Zaba in the middle

[PeterParker]

Just saw the game again and must say I was impressed by Zaba. Is it time to move him in the middle and play something similar to Fern 1 and 2? Some users suggested this at the start of the season and while his right back performances were not the same like those back in the day, the times Pep used him in the middle he managed to look good and not sloppy at all

Can he do it for a full time role?

[Scatman]

Just saw the game again and must say I was impressed by Zaba. Is it time to move him in the middle and play something similar to Fern 1 and 2? Some users suggested this at the start of the season and while his right back performances were not the same like those back in the day, the times Pep used him in the middle he managed to look good and not sloppy at all

Can he do it for a full time role?

Let's see what he's like against decent opposition before getting carried away

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I think it was Mase and myself who discussed this possibility at the start of the season PP and, tonight, he looked quite tidy and useful in the middle.

I suppose the jury is still out after this evening, but he could provide us with other options when we have injuries and suspensions to our first line midfielders.

Perhaps he could be used in 'lesser' games, to good effect but he might not be a contender there for games against sides in the top six of the table. However, it has been good to see Pep use a bit of imagination with regard to our Argentinian warrior, although this same imagination did result in Kolarov being used as a centre-back, which has proved to be something of a double edged sword.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

I think it was Mase and myself who discussed this possibility at the start of the season PP and, tonight, he looked quite tidy and useful in the middle.

I suppose the jury is still out after this evening, but he could provide us with other options when we have injuries and suspensions to our first line midfielders.

Perhaps he could be used in 'lesser' games, to good effect but he might not be a contender there for games against sides in the top six of the table. However, it has been good to see Pep use a bit of imagination with regard to our Argentinian warrior, although this same imagination did result in Kolarov being used as a centre-back, which has proved to be something of a double edged sword.

A few of us discussed this when fern got his 1st suspension too. It's a really tidy back up plan. Not for every game but he's a great plan c

[Douglas Higginbottom]

He was tried in midfield wasn't he against Leicester and how did that turn out. He was lost in a side playing poorly against a side that played well. Tonight he played well against a side that played badly.

Personally I don't he think he would be right agaisnt better sides that press and are stonger in the midfield which would rule out the next 2 games against Everton and Spurs. Great to see him play well wasn't it, legend that he is.

I still think Garcia would have been the right man to play tonight instead of Zaba.

[iwasthere2012]

He was tried in midfield wasn't he against Leicester and how did that turn out. He was lost in a side playing poorly against a side that played well. Tonight he played well against a side that played badly.

Personally I don't he think he would be right agaisnt better sides that press and are stonger in the midfield which would rule out the next 2 games against Everton and Spurs. Great to see him play well wasn't it, legend that he is.

I still think Garcia would have been the right man to play tonight instead of Zaba.

Love Zabba, but still think Doug is correct.
He still has his uses, but his days are numbered.
Zabba that is.....not Doug.

[bigblue]

He was tried in midfield wasn't he against Leicester and how did that turn out. He was lost in a side playing poorly against a side that played well. Tonight he played well against a side that played badly.

Personally I don't he think he would be right agaisnt better sides that press and are stonger in the midfield which would rule out the next 2 games against Everton and Spurs. Great to see him play well wasn't it, legend that he is.

I still think Garcia would have been the right man to play tonight instead of Zaba.

Garcia has the same calm about him in possession that Silva does. Many youth prospects have got me excited, but I think Garcia (on the ball) looks to have the same or more potential as Sane or Nacho.

As for Zabba in the middle, he was good, but it didn't look like he was exactly a center mid. He seemed to play on the top-right of a triangle with Kev and Yaya. Almost like what Lahm would pay under Pep at Bayern. Even if Zabba doesn't play in that same position, I really liked the way the team played in that system.

[phips]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

[aaron bond]

It did the job against West Ham. It's no long term solution and his best days are long gone.

He's a good player to have in the squad, especially for team spirit. But he really should just be an occasional sub now, especially as he's nowhere near as good as Sagna at right back.

He'll always be a club legend, that makes it even more painful to see his decline in these past 2 seasons. But our management team should never have allowed us to end up in this position.

[Blue Noodle]

Didn't Zabba play in midfield a couple of times under Hughes? I'm quite happy for him to slot in there as a ball winning/box to box midfielder seeing as we are short of options atm. Rather Zabba than clog boots Fern2.

