Right back options

[Xhavenjoe]

We don't have to fill the homegrown quota , buying a non homegrown player isn’t a problem for the homegrown rule.
The problem is we have too many non homegrown and no room for another one without a few leaving

We nearly have a full team of players that didn't even travel, if we include the lads that were on loan last season
With the exception of Kovacic (injured) the rest will probably be in the for sale/ to be loaned category.
Busy times ahead

 

[Matt.D]

Without him we are probably not in the CL. A bag full of important assists and goals as well as more than filling in defensively.

The goal vs Villa vitally important and fair play to him for getting into that position. That aside, we are in the champions league in spite of having Nunes at right back not because of it. He’s not the only one but he isn’t good enough. Take the blue tinted specs off and we’d be laughing at our rivals if they had him at right back.

Some of the assists were “fantasy football” assists. Also absolute liability defensively when coming up against a tricky winger.

There’s literally zero chance we finish the summer window without getting a new right back.

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

The goal vs Villa vitally important and fair play to him for getting into that position. That aside, we are in the champions league in spite of having Nunes at right back not because of it. He’s not the only one but he isn’t good enough. Take the blue tinted specs off and we’d be laughing at our rivals if they had him at right back. There’s literally zero chance we finish the summer window without getting a new right back.

Gonna be interesting to see how Nunes handles the loss of Bernardo ahead of him in place of a more attacking right side as expected next season if hes the RB. Silva is a massive support/link piece to him

 

[Matt.D]

Gonna be interesting to see how Nunes handles the loss of Bernardo ahead of him in place of a more attacking right side as expected next season if hes the RB. Silva is a massive support/link piece to him

Don’t sweat it he won’t be the RB. If he isn’t moved on he will be a rotation option at best. If they stay a fully fit stones and Akanji also start at right back ahead of him in any meaningful game.

 

[decmancity]

The goal vs Villa vitally important and fair play to him for getting into that position. That aside, we are in the champions league in spite of having Nunes at right back not because of it. He’s not the only one but he isn’t good enough. Take the blue tinted specs off and we’d be laughing at our rivals if they had him at right back.

Some of the assists were “fantasy football” assists. Also absolute liability defensively when coming up against a tricky winger.

There’s literally zero chance we finish the summer window without getting a new right back.

I don't have blue tinted specs on. Unless it's Livramento, there is zero point burning tens of millions on another player who is going to be no better than Nunes.

Wtf is a fantasy football assist.

We have Lewis, Nunes and Akanji, all having played at RB for Pep. I don't expect that to change unless something drastic happens. As it stands we will be heading into the season with them, we are already burning prime pre season time so it's clearly not a priority and probably cant be until we shift people like Walker.

 

[Matt.D]

I don't have blue tinted specs on. Unless it's Livramento, there is zero point burning tens of millions on another player who is going to be no better than Nunes.

Wtf is a fantasy football assist.

We have Lewis, Nunes and Akanji, all having played at RB for Pep. I don't expect that to change unless something drastic happens. As it stands we will be heading into the season with them, we are already burning prime pre season time so it's clearly not a priority and probably cant be until we shift people like Walker.

We will sign a right back. Do you think Khaldoon and the board are being as serious as they are but considering going into the season with those options. No chance.

I agree Livramento is clearly the first choice but a hard deal to do. If we don’t get him though we won’t not buy. Khaldoon said we have clear first and second choices identified.

Fantasy football assist being awarded for being the last person to touch the ball before a team mate bangs it, not necessarily because you actually created a chance. Pogba got dozens of them at the rags, little 2 yard passes before a team mate did something special. I know he got some proper assists from the so called 9 but a few of them were not assists in terms of actually creating a good goal scoring chance.

 

[BlueNomad]

I think spending (big) money on a Right Back depends on HOW Pep is planning to play.

In lieu of a RB, do we have sufficient RCB talent to cover the flank when necessary and a RM who can drop in as needed? Does Pep “waste” a RB position on someone like Rico Lewis, who can invert into midfield OR do we play a 2 in front of a defensive 3, with our 2 new AMs ahead of them, with an attacking line of 3, with wide right players that can actually track back? Or, does a player with speed and defensive capabilities (Khusanov?) play RB, allowing our new LB the freedom to get forward and allow Marmoush, Savinho, Doku to come into the inside forward position?

I find it increasingly difficult to presuppose Pep’s fluid formations given where we have invested and the way those players might fit into his plans, especially at RB!

 

[Dax777]

Have now watched the obligatory YT video & all on board - sign him up I say where he can battle it out with Nunes 'The Wall' for the right back position.

Kick the HG quota can issue down the road or do something creative to comply with it.

Qw are currently at 17. Someone has to go to bring in another.

Personally, Id rather Martin Fernandez, he is 19 and fantastic attacking. He can be a U-21 player for 2 more years.

 

[decmancity]

We will sign a right back. Do you think Khaldoon and the board are being as serious as they are but considering going into the season with those options. No chance.

