A total overhaul is needed.

Completely agree, this squad is reaching the end of it's cycle and we need to invest in affordable yet talented young players while maintaining the core of Aguero, Hart, Kompany, Silva and Zabaleta, I'm not going to play fantasy football by stating what we should do in the summer but I would like to see the club try and sign a couple of the following players.

Morgan Schneirderlin: (Age 24) - Probably the best central midfielder in the premier league that would be available, has a strong engine and a great range of passing and is also young but premier league proven.

Kevin De Bruyne: (Age 23) - Another extremely talented player, has that burst of pace, hunger and intensity which is missing with our side at the moment and isn't afraid to run past the striker, Wolfsburg signed him for £18 million so he would be quite costly but I feel he would be a tremendous signing to revitalize the link between the midfielders and forwards.

Fabien Delph (Age 24) - A box to box midfielder with an engine and somebody who will add intensity to our pressing style, also available on a free at the end of the season so that's an added bonus.

Anderson Talisca (Age 20) - The revelation of the season so far for Benfica with 8 goals in 9 Ligue games however he still has a long way to improve and Benfica would be reluctant to sell him however a bid of £10-£15 million would tempt them.
 
As much as I like pellegrini, maybe there's a reason he was sacked at madrid? Honestly I just think he's too stubborn and one dimensional with his tactics, we can't always walk it in and we can't always play two strikers. It's obvious for everyone to see that we're better with a 433/451 than a 442.

I honestly really like pellegrini, I love the way he carries himself and I honestly do love the way he can get us playing. But I think we lack the personnel to play attacking passing football every week against every team like barcelona used to under pep. It worked in the prem last season but I feel our squad was stronger last year, with yaya's effort and ability seemingly wilting, the sale of negredo etc. this year.

I think we spunked too much money on mangala, even if he turns good, which I think he will. I don't think he's actually improved the squad, whereas the signing of somebody like Sanchez, for the same money definitely would have improved us. While I know FFP is a major factor in how we spend and what on, I believe we could have been a little smarter with our money. Demichelis is still good, and nastasic is hardly a terrible backup.

The idea of marco reus coming in January really excites me and could completely turn our season around. I don't think our season is over yet, far from it, it only takes a couple of good performances and wins to turn it around for us, look at newcastle, Pardew was basically already at the job centre door, now they're singing his name. Toure needs to pull his finger out and prove me wrong. Milner, silva and sergio need to carry on what they're doing. And the rest of the squad need to turn it up a level. Chelsea are the competition, and how man city fans would swap our core for theirs? I certainly wouldn't. Zabba vs ivanovic, silva vs fabregas, kompany vs terry, sergio vs costa. We win all of those battles. It's just the supporting players that Chelsea edge it with this season. A few signings, a tweak of tactics and some good support from the fans and this season will be ours! CTID
 
We will not know if\how far we have slipped back until the end of the season when a more rational summation can be made of the team and individual players, and perhaps our manager.

Even if we wanted we are unlikely to make any changes until the summer as come January we are still limited by FFP. Thus we would need to raise some cash by selling Nastasic (£ 12 million) and possibly getting minor money (by transfer fee standards) for Sinclair and maybe Gudetti. Unless we really surprised everyone and sold Toure for £ 20 - 25 million (to who I do not know) which is highly unlikely and would only happen if we went for and could get say Barkley or Pogba and\or Reus in January. Thus we are most likely to have to be as we are at present, squad wise, until the summer.

Think we will get a clearly picture of the destination this season is heading in on the domestic front after games in the next 4-6 weeks against Swansea at home, Southampton away and Everton at home. All tricky games, and if we are in a slump we could lose these games. If we win them maybe things not as bad as currently looking.

European progress looks beyond us (maybe even Europa League) thus we need to see how this team now does in the League and FA Cup from here on in.

At present, unless things change I would suggest the following players will never make us a team that can compete in Europe (each for varying reasons, from not being good enough, to being to inconsistent, to being perhaps unable to deliver for us now as they have previously). Even saying that many will probably still be in our squad next season.

Caballero
Sagna
Clichy
Fernando
Fernandinho
Nasri
Jovetic
Dzeko
Toure
Sinclair
Boyata

Players we can still build a team\squad around for a few more years:

Hart
Zabaleta
Kompany
Silva
Aguero
Milner

and possibly Kolarov

Mangala we still have to wait and see.

Thus we need to add to our better players, move on players who will not take us forward and see what if any of our EDS squad can step up. This will not happen until next summer though, even if this is what we need, and then proably only on a small scale of ins and outs.
 
Silva, Nasri, Milner, Navas.

Willian, Hazard, Oscar, Schurlle

Primary difference between these players?
The ability to beat a man on a consistent basis.

Only Jovetic and Kun look capable of consistently beating a man. This leads to us doing a hundred and one sideways passes before being predictably intercepted and countered.

Tiki taka is dead, we need more direct footballers to hurt teams, particularly in Europe.
 
