Worst thing that happened in this league

was Claude Makelele.

Some controversial opinions expressed by our very own Les Ferdinand in this article http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/tottenham-hotspur/spurs_coach_holding_midfielders_are_overrated_just_look_at_man_city_1_3254990

Andre Villas-Boas followed the fashion of playing with at least one designated defensive midfielder during his time in charge at Spurs.

However, since Tim Sherwood, Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey were promoted from the development squad to take charge of first-team affairs, the Lilywhites have been bucking the trend.

Eyebrows were raised when 19-year-old Nabil Bentaleb was picked ahead of Etienne Capoue in the FA Cup tie at Arsenal on January 4, leaving Spurs without a ‘destroyer’ in front of their back four – and while they lost 2-0 that day, they have continued with that policy in the last two games against Crystal Palace and Swansea.

The Lilywhites have won both of those Premier League matches, scoring five goals while only conceding one - and Ferdinand has suggested that the north Londoners will keep asking their midfielders to take turns to shield the defence, rather than picking a designated player for the role.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about holding midfield players, and I’m always arguing with Tim and Chris about this – and they agree," he said.

“I don’t like holding midfield players. I like players to understand that if one goes forward, the other one tucks in for them. I don’t want someone who just sits in front of the back four and doesn’t go anywhere, but that’s just my own personal view.

“I was saying to William Gallas when he was here, the worst thing that happened in this league was Claude Makelele.

“When he came into this country he wasn’t a holding midfield player. He was a player who had the intelligence to say ‘Frank [Lampard], you can score more goals than me so if you go I’m going to tuck in here for you, and I’ll hold. You keep going forward’.

“Then everyone went ‘right, we’ve got to have a holding midfield player’ - and what we’ve done is produce a crop of players who don’t want to go over the halfway line, who don’t want to pass over the halfway line and are happy to just sit in front of the back four.

“Having played the game, I know that if you’re a right winger and you come back and sit on the toes of the full-back, he won’t push you on. He’s happy to have that protection.

“It’s the same all around the field. If you’ve got a player who defends - a player that will come and sit in front of you and make the centre forward’s life difficult - he’s happy to have that, rather than defend on his own."

Tottenham host Manchester City at White Hart Lane tomorrow night, and Ferdinand believes that the free-scoring title challengers underline his point.

“Do Man City play with one [a holding midfielder]? They’ve still scored 100-odd goals," he said.

“People say Yaya Toure is a holding midfielder. No he isn’t, he’s getting forward and getting goals - but if someone else goes he’ll stay in there.

“Fernandinho’s scoring goals. Why? Because he’s a holding player? No. They’ve just got an understanding: ‘If he goes, I’ll hold, and if I go he’ll hold’."

Tottenham know all about City’s capabilities, having been thrashed 6-0 at the Etihad in November – and Manuel Pellegrini’s side have netted 110 goals in their 36 games in all competitions this season.

Ferdinand said: “When we went up to Man City they embarrassed us, and as players you never forget that, so hopefully the boys will hold onto that.

“All you want is a performance – a very good performance, playing to the capabilities that we know we’re capable of playing - and we’ll give Man City a very good game."


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Personally, I think he is way off with his comments about CDM's (despite having a point), but it is an interesting view nonetheless.

What does everyone else think?