Goaters 103 wrote:So lets get this straight, we are running around in panic at the last minute for Gago, who has played 180 odd games and scored twice (with 9 assists) so he's a holding midfielder.
A quick check of the squad reveals we have De Jong, Barry, Vieira, Kompany and Zabba, 5 ... count them 5, players who can already play in this role.
What the hell is the plan, a 3-4-2-1 formation with effectively a back 7?
Let's analyze those you mentioned for a moment. Kompany has not playd a single minute in DM under Mancini, and there's no guarantee the gaffer will see him fit to play there. Zabaleta, he's also cover for Richards at RB, so there might be games where he has to be used there, and will be unavailable to play as DM (although Mancini did play Onuoha as RB at Scunthorpe, but I'm not sure this will happen again) Vieira, he's still not fit and since it seemed a stupid injury, who knows how long will he actually take to be fit? This leaves us with only De Jong and Barry as pure defensive midfielders, and even that is at a push, since Barry is not a classical DM. He's surely not a creative one but I think his role is a bit larger than that of De Jong as he has to support attacks (if he can bring himself to go faster than a snail, that is). This leaves us with only De Jong as an out-and-out DM, and Vieira when he will be fit. This said, I wouldn't have seen the Gago move so obscene, although not strictly necessary.
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