goon wrote:
It's working for Chelsea and Tottenham but they're two very different sides with different managers.
I think it's a complete myth. Matic is anything but a defensive mid this season. Just look at him roaming all over the field. He regularly finds himself deep into the final third, which is why he has 6 assists in Premier League so far. Conte's maybe best move was to give him free reigns. He could do that with Kanté in the team. His central midfield is extremely mobile.
It's what Ramsey should be doing for us. Good football is based on good movement. You can ping passes around all day without getting anywhere if your forwards are all marked by defenders. The unmarked run from midfield is extremely difficult to defend against, which is why we need it. We need to avoid becoming static and limited.
The best players get this. Özil is unique for instance not just because of his skillset but because of the way he moves off the ball. Look at any given heatmap and you'll see the most famous #10 in the world drift towards one of the flanks the majority of the time. He's impossible to contain. It's the same thing George Weah and Ronaldo did when they reinvented the striker position. They dropped deep to pick the ball up in midfield, worked the flanks to disorientate central defenders while running at them. The more you move the better.
