What is our best engine room pairing?

[Guest alex]

Feel that Guthrie and Barton are our two best midfielders but they are having to play out of position to accommodate certain players / allow for Hughton's over cautious approach. It's worked so far to be fair but it might partly explain why we aren't getting more out of Barton. I think he's taking the piss as well btw and don't condone his lack of motivation at all.

 

I agree that Guthrie and Barton are probably our best 2 central midfielders but do you think if we played them together in the middle we would have as much protection for the back four as we do with Alan Smith?

 

I think Smith being in there is why we have conceded so few.

No but it's a judgement call because the counter argument is we'll cause more problems for the opposition with Guthrie and Barton in the middle. It's working so far with Smith in there though plus Barton shouldn't be appeased to the detriment of players who've shown a better attitude I suppose.

 

I see your point. We will be more of a force going forward but on the flipside we would be more exposed at the back and bigger wholes left in the middle pulling players out of position.

 

Iv always favoured one sit and one go in centre midfield, more stable and more balanced. If we were to play 2 attack minded central midfielders we would be over-run by the workmen in this league.

 

We all want to see the "entertainers" but we dont have a watertight backline, although they do look more knitted this season.

 

 

I think people get a bit into the mindset of one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder when in reality that's rarely how teams playing 4-4-2 are set up. Barton and, to a lesser extent, Guthrie have the legs to get up and down in this league no problem at all imo. Smith does a good job sitting there though and is one of the main reasons we're looking fairly solid at the back.

 

But you do alex...Essien - Lampard is a perfect example. Neither are totally defensive or offensive but they dont have the same role's. Essien is box to box but is more defensive and covers more ground, breaks up play. Lampard is box to box but limits his coverage and is more attack minded.

 

You cant have 2 central midfielders doing the same job although both can be box to box.

I said it was rarely used in a 4-4-2, not never used. Also, I'm not against it per se either but I was just suggesting you might get more out of 2 players who are the best midfielders we have. Plus I think Guthrie could be just as effective as Smith only not sitting quite as deep and offering a lot more in the way of passing etc. The main problem, as I've alluded to, is Barton probably doesn't deserve to be accommodated in this way because I've thought for a while that he couldn't give a fuck.

Edited September 22, 2009 by alex

[Dr Gloom 22500]

barton he might have looked half decent at citeh but when has he ever done it in a newcastle shirt? plus he's always likely to get himself sent off. i'd bench him unless we've got injuries