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Credits: www.squawka.com
Credits: www.squawka.com
Credits: www.squawka.com
Paulinho’s directness from the centre is quite coherent with AVB’s philosophy of vertical football, and Dembele’s style of gliding with the ball from deeper positions, does not help the cause.
As can be seen from the depictions above, most of the passes from midfield are lateral and barely has there been a chance taken of finding Soldado. In fact, the Spanish striker’s only role until now has been to hold up the ball and bring in Townsend on the left. Even this seemed to fail against the likes of Koscielny on Sunday.
When the midfield is this flat, the only remaining option is to play a 4-3-3 with highly attacking wingers. Andros Townsend seems to a likely candidate in this regard on the left, as he was seen repeatedly beating Gibbs while cutting-in on Sunday.
Despite his impressive efforts till now, club record signing Eric Lamela seems destined to take that spot. The 20-year-old Argentine will surely add an extra bite upfront, and his cut-in runs from the left again demand a proper No.10 who can find these.
Nacer Chadli on the right came in with much less fanfare, though being a Belgian he is now expected to deliver much more. His style is quite similar to his compatriot Miralas in Merseyside, though his towering physique has seen him being used as the target man in the centre on a couple of occasions.
Chadli is often seen hugging the touchline, and his neat flicks are a constant inspiration for Danny Rose to keep rushing ahead. The Belgian seems to be a definite option for AVB throughout the season, and this leaves Townsend surely as the one to be replaced by Lamela.
With the defence sorted out well, the roles of Holtby and Eriksen are the only question marks in this side. Holtby was rumoured to be unsettled in London, but the German U-21 captain holds a highly important role in this team for AVB.
Eriksen though will be expected to shift in smoothly into the No. 10 spot, will definitely need time to step up to the standard of English football. Even then, Lewis Holtby seems to be a better creative and goal scoring option in the hole for AVB.
