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Winks v Dembele

Who should start?

  • Winks

    Votes: 33 35.9%
  • Dembele

    Votes: 28 30.4%
  • Both

    Votes: 31 33.7%

  • Total voters
    92

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,840
56,924
I'd be gutted if we sold Dembele and he started playing injury free for another team. I may be one of few, but I still think he has a major role to play in this team.

Winks in a year or so will be the better player however.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
Dembele is defensively superior when properly fit, but the fact that he's never properly fit, the way we are coached, the systems we play now, the opposition most weeks, the fact that we have Wanyama (soon hopefully) renders this an easy trade off for the superior tempo Winks brings to our ball movement.
 

LexingtonSpurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2013
13,456
39,042
Depends on who the pairing is - right now, with Wanyama and Alderweireld both out, we could really use both Dembele and Winks.

When everyone is healthy and Dier is paired in the CM, I prefer Winks, and his off-the-ball movement, and passing to Dembele's ability to control the ball. But, its also game dependent - if we are losing the midfield possession battle, Dembele helps. If we are not showing enough quickness in transition, Winks helps.
 

John48

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2015
2,249
3,143
I think Winks is learning to give & go pretty well & for me our mid-field works better he's in there as it did against RM & L'Pool. He got the injury against CPalace which I'm not sure he's fully recovered from, but if he's fully fit he'd be my first choice.
 

tooey

60% banana
Apr 22, 2005
5,228
7,948
Horses for courses. There is a reason why pretty much every player who's played with and against Dembele rates him as one of the best, however Winks offers something completely different and is on the incline in his development.
 

lukespurs7

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2006
4,833
4,259
In a 352 both should start. Dembele for his physicality and ability to keep hold of the ball and Winks for his tenacity, passing and progressive play. They’re a good foil for each other. However, with Dembele being a perma-crock, I’d go 433 and play Dier, Winks and Eriksen in a 3 - holding, passer, creative. With Alli and Son floating and Kane up top.
This!!!

We tried 4-3-3 vs Chelsea first home game of season and it worked pretty well considering they only scored 2 sucker punch goals and wanyama was crocked.

A 3 of: Dier holding then Dembele/aeriaken and winks ahead with Alli and Son either side of Kane would be beaut
 

lukespurs7

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2006
4,833
4,259
It's for this reason that I think he'll be allowed to leave and there's another player or two in that category IMO.
Agree! Probably why we were looking at Gomes from Barca.
If we sign him + Barkley and Zaha/Pulisic + a proper back up for Kane with some pace and quality we will be there with pretty much any squad. But my guess is we will only sign 1 of 4 players we actually need.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Right at this moment it appears:

Dembele- Is on the decline,with his lack of goals/assists was he ever really good enough to anchor a team to win the league I doubt it.

Winks- For all his improvement and potential is he currently good enough to anchor a team to win league I doubt it. Could he replace fernandinho for city debatable. As that’s the comparable player in a single pivot CM.

Possibly harsh on both but right now I think we are caught in the middle and neither is quite at right point to be a commanding CM in a title winning team.
 

smallsnc

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2017
699
1,237
Right at this moment it appears:

Dembele- Is on the decline,with his lack of goals/assists was he ever really good enough to anchor a team to win the league I doubt it.

Winks- For all his improvement and potential is he currently good enough to anchor a team to win league I doubt it. Could he replace fernandinho for city debatable. As that’s the comparable player in a single pivot CM.

Possibly harsh on both but right now I think we are caught in the middle and neither is quite at right point to be a commanding CM in a title winning team.

I agree with the assessment but really think we have played our best when dropping 2 in CM. Playing Winks by himself has been a switch due to injuries IMO. The temporary answer may be to go back to the 4-2-3-1 with Dier alongside Winks, depending on Dembele's fitness.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Horses for courses. There is a reason why pretty much every player who's played with and against Dembele rates him as one of the best, however Winks offers something completely different and is on the incline in his development.

Could go either way then.
 

spurs-r-us

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2008
2,201
3,017
For me, Winks is an excellent prospect and a very good player already, but when he comes against a side that sits 6 or 7 men back he goes into his shell a bit.

Dembele is struggling with his fitness, but we've missed his driving runs into the box more than people realise. Playing Dembele is like having a third winger, but carving his way though the middle rather than wide.
 

DCSPUR

Well-Known Member
Apr 15, 2005
3,918
5,415
sadly with the injuries both have had the past two seasons we should be happy to have one of them fully fit and match ready at any given moment.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
I agree with the assessment but really think we have played our best when dropping 2 in CM. Playing Winks by himself has been a switch due to injuries IMO. The temporary answer may be to go back to the 4-2-3-1 with Dier alongside Winks, depending on Dembele's fitness.

I’m pretty sure we’ve played with a single pivot CM in every game.I remember from the Chelsea game wondering why dembele kept popping up on the left. Pretty sure it was because wanyama was the pivot. Imo winks/Dier can play this role. I really don’t think dembele can As was exposed against Arsenal. Also not convinced wanyama can play it either as not sure he is good enough on the ball. Part of me thinks poch has possibly tried to be to clever for his own good this season and over complicated things.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Not even really a contest now is it?

Dembele has looked truly awful since last injury. Single pivot NLD Leicester our 2 worst games. Sorry to say is now a liability in the most crucial area of the pitch. No idea what’s happened maybe just one to many injuries.
 

thinktank

Hmmm...
Sep 28, 2004
45,893
68,893
Not even really a contest now is it?

Dembele has looked truly awful since last injury. Single pivot NLD Leicester our 2 worst games. Sorry to say is now a liability in the most crucial area of the pitch. No idea what’s happened maybe just one to many injuries.touches.
 

isaac94

Well-Known Member
Jan 5, 2017
2,921
9,733
For me its Winks, just prefer his style of play, his a pass and mover, whilst Dembele is a play that like to use his strength on the ball to get past people to move forward, which he is very good at I might add. But passing the ball forward is much more effective and quicker than moving forward with it.
 
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