It's Quiet 18 - Wanna ring the bell?

[kbb]

13 competing to start?

Ederson
Walker
Ake
Akanji
Laporte
Dias
Stones
Kovacic
Rodri
KDB
Silva
Grealish
Foden
Haaland
Alvarez

That’s 15 without Phillips or Cancelo

 

[foggy1974]

I hate this type of arguments. No one wants to have two first teams. But if you think there is no problem with the squad we have right now, I don't know what to tell you. I assure Pep is not satisfied with the size of the squad now.

Right now, we have 13 players who can fight for a starting position. After those 13 players the quality drops significantly. If someone fron the future tells me that none of those 13 will get injured in the season, then sure our squad is good, but that is very unlikely.

Do you want the club to pay 50 to 60 million for a player to sit on the bench hoping for an injury, that sounds like Phillips situation. Other than long term injuries we can more than cope. That's forgeting that Haaland rarely played 90 minutes after being injury prone at Dortmund

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

I hate this type of arguments. No one wants to have two first teams. But if you think there is no problem with the squad we have right now, I don't know what to tell you. I assure Pep is not satisfied with the size of the squad now.

Right now, we have 13 players who can fight for a starting position. After those 13 players the quality drops significantly. If someone fron the future tells me that none of those 13 will get injured in the season, then sure our squad is good, but that is very unlikely.

We had Aguero, Balotelli, Dzeko, Tevez at one point and guess how many were happy and managed to stay on longer than 2 years?

But more recently we had Bernardo, Sane, Sterling, Foden, Jesus and Mahrez all at one time playing wingers.. guess how long they stayed happy at the club with their low playtime?

Maybe you need to go watch the.. "You're sad! There are many sads! No more sad faces guys!" again before you think you know better than Pep.

You may hate it but that's the reality.


Edit: You might think McAtee, Perrone, Palmer are useless but last year.. Pep benched Walker and Cancelo for Rico Lewis.. someone you haven't even mentioned in your 13. LOL!

 

[Stoned Rose]

Like it. Stonesy/ Rodders or Dias pls

Kev.

 

[City Raider]

Do you want the club to pay 50 to 60 million for a player to sit on the bench hoping for an injury, that sounds like Phillips situation. Other than long term injuries we can more than cope. That's forgeting that Haaland rarely played 90 minutes after being injury prone at Dortmund

How do you even sell a likely place on the bench to a 50-60m player? You can’t, they expect to play. If too many leave our quality will drop because we won’t be able to replace like for like. Unless the kids really deliver.

Not panicking yet but 3 or 4 more leaving will be difficult to manage.

 

[city warrior]

We had Aguero, Balotelli, Dzeko, Tevez at one point and guess how many were happy and managed to stay on longer than 2 years?

But more recently we had Bernardo, Sane, Sterling, Foden, Jesus and Mahrez all at one time playing wingers.. guess how long they stayed happy at the club with their low playtime?

Maybe you need to go watch the.. "You're sad! There are many sads! No more sad faces guys!" again before you think you know better than Pep.

You may hate it but that's the reality.


Edit: You might think McAtee, Perrone, Palmer are useless but last year.. Pep benched Walker and Cancelo for Rico Lewis.. someone you haven't even mentioned in your 13. LOL!

Again, we don't need 2 players per position. But we definitely need more than 13 players who can be starters (you go to the extreme as usual).

This is the smallest squad in Pep's career, and you really think that after 15 years as a manager, this is what he always wanted?

Palmer, McAtee and Perrone are, right now, low table PL starters. If you feel comfortable with a Bournemouth/Leicester/Everton/Leeds average starter being in our first 11, perfect, but I don't. Can they surprise everyone and grow very quickly? Of course, but depending on that is a gamble.

 

[city warrior]

Do you want the club to pay 50 to 60 million for a player to sit on the bench hoping for an injury, that sounds like Phillips situation. Other than long term injuries we can more than cope. That's forgeting that Haaland rarely played 90 minutes after being injury prone at Dortmund

Kovacic, Alvarez, Akanji, Gabriel Jesus were 15-30m players who give great depth and can fight for a spot in the starting 11. Other teams have players in that price who can fight for a starting position in our team.

Other than long-term injuries? Let's gamble on that not happening then. Even better let's have a world-class first 11, and all the subs being from academy. After all, we could cope if none of the 11 get injured. We are literally 2 players away from this being the case.

 

[teddykgb]

Kovacic, Alvarez, Akanji, Gabriel Jesus were 15-30m players who give great depth and can fight for a spot in the starting 11. Other teams have players in that price who can fight for a starting position in our team.

Other than long-term injuries? Let's gamble on that not happening then. Even better let's have a world-class first 11, and all the subs being from academy. After all, we could cope if none of the 11 get injured. We are literally 2 players away from this being the case.

You’re insisting on this 13 number for some reason. It’s not that low and it’s probably best for all involved if younger players are making up the numbers. There are a few positions where we are dangerously thin but on the whole we have a very talented squad that can cover multiple positions. It would be nice to have another player or maybe two of high quality but nothing worth being this worked up about. Our next seemingly close deal being a left footed CB with speed would close one of those holes

 

[city warrior]

13 competing to start?

Ederson
Walker
Ake
Akanji
Laporte
Dias
Stones
Kovacic
Rodri
KDB
Silva
Grealish
Foden
Haaland
Alvarez

That’s 15 without Phillips or Cancelo

I don't count Laporte, especially in this new system he is not fighting for a spot in the first 11. But my bad 14, and not 13 like I said.

 

[city warrior]

You’re insisting on this 13 number for some reason. It’s not that low and it’s probably best for all involved if younger players are making up the numbers. There are a few positions where we are dangerously thin but on the whole we have a very talented squad that can cover multiple positions. It would be nice to have another player or maybe two of high quality but nothing worth being this worked up about. Our next seemingly close deal being a left footed CB with speed would close one of those holes

My bad, it was 14. Still the thinnest squad Pep has had in his career. If we are dangerously thin in few positions, then we are having a bad transfer market, and that is my frustration right now (something that could change in next weeks of course).

Last season was the best season for us with respect to injuries. Hoping for the same is playing with fire.