Heavy Duty Rom
Outdated Tweets Merchant
My perception of Xhaka's season was that he did remarkably well in that role even though it wasnt a 100% fit. I feel like some people think that Xhaka is a great fit for that position, but have this opinion more because he was the first to do it for us and did a ****ing great job.
Although it will be hard to place the leadership he brought, as well as some extremely intelligent marking and positioning he did, we can 100% improve on other aspects which are just as important for that role. These are things such as dribbling in tight areas, speed, athleticism, ability to take on players etc. Xhaka was a no.6/8 hybrid playing number 8, but if we got the right no.8, they could take the position to the next level.
Paqueta is a great example of pairing aspects from a no.6 - no.8 and no.10. Has the physical presence and aggression you need from a no.6, has the engine and ability to play both ways of the pitch like a no.8, then he has the flair and, before joining west ham, end product of a no.10. There are other iterations of 8s who would have been a fit too, Mount being more like a 8/10 hybrid. Theres the Viega guy too who apparently plays LCM and scores lots of goals.
On the topic of Rice, I believe he can do a similar role to what Xhaka did as a no.6/8 hybrid at number 8. So he will do the positional things, pressing, passing, game management well. He won't have the advantage of being able to do cut backs like Xhaka did a lot as he won't be playing on his strong side... but will provide much better athleticism and ball carrying. But Rice has shown he can score goals in an even more withdrawn position at West Ham this season. I dont think output would be an issue. He would have some of the same deficiencies as Xhaka just because he is innately a CM playing in an advanced CM position.
However, maybe Arteta wants this kind of profile for the role, as getting someone too attacking there tips the balance and makes our midfield less consistent or resilient in the tougher games- I see his point if thats the case, but it would be nice to have an attacking no.8 option too.
Yeah i agree, Xhaka done well, but there were certain situations in and around the box when i thought to myself what if, what if we had someone a little more mobile or nimble. But i guess what you gain there you'll lose in other areas. Rice would probably be a good replacement, and he has shown goal scoring ability this season, but i do fear we'll get moments where we think 'what if...' just like Xhaka.