight and defended in a narrow block then, and had very little possession. If Nakamba had played yesterday or against Leeds, he would have had much larger areas to cover.

[VillaParkAvenue]

Also, our main problem yesterday wasn’t defending. It was creating. We tried for most of the game but couldn’t.

Some people seem to believe a defensive midfielder is what stands between Villa and world domination. We have many other problems.

 I’m also impatient for Nakamba to come back though. Partly because he’s a good if somewhat limited defensive player, but also to end the myth that he is the solution. We have lost many games with Nakamba and will lose many more. Gerrard didn’t transform him, he just changed the teams defensive shape and now it’s gone back again.

[The Fun Factory]

52 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

I'd like to see JJ Chambers Sanson given a chance as a midfield 3 in one of the upcoming games

Good god no

[RichW]

2 minutes ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

Also, our main problem yesterday wasn’t defending. It was creating. We tried for most of the game but couldn’t.

Some people seem to believe a defensive midfielder is what stands between Villa and world domination. We have many other problems.

 I’m also impatient for Nakamba to come back though. Partly because he’s a good if somewhat limited defensive player, but also to end the myth that he is the solution. We have lost many games with Nakamba and will lose many more. Gerrard didn’t transform him, he just changed the teams defensive shape and now it’s gone back again.

One thing that really did my head in yesterday was the amount of passes Mings and Chambers played to each other which resulted in a Mings long ball. Saw it far too much towards the end of Smiths time in charge. It just doesn't work

[VillaParkAvenue]

Just now, RichW said:

One thing that really did my head in yesterday was the amount of passes Mings and Chambers played to each other which resulted in a Mings long ball. Saw it far too much towards the end of Smiths time in charge. It just doesn't work

It’s likely because they don’t see any passing alternatives. The players further up are marked and don’t move enough. Something you would hope they work on in training.

Man City don’t have all that wonderful possession by accident, Pep is working on their movement, positioning and passing all the time.

[duke313]

1 hour ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

Also, our main problem yesterday wasn’t defending. It was creating. We tried for most of the game but couldn’t.

Some people seem to believe a defensive midfielder is what stands between Villa and world domination. We have many other problems.

 I’m also impatient for Nakamba to come back though. Partly because he’s a good if somewhat limited defensive player, but also to end the myth that he is the solution. We have lost many games with Nakamba and will lose many more. Gerrard didn’t transform him, he just changed the teams defensive shape and now it’s gone back again.

This was probably the most frustrating thing about the game yesterday, midfield and attack was all over the place.

[thabucks]

Midfield needs ripping up and starting again. Sacrifices will be required so expect Sanson McGinn Luiz to be all be in the firing line and repalced. It just doesn’t work 

[CVByrne]

1 hour ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

It’s likely because they don’t see any passing alternatives. The players further up are marked and don’t move enough. Something you would hope they work on in training.

Man City don’t have all that wonderful possession by accident, Pep is working on their movement, positioning and passing all the time.

Yeah it's the midfields fault. Nobody was showing for the ball and if they did, they would pass it back to one of the CBs. Luiz and McGinn in particular have never had a worse game for us than yesterday.