23 Jan 2023 19:09:23
If fabihno has lost his pace and is not cutting it as a defensive midfielder could we not use him as a central defender, he has played there before done well and his passing ability from the back could be useful, my only worry would be the highline but he is just as quick as matip and it would be easy to change tactics and defend deeper an hit teams on the break.

1.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 19:27:34
He was never quick but he didn’t need to be as the high line and press across the board made it so he was always close enough to players to make the blocks and his misses were mopped up and not noticed as much as they have been this year now we are playing a more open game. Doesn’t have the discipline to be a top level CB for me plus his passing and vision is massively underrated. Would be missed in midfield going forward more than some people realise I think.

2.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 19:36:10
Why would we want a centre half that has no pace?

3.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 19:53:49
Last time Fabinho had to play centre back it took us months to realise that playing 2 actual centre backs was a much better idea. Phillips and Williams came in and saw us through.

I think the whole side needs to settle for a while and get back to basics personally. I trust the manager to sort this out, I really do. It’s always so tempting to think of different options when things are not going well but this moving players around fad on the forum still strikes me as strange.

What would you do with the midfield? Still play 3 in there? Go with experience if we were to sit back? Again, sitting back doesn’t really suit us in my eyes and would add to the confusion of players being out of position.

I’d love to know an answer to our form too. We’ve been spoilt the last few years and I much prefer the days of trying to guess how much we were going to win by.

4.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 20:13:39
I’m with you Bob I fully expect this slump to be a temporary one.
It was asked earlier about whether we’d be higher in table without injuries and some mocked saying that we are now blaming injuries.
The truth is I think it is a combination of factors but the main one being that we signed an out and out striker and had to change our tactics to accommodate that.
The idea, I believe was for Diaz and Salah to play wider to allow us to spread teams out across the pitch then have Nunez through the middle with the midfield joining in more in forward areas. Hence playing Elliott in midfield.
Very quickly, injuries meant we couldn’t get the right players on the pitch and Nunez got a 3 match ban straight away.
From there it’s just been a case of the confidence slowly eroding as we’ve struggled with square pegs in round holes and as players have lost confidence their form has suffered to the point where they are second guessing themselves constantly and nothing is coming naturally.
Teams are now no longer scared of playing us and are really smelling blood which has further eroded confidence.
You can’t tell me though that Fabinho, Trent, VVD, Salah, Konate, Thiago, Hendo have all become rubbish players overnight. They will recover their form and by next season we will all be saying ‘remember last season when we couldn’t string 2 passes together’ whilst laughing on our 3rd beer as the 4th goal goes in against Utd as we are sitting pretty at the top of the league.

5.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 20:16:56
Yeah I guess I am asking a bit too much I suppose but its painful too see how shot he looks, I would love too see him step up but he has been in this bad form far too long to the point i would rather play bajetic.

6.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 20:39:17
Fabinho never had pace to start with.

7.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 21:04:09
The problem with playing that style @Becker is that it will very likely end TAA’s career. If Salah goes wide, then no overlapping runs form TAA.
You do have a point Becker and I guess that’s what Ljinders would like us to play and hence the “Harvey Elliot midfield experiment”. It did not work not coz Elliot was bad but simply coz TAA is an utter liability as a defender.
With Trent as a full bank you simply cannot push your RCM forward. That’s something known to the whole world.

8.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 21:04:31
Fabinho at his best though could back up the play, win the ball high up and make some threatening passes. He could make interceptions and was more than not in the right place. Also he could score valuable goals. A shadow of his former self.

9.) 23 Jan 2023
23 Jan 2023 21:23:46
Don’t worry couple of weeks and it will click. Then the jota’s and Diaz’s will return just in time for semi final of champions league hopefully. YNWA.