Jose Baxter is the most infuriating player I've ever seen wear the United shirt; obvious talent but not enough of the right mentality needed to make that talent count.
I agree with the concept that Jose is wasted wide or in the deep midfield role and that, if we are going to play the boy, he needs to play in the #10 role where he is best. However, if NC decided to put him in that spot for the Play Offs, I would worry about our midfield. The reason we continually HAVE to play three in midfield is that we haven't got enough legs or strength in that area of the pitch so we add an extra body which compensates by cutting down the space. Look at yesterday after Calvert-Lewin and Davies came on and played as a two up front. Time and time again, Chesterfield cut through our midfield pairing and Doyle never once made a legal tackle to destruct it. That's Doyle's job by the way - count how many tackles he makes and you'll be flabbergasted for a so-called defensive midfielder. For me, Doyle is a complete waste of a shirt and it means that the likes of Baxter - or Scougall or Holt when they play in the more advanced role - and Coutts partnering Doyle have got one eye on protecting the guy who is supposed to be protecting the back four. How many times did Chesterfield expose our centre halves yesterday? How many tackles went in to stop them?
To play the luxury that is Baxter at #10, you need the legs and strength in the midfield. We had, IMO, half of the equation last season in Conor Coady who ran, tackled and got forward. When Liverpool asked for £1m and we baulked but Huddersfield got him for £400,000, you have to wonder why we never tried to offer something. If we'd bid £500,000 at the start of the summer, we'd have got him and he'd have crawled here to play for us.
So we brought in Wallace, Holt and Basham. The best we've looked has been with Basham, once settled at the club, in that destructive midfielder role and that is no coincidence in my eyes. With Bash there, Coutts and Holt were freed up as Baxter and/or Scougall would similarly be. Unfortunately, Basham is needed at centre back and I can't see Clough not using him there.
If we sign two quality central defenders and a big, strong midfielder to partner Basham in the centre of the midfield, we'd get the best out of Jose in the #10 role. As it is, he's been poor and that's shown in other aspects of his game - laziness, lethargy, going for too much on his passing. I do honestly think that the root of our issues are the centre of the defence and the knock on it has on the rest of the team. Collins is NOT the answer for me, I can't see what would be gained through putting him back in there. If we're intent on playing Basham as DCM, it'd have to be Brayford and Kennedy/McEvely with Freeman at RB.
Massive few days for Clough, he needs to find a way for Thursday night.
UTB.
He doesn't buy the players, he doesn't pick the team or the tactics and he isn't the one most accountable for the performance of the other players. The manager is and he keeps picking him so who does that buck stop with?.
