23 Aug 2026 00:08:30
It's simple for me. Without a busy dedicated put a foot in big engine rascal of a player smack bang in the middle of our team!! We will leak goals. I like the new center backs. Don't understand Why they can only play left or right side? But withou a Ronnie Whalen or Stevie Mc in the mid field! We will continue to be over run.
Relying on Macalister is not an option.
Sadiki from Sunderland fits the bill. Busy covers space gets stuck in and has a huge engine.
Wingers will arrive. Defence is ok apart from RB.
Steel and an engine in the mid field.
I had vino de-plonke this evening.
Come on you mighty reds.
23 Aug 2026 06:11:36
I feel like whoever we have in midfield, if the entire team presses intuitively like Iraola wants them to, we won't have the problems that we did last year. When Grav, Dom, and whoever else partners them in midfield know when to jump, when to stay, when to plug space without having to think about it, I don't think we will be going on and on about wanting a 'proper 6' anymore. It's much more about having players who can learn quickly, interpret space and react to the shape of the team rather than having one player to provide 'steel in the midfield'.
Of course we will have different problems to last year, because whenever our press comes undone, the opposition somehow manages to escape or players are in two minds about what they should do, then we will be wide open at the back and hoping Virg, Ali and Jacquet can bail us out.
But that's a situation we were kind of used to under Jurgen anyway. Iraola has also said that he needs to fine tune the balance between man to man pressing high up the pitch and a more zonal mid block approach with us, because you probably can't sustain the former for 90 minutes and it might not always be the best option anyway.
23 Aug 2026 08:34:03
Yeah, I agree with that, Chrissy. Definitely need that profile of midfielder. Not many of them about, unfortunately. Be interesting to see how Grav+ Szobo get on today as a pair (I presume them 2 start and Wirtz ahead) at a difficult away ground.
23 Aug 2026 09:46:14
Agree it will be Grav Wirtz Sobs. I also agree with Patric Beg. We need to know when to jump, stay and block. But we need someone who the oppo wants to avoid. By that, I mean his mindset is to stop attacks forming. Leave a foot in. Like Milner did. Last year, teams walked through the middle. That has to stop.