Thiago Alcantara

[Doc_Piptorious]

He definitely gets away with more average games than anyone else.

I’d like to see Ox given a run, and more than one game because he looks to make things happen and more importantly looks to take a shot on. It must be very frustrating to be watching am I creative midfield when you know you could contribute.

But he needs more than ten minutes and then being written off as ****.

Hardly. He was being criticised in here within a game or two of returning from a bad injury as well as having had covid.


As for Chamberlain, he has been with us for four seasons now and it is just the same cycle of being availabe for games one season followed by hardly availabe the next season over and over. Does not really matter how good he might be for us if he cannot be relied upon to be available. We already have a number of players that would potentially be excellent for us if they stayed fit for a sustained run of game, but what we need now is to start looking for players who are actually available to play more often than not when we need them rather than a bunch of great lads who might be really good if they could stay fit rather than having track records of season after season of missing games.

Chamberlain for me is in the same boat as the likes of Keita, albeit a bit older than Keita, as in he has lots of ability (and comes across as a really decent guy off the pitch too) but cannot be relied upon to be there if we have an injury crisis and cannot be relied upon to be fit enough to compete with the established players for a place.

He should be in that group of players that we would listen to offers for because if he was gone in the morning it is not as though we would miss him on the pitch, same as a number of others that have been at the club a number of years now.

[Buzzo]

Hardly. He was being criticised in here within a game or two of returning from a bad injury as well as having had covid.


As for Chamberlain, he has been with us for four seasons now and it is just the same cycle of being availabe for games one season followed by hardly availabe the next season over and over. Does not really matter how good he might be for us if he cannot be relied upon to be available. We already have a number of players that would potentially be excellent for us if they stayed fit for a sustained run of game, but what we need now is to start looking for players who are actually available to play more often than not when we need them rather than a bunch of great lads who might be really good if they could stay fit rather than having track records of season after season of missing games.

Chamberlain for me is in the same boat as the likes of Keita, albeit a bit older than Keita, as in he has lots of ability (and comes across as a really decent guy off the pitch too) but cannot be relied upon to be there if we have an injury crisis and cannot be relied upon to be fit enough to compete with the established players for a place.

He should be in that group of players that we would listen to offers for because if he was gone in the morning it is not as though we would miss him on the pitch, same as a number of others that have been at the club a number of years now.

I mean 'gets away with' in that he doesn't get dropped. And then he does get benched for the games that you kind of imagine he would be good in v Real!

I think that Hendo is the key, I don't think we have seen the Hendo/Fab/Thiago midfield all season.

I hope it works out for Ox, as he is such a good lad, and I can't imagine him getting a move to another club that is likely to win trophies in England.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I mean 'gets away with' in that he doesn't get dropped. And then he does get benched for the games that you kind of imagine he would be good in v Real!

I think that Hendo is the key, I don't think we have seen the Hendo/Fab/Thiago midfield all season.

I hope it works out for Ox, as he is such a good lad, and I can't imagine him getting a move to another club that is likely to win trophies in England.

So he does not get dropped other than the games he does get dropped for



Do agree about Henderson. A fully fit midifled comprising of Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho.

Funnily enough one of the guys, Valverde, who would be one of my dream Henderson replacement players was playing against us last night (and not to his usual standard thankfully).

Would love to have a player like Valverde as a back up option that is there to then become a regular in the short to mid term. Is a great allrounder who can slot into a number of positions, will work his arse off, can be snide but can be silky.

Think someone like Tonali would be one my shortlist now along with someone like Zakaria to be cover for Fab.

Would be quite happy to have Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho being covered by Tonali, Jones and Zakaria. Like the idea of having a robust trio of back ups that have a bit of size to them along with no shortage in ability plus all being young or youngish so would be there for the long haul.

[Buzzo]

So he does not get dropped other than the games he does get dropped for



Do agree about Henderson. A fully fit midifled comprising of Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho.

Funnily enough one of the guys, Valverde, who would be one of my dream Henderson replacement players was playing against us last night (and not to his usual standard thankfully).

Would love to have a player like Valverde as a back up option that is there to then become a regular in the short to mid term. Is a great allrounder who can slot into a number of positions, will work his arse off, can be snide but can be silky.

Think someone like Tonali would be one my shortlist now along with someone like Zakaria to be cover for Fab.

Would be quite happy to have Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho being covered by Tonali, Jones and Zakaria. Like the idea of having a robust trio of back ups that have a bit of size to them along with no shortage in ability plus all being young or youngish so would be there for the long haul.

Exactly.

[Fosterbloke]

I'm not a huge fan of Thiago, I'd prefer someone like Harvey Barnes at Leicester or Bissouma at Brighton.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I'm not a huge fan of Thiago, I'd prefer someone like Harvey Barnes at Leicester or Bissouma at Brighton.

Isn't Barnes a winger/wideman and Bissouma a DM usually but when he plays as a CM is is closer in style to Wijnaldum?


Do you mean Maddison at Leicester and not Barnes maybe? Maddison would their more advanced midfielder usually.


To be fair to Leicester they do have some quality in the centre in Nddidi, Tielemans, and Maddison and in that order too for me.

[Fosterbloke]

Nah Barnes, he'd be the drive from midfield that we thought Ox used to bring. He's also has a decent shot on him.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Nah Barnes, he'd be the drive from midfield that we thought Ox used to bring. He's also has a decent shot on him.

Might as well play Jota or Mane there then if you want to play a winger where Thiago plays and save on the 50 or 60 million a wideman like Barnes would cost.

[Peter_Griffin]

Might as well play Jota or Mane there then if you want to play a winger where Thiago plays and save on the 50 or 60 million a wideman like Barnes would cost.

Mbappe can play there

[Rich]

I reckon he'll be off at the end of the season.

[Kenneth]

Based on what?

[Rich]

Gut feeling.

He's gone from the best/one of the best midfielders in the world, to a fairly average Joe. The pace is too much for him.

Let him go and lord it up at Juve or somewhere.

[Venton]

Gut feeling.

He's gone from the best/one of the best midfielders in the world, to a fairly average Joe. The pace is too much for him.

Let him go and lord it up at Juve or somewhere.

I get that but there's a lot of our team who have gone from being brilliant to poor in a period of 12 months. There's something wider happening. Against Newcastle there was a moment where he received the ball just outside the box, looked left and right and there was absolutely no movement from the forwards and no runs from midfield. There was literally nothing on at all. Not sure what he is meant to do with that.

[Fosterbloke]

I get that but there's a lot of our team who have gone from being brilliant to poor in a period of 12 months. There's something wider happening. Against Newcastle there was a moment where he received the ball just outside the box, looked left and right and there was absolutely no movement from the forwards and no runs from midfield. There was literally nothing on at all. Not sure what he is meant to do with that.

He could have done one of those 40 yard passes into the top bin the dull minded ****.

[Mark79]

We’ve enough holes to fill in midfield without losing Thiago too.
Gini is already off. Many have packed Keita’s bags for him. Ox is basically Lallana at this stage.

No way Thiago is gone as well after one difficult season with a boatload of extenuating reasons.