How important is it to have a DM?

[Spurger King]

With McCarthy signing a new contract, and our options running out, there have been mixed views on how pressing it is to sign a DM.

A few people have said they'd be perfectly happy to stick with the midfielders we've got. Our options in the middle would be Bentaleb, Mason, Dembele, Alli, Carroll (possibly), and (God forbid) Dier.

However, none of them can fulfil the defensive midfielder role - at least at the level we'd require. Whilst Bentaleb and Mason worked well in several games, in others they were a major weakness in the team, allowing the opposition to run straight through them and offering very little protection to the back four.

I remember Redknapp bringing in Palacios and saying he was exactly the type of player that Spurs had been crying out for for years. I think he was spot on. Palacios was soon followed by Sandro, who added further steel to the team. Palacios and Sandro were of course the rocks in our famous San Siro victory over Milan.

When Palacios was moved on due to his loss of form (coinciding with the loss of one of his brothers), Redknapp brought in Parker, who was instrumental in some of our most impressive performances in years. However like many Redknapp signings, he was never going to be a long-term solution.

AVB seemed to value the importance of a DM quite highly. We had Sandro, Paulinho (not strictly a DM, but played there for Brazil), and Capoue. Obviously Sandro ended up being moved on after his injury, and this summer we've sold Paulinho, Capoue, and another DM in Stambouli, after all three failed to contribute much to last season.

And now we don't have a single recognised first-team quality DM at the club. I believe that this is a critical position for us, and Redknapp was correct to say that Spurs had always been viewed as "soft" due to an absence of these types of players. I know Mason likes to get stuck in, but in my view he's not good enough (or suited) to play that role.

I know a lot of people baulked at the idea of paying a big sum for a player like McCarthy, but for me it would have been worth it to provide balance to the team. I for one hope that this issue is addressed before the window closes, otherwise I can see big problems ahead.

 

[Gbspurs]

Ask Sherwood and Ferdinand.

Edit: oh and to answer your question. Best we have played in recent (10 or so) years are the times we have had Carrick, Davids and Parker running the show. So I believe it's very important and the lack of addressing this will be out downfall.

 

[felmani26]

Shouldn't even be debatable - balance is key to success ergo a midfielder who is capable of doing the 'dirty stuff', screening the back four and closing down space for the opposition to operate in between our midfield and defence is vital if we are going to either make a sustained push for a Champions League berth or actually win something!

 

[danielneeds]

You can have two allrounders, but not when the fullbacks are pushing so far forward, IMO.

Sometimes we lose the ball and when the opposition attacks there is a great big gap between our centrebacks and the rest of the team.

 

[Gbspurs]

Watching how important Schneiderlin will be for Utd will also be hard to take. If ever there was a time to smack down £25m it was for him last year and I believe we will pay for that inactivity for years to come.

 

[eddiev14]

Yeah, extremely important, and we better have a plan to do something about it.

Our inactivity in strengthening midfield and attack this window now has me worried and it is starting to have all the hallmarks of a Daniel Levy last minute bargain hunt.

 

[Spurger King]

In the interest of fairness I can understand the views of those who think we don't need a DM, even if I disagree with them.

In favour of that view would be the fact that we finished 5th last season with a midfield partnership mainly of Bentaleb and Mason (after multiple combinations in the first half of the season). Bentaleb and Mason will no doubt improve again this season, and there are reasons to believe they could develop a great understanding at the heart of the team.

Young players like Alli and Carroll would have more opportunities without another midfielder being brought in, and I can understand why a lot of people would be happy to see that.

There's also cost and availability. If we can't afford the right DM, there's little we can do about it. Likewise, if a target doesn't want to join us we can hardly force them. No point in buying another Stambouli for the sake of it, and it's a widely held view on here that we should be investing in two replacement forwards (if Adebayor ever leaves). I can see how a lot of supporters might prefer us to stick with the midfielders we have if it means we can spend more on attacking players.

As I say, I don't really agree with those views as I think a DM is vital, but that's how I understand the arguments against bringing one in.

 

[jezz]

We need a water carrier. It's that simple.

 

[Huddlebone]

Did we play with a carrier when Huddlestone - Luka played ?

VDV
Bale-Luka-Tom-Lennon dont see anyone that has the (carrier ) role.

 

[Syn_13]

We need a water carrier. It's that simple.

Fuck that, we need a team carrier.

 

[jezz]

Did we play with a carrier when Huddlestone - Luka played ?

VDV
Bale-Luka-Tom-Lennon dont see anyone that has the (carrier ) role.

And they won?

 

[spurs9]

Did we play with a carrier when Huddlestone - Luka played ?

VDV
Bale-Luka-Tom-Lennon dont see anyone that has the (carrier ) role.

Good point, the season we qualified for the CL, we went on the run of beating Arsenal, Chelsea & Man City playing a mid 4 of Bale-Luka-Tom-Bently (though Lennon v City and Rose 1st half v Arsenal) and 2 strikers. Saying that though Palacios played a large chunk of the season.

I think it's a good idea to have a DM option in the team, even if they aren't a regular in the 1st 11. I think the main issues though are the front 4 pressing, the speed in which we move the ball forward and the lack of a pace option in the front 4. If we don't also fix these, having a DM will be like putting a band-aid on an axe wound.

 

[WiganSpur]

With McCarthy signing a new contract, and our options running out, there have been mixed views on how pressing it is to sign a DM.

A few people have said they'd be perfectly happy to stick with the midfielders we've got. Our options in the middle would be Bentaleb, Mason, Dembele, Alli, Carroll (possibly), and (God forbid) Dier.

