Quote Originally Posted by I am invisible View Post
I don't think it's a problem with them being jacks of all trades, so much as they all seem to model themselves on former players and redundant roles that none of the top sides really use any more? For example, we touched on it the other day, but the top sides don't really want a Steven Gerrard type midfielder any more, who's going to charge around wherever the play is - it's too indisciplined. And they don't want a small, goal-poacher type striker from the days of classic 2-man strike pairings - that shit is 10 years out of date. The modern game demands defensive and holding midfielders who can control the play - midfield 'specialists' and deep lying playmakers. It demands lone strikers with wide forwards either side of them - no one gives a shit about 442 any more.

What worries me isn't so much that they don't have it in them to perform one of these more modern roles - I absolutely believe that they do - it's that I never feel like they fully embrace the roles that they're given, because they're holding out for their ideal role to suddenly come back in vogue? It's like they think the game is going to revert back to the one that they grew up watching, 10-15 years ago, just because that's how they want to play? You contrast that to a lot of the foreign lads, and you never here them going on about how they're really a striker, or a central midfielder, or dropping little reminders to the manager into interviews about how it's great to get a run out in their 'best position' so they can 'show what they can do' - they just quietly get on with any job their given, and try their best to make it their own.
I think Atletico Madrid sometimes play a 4-4-2 sometimes and they are top of La Liga. Juve made it to the final with a two striker system. I agree with IBK on this one. Football moves in cycles. Maybe 10 years ago the game demanded a holding player but now we're seeing more box to box players coming back with nobody just holding like the old Makelele types. I think it's just as dangerous to assume football is going to go a certain way. But I don't think the players think that deeply about it. They just need to be the best they can possibly be and they'll find a spot. I don't think a player like Gerrard is redundant. If the game required him to be more disciplined I don't think he'd have a problem adapting. Systems change but players adapt. Would players like Henry, Zidane be redundant in the game today even though they played in totally different systems? Even old fashioned strikers like Wright, Shearer and Batistuta would find a way to play in the modern game today. Take Giroud as an example. He has the style of an old player but he makes it work.