Is Khadeira a box to box MF like Rambo, not a defensive midfielder, then? And if so, why are we so

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

into him, given he wouldn't start and we have Jack, Tommy and Abou (joke) who could play there?

(Also, does anyone actually believe that Mourinho would spunk millions of the Rusky's cash just to stop AW strengthening?)

Pity there isn't a Gilberto for sale. How he only cost £3.5m after winning the WC, when the likes of Edu, Van Bronckhorst etc were 2-3 times that price, God alone knows.

Are the other two we're linked with - Bender and Schneilderlin - DMs who could replace Arteta or box to box Rambo types?

[Luis Anaconda]

and central midfielders tend to operate between the boxes in the main. Which one of Petit and Vieira were sitting midfielders or Keane and Scholes. It's not like either of our centre halves are Kolo types who like to storm the opposition's citadel. Just needs discipline from the two centre mids so they don't both "go" at the the same time

[Mc Gooner]

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

silly question - would you rather replace Arteta with PV or Gilberto?

I know that PV was as complete a mf as one could hope to see, but Gilby would fit our team like a glove.

Do we really want Rambo to have to sit when the other mf bombs forward.

I know I'm biased (cos I only watch us) but Rambo looked as good an attacking box-to-boxer* as I've seen.

i.e in the old 4-4-2 days, when you'd have a more attacking mf, but not a no.10 style mf, like Ozzy. You know, a Brady sort.

['Neg]

[Luis Anaconda]

wouldn't expect Rambo to sit all the time but they can make it work.

Of course, I watch a lot of football. Doesn't mean I know what the f**k I am talking about

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

[Ashberto]

one of the best you've ever seen.

Hope this helps. :thumbup:

[Ben.]

Is it could be more difficult to track if you have two players capable of making runs.
Although on the face of it I agree with you, Ramsey holding while someone inferior to him going forward goes doesn't really make too much sense to me.
When we could just let Ramsey carry on and compliment him with a more defensive minded player.

Maybe we will convert Khedira like Arteta, unlike Arteta he has the physical attributes.

[Ashberto]

I wonder if he can bowl spin?

[Bergkamp's Brain]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

that was in a 4-4-2.

If we're playing a 3 man midfield with Özil in it then it will take a huge amount of discipline and good communication to have Ramsey and an.other doing that. You also rely on both players being able to fulfil the defensive role, which while not the most elegant or noted requires a fair bit of nous. There's definitely an argument that to liberate a box to box midfielder with good attacking instincts you need a specialised deep sitting defensive midfielder.

[Supermac1976]

[Bergkamp's Brain]

[Luis Anaconda]

The 4-4-2 you talked of usually involved Dennis Bergkamp playing deep and both wingers given licence to roam - quite how different that is to how we play now is very debateable

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

We played Cesc in a variety of midfield roles, sometimes box to box, sometimes just behind the front three, but sometimes sitting much deeper. He could certainly tackle. But Arsene didn't want to play him alongside Vieira, and says there's no space for him now with Özil in the team.

But maybe that says more about Arsene seeing Cesc as an all out attacking midfielder now.

[redgunamo]

Although if the idea of warching other teams appals so strongly maybe the club could start selling training ground season tickets :rubchin:

[Luis Anaconda]

fish

[devongunner]

Hope that helps

[Luis Anaconda]

[redgunamo]

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

that Chav.

PV was so good it almost makes the discussion pointless, but a Gilberto (who could also play in central defence) would be perfect.

I know Jack's a midget (is this Khadeira chap bigger) but he didn't work playing with Rambo.

It's almost as if we should have signed Santi a season earlier - when we bought Arteta after losing Cesc and Nasri - and kept Alex Song.

I still think Tommy is a great footballer. Abou may come back. Jack, Santi, Ox etc.

I'd just really like a big DM to sit in front on the back 4.

['Neg]

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

were robbed or just unlucky, in my experience. Esp. as I only go to home games.

And I'd guess that both Paddy and Gilberto were still pretty good even when judged by world standards.

[redgunamo]

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

Which is where he usually plays :-/

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

[redgunamo]

forward division again, that might work. After all, Petit and Gilberto were occassional centre-backs.

As was Alex Song too, of course.

[Ashberto]

because you only see other players of the other teams you do play against for one or two games, which is too small a sample to enable an informed opinion to be derived. If you don't play a team you never see their players therefore cannot compare them to your own at all.

For example, we haven't played Real Madrid or Barcelona for a while, so because he hasn't seen their players recently he can't compare them to ours or assume that ours are better.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

attacked like the modern wide forwards do.

When we played with Santi on the left and Feo on the right, was there really that much difference?

So you could argue it both ways.

98/02 - we did that with 2 normal MFs. 04 had a specific DM.

But if we play with both Sanchez and Feo, isn't that like playing both Bobby and Overmars and therefore calling even more loudly for a dm?

At the end of 92, we had my fave ever forward line - Merse and Limpar on the wrong flanks. Wright and Super Kev up front. But we never won anything with those 4 playing.

[Mc Gooner]

[Supermac1976]

Sent him down!! :judge: :driving:

http://www.oocities.org/televisioncity/set/8115/pics/nutmeg.jpg