It’s Quiet 20 - What is the Wirtz that could happen?

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Every single person in the City connected press knows we're in for a midfielder.

Absolutely none of them or anybody else associated with the club knows who it is.

This is strange to me.

Jack Gaughan said on the 93:20 podcast he did that the staff at City never mention transfer targets by name, merely the number of the position they are going for.

I guess there’s lots of talk of a 6, without ever naming the name.

 

[Gabriel]

These guys just repost stuff but interesting there is no source. Might see someone else report this, might not.

Given that they couldn’t get Serie A right, I don’t hold out much hope.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

These guys just repost stuff but interesting there is no source. Might see someone else report this, might not.

Time for Loftus-Cheek to come home!

 

[NQCitizen]

Feel like Marmoush actually pressing as a number 10, and hopefully energising Haaland is how we're hoping to fix the midfield. As long as Kev starts we can't press.

Rico inverts or Bernardo drops next to Kova and I guess we hope they're a bit harder to run straight at.

Personally I think Dias being back and actually taking command of situations in the back line will help massively too.

 

[Shazza458]

 

[YatesA]

Forget wirtz and musiala. We should be fighting to make sure Chelsea finish below us and dont get champions league and we go sign cole palmer back.

 

[Coatigan]

A one game break isn't enough. Gundogan, Kev, Bernardo and maybe a couple more will never be the same again. They are broken.

As for why Pep keeps picking them, fucking no clue mate. Baffles me.
Maybe Gundogan will stand up like Kyle and get a way out for the sake of the team.

I'm sure Kyle is doing it for the sake of the team.

 

[Damocles]

Half the month gone now, and still no sign of us addressing the dire midfield deficiency - an area that's been clearly shot to pieces for over 3 months.

2 kid centre halves & an attacking player from the Bundesliga aren't going to fix the fundamental problems for us, which were again on display last night. We aren't mobile enough in the central area, have no serviceable player in the essential position in the system we play and thus our formation is currently akin to a ring donut with a huge gap in the middle.

Ipswich on Sunday will be a far more difficult game than it should be - frankly it could be an uncomfortable watch but we've done nothing to rectify our major problem, and need to score at least 3 to win a game.

The clock's ticking & it remains rather baffling what we are doing in the transfer market. The central midfield area is on its absolute arse.

We're the worst team in the league for defending in our own box (this is actually true statistically). We're solving things. We're in for a midfielder, it takes as long as it takes. Absolutely nobody signs players on Jan 1st, that is a misunderstanding of how the transfer market works

 

[Dax777]

The whole thing. Nice try Pep, taking it all on yourself, sure mate.

I agree. It was bullshit that he stopped the revamp.

 

[decmancity]

I'm sure Kyle is doing it for the sake of the team.

We don't know what's happened behind closed doors but he could have dug his heels in, collected his bonuses and sat in the stands for the next two years so if he leaves it's a positive in all the ways I'm looking at it.

Reduces the squad age
Removes all the media shit that comes with him
Means Pep can stop playing him and costing us points.
Frees up a squad place

 

[pavelsrnicek]

Unfortunately many of our issues this season stem from our failure to add a midfielder last summer. We had the opportunity to bring Guimaraes in but balked at the price. We ended up with an old Gundogan. Very often we have kept our powder dry due to the lack of suitable options and Pep has found a way. This year we gambled and it hasn’t worked out, the squad has aged and is too small for the challenges we face.

If it turns out the plan is to play Akanji in midfield then, as I see it, we are not going to play in the Champions league next season. We tried him a few times in the John Stones role last season and it never worked. He couldn’t get to grips with it and we invariably underperformed. Playing him as an out and out DM seems very risky, Stones never played well as a DM but made the floating centre back role his own.

As it stands our midfield could not compete with Arsenal, Liverpool and probably Newcastle and Chelsea. Forest are incredibly committed in defence. With the glaring flaws we have in the middle of the park who of the teams currently sbice us are we going to finish above?

We can talk about the risks of buying a player for the rest of the season but for me falling out of the champions league next season is a far greater concern. We have another enormous rebuild next summer when we may have to replace KDB, Gundogan, Bernardo or even Kovacic. Going to be much more difficult if we’re not playing champions league football. We gambled on not buying Guimaraes last summer and it has backfired, what’s the bigger gamble now, stick or twist?

