He's made some costly errors already this season too.No other serious club would extend him. I seriously don’t get why we buy several talented CB just to rely on the same players over and over again. Stones is completely injury prone. He lasts for like 10 games a season and even if he isn’t - in my opinion he is turning overrated . With the ball he is our best defender but without the ball he certainly isn’t + we are just taking minutes from Khusanov/ bah/ Reis next Season.
Extending Dias made sense due to the fact
that he isn’t that injury prone and younger but Stones needs to leave at the end of the season. Same with Ake. Buying talents for 40M to either loan them out or playing at another position makes no damn sense. Just buy a right back then if you want to keep the same CB until the of times.
I like what you put earlier, pay as you play. When he plays, he’s great, he really is but he’s injured so often.Guessing here, but Stones will be on half the wage, is 2 years younger and association trained.
Yeah! That’s what I am hoping too. Guess the club don’t want to cull all the experience at centre back too, assuming Ake goes.I like what you put earlier, pay as you play. When he plays, he’s great, he really is but he’s injured so often.
Ake? He’s the one Pep turns to when he needs a defender to come on. His contract isn’t up until summer 2027. I hope he goes nowhere.Yeah! That’s what I am hoping too. Guess the club don’t want to cull all the experience at centre back too, assuming Ake goes.
Yeah that’s my point. We have Lewis the beating but it was stones actually who was the reason for 2 goals which made us lose this season. With the ball top - in terms of pure defending he isn’t what some here make him out to be. There is NO reason to keep him. Several good English players are available next season. He will just take minutes from certain players. The club apparently doesn’t want a real rebuild. Now we are keeping another. Shoving some players back into the squad just for the sake of it.He's made some costly errors already this season too.
We rarely keep senior players too long: Kompany DSilva Fernandinho Agüero Mahrez Gündoğan(the first time) Walker Ederson DeBruyne… all left either at the right time or when they were on top form despite their age.Basically don't agree with the dias/savio/lewis renewals and don't agree with this one either. For me Stones needs to go at least 6 months without injury (already had one this season) before you can think about this.
Club is too scared of letting senior players go and always keep them too long (Except Kev lol) and this would just be another example of that.
Walker should have been sold at least 2 years before he was, Fernandinho was definitely kept too long, was basically a non-contributor in his last 12 months. Gundo counts as being kept too long as we brought him back, Bernardo silva has been kept too long IMO, Ederson was kept too long, was struggling for 2 years and only left because he wanted out. Yaya Toure is an obvious example, was a mascot in his last 2 years at the club.We rarely keep senior players too long: Kompany DSilva Fernandinho Agüero Mahrez Gündoğan(the first time) Walker Ederson DeBruyne… all left either at the right time or when they were on top form despite their age.
I wouldn’t say there’s anyone in our current side that we’ve kept too long and shouldn’t be here.
I’d go as far to say that we are top heavy with younger and inexperienced players, which is why we’re a work in progress at the moment, biding our time until Khasanov Lewis O’Reilly Gvardiol Nico Bobb Cerki Savinho and Doku get older, better and more experienced and the likes of Riejnders and Marmoush get better and gain more PL+CL experience.
Johnny showed us last night what he is made of. He was everywhere, covering for other players who do not have the footballing brain. JB saw opportunities and followed them through. Just a shame that the forwards haven't got the same clarity of vision. :-)
He‘s so good on the ball, and intelligent in his understanding of the game. One of the biggest reasons why we looked better in possession last night.
But he‘s also not quick / mobile enough to spend too much time defending in the wide areas. So not a fantastic option at right back, certainly not in the long run.
Shame we can‘t go back to same system that won us the treble. Khusanov at right back, Stones and Dias, Gvardiol left back. With Stones stepping up alongside Rodri, and the others becoming a narrow three. Would make us more solid through the middle, and reduce some of the onus on Reijnders to be better defensively. Though it would probably mean Doku having to hold the width on the left, and we saw last night that he‘s much less effective doing that.
I suspect Pep just wants to build the understanding between Donna, Dias and Gvardiol as much as possible, so didn’t want to disrupt that groupI was surprised at John's inclusion as RB last night. If it is gametime he needs, then JS for Dias with Nunes alongside him would have been the better choice, IMO.
Fair call.I suspect Pep just wants to build the understanding between Donna, Dias and Gvardiol as much as possible, so didn’t want to disrupt that group
No doubt. But even at his very sharpest, defending out in the wide areas isn‘t his forte.He is not match fit. He needs a run to get into fitness. This has always been the case.