- Jul 10, 2008
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Hopefully this helps convince Jose that his best position is in a CM2. We lose a little bit of defensive solidity in the middle (Ndombele will never track runners quite like Sissoko does) but having him in that deeper role transforms our possession game and links the midfield and attack so much better. He's unpressable, can pass between the lines yet can still get in the box on occasion (see yesterday) - it transforms the entire team. He's also just SO much more involved and as our best midfielder on the ball that's exactly what we want. He had 85 touches yesterday and I'd guess that's close to double what he typically has when he's played higher up.
With Ndombele alongside Hojbjerg in the middle I think we would've won most of the 1-1 draws we've had this season. We also might've lost one but the trade-off would be more than worth it.
This is the crux of it. Although i'm certain Jose played him as a CM yesterday because the formation change still left us with 6 defensive players, so we weren't anymore vulnerable than when Ndombele plays as a no.10 in a 4231.
During his last title winning season with Chelsea, Jose regularly played Fabregas next to Matic as a deeplying playmaker, so I'm hoping he's definitely open to Ndombele moving there full time. I totally support the idea of having a Sissoko/Holjberg pivot against top 6 sides but we should have a more progressive CM2 against everyone else.