The Creative Solution: Play Two Of Those Midfielders Instead Of One.
The system we play is interesting and gives us interesting options; our team utilises three men in the middle of the park. One of those is invariably Scott Brown, a defensive midfielder. I like Ntcham beside Brown because their styles complement each other and each allows the other to take a second extra on the ball. Brown will play every week that he is fit and able. Which leaves two midfield positions to be fought over.
Imagine we fill two of those with attack minded players; that’s the system we played for the better part of last season and changing that might be why we’re not doing quite so well in this campaign. I think Ntcham can perform an attacking role, but he is not as good in that role as Armstrong or Rogic would be.
This is part of why we’ve not been at our best.
Last season the manager went with Brown, Armstrong and Rogic where he could.
When one of the two attackers wasn’t fit Callum stepped in. It’s all and well and good saying that we should go back to that system when everyone’s available, but Ntcham is blossoming into one Hell of a player and I would be loathe to take him out of this team.
In the end, a manager like Brendan sets about his talk viewing the squad as a toolbox.
You don’t use a screwdriver when what you want is a hammer. Each job is different. Each opponent represents a different set of challenges.
Some think we lacked creativity yesterday; the truth, though, is that we might have had too many creative players on the pitch.
What we needed yesterday, in that rough-house game, was some dig.