Our centre backs for 2015-2016

[Bobbins]

I agree I was never a fan of Alderweireld at Ajax, Verts was always a different class (except for those days when he thought certain teams were beneath him)
Could never command a place at AM although they had a very good unit and yes I agree Soton's defence has been far more down to Fonte, the full backs and the midfield cover than anything Alderweireld has done.

I'd like us to try for Garay, he wants out of Russia, is hugely experienced, happy to play either right or left, still pretty quick, agile and good aerially
He could teach the younger players a bit and this is a guy who has had to adjust to Spanish, Portugese and Russian football so is used to adjusting to change

That said Ogbonna has been linked and Garay hasn't and he's younger, a very strong yet pretty agile player and he would be a good option the only downside is that he hasn't had too much game time this season and players can lose a bit of real sharpness not playing enough

I know nothing of Wimmer so can't comment, but it seems like he'll be coming and at least that would represent a nice balance Dier and Wimmer both young, Verts and maybe Ogbonna that much older it would give us decent options

I love Garay, wish we had got him when we had AVB. Great player IMO. Thought he'd be out of reach due to wages.

Garay and Cabaye would be two stellar signings bringing the experience and grit we need this summer.

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

These are the 1st team squad CBs:

4 KABOUL Younes
5 VERTONGHEN Jan
6 CHIRICHES Vlad
15 DIER Eric
21 FAZIO Federico


Khumalo is leaving in the summer.

I think Dier is the only one guaranteed to be here next season.
ITK says Wimmer has signed and Toby is a rumour.

Are there any other CBs we could sign?

What is the possibility of Dominic Ball or any of the youth players being ready for the squad?

So we are selling Verts?



Errrrr.............................pleasasssee.

 

[cliff jones]

nice to have different and complementary types.

verts needs height and pace alongside him against the best. dier is the closest thing we have to this and he did pretty well when he had his run in the team. sadly the managers lack of faith in our reserve right back derailed diers development.

when fazio plays he certainly needs some recovery pace alongside him, coz he loses it so bleedin often in dangerous positions. walker can help when hes back.

is wimmer quick?

chiriches and kaboul surely leave, id puke if i see them in lillywhite again.

 

[cliff jones]

Before we settle on individuals, we need to sort out how we defend and work off the ball from a tactical perspective. As @Bobbins has said already, we need to improve greatly on what we do in front of the defence, starting from the very front, or we are going to continue to be open and concede goals. We could spend £100m on centre backs, but they can only do so much...

So tactically things need to change. I'm one who is hoping against hope that we switch to a 4-3-3 because I think it offers a more solid base (in the form of a midfield anchorman) whilst freeing up others to press in a 4-1-4-1 shape, and means we have less distance for each player to close down and reduces space. Talking about reducing space, far too often we are easy to play through because there are massive gaps between the lines of attack-midfield-defence. Therefore I think if Poch is determined for us to press then we need to be braver in terms of the defensive line, have belief in what we are doing and in our ability to win the ball high up the pitch... This means I think our defensive line could and should be higher up the pitch and really squeezing the game, with Lloris going back to his 'Super Hugo' act that we saw under AVB (he's reined it in a bit under Poch) and dealing with anything that gets within 30-40 yards of our goal.

Out of who we have right now, Fazio and an injury-crippled Kaboul are the two that would obviously on paper look most incompatible with this approach, as they are both pretty immobile on the turn and getting dragged out into wide areas. Anyone that we do bring in I hope we have done our homework on, its no good bringing someone in who is used to just defending the penalty area in a low block and packed defence. They have to be comfortable on the turn and covering across into wide areas when it is needed. Someone who can use the ball and be brave in their passing is also much needed.

agree with the direction of this good read, main prob for me is the full backs simply bomb on too often. leaving great holes behind. this is less of a prob for the goons or city because they dont lose possession with their full backs way upfield because people like yaya, silva, cazorla make better choices on the ball than eriksen, lamela and kane. want to see our fbs holding more, and instead one of the two dms given more licence to support our attacks.

 

[mpickard2087]

agree with the direction of this good read, main prob for me is the full backs simply bomb on too often. leaving great holes behind. this is less of a prob for the goons or city because they dont lose possession with their full backs way upfield because people like yaya, silva, cazorla make better choices on the ball than eriksen, lamela and kane. want to see our fbs holding more, and instead one of the two dms given more licence to support our attacks.

I wont comment from an attacking POV because this was a thread about defenders/defence, but I think what our problem is that we have to be streetwise and commit more niggly fouls. Our fans need to realise this too. I've been reading many match threads this year where people start moaning when the likes of Mason, Bentaleb, Rose etc. pick up bookings... For me, this is what they should be doing. If you are playing high up the pitch and on the front foot you are open to the counter, lose the ball and it must not get past the centre mids (or wingbacks - basically they must not get over the centre circle and/or be running at our defence) or you are in trouble. Niggly fouls and bookings have to be committed and you disrupt the game, and so midfielders should pick up stacks of bookings in my opinion.