I agree Livramento is clearly the first choice but a hard deal to do. If we don’t get him though we won’t not buy. Khaldoon said we have clear first and second choices identified.

Fantasy football assist being awarded for being the last person to touch the ball before a team mate bangs it, not necessarily because you actually created a chance. Pogba got dozens of them at the rags, little 2 yard passes before a team mate did something special. I know he got some proper assists from the so called 9 but a few of them were not assists in terms of actually creating a good goal scoring chance.

I dont think our season hinges on a RB. The speed at which we did the three signings speaks volumes as to where the priority was.

If we cant Livramento, maybe we bring in some project RB like has been mentioned e.g. Wesley and if that happens he wont be starting week 1 if hes had no CWC or barely any pre-season.

Well an assist is an assist, if it was so easy why was half the team so shite at it last season?

 

[Ajm1985]

I dont think our season hinges on a RB. The speed at which we did the three signings speaks volumes as to where the priority was.

If we cant Livramento, maybe we bring in some project RB like has been mentioned e.g. Wesley and if that happens he wont be starting week 1 if hes had no CWC or barely any pre-season.

Well an assist is an assist, if it was so easy why was half the team so shite at it last season?

Yerp and aside from the Chelsea/Gvardiol one, I can't think of a single league assist like that. Plenty of reasons to not be a fan of Nunes without trying discredit that aspect

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

If we don't sign a top class right-back this summer, we won't have learned anything.

No right-back, no title-tilt.

Nunes will never be good enough for it.

 

[RayCTID]

Its not a gamble but if you ask me, If we can improve, do it. But keeping our current duo works too.

Hopefully Nunes can really kick on from last season.

 

[IrishBloodEnglishHeart]

If we don't sign a top class right-back this summer, we won't have learned anything.

No right-back, no title-tilt.

Nunes will never be good enough for it.

Spot on.

When we didn't have a LB and moved Delph and Zinch there, they were head and shoulders above what Nunes has shown us at full back. That performance against Villa, final day, by Zinchenko isn't anything Nunes could do.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

If we don't sign a top class right-back this summer, we won't have learned anything.

No right-back, no title-tilt.

Nunes will never be good enough for it.

Is there any difference between not having a top class right back and not having a top class left back? Seems to me we have just swapped over.

 

[CΛL]

Spot on.

When we didn't have a LB and moved Delph and Zinch there, they were head and shoulders above what Nunes has shown us at full back. That performance against Villa, final day, by Zinchenko isn't anything Nunes could do.

I don’t think that is true, Zinchenko had as many mistakes, many forget because he was a nice lad and cost about 20 pence.

Plus he wasn’t as good going forward.

 

[Matt.D]

Is there any difference between not having a top class right back and not having a top class left back? Seems to me we have just swapped over.

1) Ait Nouri is going to be great for us but he is not as defensively sound or quick as peak Walker who was a huge part of that success

2) as the poster above said, options we have had including Zinchenko, Delph, Gvardiol, Ake, Danilo, Cancelo, have all been vastly superior options to Nunes who will never ever be good enough.

 

[TinFoilHat]

If we don't sign a top class right-back this summer, we won't have learned anything.

No right-back, no title-tilt.

Nunes will never be good enough for it.

No need as Pep is now playing a 2-2-2-4 formation.

 

[Dizbuster]

I don't have blue tinted specs on. Unless it's Livramento, there is zero point burning tens of millions on another player who is going to be no better than Nunes.

Wtf is a fantasy football assist.

We have Lewis, Nunes and Akanji, all having played at RB for Pep. I don't expect that to change unless something drastic happens. As it stands we will be heading into the season with them, we are already burning prime pre season time so it's clearly not a priority and probably cant be until we shift people like Walker.

A 'fantasy football assist' is an assist that the original poster refuses to accept actually happened because it runs counter to his stated narrative. It is roughly equivalent to "fake news" as it is used to deny something factual.

 

[Blue Since 76]

If we don't sign a top class right-back this summer, we won't have learned anything.

No right-back, no title-tilt.

Nunes will never be good enough for it.

Is he worse than Delph or Zinchenko were at left back? Or Cancelo, for that matter.

If we're playing a traditional back 4, he'd be a nightmare and I'd be just as concerned about Alt-Nouri in that system. If we're going to play with more attacking wingbacks against most teams, whoever is there won't be doing a lot of defending

 

[mattcity5]

No need as Pep is now playing a 2-2-2-4 formation.

Absolutely this. People are obsessed with old-fashioned formations, when the huge majority of our home matches we're set up in a 3-2-5, a 2-2-2-4, a 3-1-6 or something like that. Even when Nunes was nominally playing right-back, most of the time it was more of a right wing-back or even right midfield position.

There are games we could do with a better more traditional right-back, but those games are few across the season. It can matter because those games are tough, but I can understand why we might not want to pay over the odds for a player who may only offer improvement in a handful of games.