Is our squad stronger or weaker than last year?

[Deleted member 77198]

McAtee going on loan, so 5 midfielders for 3 slots.

6 first team defenders for 4 slots.

We’ll have to see how much he plays Palmer but I don’t think it will be much.

It’s definitely weaker, it’s bizarre.

Pep and Txiki don’t appear to work on consistently having every hole plugged all the time. While many fans seem to think of things a season at a time, I think they think of the wider picture over a longer term.

Loads of fans moaned that we didn’t get a replacement for Kompany straight away and said that they were justified in their moans because we finished a long-distant second that season after he left without a replacement for him.

But we won the next two league titles (and got consistently further in the CL than ever before) when we did replace him with Dias a year later.

Loads of fans moaned that we didn’t replace Kun straight away, but we still won the league anyway last season and we now have one of the most exciting young players in the world having waited a year to get him.

We might not sign anyone else this window and have a small squad this season meaning that we don’t end up winning the league, but Pep and Txiki’s plan is always to get the right players at the right price and if that sometimes means having a depleted squad in some areas for a time while we wait to get them, they’re prepared to cope with that.

With a smaller squad and the World Cup, it could be a case of us prioritising the CL this season like never before. Targeting that competition with a smaller squad will be easier and the league is going to be daft as fuck this year with the World Cup breaking it up. No team knows how the WC is going to affect the league campaign.

 

[Sibierskii]

 

[Fat Jim]

letting sterling, zinchenko and jesus go to teams we have tough games against is just wild to me

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Both.

 

[SJT]

So, in the same year *Fernandinho retired, we let a left back go - when we don’t have one anyway! tbf.
Jesus who will run for fun forever, and Sterling who assisted Gundogan in infamous win - mind bending madness

100% weaker - and now we’ve lost Cucarello? we won’t pay the price, but we’ll pay 100 million for someone we didn’t need and still isn’t clicking - kin madness!

In come the woke police - ohh you can’t say what were all thinking.

 

[FantasyIreland]

I'll tell you what is weaker....the mindset of many on this forum,especially the bed wetting Twitter imports that have seemingly arrived en masse,and made this forum a far less enjoyable place due to their hysterics.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

So, in the same year *Fernandinho retired, we let a left back go - when we don’t have one anyway! tbf.
Jesus who will run for fun forever, and Sterling who assisted Gundogan in infamous win - mind bending madness

100% weaker - and now we’ve lost Cucarello? we won’t pay the price, but we’ll pay 100 million for someone we didn’t need and still isn’t clicking - kin madness!

In come the woke police - ohh you can’t say what were all thinking.

Woke really means whatever the fuck anyone wants it to mean, doesn't it.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

In the world of FFP you have to ask / answer the ops question with regard to the financial position. On the face of it weaker. But that misses out the financial side. We have a significant improvement in finance position. Players sold above book valuation and lots of wages gone. That gives us room to grow over the next few years. Contrast with others who may have better squads but will have no capacity to do anything big for years to come.

The club is in rude health.

 

[youngbob]

So, in the same year *Fernandinho retired, we let a left back go - when we don’t have one anyway! tbf.
Jesus who will run for fun forever, and Sterling who assisted Gundogan in infamous win - mind bending madness

100% weaker - and now we’ve lost Cucarello? we won’t pay the price, but we’ll pay 100 million for someone we didn’t need and still isn’t clicking - kin madness!

In come the woke police - ohh you can’t say what were all thinking.

What have the 'woke police' got to do with any of this?

 

[youngbob]

Sign a left-back and we'll have a stronger squad than last season.

Fernandinho replaced by Phillips, Jesus replaced by Haaland, Sterling replaced by Alvarez, Zinchenko replaced by Sosa/Grimaldo, Steffen replaced by Ortega (and technically, Torres replaced by Palmer).