Vurnon Anita (now playing for RKC Waalwijk)

[toontownman]

Probably my favourite player at the minute

 

Absolutely mine.

 

Easily.. and even better 95% sure he will still be here next year to get even better.

[AlanSkÃrare]

Probably my favourite player at the minute

 

After Ben Arfa, definately. Represents much of what we're not (in footballing terms) at the moment.

[Guest]

We all know if Pardew's still here in August, he'll be on the bench while we watch Tiote & Colback together, Sissoko shoehorned on the right still and a new left sided player if we're lucky. (Or Gouffran)

[Flip]

He's a good little player but for me he's only viable in a 433 playing as the deepest player in midfield covering the fullbacks and the space in front of the defence.

 

Disagree, IMO he's better with a proper DM where his job is to keep the ball moving. A bit like Lucas and Allen at Liverpool.

 

He's too weak physically for any other role for me like. Also distributing the ball is a big part of the role I mentioned originally

 

In an ideal world I agree with you, in a world where we dominate possession. But with the way we play and under our coward of a manager we can't play him as the deepest midfielder unfortunately.

[Pilko]

Funny how when the rest of the team are doing shite, he never manages to drop to their level.

 

He's an absolute class act this lad, would be gutted if he left.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We all know if Pardew's still here in August, he'll be on the bench while we watch Tiote & Colback together, Sissoko shoehorned on the right still and a new left sided player if we're lucky. (Or Gouffran)

 

[Ronaldo]

He's a good little player but for me he's only viable in a 433 playing as the deepest player in midfield covering the fullbacks and the space in front of the defence.

 

Disagree, IMO he's better with a proper DM where his job is to keep the ball moving. A bit like Lucas and Allen at Liverpool.

 

You can't have 2 out of the 3 midfielders having no goal threat or creativity whatsoever. It just doesn't work.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He's a good little player but for me he's only viable in a 433 playing as the deepest player in midfield covering the fullbacks and the space in front of the defence.

 

Disagree, IMO he's better with a proper DM where his job is to keep the ball moving. A bit like Lucas and Allen at Liverpool.

 

You can't have 2 out of the 3 midfielders having no goal threat or creativity whatsoever. It just doesn't work.

 

Course you can, if you have an attacking midfielder and 3 forwards.

[Tiresias]

Anita and Tiote is overkill on the defensive side actually, no reason he couldn't play alongside a deeplying playmaker and we'd not be overexposed imo. I also think Anita could develop more of a cutting edge and work better forward with some work.

[Guest]

There's no need for Tiote. Anita & Sissoko in the centre, with a proper Cabaye replacement would be immense.

[Ronaldo]

He's a good little player but for me he's only viable in a 433 playing as the deepest player in midfield covering the fullbacks and the space in front of the defence.

 

Disagree, IMO he's better with a proper DM where his job is to keep the ball moving. A bit like Lucas and Allen at Liverpool.

 

You can't have 2 out of the 3 midfielders having no goal threat or creativity whatsoever. It just doesn't work.

 

Course you can, if you have an attacking midfielder and 3 forwards.

 

3 forwards, man. As if.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I know, I'm speculating.

[Ronaldo]

Midfielders are there to make an impact going backwards and forwards as far as I'm concerned. I can't live with two players in there who go missing in the final third. Anita's perfectly capable of utilising his movement as a deep lying CM, anyway, he just needs two relatively capable midfielders - in an attacking sense - to negate his weaknesses.

[Tiresias]

Midfielders are there to make an impact going backwards and forwards as far as I'm concerned. I can't live with two players in there who go missing in the final third. Anita's perfectly capable of utilising his movement as a deep lying CM, anyway, he just needs two relatively capable midfielders - in an attacking sense - to negate his weaknesses.

 

[Hughesy]

He's a good little player but for me he's only viable in a 433 playing as the deepest player in midfield covering the fullbacks and the space in front of the defence.

 

Disagree, IMO he's better with a proper DM where his job is to keep the ball moving. A bit like Lucas and Allen at Liverpool.

 

You can't have 2 out of the 3 midfielders having no goal threat or creativity whatsoever. It just doesn't work.

 

Course you can, if you have an attacking midfielder and 3 forwards.

 

Agree with this.

[Ronaldo]

Head, clouds.

[Hughesy]

I am not sure what your point is - is your point that Anita cannot play alongside a DM or that, under Pardew, we would not play enough attacking players to make this viable?  Because they are two completely different points.

[Ronaldo]

I don't think completely absolving two starting midfielders of creative/scoring duty is feasible for any club who don't have 3 world class attacking players in front of them. It certainly isn't viable at Newcastle United.

[Hughesy]

It is viable if you were playing 4-4-2 and had two wingers and intelligent strikers.  It could work if you were playing 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.  It can work - you just have to get the proper personnel in to do it.

[Ronaldo]

When has it ever worked in a 4-4-2?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I get your point in theory Ronaldo, but we have the personnel we have. If we're talking about addressing our weaknesses then we should just get the attacking players we need to be more dangerous. It's not really about Anita at all.

[Ronaldo]

I've said, I'd happily play Anita as the deepest midfielder.

[Hughesy]

When has it ever worked in a 4-4-2?

 

It depends if you are genuinely proposing that the two central midfielders don't create anything at all - which is highly unlikely.  I think we are getting into comparing slightly odd variations of formations, but in any 4-4-2 formation with two defensive central midfielders you would have a set up with wingers and it is likely that one of the strikers would drop back into midfield.

 

But as an example, I think Sacchi's Milan team used a 4-4-2 formation without particularly creative central midfielders.  Atletico Madrid play a variant of 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 with two defensive midfielders.

[Ronaldo]

So, at best, it's never worked in the PL.

[Hughesy]

Arsenal with Vieira and Petit.  That's one PL example.  I am sure there are others if I was to think about it.

 

I still haven't quite worked out the point of this argument though.  Having 4 attacking players can be enough (ie two wingers and two strikers).  As I have said, it is likely that one of your strikers would play a more withdrawn role and play a more 'Beardsley-esque' role which would effectively create a 4-2-3-1 at times.