Holding midfielder must HOLD

[djunfitforwork]

Whoever we get as a holding midfielder , they have to stick to their job description and stay back. 2 on 2 counter-attacks are way too difficult to predict - we need a third defensive player in that central defensive area, and rely more on the front 5 (including the attack-minded midfileder - Scholes or Riquelme) to create chances without most of the team mobbing forward.

They will also need to be excellent in the air, to defend set-pieces (let s face it, we are not the meanest when it comes to defending from free kicks and corners).

Finallly, they should be able to usually win the ball cleanly. Those lunging, book able challeges might get the testerone flowing with the live fans, but they give away possesion needlessly on many occasions. Smith was a particular culprit.

If our forever-delayed purchases fail to deliver on this front, I think Pique could do all these jobs superbly.

Phil

[JoshReddevilz]

we dont need a holding midfielder,rooney has shown that he can track back and so has giggs and scholes and ronaldo

[Scott]

reddevilz said:

we dont need a holding midfielder,rooney has shown that he can track back and so has giggs and scholes and ronaldo

We DO need a holding midfield player. I didnt think that's even up for debate. When you play 442, you need someone more defensive in midfield. Rooney or whoever else tracking back is not good enough when you're playing against a team like Chelsea who back 5 across the midfield, or even an average team who pack 5 in midfield...or even just an attacking team, because they'd get us on the break. Plus Rooney's job first and foremost is to attack...he can't run the length of the pitch on the attack, and then run the length of the pitch get back in defence ALL the time. If he did, he would be doing the work of two men, and no matter how hard he works, we cant rely on him to do that.

[surfersdocharlie]

djunfitforwork said:

Whoever we get as a holding midfielder , they have to stick to their job description and stay back. 2 on 2 counter-attacks are way too difficult to predict - we need a third defensive player in that central defensive area, and rely more on the front 5 (including the attack-minded midfileder - Scholes or Riquelme) to create chances without most of the team mobbing forward.

They will also need to be excellent in the air, to defend set-pieces (let s face it, we are not the meanest when it comes to defending from free kicks and corners).

Finallly, they should be able to usually win the ball cleanly. Those lunging, book able challeges might get the testerone flowing with the live fans, but they give away possesion needlessly on many occasions. Smith was a particular culprit.

If our forever-delayed purchases fail to deliver on this front, I think Pique could do all these jobs superbly.

Phil

Good points mate, but don't forget that one of Keano's greatest skills wasn't the last ditch tackle, it was seeing where the danger was coming from and snuffing it out by intercepting the through ball or run. In a way, a great holding midfielder shouldn't even need to make a last man tackle - he should have read the play and broken it up before it becomes a threat.

That's the theory anyway... ;D

[redseven]

i say carrick!!! lol, he is a very good player, and english!!!!!!!

[7even]

Yes we do need a holding midfielder, without question to be honest.

[mancunian]

A holding midfield player is a new concept to United it was only introduced in recent years when Keane couldn't manage the box to box anymore. Rio has had the benefit of a holding player while Stam Johnson et al didn't.

I would still prefer to see United gung ho but I doubt there is a box to box midfield player who is anywhere near as good as Keane at his pomp. we may have to settle for Diarra or his type who is just a holding player like Makelele!

[kearnsey6]

i think everyone is getting carried away with this whole 'defensive' midfielder issue, you may see chelsea having makelele but were different, they have him because frank lampard is given liscense to attack hence the number of goals he records each season. but we dont need one we need a box to box midfielder like keane in his earlier days not a defensive midfielder like keane in his later days. you have to remember we play 4-4-2 (well i hope we will) if we play a defensive midfielder not only will we be moaning but it will not work! we need a box to box man and i hope we buy 2 midfielders

[roonaldo]

I think if we sign 2 box to box players we will have a near perfect team. I think one of these players should definitely be Reo-Coker, as he is young, a good leader, good passing, can compete at the highest level, and is box to box. He is also English which is a bonus.