 

[Dax777]

Our midfield problem is not a positional one. Its an age one.

We should only start one 30 year old in midfield. Either Kev, Kova or Bernado. Never all 3 and never any 2 with Gundo. We just simply don't have the legs when we do.

We cant press, we cant disposses the opposition, our speed is slow and our reaction time even slower.

In the end we can only afford to start 1 at all times. Period. Anything else is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[ONTHERUNWITHTHAKSIN]

Our midfield problem is not a positional one. Its an age one.

We should only start one 30 year old in midfield. Either Kev, Kova or Bernado. Never all 3 and never any 2 with Gundo. We just simply don't have the legs when we do.

We cant press, we cant disposses the opposition, our speed is slow and our reaction time even slower.

In the end we can only afford to start 1 at all times. Period. Anything else is a disaster waiting to happen.

I think that’s why Pep has played Rico there more for his energy

Not knocking Rico but we need someone better than him there

Going from either Kev to Rico or Bernardo to Rico is a massive drop in level

 

[Lee the Blue]

We're the worst team in the league for defending in our own box (this is actually true statistically). We're solving things. We're in for a midfielder, it takes as long as it takes. Absolutely nobody signs players on Jan 1st, that is a misunderstanding of how the transfer market works

It's currently Jan 15th

There is no sign of any reinforcement in central midfield and the hold area

We have known we are fuct in this area since late Sept

 

[Dax777]

I think that’s why Pep has played Rico there more for his energy

Not knocking Rico but we need someone better than him there

Going from either Kev to Rico or Bernardo to Rico is a massive drop in level

Perhaps O'Reilly next to Kovacic. Or Jack

 

[Ajm1985]

View attachment 143203

Yeah that's the fear/sensible progression.

If we get Dias back playing and don't sign a DM, I think having wingbacks would be a good shout during that rank run of fixtures, rather than play the same way but with Akanji. Can mitigate the lack of athleticism in the midfielders and make us harder to beat.

 

[Zenmanc]

Isnt 115 the elephant in the room taking a dump on the furniture that everyone seems to want to discount as to why we arent splashing mad cash on positions of need vs. making what appear to be sensible investment on unproven players?
Our midfield shortcomings are glaring yet unaddresed now two windows in a row if not more.
We have spunked points after being in a position of taking all 3 as a result of unacceptable cover in midfield MANY games this season as recently as less than 24 hours ago. If we had even half of those points back we'd probably be in 3rd at worst.
I know the blue tinters (specs and hair) dont want to admit it but without 115 hanging over us would we be here?

 

[oldius]

Other club fans are complaining about our transfer window and asking why their club cannot do things our way.
Here, it's like a flagellation convention.

 

[Coatigan]

We don't know what's happened behind closed doors but he could have dug his heels in, collected his bonuses and sat in the stands for the next two years so if he leaves it's a positive in all the ways I'm looking at it.

Reduces the squad age
Removes all the media shit that comes with him
Means Pep can stop playing him and costing us points.
Frees up a squad place

I agree with all that.

I just don't think his desire to leave is a self sacrifice for the sake of the team. But rather his own personal need, for whatever reason footballing or life.

And I don't have a problem with it for a second, he has more than earned it, and I thank him and wish him all the best. And will also argue that he is nowhere near as bad as people make out, even with the big drop-off we have seen.

 

[Shazza458]

Yeah that's the fear/sensible progression.

If we get Dias back playing and don't sign a DM, I think having wingbacks would be a good shout during that rank run of fixtures, rather than play the same way but with Akanji. Can mitigate the lack of athleticism in the midfielders and make us harder to beat.

Yep.
I suspect if they are looking for an out and out holding midfielder, they need someone who is young but still is good enough. They also need someone who is happy to sit on the bench when Rodri has returned and help out with some minutes here and there. It’s not the easiest ask.

Suspect they are saving the top shelf targets for summer which is another factor they’ll have to add in. I think there is a world where Gundo, Nunes, Kev and McAtee all leave.

I also think the Nunes and Philips deals have given them PTSD.