Solid window imho if it stays like this 3 key players brought in the youth lads looking good as well with the likes of Delap/palmer/bellis Foden making massive strides key players coming back from injury.
All ways fascinates me this section of the forum with so many flappers :)
And before that we wanted Jorginho, again, the opposite type of defensive midfielder to Fernandinho.
In between we wanted Frenkie De Jong, another in the same category.
Inside knowledge, no. I do feel easier for young academy lad, Doyle for instance, to replace the legs of ferny, than the guile of a more advanced Gundogan.Are you speaking from inside knowledge why youth for Fernandinho but not for the Gundagon role ?
Exactly. Imagine if we'd bought Jorginho how that could've (not) worked out. Haha.
Anyway, I want to give Rodri a chance to do better with a stable defence behind him and a functioning attack in front of him.
His wife is a professional sports reporter and a City fan and is entitled to her own opinions. He issued a clarifying statement during his wedding celebrations. There is absolutely no proof that he "got his wife to bitch about the Lyon game", dark age thinking.He crossed the line when he got his wife to bitch about the Lyon game.
Poor window imo. Dias should have been done last year replacing Kompany. Ake is just going to be a squad rotation player, if Laporte is fit he's on the bench. Not replaced Silva, Fernandinho is a year older, Aguero would have had a 6 month injury by the time he returns and will probably have on going issues not invested in another back up. All we've done is replace Sane who didn't play last year.
Like I say it's my opinion but it's been incredibly poor.
Where do comments like this come from? Foden, Bernardo, KDB, Fernandinho...we have pace in midfield.
If Pep chooses to pick Rodri and Gundogan, the only 2 who don't have pace, that's not going to be fixed by just buying another midfielder who can run.
And when did football become a 100m race? Busquets, Alonso, Gareth Barry were all slow as fuck. Why are people pretending like your defensive midfielder has to be a marathon runner now?
Very disappointing. Given our injuries and the var factor I don't think we've done enough to win the title or CL.
After winning the CAS appeal, Khaldoon's end of season speech and chasing Messi it's a bit underwhelming. We still have a painfully slow midfield and no reliable left back and we're a bit light up front.
But you can clearly see how good ferna is in our system and Rodri seems to lack that bit of aggression and pace.Pep has never played with a destroyer 6 like some people want to replace dinho. He’s always had a player like rodri there.
We are lucky dinho could spray the ball out to the wings well and recycle it in the middle other wise Pep would of got rid of him straight away and signed a 6 that fits his profile like he did with Alonso at Munich.
Also made me laugh the high praise for Kante when Dinho could do all he could Will bells on it.
we were very lucky to have Dinho in his prime under Pep but Pep couldn’t believe how good he was when he arrived.
Their will never be a 6 as good as Dinho was in the 17/18 and 18/19 season.
Well said sir well saidAlternatively.
Dias is EXACTLY what this team was missing last season, a no nonsense top drawer defender who is also a leader and an organiser. HUGE upgrade on last season. Ake is EXACTLY what this team was missing last season. A dependable consistent left footed defender to deputise for Laporte and also can be a defensive left sided full back. Torres is EXACTLY what this team was missing last season. A RAPID winger with bags of intelligence and technical ability and the capacity to play both the inside channels and the flanks.
Opinions are easy and fun.
If Foden or Bernardo play instead of Silva then I ‘d say it has more energy, The problems were worse when Gundogan replaced Silva but last season even with Silva the midfield lacked energy.But you can clearly see how good ferna is in our system and Rodri seems to lack that bit of aggression and pace.
There is a reason a midfield of Ferna Silva and KDB is world beaters but replace Ferna with Rodri and its starts losing its edge.
A double pivot of Rodri Gunda is just ridiculous and only works rarely. So either we get some version of Silva along side of Rodri and KDB else this midfield would be easy to pass through.
of those you mentioned, only Foden has pace.
The others can move about, but if they are 20 yards behind a counter, only Foden gets back fast. That’s the pace people are referring to, not the tempo.
If Foden or Bernardo play instead of Silva then I ‘d say it has more energy, The problems were worse when Gundogan replaced Silva but last season even with Silva the midfield lacked energy.
An excellent point. Some posters want replacements for Kompany, Merlin, Sergio, Fernandinho etc. who are already as good as those players were when they were at their peak. If they were out there they would hardly be available or if available would probably cost £ 70 million + each.Part of the point that I am making is that there do not seem to have been the players out there to go for that could achieve that strengthening of the squad - even all the knowledge of the very many posters on here has not really identified many targets that were attainable or would meet the potential of world class criteria I was mentioning
Perhaps it is just that simple
People talk about the 6 position as if pep doesn't have options. He has nailed his colours to the Rodri mast. Txiki could go and buy Ndidi, Kante, Douglas Luiz, and Thomas Partey and Pep would still play Gundo and Rodri.
His wife is a professional sports reporter and a City fan and is entitled to her own opinions. He issued a clarifying statement during his wedding celebrations. There is absolutely no proof that he "got his wife to bitch about the Lyon game", dark age thinking.
It isn’t the pace I’m talking about, I don’t expect any of the midfielders to catch a Vardy , Traore or Mane, on a counter attack. The pace I want from them is the pace and energy to close down opposition defenders and midfielders quick enough to prevent the ball over top in the first place, thats what I’m expecting from Foden, Bernardo, KDB, and Jesus this season. Much the same way liverpools midfield have the energy to stop counter attacks happening by closing down not from chasing back.of those you mentioned, only Foden has pace.
The others can move about, but if they are 20 yards behind a counter, only Foden gets back fast. That’s the pace people are referring to, not the tempo.