Klaus wrote:
Eduardo had proper link play for what it's worth. He didn't play with his back towards goal but he was technically exquisite and knew how to combine with his teammates. He's really underrated in this aspect. He was closer to a great #10 than van Persie was.
True. Eduardo's quality of pass surprised me, more than a few times, as you expect out and out number 9s to be greedy.
As for van persie, despite being a highly technical player, he was incredibly ineffectual in the number 10 role because he often took up wrong position and, when he got it, never released the ball at the right time. Players like Ramsey and Theo making runs into the box would be wasting their time when he had the ball. Similarly nasri was rubbish there as he played for himself with brainless runs and dribbles into culs-de-sac or pot-shots instead of passing. Sure he scored the occasional screamer but there's no denying it is a low-percentage play. Even Messi passes when he sees someone else in a better position.
