Defensive Midfielders:
First Choice: Emre Can
Back-Up: Lucas Leiva
Analysis: It will be interesting to see where Emre Can envisages himself playing next season. In my mind, this would be his most natural position – somewhere he could be the tough-tackling, physical midfield presence that we’ve been so sorely missing since the departure of Javier Mascherano – with the greatest of respects to Lucas.
The Brazilian is still more than capable of doing a job and his experience could prove invaluable on the big occasion. He could be a good mentor for Can moving forward, helping him work on the more defensive side of his game, while keeping those marauding runs forward going as well.
Conclusion: Lucas is the only natural holding player currently in our squad. Following a year of playing in defence, there are no guarantees that Can will take to such a role. It seems unlikely that we’ll bring in anyone before the season starts, but this could be the first port of call come the January window if the German can’t make it work.
