LongsightM13
Well-Known Member
AbsolutelyDeserves it
AbsolutelyDeserves it
then why not buy Cucu? Clearly Pep wants him. I agree the price is a bit high than his true value but it is well within our spending power....i actually think the opposite, i feel like the squad as needed a big refresh and probably gives pep motivation and a new enthusiasm of having new players to work and a new challenge rather than things going a little stale.
i think city have a price weve seen it multiple times they've walked away from things when they aren't willing to go there with a price.then why not buy Cucu? Clearly Pep wants him. I agree the price is a bit high than his true value but it is well within our spending power....
Yep, good player and had always behaved impeccablyAbsolutely
Yeah, spend £100m on a flair player and then leave him sitting on the bench because you won't shell out to give him what he needs to justify that fee by filling a left-footed LB shaped hole in the squad. Good grief.There's easy ways to tweak around not having Cucurella.
1. Pep's go to is just play Cancelo LB, but I hope he plays Foden LW rather than Grealish, because Grealish with Cancelo makes no sense.
2. Could go with a sort of 352, and just play Foden as a LW/LWB stretching the pitch on his natural left foot, swinging crosses into Haaland and Alvarez.
3. Could play Ake as a defensive LB and tilt over to the right side (rather than left), which lets Cancelo at RB play more as a RWB. I personally really like this idea, as we typically always tilt left and let the RW handle 1v1s. Let's switch it, tilt right and let the LW handle 1v1s (Phil or Grealish). This can be kind of similar to 2) above.
4. Play JWE, I personally think this kid is going to be a massive success, he just has to stay fit. Just needs to be a rotation option for us, has alot to learn, but what he can offer in attack is potentially Davies level.
So I'm not that worried, still think selling Zinchenko and not securing Cucurella is pretty stupid, but I think that's 4 viable ways to still manage setting up our side.
Not many left footers? Got about 5 outside of Laporte and ake.I've got this little feeling that we haven't really been buying what I would consider "Pep" style players.
Losing two front pressing forwards. Buying a Battlecruiser for a Centre Forward rather than a skillful one. All rounder Fern is replaced by a grafter (Philips). He's always had an outright pacy winger as well. Made a lot of use for Pedro at Barca, and then Robben, Costa, Coman.
Tho Cucu is a good shout, he'd fit in nicely, he's not a better footballer on the ball than Zinc.
Paqueta... good player. Skills for sure. But that silky touch I'd think of for a Pep midfield? Not really. Now Nunes? Admittedly it's a weak sort of link. But he's an imposing box-to-boxer. Bellingham's been talked of but he is an athletic sort who can play rather than an exceptionally skilled one.
Also, left footers. Take out the two CBs and there really are not many left here now. Haaland I suppose but it's realy the build up + wingers I'm thinking of.
Overall, tho. Gab, Aguero, Zinch, Raheem. A lot of technical skill in that lot - for position. Even Raz, ok, touch was hit and miss, but he was so good at dribbles in the box. Lose Bernie, the silkiest touch in CM's in all Europe, for someone like Nunes, or even Bellingham, and wow, that's starting to look very different indeed.
Very interesting stuff.
*hasYep, good player and had always behaved impeccably