Lot of bullshit was said about the so called Brexit midfields but their roles were very clear and all revolved around winning the ball back high up the pitch and also allowing the full backs to be our most creative players at times. If we're honest, as we've tried to evolve from that we haven't quite got it right. Even when we came close to the league again the balance didn't quite feel right. Keira didn't work out, Thiago hasn't from an injury perspective but also I'm not sure the balance has always been right when he's been available. Hendo, gini and fabinho fell off very quickly when we tried to evolve. Whether it's chicken or egg I don't know.
Biggest decision for the new manager will be how to shape the midfield and what sort of creativity we demand from the full backs. We have some quality to build on but still lacking a big bitter in the middle and need to work out Sboz. Just don't see a partnership with Trent there at all
Honestly it feels like we've tried to be creative/clever, think outside the box with recruitment, but have just ended up bamboozling ourselves and the players and moved away from what made us so successful. In this case we're talking about the midfield, but you could apply it to any area of the team really. You look at our midfield group and they're all so different, and not in a "hey great, horses for different courses" kind of way, but in a confused "do we know what we're actually trying to do" way.
Szoboszlai feels like a second striker/forward who is all about his engine. Gravenberch is a laconic, technical sort of player who can beat a press but plays with little intensity. Jones is a safe/recycling kind of midfielder who won't take many risks on the ball. Elliott is an attacking midfielder who will take plenty of risks on the ball, but who lacks a bit on the physical side. Macca is an all-rounder, who could do with being surrounded by quicker players. These are just the players we've used as #8s this season. What roles are they being asked to play, because they all have vastly different attributes? Do any of them particularly compliment one another? It feels like a lot of our recent recruitment has been decided in isolation on a case by case basis with relatively less attention paid to how those players actually fit together.
