mmmmmmmmmmmm,
Some of this may make painful reading, but IMHO…….
It is midfields that win and lose games.
All great teams are built around great midfields. It is for this reason that I believe we need new personnel at Anfield.
Probably the best three teams on the face of planet football at the moment are Real Madrid, Bayern Munchen and as much as it pains me to say it, Manchester United.
Lets take the latter as the first example. Objectively, Keane is nothing short of a sensational midfield dynamo. Mr stamina. He will fight like a bull until the final whistle is blown. He drives the Mancs forward, motivates any underpeforming players, keeps his passing short, runs like an Ox and intimidates opposition players. He is arguably Alex Ferguson’s greatest signing. Ince was fantastic for them, but he was allowed to go as quite simply they had a better replacement. Above all, he is a leader and there is no team in world football today that would not want him bossing the middle of the park.
For all our dislike of him, Beckham again is world class. He never tires and is always available as an outlet down the right. His right foot is arguably the best on the planet and he has developed leadership characteristics. He is arguably the best right sided midfielder in the game today. He would get in any team in the world bar perhaps Real. Scholes is quiet and probably underrated. He isn’t scared to put the boot in and compliments Keane’s tendency to sit back on occasions by being the one central Manc player who likes to come in deep from midfield and support the attack.
For me, Giggs is the best left winger since John Barnes and that in itself is a compliment enough. They miss him when he is out. Along with Keane, he is probably United’s most influential player. Is he the best left sided player in the world? Well I would challenge anyone to find better. It is a shame he will never get to compete on the world greatest stage, as if anyone deserves it, like a famous Northern Irish predecessor, it is he.
Fergie believes in the title statement and that is why he bought Veron. Sure there has been trouble accomadating him, but he is arguably the best South American midfield player at the moment. Rivaldo is perhaps the only South American who eclipses him.
United have run away with the league for seasons now and look like that feat will be repeated this year. Their superiority comes from their midfield. While our attack is better than theirs, while our defence is better than theirs, while our bench is better than theirs and our keeper is the greater, it is their midfield which puts them ahead of us.
The midfield is the key to conducting the football orchestra. Real Madrid have smashed the world transfer record as they know this is true. Own the centre of the park and more often than not, you will win football matches. The centre of the pitch is the key. Their defence is weaker than a team of their stature’s defence should be. Hierro is aging and despite an up and coming youngster along side him, they do not possess any of the top ten centre backs in the world. Nor do United. But it is midfields who win and lose games. This is why they want and are determined to get Viera. He would sit deep and allow Zidane and figo to orchestrate play further up the pitch. Helguera would compliment Viera, while the attacking midfielders would run riot.
United’s defence is poor. United’s attack in recent years has been poor. The term Andy Cole is used up and down the country by school kids when fellow playground friends miss sitters. Hoddle reckons Cole needed 5 chances before he score, but with United’s midfield, he got this. Even Andrei Silenzi, Adi Akenbi or Jason Lee would get 30 a seaon for them.
Bayern have been strong in recent years. Probably their typically German organisation is the key, but their midfield is currently the best in German football. For all his cockyness, Effenberg runs the show. Scholl provides the creativity and Jeremies the much needed bite. It is that midfield trident which runs the show, allowing Sagnol and Lizerazu to overlap.
Some say that in 1986, one Argentinian won the world cup on his own. While the hand of God [no Robbie jokes here] had apart to play in it and no doubt 10 other players, it is undeniable that his performance was probably the greatest by one individual player in a single tournament anywhere and at any time in footballing history. Could he have done this from in defence? Could he have orchestrated things and dominated quite as majestically as he did from up front?? It’s doubtful, for it is the midfield who run the game.
Just take a look at amateur football. You all must’ve played at some stage. If your midfield is on top, you will more often than not win the game. You could have Pele up front, but if enough chances aren’t created by the midfield, you won’t win the game. Quite simple. Moments of individual attacking brilliance aside, it is the midfield who control the game. In that sense it is always quite strange that transfer records seem to be broken by attackers. Francis, Rush, Beardsley, Lentini, Cole, Shearer. Maybe this pattern is changing with ZZ, Figo, Veron and possibly Viera?
For it is the latter who boss the game.
Our greatest ever side was possibly the vintage of 1987/88. Macca did what Keane does for United. Perpetual motion personified, he took the game by the scruff of the neck and ran the opposition midfield ragged. But not in one game, the 1988 cup final. Some say that the tackle by Vinnie Jones on Steve in the first few minutes was the key that day. It showed that Vinnie wasn’t going to be bossed around and that enabled them to compete. While our midfield was far classier on paper, paper teams only win paper cups and on the day they were equal and nicked it at a set piece.
That year, Digger was the man. He was utterly brilliant. Seeing one of his runs in full flow was close to orgasmic. Justifiably a kop favourite and maybe the most naturally skilled player ever to wear a Liverbird upon his chest. Why he never managed to produce that form for his country remains one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
[note, author preferring to ignore, existence of god, why the dinosaurs disappered, exra terrestrial life and JFK at this stage.]
Molby would rather cut of both his wrists than give away the ball, Houghton, a later addition added a new dimension to both our attacking and defensive play and the skunk was one of the most underrated players of that generation. Like Didi, Ronnie Whelan was unoticably yet extremely effective and admired more by players than fans.
Before them, Souness and Case were the respective bosses of the midfield and Kenny unlocked the doors. Win the midfield battle and you win the game.
Rivaldo does it for Brazil, yet for some strange reason the Brazilian fans don’t rate him as highly as us because he “left them” to make more money in Europe, but he alone can’t do it all, and Brazil are suffering as a result. A midfield needs to be complete. When Ajax reigned supreme, a midfield of Jari, Davids, Seedorf, Overmars, De Boer et al did it for them. Ac Milan had Gullit and Albertini pulling the strings. When Juve were at their peak a few years ago, who could stop Davids and ZZ? Lazio won the Italian league with the best midfield in that year with Veron, Simeone and Nedved, and closer to home when the Arse won the double, why was this? In my opinion, it was because it was they who had the best midfield. Viera and Petit worked in tandom while Overmars glided past defenders with ease. United came second because Keane and Giggs were out for long periods, thus furthermore illustrating their importance to their team.
Yes it is midfields who run games, dictate the play and give teams consistency, something we have been lacking. Had Redders and a withdrawn Barnes have been able to turn possession in to penetration from midfield, the 90’s may have proved to be more fruitful for the redman.
Currently, Stevie is awesome. When he wants to boss a game, he can. He has the potential to be everything and more. Keane, Souness, Mcmahon and Case all rolled in to one. He can shoot, dribble, pass short or long distances, tackle, fight for the ball and probably one day lead. Didi, I have already covered, he sits deep, breaks up play, links defence and attack and gives the ball short.
While the rest of our midfield are all very good players, have fantastic attributes and on their day can run a game, they do not do so often enough. If we want to take that next step forward we must win the midfield battle more often and develop methods for beating teams who stick 11 men behind the ball.
Our strikers consist of the European footballer of the year who is arguably the best player in the world and has a wonderful future ahead of him, Anelka, Baros and Heskey. All talented youngsters with potential in abundance. Baros is meant to be the Czeck Maraonna and we all saw what Nic did at the Arse. Added to this, Heskey on form is unstoppable. The number of goals they score with limited chances is very good. If Owen was up front for United or Real, goal statistics would be smashed and records broken. With Le Tallec and Pongolle joining, the future looks bright.
Our defence is awesome, Sammi and Stephane [even if just walking out of the tunnel makes him look knackered] do their respective impressions of slabs of granite week in week out and the Pole in our goal goes from strength to strength. Vignal looks very very exciting, JC I rate extremely highly as I’ve said on may other threads and a fit babble is second maybe only to Thuram in the world as a right back. [Although Cafu may beg to differ].
But will our attack and defence win us what Shanks considered to be our bread and butter?
Are Paddi, Vladdi, Danny, Jari, Macca et al good enough to take us to the next level? Are they really on a par with Giggs, Beckham, Viera and the rest? Because it’s this position on the park which wins and loses league titles.
There is no room for sentiment, just ask sander and Robbie, Ince, or Kanchelskis. If you want to win league titles, difficult decisions need to be made and players who are not up to the level required to take a team to that next level need to be sold and better players brought in. This is one of the way teams get stronger. Rest on past glories and you’ll slip back in to obscurity. We should know.
Sentiment aside, what do really think? Do we need reinforcements for Ged’s five year battle plan?
YNWA
