25 | Manuel Akanji - 2022/23 Performances

[OrigamiNinja]

Can't disagree with anything you have put,but what I will say,even though you have covered the point and your feelings regarding Ake,he has played 100% committed every game he's been asked,whether at CB,or in a position that doesn't seemed to have been mentioned in all these posts LB.

I'm more concerned about this position than absolutely any other in the whole team,mind you I have been for years

Agree he doesn't come close to the Dias / Laporte/ Stones comparisons,but he does try and can see he is willing to try harder,hence why he turned down the Chelsea move to stay.

Not blessed with too much pace,granted,but let's be honest none of our CB's are really,only Walker can sprint like that,and that won't last too much longer neither.

Ake has done ok and is much improved this season. Akanji has started well here, but it’s early days and the jury is still out, especially after his performance at the weekend. The problem is that at this club, and with the standards that have been set “ok” isn’t good enough.

If Ake was an 18 year old academy product, he would be the perfect 4th choice…doing ok, improving and most importantly…doesn’t think he should be playing all the time. Being a 27 year old Dutch international, who was being chased by Chelsea in the Summer changes the situation. He should have gone, but instead Pep is giving him game time that his quality (compared to Dias, Stones and Laporte) doesn’t deserve.

We can’t be sure re Akanji yet but to be good enough here, he has to be able to consistently outperform three other top-class CBs and that’s no easy task.

 

[kismet]

God knows. Ake should have gone last summer when Chelsea came knocking. I wasn’t sure what was more baffling at the time…Ake staying or Mahrez new contract. The collective wankfest on here at both blew my mind.

£50 million for Ake was good business especially if we had a £15million Akanje in our sites. We cannot facilitate 5 v good Centre backs, they all want to play. Yet we are screaming out for a world class speedy fullback.
The games so far we have dominated and its easier for some of our squad players to come through with good performances. We have hardy played any top 6 and that's when every player will be tested. Against United Jack, Phil and Erling roasted them and Utd were preoccupied with them. Against Liverpool and Brentford Akanje looked very shaky and as some Dortmund fans said at the time, against top level sides he can make mistakes. I very much like both Ake and Akanje but Dias, Laporte and Stones are elite and in a UCL final 2 of them start. I think Ake will go in the summer as he won't be getting enough game time.

Mahrez is one of our lesser paid players on £120k and 32 next. Does he start over Jack and Phil, I can't see it but happy for him to stay as a squad player and starting every now and then.

I am hoping in the summer for Jude Bellingham and a top quality full back, not sure on which flank. I hope Berni accepts our offer of increased wages.

 

[dhruvblue]

Nailed it.

Your point about looking for world class in each key position is the key here. We have to keep looking to improve as Khaldoon said. Its not a criticism of either Ake or Akanje, its just a fact of life.

Sorry but no team has 4 world class CBs. We can't have them we can have two class CBs with two serviceable ones

 

[Dr Jacoby]

I said it at the time and I will say it again now…Ake should have been sold. We didn’t need 3 top-class CBs + Ake then. We 100% do not need 3 top-class CBs + Ake + Akanji now.

It does not matter one jot that Ake has improved, or that Akanji has looked good since he signed. It’s like having Haaland, Mbappe and Lewandowski all vying for one strikers spot…unsustainable.

No team should be having a different CB partnership every week. If Ake, or Akanji cannot consistently surpass the levels that Stones, Dias and Laporte have shown over sustained, title-winning seasons, they are no fucking use to us. Dias was lauded as the best CB in Europe, now he is on the bench every other week so that CBs a fraction of his quality don’t put a transfer request in. Farcical.

Kind of agree, though I think you may be overrating Dias a bit.

 

[kismet]

Sorry but no team has 4 world class CBs. We can't have them we can have two class CBs with two serviceable ones

I think we have 3 class CB's and 2 serviceable ones. I think this summer one of the serviceable ones will be sold

 

[kismet]

Im a firm believer that the one position in the side where stability is required,its centre half.

It needs a partnership that the team can be built on,that the goal keeper trusts,and the midfield know have their back.Constantly rotating these players just causes confusion and a lack of confidence all over the pitch.

Correct

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Kind of agree, though I think you may be overrating Dias a bit.

When he was part of a settled CB partnership he was our player of the season, PL player of the season and CL defender of the season. Granted he hasn’t hit those heights over the past 12 months, but I would like to think that if he had a settled partnership again, he might get somewhere close.

 

[shemnel]

squad player. Signed as one, always will be one. Few struggles recently.

 

[Keeper!]

Agreed,and Grealish instead of Gundo to take advantage of that stretch.

Dias should 100% of started that game to deal with the physicality.

As you well know I am not a Grealish fan but the decision to drop him last Saturday was bizarre.

He had arguably his best game in our shirt against Chelsea, looked like the player he was at Villa, aggressive and assertive, his reward , to be dropped, FFS Pep, what must that have done to the players confidence?

And agree on Dias, the perfect player to play against an aggressive CF.

 

[itisrising]

And just been made player of the month , some people, i dont know

Because fans tend to overate new signings, happens all the time. He's a squad player, that's his level. A CB with a aerial duel success rate of 30% isn't good enough to be our starter.