haugemcfc
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We won the league without a striker ;-)
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It's Quiet 18 - Wanna ring the bell?
- Thread starter tolmie's hairdoo
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Tugay One Cup
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He's not really a centre mid, that's why, just as Bernardo or a younger KDB wouldn't have been centre mids at most clubs. He's more of an attacking midfielder.
Yeah that makes sense given the amount of goals he's scored. I wonder what Pep would do with him.
balotelli's back pocket
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I don't think Ake is as poor going forward as you're making out. He's struck up a good partnership with Grealish and usually puts a decent enough ball into the box. Plus, he's one of the few players who is willing to play balls over the top or into the channel for Haaland to chase.I just want someone who's not completely limited.
Cancelo couldn't overlap because he's right footed and couldn't defend. Zinchenko couldn't overlap because he's slow and he can't defend. Delph was worse on the ball but better defensively apart from the fact that he couldn't track a runner to save his life.
Nathan's a quality defender. I was banging the Ake drum back when people were saying he was a waste of money. But outside of getting on the end of set pieces he just has nothing going forward.
All these players have pretty glaring limitations in one way or another and those in turn limit our options on the pitch.
Signing Gvardiol to play him at left back would be a total waste of money.
He's certainly a more rounded option than any of our previous 'makeshift' left backs, and it almost feels unfair to call him that because it's a position he's played throughout his career.
I would like another option of a different profile, more dangerous in the final third, but it's worth pointing out that we do have that option in Gomez - who is also incredibly natural coming inside with the ball. His problem is that he can't defend - which is a problem with most attacking full backs these days - they're almost all failed wingers.
We had the best in the world in Cancelo, but even he couldn't defend for toffee, which is why Pep dropped him.
There's only really a handful of left backs who are either decent defensively (Robertson, Chilwell) or good enough going forward that it doesn't matter (Davies, Hernandez). Two of them are never going to happen, one will cost an absurd amount of money, and one is incredibly injury prone.
If we can't get one of them, I'll stick with Ake and give Gomez another year to improve. If we can get Gvardiol, even better.
I'm more concerned about the right back situation right now - Walker's future is up in the air and Lewis is a top prospect, but he isn't ready to play 40 games a season.
aguero93:20
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Inverted wing back?Yeah that makes sense given the amount of goals he's scored. I wonder what Pep would do with him.
:)
foggy1974
Well-Known Member
Ake is number 1 leftback so don't we have the same problem as Rodri, signing a back up good enough to cover Ake while not playing regularly. Presuming we sign Gvardiol then we'd have trouble with their game time & we have Gomez who seems willing to sit on the bench & is happy coming on when games are won.Dont know much about Veiga at all but i agree with either of the LB freebies you have mentioned mate, we in that area if Ake is now the number one dont need to spend another £50m plus if options like this are available on a freebie.
better dead than red
Well-Known Member
You forgot to do Mendy. :)I just want someone who's not completely limited.
Cancelo couldn't overlap because he's right footed and couldn't defend. Zinchenko couldn't overlap because he's slow and he can't defend. Delph was worse on the ball but better defensively apart from the fact that he couldn't track a runner to save his life.
Nathan's a quality defender. I was banging the Ake drum back when people were saying he was a waste of money. But outside of getting on the end of set pieces he just has nothing going forward.
All these players have pretty glaring limitations in one way or another and those in turn limit our options on the pitch.
Signing Gvardiol to play him at left back would be a total waste of money.
Can't/couldn't defend and spent more time with the doctors and physios than training with the rest of the team. Treated football as more of a lark than as a serious full time job despite the fact he was being paid serious money to do said job.
foggy1974
Well-Known Member
Feel as thou Grealish & Ake have built a great relationship on the left. Grealish & Cancelo seemed to get in each others space, Jack has reverted more to the player he was at Villa, running more with the ball & not looking for the safe pass backwards. Is that because he has trust in Nathan.I don't think Ake is as poor going forward as you're making out. He's struck up a good partnership with Grealish and usually puts a decent enough ball into the box. Plus, he's one of the few players who is willing to play balls over the top or into the channel for Haaland to chase.
He's certainly a more rounded option than any of our previous 'makeshift' left backs, and it almost feels unfair to call him that because it's a position he's played throughout his career.
I would like another option of a different profile, more dangerous in the final third, but it's worth pointing out that we do have that option in Gomez - who is also incredibly natural coming inside with the ball. His problem is that he can't defend - which is a problem with most attacking full backs these days - they're almost all failed wingers.
We had the best in the world in Cancelo, but even he couldn't defend for toffee, which is why Pep dropped him.
There's only really a handful of left backs who are either decent defensively (Robertson, Chilwell) or good enough going forward that it doesn't matter (Davies, Hernandez). Two of them are never going to happen, one will cost an absurd amount of money, and one is incredibly injury prone.
If we can't get one of them, I'll stick with Ake and give Gomez another year to improve. If we can get Gvardiol, even better.
I'm more concerned about the right back situation right now - Walker's future is up in the air and Lewis is a top prospect, but he isn't ready to play 40 games a season.
Would make sense. £33m release clause makes it a bit of a free hit.
Let’s not forget Perrone, though.
He looks a great prospect. As someone else said, if he was to join the likes of Brighton, next season, it would have been 100m.
Bellingham, Veiga, and Perrone would set us up in the middle for 10+ years.
I am starting to think we might not be going for Mac Allister or Kovacic. Bellingham will probably be the only "expensive" CM signing.