Answer to Midfield Problem..predictions & options - Merged

[Lighthouse]

Michael Ballack free agent? - NCP Car Park Twitter mention so means nothing but a suggestion.

[BishopsParkFantastic]

we have some problems in midfield definately i see a solution but it wont click immediately.until it does i think we should not look further than a CC win rate.i am smileing at berba,petric rodders ruiz,duff been in the same line up !

you can smile, because they probably won't ever be in the same line up!

[Berserker]

If last year was anything to go by!

[cebu]

Michael Ballack free agent? - NCP Car Park Twitter mention so means nothing but a suggestion.

He is a free agent - he'll also be 36 this month!   :011:

[ToodlesMcToot]

In order for Ruiz to convert to a central midfielder he would have to learn to put a tackle in, get some strength and not think he has half hour on the ball every time. I don't want to be anti Ruiz but he is most definitely not a central midfielder. He is a luxury no 10 which concerns me when playing him with Berbatov if you play two players of that type then you need disciplined combative central midfielders to do the spade work. We lose Diarra/Sidwell and who steps in as a ball winning midfielder?

Not arguing that Ruiz is the answer in midfield, but a couple of seasons ago you could've put "Dembélé" into those two sentences and remained fairly accurate. Like Mousa before him, Bryan is still rounding into the player Jol needs him to be.

[The Rock]

With Berbatov, Rodallega, Petric in the side, Ruiz HAS to play midfiled with Diarra. I have beer rated Sidwell and he can rot in the reserves for all I care. Kaca, Richardson, the new Iran/german fellow and Duff on the wings.

I will bow to Jol and call him master 500 times if he creates a commanding central midfield out of Diarra, Richardson, and Sidwell. Ruiz is needed as a pure (attacking) MF now.

[MJG]

Ruiz cannot and should not be played next to anyone in CM.
He is not..I repeat..he is not a CM.
Absolute liability when he has the ball 25-30 yards away from our goal. Harsh maybe, but its just not his game.

[alexbishop]

Inclined it agree with above. When you spend 10mil on a player you play him in his best position to get the true value out the player. He is not a central midfielder.

[kiwiwaka]

We should play Ruiz ahead of Diarra in the role Richardson tried to play yesterday. He is far too restricted deeper. Proper number 10 role behind two strikers would make up for the lack of possession Dembele gave us.

[The Rock]

Dembele wasn't a MF and neither was Clint. Ruiz will fall over like a matchstick sometime as well, but it can't be worse than West Ham away yesterday. Please provide alternatives - I didn't say it was the best answer, just an answer given the poor shape our MF has been left in.

[MrFFC]

Sidwell Diarra and Ruiz making a midfield 3 Ruiz breaking to support Berbatov with Duff and Rodallega down the flanks

[alexbishop]

Dembele wasn't a MF and neither was Clint. Ruiz will fall over like a matchstick sometime as well, but it can't be worse than West Ham away yesterday. Please provide alternatives - I didn't say it was the best answer, just an answer given the poor shape our MF has been left in.

Alternatives:

2 x holding midfielders (Diarra and Baird or diarra and Sidwell) and Ruiz as a Number 10
Convert Richardson or Duff or Davies into Dembele's role.
Play 4-0-6 :p

[MJG]

Diarra/Sidwell/Baird/Richardson/Kasami/Reither/Davies/Donegan

If you are going to have two CM's then its pretty much any two from that eight.
Ruiz just is not strong enough on the ball to play in an english lge midfield. Yes behind strikers but not even in a diamond. Might as well play three cm's with him one of the front 3.

[ScalleysDad]

Not wishing to bale Jol out here but he was characteristically honest in his summing up and also seems to have been caught out by both D's going. A tad naive that as somebody was going to stump up 15 million for Dembele but to balance the judgement on Jol both seemed to linger for a while before finding the door late yesterday.
Midfield was a sorry mess but its the back four for me. Hangaland is getting a fair amount of criticism but he is still featuring in selections for WBA and Hughes is labelled slow and mostly out of position but still features in most selections. One of the zillion reasons I would not want Jols job is that I have got them in my line up too simply because its too far back for Baird, Senderos is out and we have no cover. I honestly think some of the players know the barrier is creaking which is why the midfield looks far too deep and there is often green pasture between ball winners, Sidwell and Diarra, and attacking options, a lonely Petric last week and a lightweight Rodders this week. Late in the game we managed to pass through West Ham a couple of times but that had more to do with their shape than our flair. Berbatov and Rodders work in progress and worth another go but how long with Hangaland hang on to his spot.

cant put it on Hangeland or Hughes, its our shoddy midfield thats the problem "thus" creating problems for our defense.
i like Diarra but we need another decent central midfielder bad.

I'm not sure what games you have watched lately but Holte let H&H off the hook by playing wider than usual and yet they still contrived to get in each others way. Hangers was simply shocking at Old Trafford and could not find a decent pass if he was still there and at Upton Park they, all four, failed to sort themselves out let alone impose themselves. Midfield was bypassed at Upton Park and much of the aerial stuff should have been dealt with, they had been told to expect it for goodness sake. Jol and Hangaland have acknowledged defensive, not midfield failings, the question is what are they going to do about it. Big game on the 15th as the aerial stuff will be replaced with a bit of pass and move.

[FFC4Life]

We were linked in the papers with a fella called Carlos "The Rock" Sanchez over the summer, 26 year old, free transfer from Valenciennes. Think he may still be available - certainly his Wikipedia page indicates so? Colombian international, so perhaps Rodallega can put in a good word!

EDIT - Boo, turns out he was signed by some Chilean side and loaned back to Valenciennes. Ah well!

[Lighthouse]

Michael Ballack free agent? - NCP Car Park Twitter mention so means nothing but a suggestion.

He is a free agent - he'll also be 36 this month!   :011:

Well our youth policy is doing well seeing as it was the oldest starting 11 we have ever put out in the Prem. Come on the kids like Rodders  :005: