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Tony Hanna's Musings

Our Best Midfield?

One of the difficult problems any Premier League manager actually wants to have is who to leave out when he has a full squad of players to choose from. Much better than the problem of knocking on the doors of the physios in the search for fit players in a depleted squad or having to choose between the regular whose form has dipped or the inexperienced youngster who has shown promise. The managers from the top clubs who are involved in the Champions League have rotation policies in place that goes some way to appease the fringe players and give valuable rest time to fatigued players or those harbouring niggling injuries. The fact that they have more games to play is more often than not counter balanced with more depth in their squad of players. But when the big games come around tough decisions still have to be made.

So what of us then? Randolph looks to have cemented his place in goal and barring unforeseen circumstances you would have to think Adrian will be off to pastures new in the Summer. The defence nearly picks itself notwithstanding the continued need for a quality right back who will make the position his own, or at least a reliable back up if Slaven thinks Byram is up to the job full time. Up front Andy Carroll on current form is undroppable and if Sakho comes back from injury with a revitalised attitude towards the club he must surely play alongside him in a similar role to the one employed against the Moaning ones in the last game at our old ground? Supporting Carroll up front when we are attacking and dropping back on the right side of midfield when we are defending. Alternatively, Antonio or Ayew could be options instead of Sakho in the attacking role?

So what of the midfield then? This is the area where Slaven will have the most “desirable” headaches. These will become migraines if he needs to play 4-4-2 instead of a 3-5-2 or a 4-5-1. If we play two central midfielders who will they be? Or more to the point, who misses out?

The central midfielders include captain Mark Noble. Mr West Ham, the Canning Town lad has had his admirers and his critics this season. We rarely win without him in the side say some. He is too slow and plays too many sideways and backward passes say others. If you like Squawka stats they say he has completed 896 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 87% of which 72% were forward. So much for the sideways and backward theory then! Another profile site I read said he likes to play long balls, tackle and plays the ball off the ground often –he has no strengths and his weakness is in aerial duels. I would agree with the aerial comment but my eyes say that he is slow and can be too ponderous at times. He regularly outruns any other player in the side and has a pretty decent penalty taking record. Actually the running stat grates on me a bit as Kevin Nolan had good running stats too in the final stages of his playing career and any self-respecting football fan could see he had lost the yard of pace that in reality makes you a passenger in the Premier League. So, if you look at Mark Noble playing a game of football you can certainly observe he has his weaknesses. Something you can’t criticise is the love he shows for the club, his loyalty and the pure class the man is off the field while so many of the highly paid footballers of today’s generation are making bad headlines. But what about the invisible qualities he brings to the team? Do you believe in them? These include the ability to gel a team together on the pitch, to organise and to command the respect where our players will go the extra mile for the club and their captain. To be the managers commandant on the field of play. Is this the missing link when he is not in the team?

Cheikhou Kouyate for some would be the first name on the team sheet. Big, strong and powerful, he has the ability to go on unstoppable runs but also the craft of breaking up opposition play in vital areas. His energy is used not on continual movement like Noble, but on gut busting surges upfield when we counter attack and then downfield when play breaks down. Good in the air and quick, he is a natural athlete and his concentration on the pitch is excellent. On the downside his control and passing is the weakest of the central midfielders. He has completed 513 passes this season with an accuracy of 84% although it must be remembered he has been deployed to a central defensive role for several matches.

Pedro Obiang is the surprise packet of the season. Expected to be moved on after failing to claim a first team place last season he has matured into quite a physical presence in recent months. For a tall man his control and passing is excellent and in some ways he reminds me of a raw Yaya Toure. He can play a mean through ball as exploited by the pass leading to Carrolls goal against Southampton. In recent weeks he has shown that at his best he can dominate in that central defensive midfield role quite impressively. Like Kouyate, he is difficult to shake off the ball and his tackling and blocking is very good. Obiang has similar stats to the other two but interestingly and quite surprisingly 92% of his passes have been forward.

Looking at the rest of the set up you have to wonder where some of the others fit in when everyone is fit? Does Lanzini come into consideration for a central midfield berth? His control and passing is probably the strongest of all the three aforementioned despite his stats being almost identical to Mark Noble. He certainly appears more comfortable on the ball when pressed. Small in stature he has the ability to break quickly and also release the defence splitting pass. The downside is the engine and physical strength. Does the current set up demand that if he plays in the first eleven he is played wide? Again, look away if you don’t like Squawka stats but their player ratings for the season so far give 4.5/5 scores for Kouyate and Lanzini, a 4/5 for Obiang and a 3.5/5 for Noble.

Snodgrass, Ayew, Antonio, Feghouli and Fernandes all come into the equation for who makes up the midfield numbers, mainly in the attacking side of the optional formations. Nordtveit has failed to impress so far this season and in my opinion does not come into the equation. So, what is your preferred midfield set up and why?

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