Yes I think we have more than 13 as he’ll utilise the academy as he said. I reckon the 13 refers to first teamer’s. We need to get through these 3 games relatively unscathed, get a few back after the break and we can get back on trackWatching his conference today, I think we have more than "13 players" available for tomorrow, we'll see tomorrow though.
I think we'll be surprised when the team is announced.Yes I think we have more than 13 as he’ll utilise the academy as he said. I reckon the 13 refers to first teamer’s. We need to get through these 3 games relatively unscathed, get a few back after the break and we can get back in track
I haven’t been able to catch up through all of the pages of posts since this thread was created last night — has anyone been able to provide a list of players that were available to be acquired in the summer that would have been happy sitting on the bench (or staying completely out of the team) until a member (of our full senior squad to start the season) picked up an injury?
Genuinely interested in who we should have signed and how it would have impacted the composition of the match day squad!
I appreciate the thoughtful response.I don’t have any issues with the small squad and fully understand the arguments for it but I think that policy relies very heavily on having versatile players who can fill a number of positions.
Personally I am
not sure we have struck the balance this year.
For example we could arguably field a choice of 6 players on the right of the front three, Savinho, Foden, Doku, Bernardo, McAtee, Bobb and yet we don’t have a replacement for Haaland if injured or someone to replace him for low key matches to provide the player with a break over a long season.
Now people could argue we can play a false nine etc, which would be a fair point, but even against the likes of Slovan, Sparta Prague Pep has not felt confident enough to leave the main guy out. So it’s not something he is clearly confident to do in even lesser matches presumably due to the drop off in performance.
It’s not rocket science to know an injury is inevitable at some point, over the course of a long season, it’s our preferred formation and we don’t have any realistic replacement.
Whether we could have gotten him is debatable but I suggested Marcus Thurman in the close season. Can play left, as a 10, and Is now playing as a main striker. His versatility would have guaranteed him game time even if not necessarily as a striker.
Anyway that ship has sailed as he has gone from a 1 in 3 goalscorer to a goal a game player, so his value will have gone through the roof.
Mbeumo might have been another one we could have considered.
I appreciate the thoughtful response.
I agree on some points, but I think people perhaps misunderstand Pep’s plans if Haaland were to get injured: that is, we were never planning to replace him directly if he gets injured, but rather play a false nine, for which we have many candidates for the role.
I thought I'd seen that the intention was to utilise Bobb as the false 9. Obviously, injury has fucked that up somewhatWell I agree that is the plan because there is not another possible option.
I question though how confident Pep is on this plan as like I said Haaland, besides against Spurs, has hardly had a break this season and even against the Champs lge cannon fodder the false 9 has not been utilised. Further to that we did have a replacement in Alvarez so Pep had planned to continue to with an out and out striker, until Alvarez and the money on offer made the transfer inevitable.
Not goodHow's your tracking?
It's not a position Foden seems to relish.I thought I'd seen that the intention was to utilise Bobb as the false 9. Obviously, injury has fucked that up somewhat
I thought I'd seen that the intention was to utilise Bobb as the false 9. Obviously, injury has fucked that up somewhat
As we've not played a false 9 since Erling's been here, it's difficult to know who might be best suited to it. We might have several options. Guess we'll see if/when we need itPossibly, but it’s a huge ask from a player with so little first team football to fill that void. It might work against lesser sides but if Haaland was injured at the back end of the season and were chasing wins, I would worry we’re a bit light.
As an example Arsenal have the options of Trossard, Jesus, Havertz. Liverpool Nunez, Salah, Gakpo.
That is not knocking him by the way. I posted on here pre-season for me, watching him develop, was the most exciting thing about the new season.
I suppose only time will tell, hopefully Haaland stays fit and I am proven very wrong but it appears a huge gamble.