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LFC& #39;s system has set the bar way too high with FB& #39;s, imo. People think anything less than playmaker returns from a FB is unacceptable now. It& #39;s crazy.
People need to remember a FB& #39;s duty first & foremost is to defend. This basic principle will ALWAYS remain - and using a team who predominantly deploy Henderson, Milner & Gini Wijnaldum as #8s, to set some kind bar what levels of output should come from the FBs, is just silly.
Shaw& #39;s one of the main victims of this. United fans often use his final third capacity/output to bash him, but 5 G/A from 29 apps in the league last season is a perfectly fine return. This, on top of being a v.good defender, makes him such a weird scapegoat.
Let& #39;s throw in some perspective. In Man City& #39;s centurion, record-breaking season - which saw them score 106 goals - their FB pairing returned:
2 G/A (Delph, LB)
6 G/A (Walker, RB)
They done alright at creating & scoring as a whole though.
2 G/A (Delph, LB)
6 G/A (Walker, RB)
They done alright at creating & scoring as a whole though.
City& #39;s best & most creative player is De Bruyne - a central player - and he has a superb supporting act in that area of the pitch with the two Silva& #39;s. So, do they need silly Robertson/TAA numbers from FB?
Obviously no, as factually proven. Why would they?
Obviously no, as factually proven. Why would they?
United& #39;s best & most creative player is Paul Pogba - another central player, just without the luxury of De Bruyne in being surrounded by complementary, possession friendly/creative players. So, is that, ladies & gentlemen, the issue, or is it the left back?
Liverpool don& #39;t have the luxury of having top (*possession) creative players centrally, so they adapt & maximize their strengths on the sides. Klopp signed Roberston for a reason. Immense crosser. I saw earlier that Gini& #39;s walking around on 0xA per 90 this season ffs
So yeah, United& #39;s issue, as absolutely crazzzyyy as it may sound, just might be coming from a lack of possession friendly, creative players in central/attacking areas, and not from, would you believe it, Luke Shaw. But too early for those crazy conspiracies, not even 9pm yet.
Literally just sign some central passers/an attacking creator, it& #39;s boring at this stage
Asterisk on "possession" as their CMs do create against the ball, via pressing
