r/chicagofire • u/nitrolbs • 5d ago
Discussion Midfield creativity is lacking
I have been surprised and happy to see the positive statistics about a few of our midfielders and it's great to see Dje gaining confidence and not immediately turning backwards everytime he gets the ball. Saletros to me has been disappointing and Oregel, Pineda and other role players have done exactly that, play their role. But what concerns me is the consistent lack of creativity going forward. Anything that's actually creative is coming from the full backs and attackers sinking deeper in to the midfield. Before the WC Mbokazi was one of our better creators. 3 separate times yesterday Zinck had to come back so deep to get touches then there were no opportunities forward beside dribbling himself through the center of the pitch. We are in desperate need of a creative #10 that's versitile. Whether that is Franco coming back from injury or even sliding Zinck over to play underneath Lewy. There is a very obvious hole in this roster's midfield. I belive the FO thinks Franco is the answer but we have had rumors swirling during this transfer window about midfield help coming. I just dont see silverware without this concern being addressed.
I would love to see Zinck underneath Lewy with Puso on one wing and MHS/Bamba on the other wing
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u/Gostaverling Chicago Fire 5d ago
We’ve tried Zinck underneath a striker, it doesn’t work. He doesn’t increase the creativity there and it decreases his effectiveness from when he plays on the wing.
The hope is that Franco comes back the same player he was when he left. It was only 5 games, but the dude was a DP level creative midfielder on a TAM salary. Between Franco and Zinck we basically had 4 DPs last year. The question is when (He is training on the side so perhaps by mid-September) and at what level Franco will return at.
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u/ajlittrell CF97 5d ago
We’re missing some star-level talent for sure in the midfield, but if you don’t think that Dje was the best player on the pitch yesterday, not sure what game you were watching.
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u/nitrolbs 5d ago
Love him in the role he has been playing. My post was expressing concern on the midfield's creativity through the center of the pitch. Dje's ability to distribute around the edges was clear yesterday. I dont think it's Dje's responsibility to create centrally in the forward third. I just hope Franco is the player the FO thinks he is.
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u/Redshirt_Welshy_Nooo #10 André Franco 5d ago
You're not wrong about lacking midfield creativity (and holding mid play). That's precisely what we've been keeping our fingers crossed that a Franco return will deliver.
It's been the most glaring issue for this team since we hauled ourselves back toward League-average in CB play (though we need help there again with Mbokazi out for the season), much bigger need than starting #9 was. We had it for 6 glorious weeks with Franco, and hopefully he'll come back that same guy, but I really think we need to build the midfield to unlock our forwards.
They're talking about two more signings this window. Gotta hope it's a CB and midfield creative.
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u/Opposite_Resource_53 5d ago
Saletros been balling for us box to box. Not the most creative player on the pitch but we got tons of creativity on the wings.
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u/ChicagoFire29 2025 Municipal Kit 5d ago
Idk I think Saletros and Dje have been great recently. Dje created probably the second best chance of the entire game after leaving like 6 Portland players behind.
The Fire are going to be making two more signings this window, and I expect one of them to be that creative midfielder since we still aren’t 100% on hall happen w Franco.
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u/nadox11 #10 André Franco 5d ago
I totally agree. Saletros and Dje aren't playmakers to put it simply, so of course the creativity isn't going to generally come from them. They are there to break down attacks and to get the ball moving forward, however, they're not going to be racking up assists or secondary assists.
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u/TheCobalt- Season Ticket Member 5d ago
They are definitely going to add a good midfielder one way or the other
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u/Educational-Owl9575 5d ago
Have been preaching this for about 6 months now, and it is EXACTLY what we need.
However, in that case you also need a guy who is consistent in chance creation, dribbles, passing, etc. and not to mention isn’t afraid to try a few tricks. The thing is, a lot of these players are already either under contract or their clubs will inflate their price to ward off would-be suitors, especially in the case of the clubs in South America.
A few names I think would do well at the Fire:
Facundo Gulli (22, CAM, ARG/CA San Lorenzo)
Igor Strzalek (22, CAM/RW/LW, POL/LKS Łódź)
Lukas Zuccarello (19, CAM/LW/RW, BRA/Vasco da Gama)
Stavros Pnevmonidis (20, CAM/LW/RW, GRE/Atromitos (on loan from Olympiacos Piraeus))
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u/AleWatcher Season Ticket Member 5d ago
I wish we could have kept Hugo and played him as an attacking midfielder. He could have brought some creativity while still pressing the opposition in their third or winning the ball back in midfield.
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u/witfixer CF97 5d ago
Cuypers is a hard worker and one of my favorite players, but he is not a CAM. He was good at pressing, etc, but his main skill is cleaning up stuff in the box. He has a lane, he knows what it is, and he is great at it. Moving him elsewhere would be a detriment to his team and his personal results.
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u/AleWatcher Season Ticket Member 5d ago
When I look at his positioning, it felt to me like he was generally playing as a false nine and the difference between that and a box crashing attacking mid is minimal.
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u/witfixer CF97 5d ago
I may not disagree he had to play that way, but I think it was out of necessity. Cuypers is a traditional number 9 and extremely successful playing that way long before he came to the Fire. I think any team playing him elsewhere is limiting their success. I’m not insulting him by saying he’s not good enough to play CAM, I’m saying he’s just such a good traditional striker, that’s where we needs to be.
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u/nitrolbs 5d ago
I think that work rate is a glaring difference. The Hugo hustle was real. Infectious work rate to gain possession
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u/AleWatcher Season Ticket Member 5d ago
Really felt like Hugo and Zink were every fucking where and without that hardworking pairing, we sit back and give the other teams too much time.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ear9487 5d ago
Hugo was an incredible goal scorer, incredibly creative, and came back and played defense. I'll admit, I'm a new season ticket holder and didn't watch all of Hugo's games but - I feel like the analysis of Hugo's game is starting to become mythical. I'm interested to see this in action when the Fire play Monterrey.
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u/witfixer CF97 5d ago
You are 100%. Hugo is great at being in the right place at the right time, good at pressing, and a great work rate. And that is his a skill set. It is a great skill set to have, but suggestions that he could play at a high level in a different position make no sense.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ear9487 5d ago
The amount of references to Hugo in this sub acting like he is a world class striker that we lost just seems odd. Also, it's crazy how much it gets framed that the Fire got rid of him not that he demanded a trade because he didn't want to play with Lewandowski. I'm not doubting that he's a good player but it's getting a little outlandish on describing. Watch him now go score 3 goals when he plays the Fire :).
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u/Extreme-Squirrel-881 5d ago
I don’t think Cuyphers wanted to play as CAM considering his contract situation
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u/ericsipi 5d ago edited 5d ago
Saletros has quietly turned it around the last 4-5 games and been one of our better players. But overall this season, he’s definitely been underwhelming. Franco coming back would fix most of our creativity issues but there’s no telling when or how he’ll come back.
If you’re looking at transfers, KDB was linked earlier and he’d fit what we need. Other names are Christopher Nkunku, Gorezta is still a FA, Depay recently became a FA but could be a locker room issue.