Jose Gimenez

It’s a bit of a fallacy that you need pace at the back to defend well. We need pace because we push up so high, let the full backs join the attack and are hugely susceptible to a quick counter attack - with balls played in behind our back line.
Pep might be planning to defend a bit deeper with a couple of holding players to make us less kamikaze, tightening things up. We have a huge array of attacking talent so not sure we always need to be so open. Regardless of how we set up the back line the press needs to return to its intensity of two years ago. That’s where our problems started last year - we lost possession and allowed teams time to un pick us.

Yeah fair points and add to that that Laporte isn't exactly a sprinter. Have now since read that Gimenez isn't a slouch and based on the stats sites (I know these can be questionable) he's not considered slow. So I've changed my mind.
 
It’s a bit of a fallacy that you need pace at the back to defend well. We need pace because we push up so high, let the full backs join the attack and are hugely susceptible to a quick counter attack - with balls played in behind our back line.
Pep might be planning to defend a bit deeper with a couple of holding players to make us less kamikaze, tightening things up. We have a huge array of attacking talent so not sure we always need to be so open. Regardless of how we set up the back line the press needs to return to its intensity of two years ago. That’s where our problems started last year - we lost possession and allowed teams time to un pick us.

You are right, but I don't think Pep will change it.

What I am hoping he will do, is stop relying on the pathetic, useless, offside trap, as our only form of defence.

We can use a line to stop players taking liberties, but then we need to drop off & defend. That's what Koulibaly does better than anyone & why I still hope we sign him. Ake gives me hope for that as well though
 
If the various Twitter feeds are to be believed (I know!) then we're offering €89m for Giminez but won't pay €70m for Koulibaly? All seems a bit unlikely to me.

I think people are assuming we will offer the buy out if we move for Gimenez but I’m not sure that would be the case. We might be planning to offer AM circa £60m - which they might be interested in, in the current climate. I don’t know the intricacies of AMs financials but must be similar to Spurs - borrowed heavily to build a new stadium - probably highly leveraged - and will never have envisaged such a heavy loss of income. I’m sure lots of clubs are struggling with cash flow and debt management- with no certainty of an end to this pandemic. In the latter part of this transfer window there may be a few ‘fire sales’ as clubs look to shore up their financial positions. If I was the FD of a club just now I’d be saying - don’t plan for having fans back in the stadium this season - and that’s gonna have a huge impact on financials... Football clubs tend to exist in a bit of a vacuum and are slow to change and slow to align to reality, but reality is quickly catching up with clubs as they realise they have huge cost bases and virtually no mechanism to turn the costs off, even when their income plummets.
 
If the various Twitter feeds are to be believed (I know!) then we're offering €89m for Giminez but won't pay €70m for Koulibaly? All seems a bit unlikely to me.

I suppose he is much younger, we have a good relationship with Atletico I believe and don't wand to give that prick in Naples a penny more than we need to for KK.
 
Very risky signing defensive players from Atletico. Even Otamendi would look good playing there. Before Simeone took over, Godin and Miranda were hopeless. Atletico were known as a team that could concede 5 but score 6. Very entertaining mind. That changed completely after Simeone arrived.

We’ve had a taste of this with Rodri. I’d stay well clear of any Atletico defenders. This isn’t a position we should be gambling with.
 

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