Are we Having a Transition Season?

[Gabriel]

The club knew he was off and the rumours of the Kovacic signing started very early, that deal was sealed well before the season ended.

Bernardo would have been off as well if Barcelona had had the readies. One of the ironies of playing with a small squad is that it suits the players at the time because they are content with the game time, involvement, and last year achievement, yet whether they want to do that consistently over 2-4 seasons is another thing.

Because Guardiola hasn't managed anywhere as long as this before, he's never faced quite the same challenge, so we're all in a new phase of development and having to adjust.

 

[Keeper!]

Bernardo would have been off as well if Barcelona had had the readies. One of the ironies of playing with a small squad is that it suits the players at the time because they are content with the game time, involvement, and last year achievement, yet whether they want to do that consistently over 2-4 seasons is another thing.

Because Guardiola hasn't managed anywhere as long as this before, he's never faced quite the same challenge, so we're all in a new phase of development and having to adjust.

I love Bernardo to bits but the will he stay, will he go has gone on for far too long.

Every summer we have had it for the last 3 years, and I am certain it will start again this summer and this time I do think he will be off.

 

[Gabriel]

Should an elite club be giving Walker a deal up to his 36 birthday?

Should we not have already identified a replacement for an injury prone KDB?

Should we have forced out Phillips last summer with it quite obvious Pep did not want or rate him.?

All harsh decisions but ruthless decisions have to me made to keep at the top of the tree.

Not having a proper back up/partner to Rodri was always going to bite us hard.

The Walker situation is rather similar to what happened with Fernandinho. I do agree that harsh decisions need to be made. It will be interesting to see how the season pans out and what lessons we learn.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

I bet @Fordyboy46 likes this post.

I'd imagine there are a few like this today

 

[Gorbachev]

I'd be much more understanding if we were bedding in Lavia, Palmer and McAtee, rather than struggling like fuck because Txiki could only get our 7th choice options through the door. Bar the substitute left back we absolutely had to spend 100 fucking million on in a summer we lost two 20 G+A midfielders.

This.

We had a shocking transfer window - worst since 2012/13.

We failed to get an extension done for one of the best midfielders the PL has ever seen in Gundogan, didn't dig our heels in with Mahrez to try and convince him to see out his last year of his contract and then panicked with Walker when he was rumoured to be going to Bayern by offering him captaincy meaning he has to play every game now.

Kovacic was a decent signing as a rotational player to come in against your mid-table teams when one of the primary midfielders needed a rest, but we are now relying on him to be one of our most influential players.

Nunes was the very definition of a panic signing. Not the profile of player needed, simply not good enough. Scored a grand total of 10 league goals in his entire career. 1 goal and 1 assist last year for Wolves and we thought he was good enough for us? Baffling.

On top of all this we decided to make Gvardiol one of the most expensive CB's the world has ever seen and decided to play him left back despite Ake being absolutely lethal there last season and whom didn't need moving away from that position.

Doku has been the only positive signing so far this season.

 

[Gabriel]

I love Bernardo to bits but the will he stay, will he go has gone on for far too long.

Every summer we have had it for the last 3 years, and I am certain it will start again this summer and this time I do think he will be off.

He'll only go if Barcelona match the release clause, and I'm not sure whether they have the financial means to do that. It won't stop the continued speculation, of course.

 

[Gorbachev]

The Walker situation is rather similar to what happened with Fernandinho. I do agree that harsh decisions need to be made. It will be interesting to see how the season pans out and what lessons we learn.

Like I said above, we panicked with Walker because we couldn't tie down Gundogan and we didn't dig our heels with Mahrez to convince him to do his last year. To allow Walker to go to Bayern would probably have been one too many influential players gone. My issue with his renewal was why make him captain? Got to play him every game now almost.

 

[Keeper!]

Like I said above, we panicked with Walker because we couldn't tie down Gundogan and we didn't dig our heels with Mahrez to convince him to do his last year. To allow Walker to go to Bayern would probably have been one too many influential players gone. My issue with his renewal was why make him captain? Got to play him every game now almost.

Who chooses the captain, I thought it was the dressing room?

 

[Asa's left peg]

Maybe it was an influence during the summer, not knowing whether two of our most influential midfielders were staying or not, right until the end of the window. In the end one didn't and one did, but we could and should have gone large on at least one replacement.

 

[David Silva]

This.

We had a shocking transfer window - worst since 2012/13.

We failed to get an extension done for one of the best midfielders the PL has ever seen in Gundogan, didn't dig our heels in with Mahrez to try and convince him to see out his last year of his contract and then panicked with Walker when he was rumoured to be going to Bayern by offering him captaincy meaning he has to play every game now.

Kovacic was a decent signing as a rotational player to come in against your mid-table teams when one of the primary midfielders needed a rest, but we are now relying on him to be one of our most influential players.

Nunes was the very definition of a panic signing. Not the profile of player needed, simply not good enough. Scored a grand total of 10 league goals in his entire career. 1 goal and 1 assist last year for Wolves and we thought he was good enough for us? Baffling.

On top of all this we decided to make Gvardiol one of the most expensive CB's the world has ever seen and decided to play him left back despite Ake being absolutely lethal there last season and whom didn't need moving away from that position.

Doku has been the only positive signing so far this season.

Completely agree although without knowing what Gundo was thinking, I don’t think we can completely hang city for that one. There’s no guarantee he would have stayed anyway.

Nunes has been the biggest fuck up. Kovacic is evidently a squad signing given we were simultaneously chasing Bellingham and then Rice, yet he has ended up being the more capable of our two CM signings in the summer. He was never going to directly replace Gundo and I don’t think that was the plan; if we got Bellingham in he’d barely be required outside of rotation.

KDBs injury has just exacerbated this problem leaving us with a midfield that is a million miles off the level we set earlier this year.