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Yup I would agree with the fella's who've mentioned he's played average in the last few games and I would have preferred AVB subbed him rather than Sandro at Everton.
Sandro was injured and asked to come off
As fantastic as Paulinho is, it's easy to forget that Sandro-Dembele was (IMO) the best midfield pairing in the League until Sandro went down last season. I also think that Dembele has done a better job of getting stuck in to the game and keeping possession ticking over in his appearances this term than Paulinho.
For these twinned reasons I'm perfectly content for Paulinho to sit for a few weeks and then fight his way back into the side while the Dembro pivot gets to boss a few weeks' worth of opposition.
For these twinned reasons I'm perfectly content for Paulinho to sit for a few weeks and then fight his way back into the side while the Dembro pivot gets to boss a few weeks' worth of opposition.
I think the bloke is class and one of our players of the season so far. Defensively sound, great at pressing high up, good passer and intelligent runs into the box. Him and Sandro are the perfect base for midfield domination in any match. I love the bloke and think alot of the dirty work he does goes unnoticed.
given the nature of threads on here lately, I figured I'd just post the same thing over and over again to be like the cool kids.Are you getting fed up yet of keep repeating yourself?
Think you should get it sticked on the front page so people get the message with FFS added.
A few people touched on this last week, but to me Paulinho really needs a rest. Whilst he has been far from terrible, his performances have dropped over the last few weeks.
He has come from a league which, from my limited knowledge of it, is not as physically demanding as the Premier League and, given the position he plays, it will take a while for his stamina and level of fitness to reach a level where he can play 2/3 times a week for 90 minutes and it appears to be showing at the moment.
Annoyingly, after an international break in Brazil, he won't be anymore rested when he comes back for the City game. Our only issue is, we don't have a like for like replacement for him in the team and IMO, Holtby is the closest we have to an energetic midfielder who can get up and down the pitch although, he is very averse to getting in the box which is one of the more important aspects of Paulinho's game.
The sooner we rest him though, the sooner he will be back to where he was at the start of the season!
He has come from a league which, from my limited knowledge of it, is not as physically demanding as the Premier League and, given the position he plays, it will take a while for his stamina and level of fitness to reach a level where he can play 2/3 times a week for 90 minutes and it appears to be showing at the moment.
Annoyingly, after an international break in Brazil, he won't be anymore rested when he comes back for the City game. Our only issue is, we don't have a like for like replacement for him in the team and IMO, Holtby is the closest we have to an energetic midfielder who can get up and down the pitch although, he is very averse to getting in the box which is one of the more important aspects of Paulinho's game.
The sooner we rest him though, the sooner he will be back to where he was at the start of the season!
Paulinho is much better in the opposing half than our half, when its him and dembele he doesnt seem to have a clue who is doing what, bring Sandro on and he knows he has some freedom. In and around box he just seems to come alive, he always seems out of position and never looks that available anywhere behind there
I agree he definitely needs a rest though
I agree he definitely needs a rest though
Think you are right and it would be interesting to see him as the more advanced midfielder of a midfield 3 but I think him and Dembele as the '2' in a '4231' just doesn't work for either. Has to be Dembele/Paulinho and Sandro/Capoue.
Name one time this has happened...oh wait
Too soon?
Yep, I've been disappointed by Paulinho overall. I thought over the season he would outshine both Dembele and Sandro. Well arguably he has in the case of Dembele so far, but even a not fully fit Sandro is looking the better player ATM.
All this Brazilian globetrotting can't be doing Paulo any good, and him and Dembele don't seem to work well together.
For City I'd like to see Sandro Capoue Holtby and three from Townsend Lamela Soldado Defoe Siggy. However ATM, I expect City to win whoever we select, and probably a tired Paulinho will be asked to play once more anyway.
All this Brazilian globetrotting can't be doing Paulo any good, and him and Dembele don't seem to work well together.
For City I'd like to see Sandro Capoue Holtby and three from Townsend Lamela Soldado Defoe Siggy. However ATM, I expect City to win whoever we select, and probably a tired Paulinho will be asked to play once more anyway.
This has been the pervading problem with his Spurs career to date. He's a very attacking central midfielder who operates best when liberated by a holding player to make bursting runs around the opposition area. When paired with Dembele, there isn't the same balance or cohesion you'd get if you played him next to Sandro or Capoue. Dembele similarly prefers to drive forwards with the ball, so it's unclear which of them should be doing what at any given time.
I was just telling my friend the other day that seeing him put in a lot of directionless legwork in central midfield on account of being forced to play an ambiguous, deeper role made him look a lot like an executive Jenas. It was funny to hear @
Flav
echo that same thought on the pod.
As he does for Brazil, with Luiz Gustavo being the 'liberator'.
I watched the Honduras game and Pauli was excellent, all over the park. He pops up in some fantastic attacking positions, and genuinely covers the pitch, as demonstrated by the fact he assisted Bernard's goal from the wing.
Top player, we're lucky to have him. Need to find the right balance in our team to fit him in.
