1.) 13 Mar 2019
13 Mar 2019 10:19:16
Do you think he would be a good partner for lindelof ed001?

Seems to have the attributes to cope physically with the premier league but as you said his ball playing abilities are lacking compared to another one of our targets Ruben Diaz.

{Ed001's Note - very possibly a decent partner. I could see them working well together.}

2.) 13 Mar 2019
13 Mar 2019 10:58:16
Just yesterday I was thinking about asking you for profile about him ed1. Turns out already done. I quite liked him from what little I had seen of him before but it seems he is a bit injury prone so never know how it may turn out for whomever he signs for. I myself think PSG might be a good option for both player and team.

{Ed001's Note - PSG do need a defender and they are desperate for French players, so it could be a good match.}

3.) 13 Mar 2019
13 Mar 2019 11:03:36
He is a very good player, and could form a very good partnership with Lindelof. However, it could be argued the club needs another ball playing CB. Especially if Solskjaer is to get the full time managers job.

He likes to play quick counter-attacking football, so we need players who are better on the ball and can play out accurately and quickly in order for the side to take the next step.

In that way maybe someone like Romagnoli would be ideal, or Nathan Ake if we are considering someone with EPL experience. The advantage of both of them is they play on the left hand side of central defence which means Lindelof can play in his stronger right hand side position.

4.) 13 Mar 2019
13 Mar 2019 17:11:07
Not seen a great deal of romagnolie tbh but not sure on Ake. When he's on he puts a shift in but I think we need more than he has to offer albe him having EPL experience. Umtiti imo would be a very good buy based on his ability and could possibly be keen if Barcelona go for De LIght (spelling) .

5.) 13 Mar 2019
13 Mar 2019 18:06:30
Umtiti has a few injury issues in the last two seasons, so I wouldn’t be too convinced about spending big bucks on him this summer. Personally, I would like to see us bring in an experienced defender to help organise the defence. That’s what’s missing. Alderweild would have been ideal, but that’s doubtful now.

6.) 14 Mar 2019
14 Mar 2019 09:55:41
Cookyman, Romagnoli is an excellent defender who can play out from the back and is a leader as seen with him as captain of AC Milan. He would be my first choice.
Ake would for me be a great back up option. He can be poor positionally, but he knows the EPL and could be worth a gamble.

For me the biggest problem with finding a new CB is that there are a limited number of great CB's around at the present time. Even fewer who it could be argued are world class. When Ramos is legitimately in contention for being the worlds best its pretty self explanatory just how poor the other options must be.

Umtiti isn't expansive or creative with his passing. If we want a hard nosed "solid" defender who can defend well but is limited with the ball at their feet then doesn't that sound a lot like Chris Smalling?

If we want a player who is solely a defender, then for me the best option would be Jose Gimenez.

However, Ole wants to play quick counter attacking football, so for that we need BOTH CB's to be good on the ball and have the ability to play out from the back quickly and creatively.
Counter-attacking football is all about time and speed. Smalling winning the ball then having to pass to someone more creative, then that player to receive the ball, control it, and play a creative pass can take upto 20 seconds, by which time the opposition have regained their defensive shape and the chance has gone.

Therefore, as there are limited number of players if any who tick all of the boxes required for a new defender, we will have to prioritise certain traits/ qualities. For me as a team that 90% of the time will have more of the ball than the opposition and will be attacking more often than defending. The ability on the ball is a far more important trait than the ability to defend ruggedly.

Why worry about the 4 or 5 goals a season we might concede that could be avoided with better defenders, when with the right ball playing CB we could score 10-15 goals more?

Its about mentality, are you the big fish that focuses on what you can do to the other teams, or are you the small fish who is reacting to every little thing the opposition can do to you?

7.) 14 Mar 2019
14 Mar 2019 12:54:56
Nice post Shappy.

8.) 14 Mar 2019
14 Mar 2019 15:02:52
cheers shappy - as said not seen a lot of the lad and my personal favourite from the italian league would be skriniar. Its the inconsistency of Ake that worries me but concede he does know the epl so that's a plus. Umtiti was rumoured along with every other cb on the planet and is a big strong unit, but the defining characteristics of cb have changed and the type of player is more like a midfielder at 6'4" and 14 stone. Differing tastes but jimenez is another lad that I think would be outstanding. but please not maguire or alderweirald.

9.) 15 Mar 2019
15 Mar 2019 14:55:08
Ole has said previously that it’s about getting the right type of players so that supports your thinking Shappy. Might be why Diaz has come onto the radar recently.