Attacking midfielders crisis?

[mediator 2,026]

I won't say that there is an attacking midfielders crisis yet. We were lacking creativeness from the middle of the park, and with Fabregas's arrival, i'm sure we will see something else very soon.

Add to that a real attacking LB (Luis ?) and even with Torres upfront, we will see another Chelsea.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Reus carried Dortmund.

No he did not. In fact, he was poor in the first half of last season but exploded in the second. No player has "carried" Dortmund at least since Klopp has been in charge. Not Reus, Lewa, Kagawa. Nobody. They are very much a team with a defined style of play, something we aren't. He also had the benefit of playing alongside Lewandowski in attack, a world class striker who scored 28 goals last season, more than all our strikers combined. Hazard didn't have that.

[Pizy 18,994]

Reus carried Dortmund.

Reus created 90.chances.

Hazard created 92 chances.

Reus plays in a 2 team league that Bayern won at a cantor with months to spare.

Hazard plays in the most competitive league in the world and created about 20 more chances than the next highest in the league. He could've had 25+ assists last season if we didn't have donkey's up front who can't finish.

[iseah100 5,612]

No he did not. No player has "carried" Dortmund at least since Klopp has been in charge. Not Reus, Lewa, Kagawa. Nobody. They are very much a team with a defined style of play, something we aren't. He also had the benefit of playing alongside Lewandowski in attack, a world class striker who scored 28 goals last season, more than all our strikers combined. Hazard didn't have that.

Still. You said Hazard was much more creative than Reus, 90 chances created to 92 for Hazard.

[nate91 36]

Still. You said Hazard was much more creative than Reus, 90 chances created to 92 for Hazard.

On top of that fact that Reus scores more goals and he is just a more explosive player in general. Reus was also injured most of this year, and performed better then Hazard in the CL this year. Did Eden even show up for the CL this year?

[nate91 36]

Reus plays in a 2 team league that Bayern won at a cantor with months to spare.

Hazard plays in the most competitive league in the world and created about 20 more chances than the next highest in the league. He could've had 25+ assists last season if we didn't have donkey's up front who can't finish.

But both Dortmund and Munich would win the EPL...

[Pizy 18,994]

But both Dortmund and Munich would win the EPL...

Dortmund wouldn't win the PL.

It's the same thing with La Liga. 2-3 excellent sides and the rest fodder for them to beat up on. The same way Messi and CR7 score 60 goals in that league, Dortmund and Bayern smack around minnows week after week.

[nate91 36]

Dortmund wouldn't win the PL.

It's the same thing with La Liga. 2-3 excellent sides and the rest fodder for them to beat up on. The same way Messi and CR7 score 60 goals in that league, Dortmund and Bayern smack around minnows week after week.

I'm not disagreeing. I think the EPL is the most stacked league in the world in terms of quality competition week out. But both Dortmund and Munich are better sides then City. Just look at what team pushed Real harder. Dortmund for sure.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Still. You said Hazard was much more creative than Reus, 90 chances created to 92 for Hazard.

I meant in general. Besides, that's for last season only. Chances created are derived from key passes. A key pass is a pass that leads to an intentional assist for a goal. For instance Hazard' pass to De Bruyne for Belgium's 2nd goal vs USA will be considered a key pass. Consider just how wasteful we were last season and then consider how many potential "created chance" stats Hazard lost. Even a target man type striker like Max Kruse had more chances created than Reus, most likely because of the amount of goals his team scored as a result of his knock-downs and whatnot.

Like Hazard's assists last season. He created over 100+ chances last season if we are talking all competitions but only had 10 assists. That's bizarre and an indictment on our wasteful finishing which is something Jose lamented.

Now Reus on the other hand creates chances and he can be sure Lewa finishes them. Or Aubameyung (sp?). Or the Armenian guy and so on. That's the difference. Plus we are comparing across leagues. Compare Hazard's chances created stats to real playmakers like Silva, Mata and Carzola and he actually is above them. And the guy is not even a playmaker!

[iseah100 5,612]

Dortmund wouldn't win the PL.

It's the same thing with La Liga. 2-3 excellent sides and the rest fodder for them to beat up on. The same way Messi and CR7 score 60 goals in that league, Dortmund and Bayern smack around minnows week after week.

If not for injuries, they would. They have an elite team.

And every top notch player would bag 60+in La Liga? Doubt Suarez gets as many as he did this year over there.

You're wrong. But you can be wrong. It's okay.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

I won't say that there is an attacking midfielders crisis yet. We were lacking creativeness from the middle of the park, and with Fabregas's arrival, i'm sure we will see something else very soon.

Add to that a real attacking LB (Luis ?) and even with Torres upfront, we will see another Chelsea.

Nice joke Mediator.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

On top of that fact that Reus scores more goals and he is just a more explosive player in general. Reus was also injured most of this year, and performed better then Hazard in the CL this year. Did Eden even show up for the CL this year?

More explosive? Are you sure this is Reus you're talking about and not Messi?

[Pizy 18,994]

If not for injuries, they would. They have an elite team.

And every top notch player would bag 60+in La Liga? Doubt Suarez gets as many as he did this year over there.

You're wrong. But you can be wrong. It's okay.

Neither last seasons Dortmund nor this coming seasons Dortmund would win the PL.

