23 Feb 2026 07:26:02
That midfield! No scrappers - it's got to the point you more or less accept we won't win any 50/ 50s - it's actually a shock when we do .
23 Feb 2026 08:13:20
Macca is definitely a scrapper. The problem is he's just too slow. We massively missed Dom and Wirtz in there at times, though. Although they're not defensively minded, they don't half work hard to win the ball back. What we really need is a proper DM to sit behind them. Gravenberch has fallen off a cliff this season, but that may be primarily tactical, as I think he's being told to get forward more.
Sangare is a bang average player, and yet yesterday he was allowed to dominate the midfield battle because Macca was too slow to consistently get near him, and Gravenberch/Jones didn't have the stomach for a scrap. Very disappointing midfield performance.
23 Feb 2026 08:26:47
I watched about 15 mins of the game yesterday with my brother, who is not really into football. His observation in that time was, "Why don't they get stuck in and tackle?"
23 Feb 2026 08:42:23
I think we all know Grav is best coming from deeper, receiving the ball with his back to play, turning into space and driving through the midfield. He can't do any of that when his starting position is as high as it has been this season.
I think the tactic is for the midfield 3 to be fluid, but Grav wants to score more goals, as he said at the start of the season, so is spending too much time higher up the pitch, leaving Macca in the 6, which leaves us vulnerable.
23 Feb 2026 09:09:47
Pompey Rouge, that jumped out within the first 15 mins, like @Scouse. Imagine going against a robust, athletic midfield, with Andersson and a physical DM in Sangare, with Grav, Jones and Macca? You're literally asking to get your head kicked in going with such a physically deficient midfield like we did. Worse, we weren't getting stuck in nor competing at all. That is unforgivable. Now, Slot did change it, with Jones at rb and Szobo in midfield, but golly g, it was frightening the way we were getting bum-rushed from pillar to post for most of the game.
I agree with MKS and others who have been saying it. We need a physical DM and an athletic no. 8 to come in and give our midfield some bite. The PL has changed to a more physical league esp. in midfield, and some teams are no longer interested in playing football. They are interested in dominating physically and athletically, esp. in midfield. The times have changed and we have to change with it or get left behind.