craigizzard wrote:Senna is not a Gattuso/Mascherano type "tenacious" defesive midfielder. He's a deep-lying midfielder who can read the game and break up play when required and then distribute the ball effectively. In fact, he's exactly the same sort of player as Xabi Alonso, Busquets and Javi Martinez, so Spain, with their system, are hardly missing out in not taking him.
The fact is that Spain don't need a terrier DM because they hardly ever lose the ball. England, on the other hand...
Javi Martinez isn't like Alonso. If he's like anybody, he's like a lesser Ballack. A strong, box-to-box player with a good engine. Senna isn't as quick as Mascherano, but he was certainly tenacious. Whenever the opposition went into Spain's half, he was at their heels winning the ball back. For Spain, he didn't play the Alonso type role, for Villarreal he does, though.
Alonso and Buesquets are capable of doing this defensive role, Alonso probably less so because he isn't quick over any distance, but he reads the game well and is a terrific man marker.
England don't really have any kind of defensive midfielder, if it was to be anyone, it would be Barry or Huddlestone. I don't think THudd is quick or mobile enough in a two man midfield, whilst I think Barry is only average at anchoring the midfield, and will be shown to be average by any half decent side.
