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Modric in the middle

Archibald-CPH

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2005
938
951
Am I the only who think we are wasting his talent on the left. Would like to see him in the middle with palacios, lennon on the left and jenas on the right.

Also I would like to see Zokara on the right back, with corluka in the middle with woodgate.

What do You think ? Are we wasting Modrics talent ?
 

InOffMeLeftShin

Night watchman
Admin
Jan 14, 2004
15,104
9,113
You're definately not the only one. We are definately missing out playing Modric out wide, we struggled to get him on the ball early when he was out there. When we get the ball into him centrally he can make us tick and link all of our attacking options. He really is that good.

We now have two really good central midfielders and I'd love to see them play together as a central midfield partnership, with Lennon and Jenas wide.
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
I can see that pov - but I'm not at all sure it'll work

sooner or later it will be tried I guess - then we'll see

my immediate guess is that LM is not strong or athletic enough for the mid as a mid 2 in a 4-4-2- but I'm not dogmatic about it -

with jj on the right, maybe it can work - but I think jj needs to stay in the middle where his ground covering is fully utilised

zokora for RB is a good shout - am getting a bit worried re Corluka

I guess in the final we'll need zoko in the mid - though would like to see o'hara starting on sun - alas don't think he'll be fit enough
 

Phantom

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2005
5,856
3,212
I think lennon on the left would be a waste as well, the only way to get our most effective attacking midfielders playing is to drop one of the four.

Personally I think we could do worse than playing GDS Wilson Modric lennon. It does leave us a bit short in the middle though. I am a fan of JJ but i think Modric has more to offer. The other option is one up front and I am not a fan of that.
 

van_Pommel

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2004
3,061
971
I wouldnt touch the team at all right now. We look to have balance in midfield thats been missing for years and what we need right now is continuity. Keep it like this until the end of the season and let get used to the system. Modric on the left works really well in my opinion.
 

Phantom

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2005
5,856
3,212
my immediate guess is that LM is not strong or athletic enough for the mid as a mid 2 in a 4-4-2- but I'm not dogmatic about it -

Hi DC I dont think this is the case, I think Modric is a lot stronger than the media and some fans give him credit for. He gets through a lot of back tracking. He certainly isnt going to win many headers but to say he isnt strong enough or athletic enough is incorrect.
 

mil1lion

This is the place to be
May 7, 2004
42,344
77,598
I would actually prefer Lennon on the left to Modric. Play Modric in the middle where he can influence the passing game more. We'll give the ball away less if he plays there i think. And pick between Bentley and Jenas for right midfield. I think Lennon can be more effective on the left where he works hard to get back and help the fullback, and he can come infield and allow Keane and Modric to move into space. Even more so if Bent plays, as he can work the left channel high up the pitch, and Lennon can come infield with Keane to give Bent something to pass to in the box.
 

DarT

Member
Jul 16, 2008
217
1
Am I the only who think we are wasting his talent on the left. Would like to see him in the middle with palacios, lennon on the left and jenas on the right.

Also I would like to see Zokara on the right back, with corluka in the middle with woodgate.

What do You think ? Are we wasting Modrics talent ?

We are definately wasting the talents of Modric, without a doubt. He is a centre attacking midfielder, not a left winger. If he plays on the wing he always needs to come looking for the ball and this leaves us exposed. The reason we had problems previously when he has played in the centre is not totally relative to his diminuative figure, but that there was a total lack of defensive cover, now that Polacios is present, we should try this again.

To quote what i have said too many times, if we are playing 4 in midfield, then for me it is either Modric or Jenas, not both, in a 5 man midfield i suspect you could probably accommodate both but with our forward line, this is never gonna be our preferred option.

As a stop gap until we actually have any quality on the left wing, we could do what people are advocating and move lennon to the left and jenas to the right, but why can't we keep it simple and let players play in a position they are comfortable with.
 

