The reflection thread - What you got wrong and right

Didn't realise Stones would have been so good so far.
Thought Nasri would have been kept on after his sub appearance.
Always thought YaYa was not finished with us.Sadly looks like I'm wrong on that one.Not too fussed though.
Zaba still here is another one I got wrong.
Pep himself has been far better than I imagined.
Knew he was top notch but he seems to be a class above everybody else.
Sadly correct about Mangala and Pellagrini
 
GaudinoMotors said:
Right about Pelle
Totally wrong about Kolarov
Thought it would be confused performances until Christmas
Thought Pogba would be better
Knew Maureen was a busted flush
Click to expand...
I am convinced if Pogba joined us Pep would turn him into a worldbeater CM.
 
I am pleased to say I kept faith in Kolarov whilst others doubted.

However, I am not often right. I still think Benjani was let go too soon and we should have resigned Negrado.
 
Got wrong

On the evidence of the season thus far I would now contend that it may not always be strictly necessary for centre halves to stay in the middle - hahaha
 
Always rated Kolarov but thought his time had come to an end with us. In fairness we have the trouble in Turkey to thank for him still being here. I'm sure he was more or less on his way to besiktas wasn't he?
Always said Zaba should be given another season.
Always said Silva would shine in a Pep team.
Always said Hart would be the first casualty.
Knew that Yaya was finished though did think an impact substitute role could have been something we looked at.
Always believed in Sterling.
Always new that Pep was the best in the business and we were the luckiest club on the planet to get his services.

Wasn't sure about Stones so never committed one way or another due to not seeing enough of him. The boy is class.
Thought Otamendi had ability but still prone to making errors. That's still kind of true but been very impressed on the whole so far. Bournmouth was the first time he reverted to type this season though he still made a couple of great interceptions.
Thought Nasri and Mangala would struggle to play a big part but expected Nasri to be involved on some level.
Wasn't completely sold on Nacho's all round game, never doubted his ability to score but thought his link up needed some work. Given his age thought that was something he could work on though. He's improving all the time.
I suppose the main thing I got wrong was begging to get two new full backs. Thought going into the season with the same four would damage us at some point.
 
Pablo1 said:
Always rated Kolarov but thought his time had come to an end with us. In fairness we have the trouble in Turkey to thank for him still being here. I'm sure he was more or less on his way to besiktas wasn't he?
Always said Zaba should be given another season.
Always said Silva would shine in a Pep team.
Always said Hart would be the first casualty.
Knew that Yaya was finished though did think an impact substitute role could have been something we looked at.
Always believed in Sterling.
Always new that Pep was the best in the business and we were the luckiest club on the planet to get his services.

Wasn't sure about Stones so never committed one way or another due to not seeing enough of him. The boy is class.
Thought Otamendi had ability but still prone to making errors. That's still kind of true but been very impressed on the whole so far. Bournmouth was the first time he reverted to type this season though he still made a couple of great interceptions.
Thought Nasri and Mangala would struggle to play a big part but expected Nasri to be involved on some level.
Wasn't completely sold on Nacho's all round game, never doubted his ability to score but thought his link up needed some work. Given his age thought that was something he could work on though. He's improving all the time.
I suppose the main thing I got wrong was begging to get two new full backs. Thought going into the season with the same four would damage us at some point.
Click to expand...
*knew

Add it to the second list and reflect. :)
 
GaudinoMotors said:
Right about Pelle
Totally wrong about Kolarov
Thought it would be confused performances until Christmas
Thought Pogba would be better
Knew Maureen was a busted flush
Click to expand...

I also thought POgba would be better. Im sure he would be however with a decent manager.

Notice his agents comments today about how he went to utd because they wanted a challenge (and also to work with Jose) - desperately trying to cover up for the mistake they have made by saying it was all for the challenge and thats why he went to a team without champs league football!....HAHAHAHAHA
 
Wrong:

Pep wouldn't like Kolarov as he seemed a player willing to run forward in attack and not make the effort to get back last season and was found wanting when we were up against it.
Hart may face bench time but would stay on as 2nd choice while Pep trained it all into him.
Pep would see plenty to work with in Mangala and keep him in the squad as backup as he is young and has the physical presence to handle the most brutish of forwards.
I thought Stones was bought for his potential(we paid a high price for that too) and after his loss of confidence last season he would need to be eased into the team and perhaps protected from the media.
I thought Sterling would need time to get his confidence back.
Although initially I said Yaya would be one of the first to go, when he came back fit and looking as fresh as he has done for a long time, we might see a resurgence of the Yaya we used to see.
Fernando would be one of the first go behind Bony.
We'd have to be patient as fans and maybe take a few losses as the players adapt to the new system, the transition is happening more rapidly than anyone had expected so far.

Right:

Sterling would thrive under Pep eventually.
Kelechi would be given a real chance to stake a place and be taken seriously.
Pep would take a good look at what's available from the academy and consider them as viable options.
Bony would not feature and will be offloaded.
Silva would be back to his best under Pep.
Otamendi could regain the form he showed in Spain.
Pep would love Fernandinho's versatility and all around talent.
Not yet been proven on this but Aguero would reach new heights.
 
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A lot of my beliefs have evolved so I might think one thing one week review the evidence and change my mind. I also am not particularly dogmatic so I might think that something probably wont work rather than assert that it won't.
Anyway things that I thought likely at the beginning of the summer that have not turned out are:

Yaya staying, I thought he would go. Ditto Kolarov, I also thought Zab was quite likely to go.
The only leaver who surprised me was Hart who I thought would stay.
All those were at the beginning of the summer by half way through the mood seemed to have changed.

As far as things I got right of our outgoings Mangala and Bony were completely expected and Nasri was not a surprise though I was hoping we would keep him.

In general I was expecting one more centre back to come or possibly Denayer to stay, with Kompanys injury history and the rumours of Bonnucci and Laporte I was surprised to be leaving the transfer window so short here.

As far as the actual football has gone the thing that has surprised me most has been the PEG /rag recent melt down, I thought they had recruited fairly well and with Peg's knowledge of the premier league and his general good initial record with clubs I thought they started as favourites and we would be a season away from our best with a lot of youngsters being bought. Which is not to say I am surprised by our start I thought we had a good squad and an excellent manager, I was more concerned about flagging mid-season with fighting on more fronts and a fairly poor injury record last season.
 
Never thought Kolarov was as bad as a lot said he was, although I definitely would not have said he's capable of what he's now doing.

Thought Pep would move Sterling to the right and it would reinvigorate him.

The media seem to be gradually warming to us.

I thought we'd struggle to offload Yaya, glad we're not having to watch him amble around anymore though.

On the other hand:

I expected more kids to be involved from the off, perhaps naïvely, but that does look like it's going to happen fairly soon.

I thought United would be extremely hard to beat but they're already showing frailties and Mourinho seems to be going down the same route as he did at Chelsea last season in terms of blaming everyone but himself.

Did not think they would sign Pogba.

I didn't think we'd start as well as we have!
 
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