[PeterParker]

He was tried in midfield wasn't he against Leicester and how did that turn out. He was lost in a side playing poorly against a side that played well. Tonight he played well against a side that played badly.

Personally I don't he think he would be right agaisnt better sides that press and are stonger in the midfield which would rule out the next 2 games against Everton and Spurs. Great to see him play well wasn't it, legend that he is.

I still think Garcia would have been the right man to play tonight instead of Zaba.

I think that would be a sentimental move, at least for me.

His heart is in the right place, it will always be, but I think his legs are gone, so he would not be as he was in the right back position. Yeah, he can still do the job with lower teams like Watford and such, but with bigger teams he will be easy to control by opponents.

I think he can do it in the middle, but he needs a bit of time to settle. If he will continue with us, his role in the squad will be less and less how it used to be, if he accepts that, and I think he will, he can play a role like Paddy V did it in his last season. It will be very hard for a player at his age to get used to play there, but If that will be the case, I think he will try his best to do it.

Ragarding Garcia, I like him, but I was shocked how indolent he was after he got in with Boro. Since then, Pep did not play him at all.

[Mase]

Didn't Zabba play in midfield a couple of times under Hughes? I'm quite happy for him to slot in there as a ball winning/box to box midfielder seeing as we are short of options atm. Rather Zabba than clog boots Fern2.

Yep and he scored a minter as well from outside the area.

Watch on youtube.com

Using the Leicester game as proof he can't play there is bollocks. Everyone played shit that day.

[Spurge]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

I thought we saw some intelligent movement from zabs and he and Yaya certainly seemed to click together. Yaya dropping deeper and zabs creating space in front of him. A good understanding between long standing team mates.

The negative, well zabs energy levels not surprisingly began to drop towards the end as did the accuracy of his passing. Overall largely positive he has the knowledge and experience to play the role but as others have pointed out perhaps not the stamina and may well be found out against tougher opposition.

As for your assessment well harsh and extreme to say the least. You get a lot of stick on here (sometimes a bit ott) but I suspect you enjoy it based on how you provoke it by going to extremities when making a point.

[Original Dub]

Of course he enjoys it spurge.

Who else on here annoys more people than this plastic cunt.

He pollutes every thread.

100% a troll.

[sheblue]

Zaba did a good job but i would still have rather seen garcia start in there yesterday.

[Moonchesteri]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

Then again you described Fernando there so as Zabs is superior player surely he should play there ahead of him.
Long term answer he is not though and whether it should be A.Garcia instead is a different question.
Imo it should be Aleix with Zabba coming on if we need bit of experience and steel in midfield

[Douglas Higginbottom]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

Then again you described Fernando there so as Zabs is superior player surely he should play there ahead of him.
Long term answer he is not though and whether it should be A.Garcia instead is a different question.
Imo it should be Aleix with Zabba coming on if we need bit of experience and steel in midfield

In the system we played yesterday with Zaba on the right of a diamond Fernando is not the right player for that role. But if Yaya is at the base Dinho would be good there or Garcia

[phips]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

The negative, well zabs energy levels not surprisingly began to drop towards the end as did the accuracy of his passing. Overall largely positive he has the knowledge and experience to play the role but as others have pointed out perhaps not the stamina and may well be found out against tougher opposition.

As for your assessment well harsh and extreme to say the least.

very odd comment from you considering that you said the exact same thing that i did.

[phips]

he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there.

Then again you described Fernando there

agree

[Spurge]

absolutely hate it.

yes he won the pen and yes we won 5-0 but he is like a fish out of water there. his lack of speed and lack of passing ability are horribly exploited there. he can get by with his footballing brain and experience but this role is only good in lame duck matches like today.

The negative, well zabs energy levels not surprisingly began to drop towards the end as did the accuracy of his passing. Overall largely positive he has the knowledge and experience to play the role but as others have pointed out perhaps not the stamina and may well be found out against tougher opposition.

As for your assessment well harsh and extreme to say the least.

very odd comment from you considering that you said the exact same thing that i did.

Well its responses like this that gets you the stick you do and I could easily respond by asking you if you are thick. You are right we do kind of agree in our assessment of Zaba in some respects but the key difference in our respective responses is that you choose to focus particularly on the negative side and make more of it than is necessary to provoke a response from others, which lets face it is pretty sad really.

So my comment not that odd at all, if our views are similar why would you not want to pay more attention to the positive elements of which there were plenty?