blueparrot
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 7 Jun 2012
- Messages
- 29,405
If we have a fully fit squad,Pep will play 1 Dm 2 AM s, Paulinha wouldn't get in that team.
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André
- Thread starter NikT
- Start date
We are not signing someone like Paulinha for £60m/£70m to play 10/15 games a season.
Rodri's backup/ Phillips replacement is going to be someone up and coming like Andre who we can nurture, is happy to play backup for a season or two and we can cash in on a profit if need be.
Rodri's backup/ Phillips replacement is going to be someone up and coming like Andre who we can nurture, is happy to play backup for a season or two and we can cash in on a profit if need be.
We haven't a fully fit squad and we have several players that have issues and sadly always will.If we have a fully fit squad,
Stones, KDB, Doku and Kovacic all have poor injury records, that's a very big part of our squad.
Another long summer coming up for a lot of our players , so yet again little or no pre-season.
The days of Pep wanting a small squad of players for me has to be seriously looked at and changed.
Gaz (FMwkdsoul)
Well-Known Member
We've one unregistered space in the squad as it stands. Doubt we bring more than 1 midfielder in tbh and the barco lad. (with Phillips going)We haven't a fully fit squad and we have several players that have issues and sadly always will.
Stones, KDB, Doku and Kovacic all have poor injury records, that's a very big part of our squad.
Another long summer coming up for a lot of our players , so yet again little or no pre-season.
The days of Pep wanting a small squad of players for me has to be seriously looked at and changed.
Phillips and Gomez move on, Barco will go to Leicester for the season.We've one unregistered space in the squad as it stands. Doubt we bring more than 1 midfielder in tbh and the barco lad. (with Phillips going)
Gaz (FMwkdsoul)
Well-Known Member
Barco will be here till summer if he moves in Jan.Phillips and Gomez move on, Barco will go to Leicester for the season.
I doubt it but lets see.Barco will be here till summer if he moves in Jan.
Dribble
Well-Known Member
If we got the right Philips replacement, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Rodri could move further forward when attacking & drop back If needed when defending.We have been short of Midfield players for some time, the game is changing and our MF looks slow and slightly lethargic.
We need some pace and energy in there, and I am not sure Pep trusts Foden to go in there long term.
Kovacic was a stop gap and Nunes long term has question marks.
Andre at 30m is well worth a punt and is clearly a huge talent, Paulinho could come straight in and hit the ground running, Rodri needs help on the field and also needs to be playing less games.
Anything KDB gives us this season will be a huge bonus.
Regardless, as things stand our trusted central midfield is Rodri, Bernardo, KDB, & Foden. We're essentially 2 short at a minimum even if Kovacic (as a maybe) is included.
Kev being injured has left us cruelly exposed at times. At our best & strongest, the likes of Nunes wouldn't get a look in, & Kovacic would be struggling for game time.
We're a couple of signings away from rectifying this. The last thing we need is to limp through the next two seasons with Kova, Philips & Nunes, whereby we'd need major surgery to fix our midfield.
I'd have no issues axing 2-3 of the aforementioned & bringing in top quality replacements, regardless of how little time they've been here.
Dribble
Well-Known Member
Pep's caught between the devil & the deep blue sea. He wants small & the highest quality for squad harmony. We see what happened with Sterling, Jesus, Cancelo, Laporte & Zinchenko wanting more game time even if their form suggested they didn't deserve it.We haven't a fully fit squad and we have several players that have issues and sadly always will.
Stones, KDB, Doku and Kovacic all have poor injury records, that's a very big part of our squad.
Another long summer coming up for a lot of our players , so yet again little or no pre-season.
The days of Pep wanting a small squad of players for me has to be seriously looked at and changed.
The problem with a small top quality squad is rest, rotation, injuries, suspensions, loss of form etc. It only takes 2-3 players to fall into those categories during our hectic schedule, & we're in trouble.
It's high a risky strategy, but one which has largely worked until now. The issue is, I think Doku & Gvardiol apart, we've traded down this summer, which limits us more than we've been used to.
Euros this summer, Club WC the summer after, the rest and fatigue issues are and will be getting worse, Pep is going to have to change for me, otherwise we are going to have injury issues.Pep's caught between the devil & the deep blue sea. He wants small & the highest quality for squad harmony. We see what happened with Sterling, Jesus, Cancelo, Laporte & Zinchenko wanting more game time even if their form suggested they didn't deserve it.
The problem with a small top quality squad is rest, rotation, injuries, suspensions, loss of form etc. It only takes 2-3 players to fall into those categories during our hectic schedule, & we're in trouble.
It's high a risky strategy, but one which has largely worked until now. The issue is, I think Doku & Gvardiol apart, we've traded down this summer, which limits us more than we've been used to.