Suarez on last seasons form would score just as many as those two if the team ran through him. If Messi or CR7 were in the PL next season they'd score between 30-35 goals, 40 at a stretch. Nowhere near what the do in La Liga.

I'm starting to seriously doubt your understanding of football. You thinking Kroos is average was a start but thinking Reus is far better than Hazard is borderline Bushman here.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Neither last seasons Dortmund nor this coming seasons Dortmund would win the PL.

Suarez on last seasons form would score just as many as those two if the team ran through him. If Messi or CR7 were in the PL next season they'd score between 30-35 goals, 40 at a stretch. Nowhere near what the do in La Liga.

I'm starting to seriously doubt your understanding of football. You thinking Kroos is average was a start but thinking Reus is far better than Hazard is borderline Bushman here.

Even Mourinho said it in an interview: http://www.givemesport.com/419691-barcelona-real-madrid-are-easy-options-says-mourinho?&mobile=on

"Of course it is easier to succeed abroad. You go to Spain and there are two big clubs; you go to Germany and they have one big club and a little bit more. In Italy now there is one big team, although obviously more than one big club. So it is easier to succeed."

Mourinho felt the same applied for players in an individual capacity, claiming it was easier to rack up astonishing records, which some may see as a sly stab at the records of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

“If you are an attacking player and go to Barcelona or Real Madrid, it is easier to score 50 goals than if you’re playing in England. Of course these clubs are a big attraction. You can’t blame a player," he added.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Wow really, are we that spoilt now? we want to pick other players over our own stars? Advocating Hazard for Reus?.. This conversation speaks volumes about how spoilt we've become.

[Peace. 4,352]

It is funny that we talk about a potential attacking-midfield crisis while we praise our defenders (Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, etc...). It is a fact and cannot be denied that we have had a strong defense and that it was our strength (being the strongest defense in the League by far) ; though it was rather a strong defensive unit than a strong defense. Indeed, had Mourinho not adopted midway a conservative approach, our back-four would have most likely looked shaky rather than solid — and by doing so, we sacrificed our attack.

And, while we condemn our attacking midfielders (especially Oscar and Willian) for our "disappointing" third place, just as much a better productivity from our attacking midfielders could have won us the League, a genuinely greater defense (i.e. the back four) could have done the same !

In the second part of the season, in four matches against West Brom, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland, we managed to grab only one point out of 12 available, and thus because we could not keep a cleansheet. Had we not stupidly lost our lead against West Brom, and had Terry not scored an own goal, we would have three more points and thus one point behind the League winner... And it can also be argued that we should have taken at the very least one point out of the Villa or Sunderland game...

It is not to lie down all the fault upon our defenders, but it is unfair to solely condemn our attacking midfielders. It is pretty obvious that in a system heavily focused on the attack — like Loserpool, and to a lesser extent City and Arsenal — our attacking midfielders' stats would have been completely different. Before ringing the alarm and to sell them all — and to speak of a crisis —, we should wait and see how they do in a more balanced team ; a team in which you don't have to sacrifice your attack to avoid leaking goals pretty often.

[Fulham Broadway 17,362]

Well its a nice crisis to have.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

It is funny that we talk about a potential attacking-midfield crisis while we praise our defenders (Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, etc...). It is a fact and cannot be denied that we have had a strong defense and that it was our strength (being the strongest defense in the League by far) ; though it was rather a strong defensive unit than a strong defense. Indeed, had Mourinho not adopted midway a conservative approach, our back-four would have most likely looked shaky rather than solid and by doing so, we sacrificed our attack.

And, while we condemn our attacking midfielders (especially Oscar and Willian) for our "disappointing" third place, just as much a better productivity from our attacking midfielders could have won us the League, a genuinely greater defense (i.e. the back four) could have done the same !

In the second part of the season, in four matches against West Brom, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland, we managed to grab only one point out of 12 available, and thus because we could not keep a cleansheet. Had we not stupidly lost our lead against West Brom, and had Terry not scored an own goal, we would have three more points and thus one point behind the League winner... And it can also be argued that we should have taken at the very least one point out of the Villa or Sunderland game...

It is not to lie down all the fault upon our defenders, but it is unfair to solely condemn our attacking midfielders. It is pretty obvious that in a system heavily focused on the attack like Loserpool, and to a lesser extent City and Arsenal our attacking midfielders' stats would have been completely different. Before ringing the alarm and to sell them all and to speak of a crisis , we should wait and see how they do in a more balanced team ; a team in which you don't have to sacrifice your attack to avoid leaking goals pretty often.

Completely agree with this post.

The problem last season was that Jose wasn't able to bring out the true potential of our attackers, when he brought out the true potential of our defense.

But, hardly any crisis here. With the sort of signings like Felipe Luis and Fabregas, it'll unleash the talent in our attacking mids even more. Jose sorted out the problem even before this thread was started.

[Fernando 6,595]

Completely agree with this post.

The problem last season was that Jose wasn't able to bring out the true potential of our attackers, when he brought out the true potential of our defense.

But, hardly any crisis here. With the sort of signings like Felipe Luis and Fabregas, it'll unleash the talent in our attacking mids even more. Jose sorted out the problem even before this thread was started.

Just quoted you to say that I love your avatar!

I want it!!!

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Just quoted you to say that I love your avatar!

I want it!!!

Haha...I'll PM that as soon as I get to my laptop.