The other player should be either Riquelme or Mascherano. Mascherano is box to box and has immense work rate and great passing - but is stil young and so maybe this season he alternates with Scholes or Smith. Riquelme is not such a box to box player but has an incredible range of passing, and would be amazingly useful as him and Rooney would form an awesome partnership.

kearnsey6 said:

we need a box to box man and i hope we buy 2 midfielders

[Busby Boy]

It's pretty obvious a holding midfielder needs to hold. Them players are groomed and thrive off doing that job so saying that they can't go forward won't really bother them!
It's like telling Makelele not to attack! Don't make sense!

[Vidic>Superman]

who cares where they are from as long as they do the job that needs to be done i dont care where there from

[rewdie]

zombiebrainedalien said:

who cares where they are from as long as they do the job that needs to be done i dont care where there from

I care, care alot, i still want united to be having english players come up, for sure, and never want to see a line up wit 11 foreigners, plus it would be bad news for the english game, less and less youngsters would come through. The Rooneys, the Becks, the Scholes etc etc, i would like to see us sign Carrick and Torres, we have Scholes for this season and Carrick can play make with Scholes being able to get forward, with Park/Giggs on the left and Ronny on the right, Ruud, torres, Rooney up front, great competition for first team spot.

Concerning thing is, Scholes and Giggs will go, just as Keane did, who will replace them? We really should buy a couple of players now who can be on rotation and grow in the next season tobe able to fill those roles

[Sky Sports 1]

surfersdocharlie said:

djunfitforwork said:

Whoever we get as a holding midfielder , they have to stick to their job description and stay back. 2 on 2 counter-attacks are way too difficult to predict - we need a third defensive player in that central defensive area, and rely more on the front 5 (including the attack-minded midfileder - Scholes or Riquelme) to create chances without most of the team mobbing forward.

They will also need to be excellent in the air, to defend set-pieces (let s face it, we are not the meanest when it comes to defending from free kicks and corners).

Finallly, they should be able to usually win the ball cleanly. Those lunging, book able challeges might get the testerone flowing with the live fans, but they give away possesion needlessly on many occasions. Smith was a particular culprit.

If our forever-delayed purchases fail to deliver on this front, I think Pique could do all these jobs superbly.

Phil

Good points mate, but don't forget that one of Keano's greatest skills wasn't the last ditch tackle, it was seeing where the danger was coming from and snuffing it out by intercepting the through ball or run. In a way, a great holding midfielder shouldn't even need to make a last man tackle - he should have read the play and broken it up before it becomes a threat.

That's the theory anyway... ;D

Probably the most accurate description of what he should be doing, nicely put. I'll point out this is one of the things Carrick does do, he dictates play by getting in the way of runs rather than making the challenges, then when the ball comes to him he keeps the play flowing further up the pitch, i'd like to see him playing alongside Scholesy, not 100% sure it would work but would be interesting to watch.

[matkaman]

This holding player concept ,Keano only really sat back as the older he got not sure if utd need a Makelee,United at there best attack we need attack in mind not holding.We criticise Chelski for being boring do not want to turn into last years Chelski........

[missunited]

Carrick next to Scholes would in my eyes be the perfecty sulution to our midfield problem. Also keeping in mind that we do have quite a few decent young midfielders at the club, although some show promise without prosper. Not mentiniong any names as that would be a different topic.

Also there is of course the option of Reo Coker, he's still only 22, and shows a lot of maturity and ability for his age. However I doubt it West Ham will let him go at this stage, and I also think the player would prefer to stay on at west ham whilst he develope further both as a player and as a premiership side's captain, Maybe in a couple of years though.

Also I agree with those who think it is important to sign English players, because it really is. Looking at teams such as Arsenal, filling their team up with foreigners haven't done them that many favours. It is important to keep a majority of English players within the team and also developing within the whole of the club, not only for the club itself but also for the sake of English football in general. Not to mention there will be regulations put in place about having players from your own acadamy in relation to play in Europe. When these new regulations are put in place, clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal and also Chelsea I think will struggle to meet the requirements of how many home-grown players you need to be eligible for play in the European tournaments. I do realise this doesn't mean that the players HAVE to be English, but a majority of players that are developed within English clubs are from the UK.