The problems with Mikel are evident: he doesn't contribute to the attack, he only passes to whoever happens to be nearest to him, his shots always end up somewhere on the moon, he doesn't dribble enough, he is prone to occasional careless plays, etc... My personal opinion is that when Mikel is on the field, it often feels like we've had a player red-carded, and are a player short. Many have criticized Mikel, but few viable alternatives have been presented. Realistically speaking, we will never get Yaya Toure, so which player that we can actually get would make a good addition to our midfield?
I think we should have a look at Newcastle's Cheick Tiote. The guy has good positioning, can execute a variety of passes, can tackle and break-up opponents' plays, can initiate attacks, knows how to dribble, and in short, is everything a defensive midfielder should be. Some people think we should go for Fellaini, but I think Tiote is the more useful, and probably much less expensive player.
Any thoughts on Tiote? If not Tiote or Fellaini, then who would make a good replacement for Mikel?
Midfield Solution: Tiote
posted on 20/9/12
Being very harsh on Mikel..
posted on 20/9/12
Harsh on Mikel. Lampard is the deadweight here. His time is up.
posted on 20/9/12
Tiote suceeded last season in a tight, compact system that didn't look to dominate possesion/control the midfield. Functional but not creative/dynamic - basically he's everything we're (supposedly) trying to move away from.
posted on 20/9/12
not very harsh, this guy concedes us games, and when hes not doing that he is putting in average perfromances.
Lampard not much better, he nearly played a juve player through at the beginning of the second half.
I would prefer Lampard as a striker or in goal atm!
But atleast lampard at one stage had it, and can sometimes pass or hit a decent shot.
Mikel sadly cannot
posted on 20/9/12
Did you not see his pass for Hazard's penalty shout?
posted on 20/9/12
40-degree day - Tiote may have been succeeding in a certain system, but his skill set and style of play indicates he's capable of adjusting to another system.
Tiote is better defensively than Mikel and Fellaini; he is better offensively than Mikel, but not as good as Fellaini. This is fine, because we are already heavily tilted towards the attack (even our central defenders love to go forward), so I think a defensive player like Tiote would bring balance to the team, as well as functioning as a fulcrum in the middle of the field.
Anyone have any suggestions for players from other leagues that could fill the defensive mid role for us?
posted on 20/9/12
The problems with Mikel are evident: he doesn't contribute to the attack, he only passes to whoever happens to be nearest to him, his shots always end up somewhere on the moon, he doesn't dribble enough,
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And Makalele did????????????????????????????
posted on 21/9/12
Tiote is not that solution as his ball retention is cack, It's as simple as that.
Just need to utalise Romeu more often.
posted on 21/9/12
Etienne Capoue(Toulouse) would be a great option as a DM, If we needed one.
posted on 21/9/12
*Tiote is not the solution