Called me old fashioned, but with a three man midfield, I would expect the 6 to be the main responsible for covering space and keeping the team together. The other two should press, link up with attackers and create chances. Whenever we played with Lucas there, this was crystal clear.
It's possible that Gini is trying to cover space somehow, although I don't see it. My interpretation is that Gini is simply too passive, with and without the ball. This makes Henderson frustrated when we don't score, and then Henderson (being captain and ambitious) tries to do Gini's job in addition to his own. '
With Can in Gini's position, we have a much more active player. He takes more risks, shows more for the ball, passes more, etc. Perhaps he's being a bit undisciplined, but in principle I think Can is doing what that role demands. Recently though, Can has simply been far too wasteful and poor with the ball. He's missing passes and shooting all over the place. That's not tactics, that's lack of form or skill. Personally I hate it when passivity, like Gini, is rewarded more than trying and failing, like Can, but in the end none of it works.
If we had a better player in the Can/Gini role, like Keita, I think Henderson could calm down and focus on his role as 6. This would help the defense as well. Someone called Henderson Lucas MkII in a derigatory fashion, but if he does it right I think it could work brilliantly. Henderson should try to be a young Lucas, not a Gerrard light.