However, none of them can fulfil the defensive midfielder role - at least at the level we'd require. Whilst Bentaleb and Mason worked well in several games, in others they were a major weakness in the team, allowing the opposition to run straight through them and offering very little protection to the back four.

I remember Redknapp bringing in Palacios and saying he was exactly the type of player that Spurs had been crying out for for years. I think he was spot on. Palacios was soon followed by Sandro, who added further steel to the team. Palacios and Sandro were of course the rocks in our famous San Siro victory over Milan.

When Palacios was moved on due to his loss of form (coinciding with the loss of one of his brothers), Redknapp brought in Parker, who was instrumental in some of our most impressive performances in years. However like many Redknapp signings, he was never going to be a long-term solution.

AVB seemed to value the importance of a DM quite highly. We had Sandro, Paulinho (not strictly a DM, but played there for Brazil), and Capoue. Obviously Sandro ended up being moved on after his injury, and this summer we've sold Paulinho, Capoue, and another DM in Stambouli, after all three failed to contribute much to last season.

And now we don't have a single recognised first-team quality DM at the club. I believe that this is a critical position for us, and Redknapp was correct to say that Spurs had always been viewed as "soft" due to an absence of these types of players. I know Mason likes to get stuck in, but in my view he's not good enough (or suited) to play that role.

I know a lot of people baulked at the idea of paying a big sum for a player like McCarthy, but for me it would have been worth it to provide balance to the team. I for one hope that this issue is addressed before the window closes, otherwise I can see big problems ahead.

If this position is not addressed we'll be coming back to this thread in October/November

 

[Khilari]

Watching how important Schneiderlin will be for Utd will also be hard to take. If ever there was a time to smack down £25m it was for him last year and I believe we will pay for that inactivity for years to come.

Agree, we should have tried harder to nab him last season, but I thought general consensus was that Soton refused to sell to us for any reasonable, even high fee due to public pressure on the number of players they'd already sold? Bad luck for us but understand that we had tried, pretty hard.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

I honestly don't agree. I know the importance of the DM-role, but you can also get your CM's to understand the game and each other better to play better as a team. I mean look at Real Madrid, they don't have a DM either. They have two 8's which is very good in passing, like Modric and Kroos. That combination can also work, but it requires a lot from the players and the manager. Last season we saw that Mason and Bentaleb could work, to a sense at least, else they wouldn't have played. I still feel like we need more quality in the midfield.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

I honestly don't agree. I know the importance of the DM-role, but you can also get your CM's to understand the game and each other better to play better as a team. I mean look at Real Madrid, they don't have a DM either. They have two 8's which is very good in passing, like Modric and Kroos. That combination can also work, but it requires a lot from the players and the manager. Last season we saw that Mason and Bentaleb could work, to a sense at least, else they wouldn't have played. I still feel like we need more quality in the midfield.

One of the reasons Madrid's defence really wasn't that good last season. Many of their fans are desperate for a more defensive midfielder.

 

[RickyVilla]

And they won?

What did we win when Wilson was here? Or Davids? Not a great counter argument there.

 

[jezz]

What did we win when Wilson was here? Or Davids? Not a great counter argument there.

Fair enough.
Can you name a team that has won the league without one?

 

[Cravenspurs]

For me, when our two FB's, essentially wingbacks are bombing forward, you need someone to drop back and pretty much cover the middle of the field.

Chelsea - Matic
Barcelona - Busquets

And more examples out there. With out pressing style we need cover for out CB's that are so spaced out.

 

[nicdic]

In the interest of fairness I can understand the views of those who think we don't need a DM, even if I disagree with them.

In favour of that view would be the fact that we finished 5th last season with a midfield partnership mainly of Bentaleb and Mason (after multiple combinations in the first half of the season). Bentaleb and Mason will no doubt improve again this season, and there are reasons to believe they could develop a great understanding at the heart of the team.

Young players like Alli and Carroll would have more opportunities without another midfielder being brought in, and I can understand why a lot of people would be happy to see that.

There's also cost and availability. If we can't afford the right DM, there's little we can do about it. Likewise, if a target doesn't want to join us we can hardly force them. No point in buying another Stambouli for the sake of it, and it's a widely held view on here that we should be investing in two replacement forwards (if Adebayor ever leaves). I can see how a lot of supporters might prefer us to stick with the midfielders we have if it means we can spend more on attacking players.

As I say, I don't really agree with those views as I think a DM is vital, but that's how I understand the arguments against bringing one in.

I agree with this. If the right guy was available, who would fit the system, bought the necessary experience, and was a big enough step up to warrant it, then I'd happily see us sign someone in central midfield. Kramer and Bender to me, seem to be the two that we've looked at that would have fit that (plus Schneiderlin until United got involved). Otherwise, I'd rather stick. There's no point in buying bodies for the sake of it, especially if we believe in the kids coming through.

Bentaleb and Mason did a good job last year, and will only be better for a years experience in the league. With a full season under their belt each, I'd be expecting them to push on. They got beat sometimes, sure, but they also put in some commanding performances against supposedly stronger midfields.

I also think that the stats that someone posted a few weeks back that suggested an issue with our backline, and @Bus-Conductor's insistence on the issue being our front-four-press hold as bigger issues, than Mason and Bentaleb do.

Too many just seem desperate for signings, whoever they are, however suited or good they might be. That kind of tactic has been serving us poorly for years. Get the right guy, who will really step us up or notch, or leave it.