- Jul 15, 2012
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Those last 2 games were when I watched him thats why I assumed its where he played most! Thanks for the insight though snarf you love that double Pivot don't you
I think if played properly it can be the best option in midfield. It takes a ton of discipline, though. Especially being a club that many clubs respect in attack, it can really leave you susceptible to counters if the midfield don't have great communication and understanding.
We'd have a great trio to pick from, though. Paulinho/Dembele/Sandro were all made for the double-pivot in my mind and all offer just a bit of something different to make it work against any level of competition.
I'm really intrigued by the 4-3-3, though. I went back last night and re-watched our match at OT and was amazed just how different Dembele looked. His dribbling obviously was fantastic. He chipped in multiple tackles and the one he had on Giggs where he simply stood his ground and completely stripped Giggs of the ball was just a sight. But, the big thing that caught my eye was the passing. I don't recall seeing him move the ball along as quickly as he did against United. It honestly was a thing of beauty. He would pick the ball up and instantly play it off, usually to the wings, but with great precision. He didn't ping the ball around the pitch in the air (it's just not his passing style) but the way in which he kickstarted attacks was exactly what I would love to see out of one of our 3rd midfielders. The amount of times the commentator mentioned how our midfield was a class above or just completely bossing United had to be in the teens.
I'm getting off on a tangent and this is the ITK thread, but there was enough in that match to lead me to believe that Dembele can learn to be a metronome-esque player even if he doesn't spray passes in the air. He's got the quick mind to make it work and in that match he showed he has the ability to pull it off.