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What is our best midfield pairing?

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Jonty

Jonty

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Neither Mikel nor Ramires have been terribly popular on here for the last few months, and rightly so as both of them have put in a series of unconvincing performances. That being said, today the sub for Mikel on for Lampard (who i'm sure would be many people's first pick) seemed to work to great effect, and a pairing that has been used very infrequently, mainly due to Lampard's great goalscoring form and Luiz's transition from defence to midfield, was able to boss the most consistent midfield duo in the country of Carrick and Cleverly.

So looking forward to the rest of the season and in particular to the replay at SB, which pairing would you ideally start with and why? (assuming all would be match fit).

Lampard/Ramires/Mikel/Luiz/Romeu/Oscar

 
I would go with Luiz and Lampard, i'm still not convinced by Mikel and Ramires, until we see more consistency from them then i won't be changing my mind.

 
Romeu and Luiz are our best paring or at least would have been if Romeu didn't get injured.

As for the United match, I think Luiz + Lampard/Ramires would be best seeing as we are at home.

 
 The Lampard thing is puzzling ,we are told he is too old legs have gone etc ... yet here we have Rafa asking him to play Thurs/Sun after an away trip in Europe and that is tough ,he was not at his best today but still did enough for me considering his efforts on Thurs. . My preference is still Lampard,Luiz and Ramires for the holding roles. .

 
Ramires/Mikel by a mile. Lampard looks like a headless chicken every time he got Ramires next to him. And today proved it once and for all. I hope.

 
I'm not a Mikel fan, but he has the most discipline out of all our options.

Ramires as a defensive midfielder doesn't work for me - his passing can be awful at times.

Lampard:  great goalscorer but... if he doesn't score, the game now passes him by (time has caught up with him against decent teams)

My choices would be either:

Mikel with Ramires further forward (with Lamps as our super sub)

or against weaker opposition Luiz with Lampard further forward. (Ramires as super sub)

 
We seem to be more balanced when it's one of Lampard/Ramires alongside Mikel/Luiz. I'm not sure which is the best combination though right now.

If Lampard leaves in the summer then I'd like to see Oscar given a go in a central midfield role alongside a more defensive player. KDB may be another option next season if the club have any clue what they're doing.

 
When we've managed impress against a good team this season, it's usually been Mikel & Ramires in central midfield - today, the PL match against Man U, the wins at Highbury and White Hart Lane . . .

They've also had a few stinkers, but those two would easily be my pick for a must-win game.

 
Was mikel and ramires the midfield of choice the start of the season? I remember thinking they looked ideal together in certain games.

 
Sindre said:
Ramires/Mikel by a mile. Lampard looks like a headless chicken every time he got Ramires next to him. And today proved it once and for all. I hope.
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I thought he looked fine last week against West Brom.

I'm not having everyone have a go at Lampard, you were all f**king praising him just a few weeks ago, it's making you look hypocritical.

Lampard has been fantastic since he came back in, it's when he is over played that he doesn't look so great. Mikel and Ramires was good today but when they have another poor game everyone will be asking for Lampard again. :rolleyes:

 
ramires and mikel.

between lamps and ramires for the best indivudual midfield player.

just I think a ramires / luiz midfield would be awful. I actually don't understand how you could like luiz in midfield. he's got all of the same flaws as gerrard in that position. only moreso, and with less to offer going forward. in this midfield where is the calm head, the positioning or the patience? I don't see it. in a one off game the energy and hard running could overwhelm some sides but over the course of a sustained period I think you'll find fewer headless chickens at an abattoir. an abattoir that specialises solely in poultry.

 
 As i said Lampard played Thurs/Sun away in europe as well ,that is difficult he is class and class is permanent still the first name on my teamsheet and the sooner the club sign him (i would give him two years) the better.  

 
Ramires-Mikel, IMO. We can do better than that long term but it's the best we have for now. Mikel provides the stability and cover that none of the others do, which allows us to exploit Ramires' pace and energy without leaving us overstretched at the back. As Katon said, many of our best performances this season have been with that combination.

 
Was that the Ramires / Mikel combo that played at West Ham I hated that game ?  

 
g3.7 said:
ramires and mikel.

between lamps and ramires for the best indivudual midfield player.

just I think a ramires / luiz midfield would be awful. I actually don't understand how you could like luiz in midfield. he's got all of the same flaws as gerrard in that position. only moreso, and with less to offer going forward. in this midfield where is the calm head, the positioning or the patience? I don't see it. in a one off game the energy and hard running could overwhelm some sides but over the course of a sustained period I think you'll find fewer headless chickens at an abattoir. an abattoir that specialises solely in poultry.
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Because I think he can learn the position and I think he has the attributes to blossom there.

We both agree that he is not really a defender. We both agree he is, by instinct, attack minded rather than defensively minded. We saw today what he can offer us when he is pushing forwards. He has the range of passing, (unlike Mikel). He has the skill, and the ability, (unlike Mikel), to carry the ball at his feet. The other crucial plus he has over Mikel is his athleticism. Mikel has the turning circle of the Ark Royal. Not to mention Luiz can pop up with a finish every now and then.

It's hard to put into words. Sometimes you just have a gut feeling about a certain player. I get that with Luiz. When he is played at centre-half Luiz gives me heart palpitations, I can barely watch. He is an accident waiting to happen. But when he is played in midfield he gives me hope, entertainment. At times he can be such a forceful, dynamic player going forwards,  he gets me off my chair with excitement. I can't put it any simpler than that really.

 
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g3.7 said:
between lamps and ramires for the best indivudual midfield player.
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Ramires is easily better than Lampard IMO. Lampard is not the same player he was and Ramires, as I've always said, should really be ahead of him in the pecking order rather than played alongside him if you want to get the best out of him.

Ramires very seldom gets used properly by Chelsea, but when he does, he's always the most important player in the side. People underestimate him because hard graft gets unnoticed a lot of the time. With Ramires, it's about a lot more than how he uses the ball. He is incredible at bursting forward he is incredible at running forward you just have to let him off the leash, and that means a player covering the holes he leaves behind.

We mess around with Ramires to our detriment. He's a truly admirable player the like of whom I have rarely seen. Play him correctly, play him every week, and it has been proven it is almost impossible to lose.

 
Scott Harris said:
I would go with Luiz and Lampard, i'm still not convinced by Mikel and Ramires, until we see more consistency from them then i won't be changing my mind.
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Your not convinced by Ramires and Mikel yet put Lampard and Luiz as your selection? Doesn't seem logical to me..

 
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