CHOULO19

Liverpool are top of the league...wow that leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

I agree about KDB and he did play in the pivot some games for Bremen last season and I think he did fairly well. But I'd still prefer him as the most advanced CM in a 4-3-3.

I really wish we had signed Villa when we were linked with him back in Jan. He's been absolutely fantastic for Athletico.

Luiz was terrible at CM against any half-decent opposition last season. He's too aggressive in defense which leads to players getting past him too often, he leaves massive gaps between the lines and his passing accuracy was terrible for a pivot player.

Apologies, then Btw, JT is not bad at ball distribution either. In fact, I'd say he's incredibly good. Doesn't attempt as many long balls as DL, but his accuracy with them is unreal.

Regarding Oscar, I think he can play as the most advanced CM in a 4-3-3 (which isn't much different than the number 10 role in a 4-2-3-1) but not in the pivot. Oscar for me is perfect for the number 10 role. He likes to drop deep to receive the ball, he has an excellent eye for a pass and he's an absolute workhorse. He chases the ball well and harasses the opposition holding midfielder/play maker and can drop to help out the pivot as well. But the pivot is a completely different role. He won't be able to run with the ball, he won't be able to play around the box where he's at his creative best so you would be restricting his best assets. Defensively in the pivot, he will need to be a bit stronger to fight off opposition. He will also need to stay disciplined, mark areas instead of players, and block channels and passing angles instead of trying to nick the ball like he currently does. I don't think he can do that. I think this "urge" to play Oscar in the pivot comes because everyone is trying to fit all the attacking players we have into one formation, but you have to realize that that won't happen. Luiz provides much better distribution from CB. At CM he looses the ball way too much because he has much less time and space on the ball. As a CM, his distribution is at best average but as a CB his ball distribution is absolutely world-class.

Unless AVB comes up with some big answers to the problems they've had, I doubt they will finish in top four. They've barely created any chances in 270 minutes of football. That is a HUGE issue. They look very open at the back as well.

So many members deserve it this month. I'll go for people who haven't been nominated before: Themightlyblue and Gilvorak.

It's not supposed to be an insult, believe it or not. Why would I insult you, I just said that this is not worth fighting for. The ex-blues section is meant to remember the players that played for us and follow their current news, not to keep having the same exact pointless "discussion" (I use the term loosely) over and over again.

This could go on for 5 more hours and Tottenham won't score. Absolutely pointless in possession. After 3 games, I am convinced that Soldado can't play as a lone striker. 30m was an absolute scam for him.

Hahaha. No I'm pretty sure he's smoking -not sure what you call it in English, but we call it "Arghile".

25 points this week! I'm comically bad at this..

if you mean Bayern, Madrid and Barca, we're simply not in the same level as them in terms of quality of players, atm and not just at CM, nor is any other team in Europe atm, unfortunately.

Nothing to do cohesion, it's just that their passing and positioning have been awful. Paulinho can run with the ball but can't do anything with it at the end. He has no idea when to pass and for all his pace, he's rarely ever tracked back. At times there was a 20 meter gap between the Tottenham midfield and defense.

Are you talking about the EPL? Because, for me, Ramires would walk into the starting line-up in any team in the PL.

You can't simply replace Michael Ballack!

Wow, how shit has Tottenham's midfield been! All the fuss about Paulinho and Capoue and they've been absolutely awful.

Indeed. I didn't expect Liverpool to park the bus in the second half but it worked for them.

Kaka for 30m?

You don't But if you want a normal pic in your sig, just on the image button in the toolbar and paste the link in it.

RVP, who should not be on the pitch, to score the equalizer in the 96th minute!

I wish I could, but people tend to start childish fights in this thread even though it won't a change a thing and it is my job to calm things down when that happens. Alternatively, I'd suggest you start accepting reality and stop living in the past lest you turn into a Liverpool supporter.

For me, Ramires is currently our best CM. Closest thing we currently have to world class. In his natural box-to-box role, that is. His pace and stamina are incredible, his bursts from midfield can upset any defense and his delivery at top speed is out out of this world. In the holding role that he's been playing so far however, he's very average. Good enough against the likes of Hull but not nearly against United or Bayern. Lampard is still a match winner. His movement and runs into the box are better than any striker we currently have, but the problem is that he doesn't have the stamina to play box-to-box anymore and his defensive contribution is almost non-existent. At his age, I would have liked to see him play as the most advanced CM in a 4-3-3, but with the likes of KDB and Oscar, I find that unlikely to happen. In the pivot, he can get by passes way too easily. But I think he can still be a massive asset against smaller teams who sit deep where he won't have much defensive responsibilities and can instead focus on his offensive contribution. MVG looks like an excellent prospect. The defensive side to his game is especially impressive (even if a bit too aggressive at times). But he's far from the finished article. His passing and movement still need a bit of work from what I saw. I'd love for him to get some starts, but I expect him to make more appearances off the bench. He can use all the experience he can get and he'll only get better from here on. Mikel is currently our only genuine holding midfielder. He adds stability to the team and gives Ramires the freedom to go forward while plugging the gap between midfield and defense. His passing is incredibly accurate and his ball retention skills are by far the best in our team which gives the back four an outlet to get the ball to instead of having to play a lot of long balls. I don't think he can play the role he does with Nigeria here in the PL where the tempo is a lot faster and he won't get as much time and space on the ball. Essien, I think, is a good squad player. He obviously doesn't have the physical attributes that he once thrived on, but he can still do a decent job. I think we will benefit from his versatility and experience this season. So, to sum up, I think Ramires-Mikel is our best CM pairing just like it was last season. It is defensively solid, leaves very few gaps and offers smooth and calm distribution of the ball while playing to the strengths of both Mikel and Ramires who, imo, our best two CMs.

How's Van P**sy still on the pitch?!