Exactly many a pisspots can have heavy sessions and be fit and able to do their job to the fullest, some sadly cannot.
You watch the league cup final
I’m not sure I would rush to get rid of him. Same with Ake if he can stay fit. I love Stones but his injury record is just too bad.
Would mean we have very little attacking threat on that side of the park (see Wembley), and his strength and physicality are often needed inside. If we’re going to be more mobile across the pitch, we need fullbacks capable of threatening overlaps/underlaps, and neither Akanji nor Khusanov possess that ability. Nunes has shown he can do it, but his defensive ability remains suspect. We might not sign someone, but if that’s the case, then it’ll either be because squad capacity doesn’t allow it, or because there is no one currently obtainable that fits our specific needs.
Thought Newcastle were rather good. ;-)
Good points. I love O’Reilly and I think he can play anywhere including right back.
He’s certainly accomplished, but if he’s not a fullback on the left, he won’t be any better on the opposite side, where realistically he’d pose even less of a threat on the outside. He needs game time in the middle to build up his stamina and thus his concentration; young players naturally tire more quickly and that makes them prone to mistakes. He helped us out enormously last season, and the club evidently thinks highly of him, so I’m confident he’ll be given time to develop further.
would tend to agree for the most part but the right side would have a Cherki/Foden interchange going on with Akanji sitting into the 3? i could see it working. I do thnk they will nab a RB though
Would still leave a large space on the outside right vacant, and the opposition would recognise we pose no threat from there and adapt accordingly. I sense the club wants a proper fullback on that side, but landing the right one might be easier said than done. Be a great pity if we are so close to completing the jigsaw but again find ourselves missing a piece.
Not saying get rid, just saying hes not a right back
just depends on the setup, pep has leaned far more into a 325/3241 over a back 2-3 recently.
But seen from the opponent’s perspective, it makes it much easier to plan for and play against. Walker’s ability on the ball was never the greatest, but his willingness to run deep, even if not released, kept the opponent stretched and meant their midfielders/strikers exhausted themselves tracking him.
The only one asking that question will be Viana. ;-)
We weren’t in it? Akanji’s biggest weakness is he is trusted to bring the ball forward to the edge of the box, by us and the opposition, but then does nothing with it apart from pass sideways or back, as spotting a pass is not a strength, similar with Ruben tbh