VancouverSpurs

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2008
355
798
Modric poses the same dilemma that Gerrard does for Liverpool. He really is only amazing at the 'off the striker' position where he can roam and just create. But stick him on the LM, or in CM, and he's nullifies his strengths. Add to this the obvious size deficiency (which I agree he does work hard to overcome) and unfortunately Modric makes it so that the team must be designed around him. Then the question becomes, is Modric the sort of game-changing and dominant talent that we'd be ok with that? Personally, I'm still not completely convinced. But I'm open to the possibility.

What I see in Harry's thinking right now is that he's trying to squeeze as many of his talented midfielders into the squad as possible and not sacrifice Luka. Thus, we're left in this situation. I personally don't think it's so bad right now, but it's not a long-term solution to this problem. We need to recruit a good LM and then play like Liverpool with two strong CM (like Alonso and Mascherano) and attacking wingers. Problem is that we also have too many good (great on some days) strikers. Playing like Liverpool we'd only have space for one striker and he would have to be an exceptional talent and strong enough to give Modric the sort of support he requires.

What you guys think?
 

Kendall

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2007
38,502
11,933
I think he may be better in the middle and individually it would be better for him but imo it won't benefit the team as a whole.

We need a solid midfield and Modric is not the answer.

Palacios and Modric are both good players, the issue is it takes both of them to do the job Carrick did, which takes up a position.
 

jamesc0le

SISS:LOKO:plays/thinks/eats chicken like sissoko!
Jun 17, 2008
4,974
944
infact there are 2 or more very good formations that do not involve jenas e.g
1
gio - palacios - modric - lennon
beni - corluka - w'gate - zokora
2
lennon-palacios-corluka-modric
beni -king - w'gate - zokora

just goes to show the waste of talent going on at the moment


jenas should not be in the middle, yeah he does ok against the hulls of this world but we should be looking to perfect the midfield now we have some really tasty options.
jenas should play at left back, he would certainly be no worse than beni defensively and he would provide excellent foil for a gio type player

i hope we play the perfect team against manure

-----campbell -- pav --------
gio--zokora---modric--lennon
jenas--king--w'gate--corluka
---------gomes----------

bent would be a gamble, as would playing a 5 man mid to accomodate jenas, imo

campbell and pav, players that can actually play, this is the one



but i concede, this wouldn't be bad either

gio--jenas*-modric-lennon
corluka-king-w'gate-zokora


*strictly staying deep covering for gio and modric
 

ILS

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2008
3,803
6,913
infact there are 2 or more very good formations that do not involve jenas e.g
1
gio - palacios - modric - lennon
beni - corluka - w'gate - zokora
2
lennon-palacios-corluka-modric
beni -king - w'gate - zokora

just goes to show the waste of talent going on at the moment


jenas should not be in the middle, yeah he does ok against the hulls of this world but we should be looking to perfect the midfield now we have some really tasty options.
jenas should play at left back, he would certainly be no worse than beni defensively and he would provide excellent foil for a gio type player

i hope we play the perfect team against manure

-----campbell -- pav --------
gio--zokora---modric--lennon
jenas--king--w'gate--corluka
---------gomes----------

bent would be a gamble, as would playing a 5 man mid to accomodate jenas, imo

campbell and pav, players that can actually play, this is the one



but i concede, this wouldn't be bad either

gio--jenas*-modric-lennon
corluka-king-w'gate-zokora


*strictly staying deep covering for gio and modric

Er some fans amaze me. Campbell is cup-tied for the final as he is United player and as for Gio on the left like that is ever going to happen for a big match.

It will be for the final

Pav/Bent
Modric
Lennon Zokora Jenas Bentley
BAE King Woodgate Corluka
Gomes
 

davros

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2005
2,887
586
He certainly sees more of the ball when he plays in the middle, and as our most creative player I think he should play in the position which gives him the best opportunities to influence the game. Lennon can be effective on the left, and JJ on the right could work if he is able to support Palacios in the middle without leaving Corluka too exposed. Modric could then have freedom to roam a bit. Maybe even switching with Lennon giving the opposition defences some serious problems.
I also think that GDS could become rather important for us. He could provide a useful option on the left or on the right, and I think he's a decent and diciplined decision maker and not as weak as he looks.
 

jamesc0le

SISS:LOKO:plays/thinks/eats chicken like sissoko!
Jun 17, 2008
4,974
944
Er some fans amaze me. Campbell is cup-tied for the final as he is United player and as for Gio on the left like that is ever going to happen for a big match.

