On Paper But in Reality

[BobTheCharmer]

we don't have the best midfield in the world.

No gerrard = no goals.

Lots of square pegs for me.

[Howard_lfc]

we don't have the best midfield in the world.

No gerrard = no goals.

Lots of square pegs for me.

Seedorf, Amborsini, Pirlo and Gattuso isn't a bad quartet.

[Imy]

I would argue we've got the best/strongest centre midfield in the world.

[BobTheCharmer]

I would argue we've got the best/strongest centre midfield in the world.

argue then. but for me they don't work well together. Utd have a great 4 as do arsenal. not in names but in the fact that it works.

Alonso & Gerrrard? Something missing, little cover.

Masher & Alonso? no goals.

Masher & Gerrard? getting better.

Carrick isn't as good as Masher yet he scored some vital goals last year.

Some said Fabregas wasn't as good as Alonso last season, not exactly the case now.

When you talk about a midfield for me it includes 4 ie the wide players, no good harping on about the middle if what you're left with either side is rubbish.

[carheex]

Seedorf, Amborsini, Pirlo and Gattuso isn't a bad quartet.

Crap song though...

[AFII]

we don't have the best midfield in the world.

No gerrard = no goals.

Lots of square pegs for me.

and we don't have good enough wide players by a mile but it also depends on which system we play. If we play 4-2-3-1 then we may have the best midfield in the world but not if we play 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1.

[CAD]

we don't have the best midfield in the world.

No gerrard = no goals.

Lots of square pegs for me.

Of course we don't. We're are not even close.

[Imy]

argue then. but for me they don't work well together. Utd have a great 4 as do arsenal. not in names but in the fact that it works.

Alonso & Gerrrard? Something missing, little cover.

Masher & Alonso? no goals.

Masher & Gerrard? getting better.

Carrick isn't as good as Masher yet he scored some vital goals last year.

Some said Fabregas wasn't as good as Alonso last season, not exactly the case now.

I agree that we lack goals from midfield, the central pair for me (not including Gerrard) rarely run past or join up with the forwards, this is for me is why they don't get the goals, why? well we have to ask Rafa that.

When you talk about a midfield for me it includes 4 ie the wide players, no good harping on about the middle if what you're left with either side is rubbish.

I agree with that, Yossi has done OK, Babel is more of a striker, Pennant does not score many goals, Kewell is always injured and Riise has not football brains. The wide area is where we need improve, more creativity and goals.

[Kenneth]

Ooh-oh-ohoh, we've got the third best midfield in the league

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

You'll notice we've started to score more now that Kuyt's been benched and Yossi has replaced Pennant, who only has one goal in 65 odd appearances.

But I agree it's a problem.

[desertscouser]

I don't think there's a team in Europe that has a better 'central midfield' quartet apart from maybe Milan, as Howard pointed out earlier on in the thread. But our wide players are pretty average, with Yossi being the pick of the bunch but he's not even a wide player...he should be playing down the middle.

[AFII]

I don't think there's a team in Europe that has a better 'central midfield' quartet apart from maybe Milan, as Howard pointed out earlier on in the thread. But our wide players are pretty average, with Yossi being the pick of the bunch but he's not even a wide player...he should be playing down the middle.

Well, Barca has a decent one.

Xavi, Toure, Deco and Iniesta.

[GBT]

I don't think there's a team in Europe that has a better 'central midfield' quartet apart from maybe Milan.

Can't agree with that i'm afraid - 1st and for 20 minutes of the 2nd half of the European Cup final this year we dominated that quartet of Seedorf, Amborsini, Pirlo and Gattuso with Zenden, Masher & Alonso & Pennant.

If we have had torres playing - i delieve we would of been at least a couple of goals up by half, due to how our midfield was playing.

[beabeasdad]

"Oh ohohoh oh! I would argue we've got the best/strongest centre midfield in the world."

Still doesn't have that ring to it.

[blacky]

argue then. but for me they don't work well together. Utd have a great 4 as do arsenal. not in names but in the fact that it works.

Alonso & Gerrrard? Something missing, little cover.

Masher & Alonso? no goals.

Masher & Gerrard? getting better.

Carrick isn't as good as Masher yet he scored some vital goals last year.

Some said Fabregas wasn't as good as Alonso last season, not exactly the case now.

When you talk about a midfield for me it includes 4 ie the wide players, no good harping on about the middle if what you're left with either side is rubbish.

Mascher and Alonso have played very little together to make that statement but the Derby game springs to mind and Alonso managed 2 goals that day