17 Jan 2021 11:03:17
Hey Ed001,
With Fabinho stuck at cb, what would you say is thiago's best role in the team? Playing as the 6 or as one of the more advanced 2 in midfield? Or does it change depending on who we face?
Thanks.
{Ed001's Note - it really does depend on who we face. There are some games I would prefer us to play with 2 sitting, to allow more freedom to the rest, for starters. We certainly don't want Thiago playing the deeper role on his own if we have to defend for long portions of the game. In those games you either want someone alongside him sitting or play him in one of the more advanced midfield positions. In games where the opponent is sitting deep and defending, then he is perfect for the deeper role.}
17 Jan 2021 11:23:24
Fully agree. Even at Bayern in his final season, TA played a deeper role but he had Goreztka next to him who was the one allowed to get forward in attacking phases but rarely left Thiago on his own.
17 Jan 2021 11:55:25
Ed / Oli, when I’ve watched Bayern Munich in the CL they play with the two deeper midfielders as their routine formation and make it work so effectively.
But what do they do in the Bundesliga where they’re so dominant?
Do they face these 10 / 11 man defences that we’re getting virtually everything week?
I hate it, formations just about go out of the window.
If VVD and Gomez were fit, it wouldn’t be a problem but it’s awful to watch.
But agreed, today could be one of those occasions where two deeper midfielders would work. It wouldn’t surprise me if we do it, at some point at least.
17 Jan 2021 13:30:51
Juicer, I fully agree with you. Not sure Bayern play with two deep midfielders most times in the Bundesliga but I disagree that they don not face parked buses. They actually do esp at home.
What happens IMO, is that these teams are not the best at the low blocking Bayern and stifling them cos they don’t have as good players as many of the PL teams do and the physical and athletic presence is not as paramount in the Bundesliga as it is in the PL.
Coupled witje the fact that Bayern have WAY better players than these teams do and spent 75 minutes parked in their final third, the fam breaks more often than not at the Allianz. As for us, it is what it is and we smash a whole lot more buses than we don’t overall so we have to just keep improving and getting better at it.