How do we get better next season?

[domalino]

Did I say he didn't?
He doesn't have burning pace though.

You said he's a "central midfielder" who happens to play out wide "at the moment". He's never been a central midfielder and at the moment is apparently 5 years?

Pep's had a lot of chances to put him in the middle with Silva out and has not done so. He seems to think he's best out wide where he's always played, and I actually think the fact he's different and isn't a pace merchant is one of the reasons.

The point is that next season based on everything we've seen this season (choosing to treat him like a RW even when missing a central player) and everything we've heard about transfer targets being 1/2 central midfielders, Bernardo will remain on the right.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

The age of our players is an issue for me too:

U21: Grimshaw, Adarabioyo, Duhaney, Foden, Dele-Basiru, Nmecha

21-25: Ederson, Stones, Mendy, Laporte, BSilva, Sané, Zinchenko, Sterling, Jesus

25-29: Walker, Danilo, Gündoğan, de Bruyne, Delph, Agüero,

30-34: Bravo, Kompany, Otamendi, Silva, Fernandinho, Yaya


We have a hell of a lot of inexperienced/young players and players over 30 who we are relying to be key players for us. And we have very few players in their prime years of 25-29 who are key players for us.

At 25-29 years old you have developed your talent to as good as it’s going to get, you have the experience to know what to do and have the fitness to do it. Younger players aren’t anywhere near their best yet and older players lack the physical ability and concentration they once had despite still having the quality.

At 25-29 years old we only have Walker, de Bruyne and Agüero (who will be 30 by the time next season starts!) who we rely on as key players. Whereas I think to maximise the results of a squad this should be the mode age group of the key players in any squad.

Now this fairs well for us for the 2020-21 season when (if they’re all still here) all but Jesus in that group of 21-24 year olds will be in their prime years. But that’s three years away yet (but by then we will be a seriously good side with all those players at the right age!)

In the meantime I think we need a defensive midfielder and a forward who will be key players for us (starters, big signings, ones we rely on to win/boss games) who are in those prime years. That’s our biggest area that needs fixing in the short term for me.

Pep is building a really good young side and long term things are looking very good for us. But this is, for me, the main reason why we’ve fallen short of doing seriously good things this season (winning the league in record time, breaking goal scoring recaords, falling short in our biggest week of the season, trebles, quadruples...). As we’ve seen our younger players freeze a bit and fluff their lines and we’ve seen the older players lose concentration and look a bit leggy this week.

 

[Andrew___K]

So you're now saying Walker is the best available RB then. Doesn't sound like a bad purchase?

Also you can't seriously be pretending Walker was going to sit on the bench if Alves joined? You think he was spending 50m on him to not play him?

I think Alves was going to play in big games.

It's not about being 'better' or 'worse'. It's about having qualities fitting possession sides, i.e. being consistent, press-resistant passer. For example, Rafinha is hardly a superstar, but he looked better than Walker in big games under Guardiola.

 

[Deleted member 81382]

Give Pep time to mould this team into what he wants and we will get stronger year on year. Exciting times ahead.

 

[jay_mcfc]

The age of our players is an issue for me too:

U21: Grimshaw, Adarabioyo, Duhaney, Foden, Dele-Basiru, Nmecha

21-25: Ederson, Stones, Mendy, Laporte, BSilva, Sané, Zinchenko, Sterling, Jesus

25-29: Walker, Danilo, Gündoğan, de Bruyne, Delph, Agüero,

30-34: Bravo, Kompany, Otamendi, Silva, Fernandinho, Yaya


We have a hell of a lot of inexperienced/young players and players over 30 who we are relying to be key players for us. And we have very few players in their prime years of 25-29 who are key players for us.

At 25-29 years old you have developed your talent to as good as it’s going to get, you have the experience to know what to do and have the fitness to do it. Younger players aren’t anywhere near their best yet and older players lack the physical ability and concentration they once had despite still having the quality.

At 25-29 years old we only have Walker, de Bruyne and Agüero (who will be 30 by the time next season starts!) who we rely on as key players. Whereas I think to maximise the results of a squad this should be the mode age group of the key players in any squad.

Now this fairs well for us for the 2020-21 season when (if they’re all still here) all but Jesus in that group of 21-24 year olds will be in their prime years. But that’s three years away yet.

In the meantime I think we need a defensive midfielder and a forward who will be key players for us (starters, big signings, ones we rely on to win/boss games) who are in those prime years. That’s our biggest area that needs fixing in the short term for me.

Clubs have to evolve, and my god we're in a great position to do that. Look at those 21-25 year olds - that is frightening for the opposition. These guys will also reach their peak sooner due to experience of games like they've had this week. They can form the spine of the team for the next ten years, which is a good thing. If we can get one or two top class players in the summer who are 25-28 then we'll be in a very strong position.

 

[argyle]

I think the stat of only 3 shots on target last night shows why Pep wanted Mbappe, Sanchez or Mahrez.

For all the possession we have we should be scoring much more than we do.

A better striker than Jesus, younger midfielders to compete with Fernandinho and replace Yaya and Gundogan and we'll be better next year.

 

[domalino]

I think Alves was going to play in big games.

It's not about being 'better' or 'worse'. It's about having qualities fitting possession sides, i.e. being consistent, press-resistant passer. For example, Rafinha is hardly a superstar, but he looked better than Walker in big games under Guardiola.

So again, you're saying that Walker, the right back identified as his #1 target by the manager who knows more about possession football and what's needed than anyone else, went out and bought a player for £50m who is totally unsuitable to that style of football and was going to play a 35 year old in any game where possession was important.

That's really what you're claiming?

 

[Delphinho]

IF we are looking for another CB, I hope it would be Koulibaly. He's a tank

 

[shevtheblue]

We added some depth this season, but clearly we couldn't get the cover we wanted at left back and pivot. I think we'll rectify that as well as another striker to challenge the two and allow us to play for games at 3-5-2. That formation would have been a legitimate option for some games this season if Mendy had been fit.

 

[jayfx]

Need a clinical goal scorer at the top of their game (sorry Sergio, as much as I love you that aint you anymore) - pay whatever it takes, we can survived without making additions anywhere else this summer

Got to agree with this. There's a few other areas we need to improve but my first though was a world class finisher. Not sure who though.