MeatHunterrr said:
I agree. Majority of this squad has run its course. The likes of Clichy, Dzeko, Milner, Nastasic, Sinclair, Yaya Toure at least need shipping out. Time for new spark and couple of star signings to push us forward.

Stars do not equal success, nor desire. Yaya Toure is a star. But he is a lazy f*ck. And his decision making is rash. As shown per the red card yesterday and on numerous other occasions. He is Yaya Toure so he does what he wants. F*ck that.

Mrmcfc said:
Tiki taka is dead, we need more direct footballers to hurt teams, particularly in Europe.

Agree. I hate this sideways passing shit.
 
Hart
Zaba
Kompany
Silva
Aguero

As it stands, these are going to be our core for the next few years. (for me, Yaya can stay as an attacking midfield option so long as his wages are reduced accordingly -if he won't accept a wage cut then let him go)

We need to add 2 or 3 players to that list with top class 'marque' signings. Mangala has the potential to be added to the list if/when he acclimatises to the pace of the PL.

We have all the squad players we could need, apart from a defensively solid Left Back, and so, apart from a player in the Azpiliecueta or Schmelzer mold (not very expensive players), there is no reason at all to be doing anything other than going for the likes of Reus, Barkley, Pogba.


Over the next few years some of the older squad players would ideally be replaced with more and more youngsters.

I don't think an overhaul is needed. With the exception of Caballero, our summer business this season was good imo. The stipulation being that they are, Mangala excluded, squad players and players (Fernando) to come into the side for a specific purpose. Caballero is a fine GK but I didn't see the point in using a foreign spot for a backup GK. Plus, he is only short term because he will push for a move this summer as he's too good to be a no.2.
 
A total overhaul isn't necessary. Among Kompany, Silva and Kun we have 3 world class players with 3-5 years at the top. What is however required is an improvement in the first team that:
1) increases the energy and dynamism in midfield
2) pace and skill out wide - goal scoring winger
In addition, a change in tactics/style/formation to bring out the best in Silva and Kun is needed. Plus at least one youthful explosive option that brings out excitement (Ihenacho/Barkley etc.)

We need at least 3 world class player for the first team: LB (Rodriguez), CM (Koke or Pogba) and Winger (Reus or Bale). As far as the other areas are concerned, we can probably make do with the squad as it is, replacing ageing squad players like Sagna with youth options down the road. But most likely we would need another wide attacking player for the first team (Nasri is a bottler and Jovetic is yet to prove himself - Isco would be my choice although whichever of Arsenal, Liverpool or United drop out of top 4 next season we should/could go all out for their best wingers - Sanchez/Sterling/Di Maria) and maybe another CM too (fernando isnt made for 442/4231 and fernandinho has been on the downward since the WC). Schniderlin would be my choice.

Unfortunately, we may not be the most enviable destination given our poor results in europe (for players like Reus and Koke). however, a proper manager should be able to bring out more collectively from the squad. As it stands, we literally rely on individual moments to win matches.
 
Hart
Zabba
Kompany
Mangala
New left back (kolarov back up)
Reus (£20 million)
Barkely (£30 million)
Pogpa (£35 million)
Silva
Aguero
A new striker (sell dzecko for 15 million and just get someone fresh and new for £25)

Bring ya ya off the bench - david james style for the last 20 mins

sell a bit of the deadwood - we just need a bit of freshening up that's all. Nothing £100 million wont solve
 
worsleyweb said:
Hart
Zabba
Kompany
Mangala
New left back (kolarov back up)
Reus (£20 million)
Barkely (£30 million)
Pogpa (£35 million)

Silva
Aguero
A new striker (sell dzecko for 15 million and just get someone fresh and new for £25)

Bring ya ya off the bench - david james style for the last 20 mins

sell a bit of the deadwood - we just need a bit of freshening up that's all. Nothing £100 million wont solve

Pogba will cost about twice that. barkely is worth 15-20 on his current ability and maybe 30 on potential but cannot see him going for less than 40
 
I'd say we don't need a total overhaul but we do need to start getting a first team squad with a wider age range. We've too many outfield players in the late-20's, early-30's range.

Zab - 30 in a couple of months
Sagna - 31
Kompany - 27
Demichelis - 34 next month
Clichy - 29
Kolarov - 29 in a few days
Fernando - 27
Fernandinho - 29
Toure - 31
Milner - 29 in January
Nasri - 27
Navas - 29 in a few days
Silva - 29 in January
Dzeko - 28

There's only Mangala, Aguero, Jovetic, Boyata, Nastasic & Sinclair under 26 and only three of those worthy of a starting place. That squad has got a good three years left in it but we need to think about gradual replacement now.

We need some experienced 23-25 year olds and a few younger players in the next couple of years, plus we might start seeing the fruits of the academy in the next 3 years. I'd be looking to offload Clichy, Toure, possibly Nasri, Navas & Dzeko to fund some younger replacements.
 

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