overall feels like he is building squad for high intensity play style that is nowhere to be seen.
Leijnders was told to be the brain in the high intense dipper side around 2019-2022, which was all about high pressing aka inhaler style, two attacking fullbacks with regular and decent crossing, huge G+A across the front three, Mane and Salah from wide and Firmino middle, and a rather boring but sick high workrate midfield likes of Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Milner etc.
thing is something like that style would benefit many players in the squad, but for whatever reason Pep is going with the low intensity, slow build up, high line which keeps getting found out more and more and players look bad in it new ones especially while form of older ones like Haaland, Foden, Dias are poor.
Marmoush is puzzling transfer, he was a beast for Frankfurt o the counterattack, they set up deep to get the best out of Marmoush, Ekitike duo, they were so good running behind, attack space, for him to wait 10 mins of slow sideways passing get the ball up to him is pointles especiall ith his back to the net or front of low block. such a style mismatch. its like you crave a red Porsche as you are single want a speedy car to impress women and gold diggers and get a combi Volkswagen minibus instead.
Doku, Marmoush, Semenyo all need space front of them, our style rarely allows this.we are so slow in build up that even if opponent doesnt plan low block they naturally do it especially seeing how vulnerable we are to counters.
we had serious intensity under Pep in 2018-2023. we had off the ball workrate at sick levels. we won title without a striker as others put in sick pressing like Jesus, Sterling and everbody chipped in with goals.
these days we need to praise Doku if the ends the season with 2+4 GA in the league as our best winger.
Salah had one or two matches last season when he did 2+4 in a single fucking game not over a season. and then dont get me started on what Bobb, Savinho served up as winger here this season.
these tactics literally limiting in what players strengths are and does put the focus on their weaknesses.
watch Semenyo complete subbmarine drop next season on G+A if tactics dont change. now he still had bit of momentum he brought from Borunemouth and kept scoring, but that will be gone after the summer. same as Marmoush added a few after Frankfurt but once gets the Pep "way" he is not recognizable to his Frankfurt numbers.