January 2021 Transfer Window

[Deano]

Breaking news


Terry Taylor has signed for Burton, permanent deal.

 

[Premier Quality]

Dendoncker isn't shit at football.

He’s been pretty awful the last few months to be fair - he was playing with an injury for some of it, but he’s not really been contributing anywhere.

 

[YoungWolf]

He’s been pretty awful the last few months to be fair - he was playing with an injury for some of it, but he’s not really been contributing anywhere.

As Punts says (and we have agreed on this for a while) he's being used in a bizarre way.

Less so the last two games tbf, as he has played deeper in the midfielder two now thankfully. He did have a stinker against Palace though, I agree on that.

 

[Del Woppio]

He's meh at best. His passing is passive-to-bad, his touch isn't great, his finishing is woeful. His movement is good, and his workrate is excellent, but he's a momentum vacuum. He's our most advanced midfielder but doesn't score, assist, or create. He's nowhere near good enough on the ball.

 

[sycophantia]

I thi nk Donk is in average form atm, imo he's not as bad a footballer as is currently being touted

 

[YoungWolf]

He's meh at best. His passing is passive-to-bad, his touch isn't great, his finishing is woeful. His movement is good, and his workrate is excellent, but he's a momentum vacuum. He's our most advanced midfielder but doesn't score, assist, or create. He's nowhere near good enough on the ball.

But he shouldn't be and that isn't his fault. It makes him look a worse player than he is.

He's a very solid defensive midfield player (who can also cover centre back). Good at preventing counter attacks, is mobile to cover and defend big spaces which he'd be ideal for in a 4231, physically strong and good in the air. His passing is safe but he tends to keep the ball well enough under pressure when asked too.

We need to get to the point where he is the back up, squad option. He'd be a very useful one at that too. Doesn't mean he is shit at football.

 

[Paul]

He's meh at best. His passing is passive-to-bad, his touch isn't great, his finishing is woeful. His movement is good, and his workrate is excellent, but he's a momentum vacuum. He's our most advanced midfielder but doesn't score, assist, or create. He's nowhere near good enough on the ball.

Now say that whilst thinking of Traore (obvs not applying the workrate) ?

 

[Throbber3]

I really do not want to derail the thread but a 3-5-2 that had Donk at the back and Otasowie in midfield would be an alternative.
Rui
Dendonker Coady Boly
Hoever Neves Vitinha/MGW Otasowie Semedo
WJ Neto

Harsh on Kilman but this 11 does give some opportunity for Dendonker to bring the ball out of defence and puts Boly back on the left side that he plays so well, so often. The space that is created when a defender brings tghe ball out could then be better exploited by the midfield. Otasowie's inclusion does increase attacking options for me.

 

[Nando]

Sounds like Roderick is joining Nouha in Turkey.

 

[YoungWolf]

For me Nuno isn't great with the 3-5-2 that involves a number 'ten'. That type of shape leaves our wide players exposed defensively, and so the forwards end up defending a side each. Then means our team is extremely deep again and struggles to counter-attack.

I'd rather 343 or 4231 at this point.

 

[prawnking]

Now say that whilst thinking of Traore (obvs not applying the workrate) ?

Or while thinking of Moutinho, who also has most of those negative characteristics this season, just a better touch (except on Saturday when he launched it out of play more than once)

 

[sycophantia]

The issue is we have a number of our usual first team players all out of form atm (none of them are shit) Rui, Coady, Donk, Traore, Moutinho, Podence blows hot and cold..mostly cold atm. Are we going to throw untried youngsters in all of those positions? I'm not against Otasowie being given a run but don't want to pile too pressure on the lad, we're in the shit, surely be better to try and let our senior pro's dig themselves out of it.
Still think 4-2-3-1_ is our best bet with the players we have (even allowing for CB). Even with 3-4-3_ we could modify our strategy so the midfield and forward players don't need loudhailers to communicate

 

[Wolvensam]

He's meh at best. His passing is passive-to-bad, his touch isn't great, his finishing is woeful. His movement is good, and his workrate is excellent, but he's a momentum vacuum. He's our most advanced midfielder but doesn't score, assist, or create. He's nowhere near good enough on the ball.

That's because advanced midfielder just isn't his position. He's a defensive midfielder being asked to play a different role. As a DM he is actually very good.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

PSG are trying to get rid of Idrissa Gueye if they can today. Yay or nay?

 

[YoungWolf]

PSG are trying to get rid of Idrissa Gueye if they can today. Yay or nay?

As a short term solution - yes.

However, he's 32 this year and would command pretty big wages I imagine so I can't see is being our type of deal.

Edit: I'd do a loan to the end of season too

 

[Deano]

Do we need a defensive midfield player? Surely any midfield signing has to be someone who can carry the ball and add a bit of goal threat.

Barkley would have been ideal in the summer really.

 

[Wolvensam]

No from me. We don't need another DM.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

We have never really replaced Mark Rankine

 

[Premier Quality]

Donk is a good DM to a point, but one of his big strengths is his stamina, which is only really an asset if he’s getting forward because he can get back as well. His passing is decent, but not really progressive, lots of sideways and backwards stuff. He can’t dribble with the ball, isn’t technical enough to create chances and can’t shoot.

what that means is that he’s a limited defensive midfielder, that can only do a third of the role (defend, not progressive passing and can’t progress the ball through dribbling or one touch pass and move).

He’s also out of form at the moment so not doing the defensive bit well either, but that should be temporary.

personally, I think we need more than one dimensional footballers - our midfielders, even though they will be stronger in some aspects should be able to defend and progress the ball, to contribute to the defensive effort and to create or finish opportunities.

our defenders should be able to defend and contribute to build up play.

our forwards should be able to create and score as well as contribute to the shape.

we moved Bennett on because he could defend but not contribute well enough. Traore is rightly criticised for not scoring enough. I don’t see why dendoncker is okay to only do part of his role.

he’s not a defender either, square pegs in round holes still isn’t the right way to go in my view.

 

[Tony Towner]

Donck is a squad player, playing every week. In Nuno's idealised world of 18 strong players supplemented by kids. He's one of the bench 7, Saiss is another