It will be for the final

Pav/Bent
Modric
Lennon Zokora Jenas Bentley
BAE King Woodgate Corluka
Gomes
oh yeah! shit there goes the perfect plan
in that case i still wouldnt play bent -
--------hudd----pav-----
gio--Zokora-modric-lennon
jenas-King-W'gate-Corluka
--------Gomes
 

Conando

Well-Known Member
Jan 28, 2004
708
655
Modric has to play in the middle, Palacios is a perfect partner for him, as he can win the ball and is technically proficient! A big plus is that he is capable of looking forward and passing the ball in the direction of the opposition's goal!
 

VancouverSpurs

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2008
355
798
I'm sorry jamesc0le but there's not a chance that Jenas will play LB AND Gio LM for the first time as a left-sided combination in a CUP FINAL of all places. Cup finals are not where you experiment with playing players completely out of position! Can you imagine that left sided combination trying to stop Ronaldo? Even JS Park would have a field day against them.
 

walworthyid

David Ginola
Oct 25, 2004
7,059
10,242
I think he may be better in the middle and individually it would be better for him but imo it won't benefit the team as a whole.

We need a solid midfield and Modric is not the answer.

Palacios and Modric are both good players, the issue is it takes both of them to do the job Carrick did, which takes up a position.

I know what your saying but Carrick alone is not better than Modric and Wilson together. It is also worth remembering that Carrick had the tenacity of Davids (who did 2 people's jobs in that team) and Tainio. Carrick was and is a fantastic player but he went missing for weeks on end in terms of creativity but his defensive performance was always solid.

For me Modric has to play centrally and JJ moved to the right in a 4-4-2.

My team would be

Gomes

Corluka Woody King BAE

jj Modric Palacios Lennon

Defoe Pav
 

jamesc0le

SISS:LOKO:plays/thinks/eats chicken like sissoko!
Jun 17, 2008
4,974
944
I'm sorry jamesc0le but there's not a chance that Jenas will play LB AND Gio LM for the first time as a left-sided combination in a CUP FINAL of all places. Cup finals are not where you experiment with playing players completely out of position! Can you imagine that left sided combination trying to stop Ronaldo? Even JS Park would have a field day against them.

that is because you are assuming that both gio and jenas are defensively weak, which they are not. they are not the best tacklers but can certainly track well a do decent defensive jobs, especially on such a day, and offensively , potentially, very, very good combination, with more pace from a left flank combo than we've seen for a very long time.
 

Leachie

Band
Feb 11, 2005
3,042
2,028
No way. Modric has had plenty of opportunity in the middle and has been average so far with a couple of excellent games. For the last 2 league games against Arse and Hull, we have finally looked like a balanced midfield. Modric is not playing as a winger but as a left midfielder and he drifted into the middle plenty of times to support the strikers. It worked well enough.

In my view, we have to keep the same midfield as that will be the most effective. Modric has not done enough in the middle to warrant a position there. Maybe next season once he has had a full season in the prem.
 

Winchy85

Legend
May 22, 2006
3,914
136
As good a game as Jenas had last night compared to the others, we shouldn't accomodate Jenas and play Modric out wide, it should be the other way round. Our best player is Luka Modric and matched with a solid center midfielder, Wilson Palacios, we could have the perfect combination. For me this is the center midfield partnership we should be building the team around. Stop the chop and change Harry, play Modric and Palacios in the center, 2 up front and 2 on the wings. Who you play up front on the wings I'm not too bothered as long as Lennon is one of them and the two in the center remain Modric and Palacios!
 
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