Whatever system or style you play, the objective is to protect your centre backs. That can be done in more than one way, and doesn't always have to be done in a fair way!

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Instead of Wimmer, or maybe in addition to, Brighton's Lewis Dunk could be interesting. Quite tall, arial power, has visited the national U-teams, he can play both LCB & RCB equally well and he would cost so little that it would be beyond worth it.

Instead of Alderweireld, we could be looking at Veltman. A bit shorter than Alderweireld, but he can also play LCB & RCB equally well. He uses the same agent as Corluka & Lovren, so I suppose both Pochettino & Levy has good connections.

Lastly, I reiterate that I think Micah Richards has never been better (all though he may be looking for a team who will use him as their #1 RB).

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I really like Dier and Vertonghen as a CB pairing. Good blend of skills. I think we have to give Dier the time to learn his trade now. He's not a Ledley King or Rio Ferdinand (or Vertonghen) type, he's more your robust Vidic, Bruce, Terry type but I think he has the potential and skill set to be on par with those players.

I really don't want to keep any of the others. And I don't like what I have been told (and tiny snippets I've seen) about Wimmer, but will reserve judgement until I see him properly.

I would have gone for Schar (Basel) and then as and when a 4th or 5th choice CB was needed promoted one up from the development group (Ball, CCV, Maghoma etc) and gone into next season with Vertonghen, Dier, Schar & Dev Group.


As @mpickard2087 said, the problem is our system and application. We need to collectively work as a team to defend and attack.

 

[tiger666]

Whoever it is, they'll have their work cut out if Poch persists with no defensive mid.

 

[Indacupfortottenham]

Agree with those who think we should go 4-3-3 - would have a big impact on the goals against column.
I also like the idea of Eriksen on the left of a midfield 3.

As fo Cb's, that could improve us - I only really watch the Prem so....
Shawcross for me, hard as nails, and the type that could help Dier develop.

 

[Hoops]

We certainly don't need 5 senior centre halfs. Get Alderweirld and sell Fazio.

 

[Blake Griffin]

As fo Cb's, that could improve us - I only really watch the Prem so....
Shawcross for me, hard as nails, and the type that could help Dier develop.

to play alongside or instead of dier? if the latter then how is dier sitting on the bench watching a perennial mid table defender going to help him develop?

 

[DaSpurs]

to play alongside or instead of dier? if the latter then how is dier sitting on the bench watching a perennial mid table defender going to help him develop?

Not all learning and development comes from experience. In fact, most adults aren't even kinesthetic learners. I know you're an advocate of baptism through as much fire as possible, but sometimes it's beneficial to have someone who can point out where the fire ends.

 

[prawnsandwich]

We certainly don't need 5 senior centre halves. Get Alderweirld and sell Fazio.

That's a good point.
I was half-hearted about the Capoue and Stambouli signings but I figured they could cover at CB as well.
We will have a smaller squad next season. Hopefully Veljkovic can be involved and he can play CB and midfield.
We will need a couple of "utility"players like him.
We haven't really heard in this thread from the guys who follow the youth to see if there are any ready for next year's 1st team squad.

 

[Blake Griffin]

Not all learning and development comes from experience. In fact, most adults aren't even kinesthetic learners. I know you're an advocate of baptism through as much fire as possible, but sometimes it's beneficial to have someone who can point out where the fire ends.

yes, but we're talking about ryan shawcross, not paolo maldini.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Agree with those who think we should go 4-3-3 - would have a big impact on the goals against column.
I also like the idea of Eriksen on the left of a midfield 3.

As fo Cb's, that could improve us - I only really watch the Prem so....
Shawcross for me, hard as nails, and the type that could help Dier develop.

If we were to change to 433, we wouldn't need any signings. None at all. All the roles are covered in the present senior and/or junior squad.

 

[mpickard2087]

Shawcross is an example of someone we shouldn't be signing.

 

[DaSpurs]

yes, but we're talking about ryan shawcross, not paolo maldini.

I honestly have no problem with it. I think he's a fantastic leader and I suspect if he weren't with Orc FC I think he'd have a better reputation, as I think he suffers a bit due to association.

 

[spursofthemoment]

I just wish we'd settle on a back four. Constant changes clearly don't work. They don't have to be amazing players, just as long as they can read the game as a group

 

[Ribble]

I honestly have no problem with it. I think he's a fantastic leader and I suspect if he weren't with Orc FC I think he'd have a better reputation, as I think he suffers a bit due to association.

He suffers a bit from having snapped 2 players' legs in half.

 

[fridgemagnet]

​

Something like this i like 3 at the back (that's what she said)

Attacking

Hugo

Dier ---------------------- Davies

Verts


Walker -----------------(Defensive Mid)-------------------- Rose


Defending

Hugo

Dier --- (DM) --- Verts --- Davies
Walker------------------------------------- Rose​

Something like that