06 Sep 2024 13:03:44
I think we could get more out of the 2 Brazilian players Casemiro and Antony. The two I think are being played out of position. Casemiro at this stage of his career appears to make a greater contribution further up the pitch and looks dangerous in and around the goal. Antony I feel is not really a winger - he has the skill but not the pace to outrun full backs. I would see him as more of a Number 10 because of the skill factor and his eye for goal. I understand that it would be difficult to accommodate both in the same team along with the likes of Fernandes, Mainoo and Ugarte.
I also feel that we should be playing 4-4-2. The 4-3-3 set up exposes Casemiro because pitches are so large, especially Old Trafford.
06 Sep 2024 14:21:41
They are definitely under perorming.
Anthony I don't see any hope for in the epl.
Casimero is just being over exposedimo.
06 Sep 2024 15:33:15
Nothing about Antony screams number 10 to me, left back at best.
06 Sep 2024 15:41:37
Jodler
The 4-4-2 formation is comparatively inflexible which is why it's now, rightly, seldom seen at elite levels. Modern football is all about smarts and athleticism mixed with tactical dynamism - 4-4-2 is, by it's nature, more zonal and rigid.
It would also mean one of Ugarte and Mainoo will have to make way for Casemiro - which one are you dropping?
As for Antony as a 10, no thank you. Yeah he can pass it and maybe dink it through the lines, but he's so desperately reliant on one foot that he'd be awful. I'd much prefer to see him at LB and I'd rather not see him there either.
06 Sep 2024 16:38:44
I don't feel that Casemiro and Antony should displace Ugarte and Mainoo but over the course of a season there will be occasions when they will be required to play. And I am not suggesting that we should play 4-4-2 rigidly every game. Flexiblity is required, with a savvy coach who intuitively knows how to adapt and when to change things during the course of a game. The point I was making about Casemiro is that he is neither fast nor is he athletic, so it is unrealistic to expect him to get up and down the pitch like a race horse at his age in a 3 man midfield.
06 Sep 2024 23:11:40
Antony is a defenders dream. No thanks. Move him on.
07 Sep 2024 11:10:51
I see Antony as a left back, as in left back in the changing rooms as he isn't good enough to be on the pitch.
He has ability, but seems completely unable to step up to the level of the EPL. The game is too quick and too powerful for him in England. Nothing wrong with that, many talented footballers have struggled here and failed to live up to expectations. Shevchenko probably stands out to me as one of the most obvious.
In the Eredivisie Antony was quicker than most of the defenders he came up against. That isn't the case in the EPL. While the game requires you to be more robust, with stronger tackles and physical contact being allowed in the EPL than in most other European leagues. Some thrive in the rough and tumble, while some wilt.
I think he'd be a good player in most other European leagues, especially German and Italy (of the top 5 leagues) in my opinion.
Unfortunately for us I think he's a busted flush who'll never be able to get to the level we need in the EPL no matter where we play him on the pitch.
If possible I'd like to see if we can find him a loan in January, and bring in a replacement. That way he has a chance of finding some form somewhere else and we might be able to find a buyer for him next summer.