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✍️ OFFICIAL Mikel Merino

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SuperGoon

Lost A Bet And Now He’s A Top G

Country: Ireland

Player:Saka
I played this guy in my Sociedad save in FM.

He wasn't half bad, but had to cull him to make space for better players. He became a right diva in the second season and didn't like being a super sub.

After that Miguel Sharteta had to let him go.
 

Heavy Duty Rom

Outdated Tweets Merchant
Been watching a few compilations. He looks more Havertz CM than Xhaka CM to me. In fact, he’s very similar to Havertz, it’s just he has more assured passing, whereas Kai always seemed to second guess himself and play a safe pass.

Still not sure if the balance will be right in this midfield but we’ll just have to wait and see.
 

OnlyOne

🎙️ Future Journalist

Country: England
Been watching a few compilations. He looks more Havertz CM than Xhaka CM to me. In fact, he’s very similar to Havertz, it’s just he has more assured passing, whereas Kai always seemed to second guess himself and play a safe pass.

Still not sure if the balance will be right in this midfield but we’ll just have to wait and see.

The only thing him and Kai have in common are height and winning aerial duals.

Other than that, both have much better attributes for their specific positions.
 

Heavy Duty Rom

Outdated Tweets Merchant
The only thing him and Kai have in common are height and winning aerial duals.

Other than that, both have much better attributes for their specific positions.

Height
Aerial Duels
Ground duels decent but not as good as in the air.
The way they receive the ball
The way they can take the ball on the half turn
The way they use their body to protect the ball
The way they both release the ball quickly
They both seem quite illusive for their height
 

db10_therza

Senior Spreadsheet Squad Secretary
Moderator

Country: Bangladesh

Player:White
Height
Aerial Duels
Ground duels decent but not as good as in the air.
The way they receive the ball
The way they can take the ball on the half turn
The way they use their body to protect the ball
The way they both release the ball quickly
They both seem quite illusive for their height

The biggest issue with Havertz at CM for me was his movement. He moves like a forward, not a midfielder. If Merino moves like a midfielder then it’s a big improvement.
 

Heavy Duty Rom

Outdated Tweets Merchant
The biggest issue with Havertz at CM for me was his movement. He moves like a forward, not a midfielder. If Merino moves like a midfielder then it’s a big improvement.

I thought his movement was decent. For me, his issue was he didn’t look to get on the ball enough or make any incisive passes. Midfielders need to dictate games.

Havertz CM could have worked had we had a ball playing/carrying 6 instead of Rice.

I’ve said it before, i feel 2/3 of the midfield need to be elite on the ball to play the way we want to play.
 

Grandolph

Member
I still belive Havertz can work in midfield as long as he doesnt need to contribute to the build-up, but more like a shadow striker that attacks the space created by Jesus
 

db10_therza

Senior Spreadsheet Squad Secretary
Moderator

Country: Bangladesh

Player:White
I thought his movement was decent. For me, his issue was he didn’t look to get on the ball enough or make any incisive passes. Midfielders need to dictate games.

Havertz CM could have worked had we had a ball playing/carrying 6 instead of Rice.

I’ve said it before, i feel 2/3 of the midfield need to be elite on the ball to play the way we want to play.

Nah don’t get me wrong his movement is elite, but it is that of a forward.

When a forward drops deep they do it with the intention of dragging their marker out of the backline - they receive the ball, lay it off and immediately spin around and run into the vacated space.

This was Havertz’s MO at midfield and it’s not what we needed. He would position himself to cause maximum discomfort to the opposition back line as opposed to maximum ease of retention / progression for Arsenal.

Another example would be whenever Martinelli got the ball, Havertz would immediately run into the box without assessing how many bodies Gabi would have to get through. This is completely opposite to what say Xhaka did in the same position who would often just hold back if Martinelli was closely marked.

The instincts of a midfielder and a forward are very different.
 

Heavy Duty Rom

Outdated Tweets Merchant
I still belive Havertz can work in midfield as long as he doesnt need to contribute to the build-up, but more like a shadow striker that attacks the space created by Jesus

For this to happen, you’d have to drop Gabriel. And have better than Rice on the ball.

We should only look at Kai as a 9 now, with the option to push him back depending on game state.
 

Grandolph

Member
For this to happen, you’d have to drop Gabriel. And have better than Rice on the ball.

We should only look at Kai as a 9 now, with the option to push him back depending on game state.
Agree that 9 should be his main position, but could be a good option there if we want to go three at the back in some situations.
 

avenellroad

John Radford’s son
I still belive Havertz can work in midfield as long as he doesnt need to contribute to the build-up, but more like a shadow striker that attacks the space created by Jesus
My main issue with Havertz is the dallying on the ball.

He does all the uncoachable things really well but then takes an absolute age on the ball when he does get it leading to the window of opportunity created by his movement to be shut down. He needs to find a way of speeding up his decision making in the final third.
 

ASAP Berg

Established Member
He was releasing the ball really well for Germany at the Euros. But he has elite ball carriers in Wirtz and Musiala to get the ball up the pitch quickly.
 

db10_therza

Senior Spreadsheet Squad Secretary
Moderator

Country: Bangladesh

Player:White
How come?

I think to play a 442 in the modern era you need two incredibly complete midfielders and neither Ødegaard nor Rice fit the bill.

Hardly anyone does, which is why you don’t really see 442s anymore other than in a counter attacking set up. The modern game favours specificity and in this context Rice excels.
 
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