Nope, he'd have to be the deepest player 99% of the time on attacks and we'd lose his invention around the box.Any merit in making KDB into a hybrid. Just a thought. He spent most of last year helping out there in always and breaking from deep. A long term core 3 of Him, Foden and Bernardo with others would sure keep me excited.
Just thinking out loud. He's got the lot for a reinvention of the role. His intensity made us tick most of last season. Wins tackles and heck of a pass on him.
Nope, he'd have to be the deepest player 99% of the time on attacks and we'd lose his invention around the box.
I think he maybe could, but like KDB playing there he would be playing in his 2nd or 3rd best position. Better to use thes players in the position they are best at and probably happiest in.At the risk of looking a complete tit, could Bernardo play in that position? Tremendous stamina, can tackle a bit, passing, touch and movement all excellent and difficult to get the ball off him. The only issue I see is his height.
Agreed but we are well stocked further forward and it would mean we could play KDB and Silva together. I'm not suggesting we should do it as a long term thing but just to give Fern a break when he needs it between now and summer. We need to be able to give him a rest or cope with him getting injured and to stay genuinely competitive which we didn't appear to be able to do over Christmas. So it boils down to what are the alternatives? Stones or Gundogan presumably. Could he do a better job than them?I think he maybe could, but like KDB playing there he would be playing in his 2nd or 3rd best position. Better to use thes players in the position they are best at and probably happiest in.
As a short term , yes, thought you meant longer term.Agreed but we are well stocked further forward and it would mean we could play KDB and Silva together. I'm not suggesting we should do it as a long term thing but just to give Fern a break when he needs it between now and summer. We need to be able to give him a rest or cope with him getting injured and to stay genuinely competitive which we didn't appear to be able to do over Christmas. So it boils down to what are the alternatives? Stones or Gundogan presumably. Could he do a better job than them?
Well not unless he turned out to be brilliant but I assume long term he will be needed for when David hangs up his boots.As a short term , yes, thought you meant longer term.
True. But he is injury prone and 28. Gotta assume he'll become more injurious the older he gets ( an assumption that isn't necessarily always accurate), but I'd rather someone younger and more intense..What about Gundogan taking over from Fernandinho ? @Dax777
I think Gundogan qualities ( Passing & Movement) remind me of Jorginho & FDJ, he is more similar to them than Fernandinho.
Aight Txiki. Well done :)The way I see it we have 3 options for cover/medium-term replacement for Ferna:
1) Sign someone from another Premier League club.
2) Sign someone from another European club.
3) Promote from within.
If we start with option 1, I can see 4 players that could be under consideration. Each of them has pros and cons:
Ruben Neves (pros: young, good passer, Champions League experience, decent shot; cons - bit lightweight, used to playing in a 'double 6' with another defensive midfielder (can he do it by himself?), high transfer fee)
Declan Rice (pros: young, reads the game well, decent passer, physical presence; cons: lack of Champions League/big match experience; English premium - high transfer fee)
Idrissa Gueye (pros: breaks up play well, physical presence, experienced; cons: average passer, 30 this year - too old?)
N'golo Kante (pros: ticks all the boxes; cons: enormous transfer fee/wages needed to get him from Chelsea)
Option 2 (sign from Europe). Two names keep cropping up in this category:
Frenkie De Jong (pros: young, great passer/dribbler, done well in Champions League, schooled in possession football at Ajax; cons: initially too lightweight for Premier League (will take half a season to adjust/strengthen); transfer war with Barca, PSG etc - gonna cost a lot)
Tanguy Ndombele (pros: young, great physical presence, reads the game well, great on the counter; cons: a bit inconsistent; in demand - could be another bidding war)
Option 3 (promote from within). Who do we have already?
John Stones/Danilo (both better in their regular positions - we need a specialist)
Douglas Luiz (on loan at FC Girona - in and out of the side, is he kicking on as expected? Work permit issue again?)
Aleix Garcia (on loan at FC Girona - seems better suited to La Liga - found his level?)
Matt Smith (on loan at FC Twente - doing well, but it's the Dutch second tier; still only 19 - needs another loan at a higher level next season; potential to be a future squad player when Delph/Zinc move on)
Yangel Herrera (training with the 1st team after 2 seasons at NYCFC) pros: has a similar skillset to Ferna (see https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/feat...rld-cup-venezuela-nycfc-mls-manchester-city); did well in MLS; under-20 world cup Bronze ball winner; full international; cons: lack of experience in European leagues (needs a good loan to France/Spain/Holland this month).
Weighing up all the pros and cons, if I was Txiki I would draw up a transfer shortlist of Rice, De Jong and Ndombele, while keeping an open mind about promoting Herrera (subject to performance on loan).