Ugh. He's not a bad player in a vacuum but he totally ruins our midfield.
I'd rather shift Sigurdsson inside and play Vlasic or Bolasie on the left. I would even prefer to experiment with Klaassen there even though he doesn't get on the ball enough either (based on an admittedly small sample size).
Basically, we know Gana-Schneiderlin sucks. It sucked last season (remember Koeman hauling one of them off at halftime in every match they started together?), it sucks this season, and the only reason to ever put them on the pitch together again is because they're the only two fit midfielders we have for those positions.
Yeah has to be 3 man midfield from now on, it’s the only shape that any of the three managers have been able to get any sort of game out of.
Rooney in the middle, non negotiable.
Gana sits. Would accept Beni in a pinch. Would accept schneiderlin in a pinch.
The other midfielder anyone from Davies/Klaassen/Sigurdsson/even Gana (pinch) as we saw first part of the season.
We might have to just accept that gylfi will never play number 10 for us because we don’t look like ever playing a system with a 10, and when he has played there he’s actually been worse. On the left he works hard, he gets on the ball a bit but doesn’t have the responsibility to get on the ball again and again, which is his ultimate problem beyond pace or anything like that, it’s that he’s not a natural ball magnet and doesn’t affect the game like that. It’s fine, let’s all get over it and accept that he can play on the left (will probably be better with a good lb behind him or baines finding him with vertical balls to feet) and he’ll be sound there.
Think on sat I would be surprised if Niasse and Coleman started, also be surprised if we get anything out of it.
Niasse did well, and I think it will be a similar sort of game so...maybe he does need to play? Put himself about and occupy defenders? Made a good case for himself but obviously, we all know his faults and they make a fine case for Tosun or DCL.
One of the biggest problems we have this summer is finding someone else who can do what Rooney can do in the middle of the pitch. Either someone younger who can come on when he goes off, or someone better and younger who can ultimately replace him in the middle of the pitch.