I think he's stated that his preferred position is the #6 role. I don't know what he is anymore. Maybe a box to box guy?
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I think he's stated that his preferred position is the #6 role. I don't know what he is anymore. Maybe a box to box guy?
Definitely box to box. He spends his days moving large piles of money from safe deposit box to safe deposit box. Sometimes he stops to take a shampoo break and smile for Instagram.
He characterizes himself as a 6 and prefers to play there most.
His problem is that as a 10 he doesn't score and as a 6 he doesn't commit to defense for a full 90. I think his best position is as a holding midfielder that can get forward in the double pivot next to a true #6 that can cover for him not playing defense for a full 90 or as a shuttler in the single pivot. I guess that makes him a #8.
I think he is a box to box guy. His defensive effort has been solid but he doesn't have the positional instincts to play a major defensive role. Like Midas I think Iraola's success at DM makes Mix more appealing. Between Iraola's positional savvy and Mix's energy we'd actually have some grit.
I admit I'm still surprised he isn't our first choice midfield sub. But even at his best Mix wouldn't start in our current midfield.
If Lampard or Pirlo leave or are injured, I would be very curious to see Iraola-Mix-Lampard or Iraola-Mix-Pirlo, I think both could be good. But it just doesn't appear to be in the cards.
Put it with the Villa at LW, Poku at CF idea as something we'll always wonder about.
I admit I'm still surprised he isn't our first choice midfield sub. But even at his best Mix wouldn't start in our current midfield.
If Lampard or Pirlo leave or are injured, I would be very curious to see Iraola-Mix-Lampard or Iraola-Mix-Pirlo, I think both could be good. But it just doesn't appear to be in the cards.
Put it with the Villa at LW, Poku at CF idea as something we'll always wonder about.
We don't see Mix as a midfield Sub because he doesn't do anything the Sub will do. If we need offense, we sub out defensive players for attacking players. If we need defense, we sub out Lampard or Pirlo for Bravo or Lopez depending on what the game calls for.
Mix is a worse version of Pirlo or Iraola. That's all. The real question is why we don't see him as a like for like when someone misses a game.
Ah... But therein lies the heart of the problem, and it's a problem that a lot of managers fail at.
When a team is winning/losing, conventional wisdom says to sub on either a defensive player to protect a lead or an offensive player to apply more pressure. That ignores possibility number 3 which is to continue what has been working.
Bringing Mix on if we're trailing wouldn't necessarily be an offensive spark, but he could stabilize the midfield/regain control to be another guy that makes the crucial pass.
Bringing him on if we're winning also stabilizes the midfield and doesn't allow for a bunker mentality. Too many defensive minded players turn the ball over after creating a defensive stop because they aren't skilled enough to hold the ball and initiated counter attacks.
Save for very particular situations, I very much think Mix could and should be the first midfielder off the bench.
Agree to disagree. Mikey Lopez and Fed Bravo have done a pretty decent job of killing of games for us.
We've also given up a hell of a lot of late goals that may not have happened if we weren't simply trying to absorb pressure.
I'll agree with you there. I think Lopez is terrible at possession. I also think RJ Allen and Tommy McNamara are terrible with possession as well.
I should probably cite these claims, but someone tweeted that we made inquiries about two different goalkeepers this past window, we have definitely reached out to Casillas in the past, and I believe Reyna said that he views Saunders as a backup long term (paraphrase) at a town hall event. Couple all of that with the eyeball test that says he's often one of our biggest liabilities on the pitch and a poor fit for Vieira's play-out-of-the-back system, I'm not worried that goalkeeper isn't an offseason priority.
I think Reyna/Kreis liked him just enough, and he somehow became a bit of a fan favorite last year, so I don't blame them for not making it a huge priority last offseason. And Vieira was just learning the roster, plus he seems to really value consistency and trust, which I agree with at the goalkeeper position given that the player's confidence is a very important factor in his play. I think we haven't seen Johansen partly because it's 50/50 that he's a better keeper anyway - Vieira doesn't want to get in a situation where he's flip-flopping keepers multiple times.
Mix is the opposite of McNamara - physically talented but not coachable and didn't earn results. He's not seeing the field again under Vieira.
Pretty sure I saw a stat last game that we have not lost a game when leading at halftime.
Perhaps, but that doesn't take into account giving up a tying goal. Losing 2pts from a winning position is near enough to a loss.
Sure, but how many times have we bunkered down and played defensive subs have we either lost a game or lost a lead? Once or twice?
More than that, I think. Probably 6-8 points squandered.
Attribution is a weird thing, though.
First, I'd like a quote on the 6 thing. And secondly, yet again, when has he been given a chance to do a single dimensional role.
Frankly, I feel like the "facts" that you point out are all in support of what I've been saying. Hell, I posted 3 months ago Mix was our best like for like in any of the 3 defined roles we seem to have now. I stand by it. He's just never gotten a chance with any of those clearly defined roles.
I hate to constantly point out posting something first. Shit guys. Get smarter or quicker than me.
