I said IF I don't know,just like you don't know. It's quite unlikely though if there had been a striker available at a reasonable price that Pep wanted he'd have been told no.What I do know is we're more than capable of playing with a false 9.Does Pep think so? He told you that?
Yes and no. Which is why I tend to treat it in terms of the 21 limit. We have always had Fodens, Palmers, Garcias, Celinas, Bobbs, Delaps, Lewises etc. on top of the 20/21. Granted, Lewis is better than most we have had in terms of the contribution he will likely have.
If we sign nobody, this will be the first time we go into a season with 19 of the 21. That's not a complaint or a concern, just an observation. It is indeed blurred by the youth, but I think it always has been, so the difference still applies imo.
I doubt Pep is unhappy with what he has regardless, otherwise things would be happening or have happened already, and that is more than good enough for me.
Absolutely, Kovacic is still young,Modric still playing at 38,its also possible and an incentive for Nunes,Mcatee to step up,we also have Bobb and maybe Echeveri come January. You're not gonna get a class striker to come and sit on the bench.or we are not stupid and see no reason to blow millions on players we don't actually want?
There is not a chance in hell that City are going to sandbag Pep and not back him, what better way to try and get someone to stay then to ruin the squad and sell all the players.
We have replaced Alvarez with Savinho, he can play across the front line, he hasn't got as much experience centrally as Alvarez has but hes much better on either wing and we have several options if Haaland doesn't play. A Foden, Savinho and Doku front 3 for example is full of pace, skill and plenty of ability.
Kovacic despite his age can get better you know, its entirely possible that Pep is willing to tweak the system and Kovacic can now deliver what is required to deputise for Rodri, its worked so far?
In blow out games we can play a false one and put Eddie in at the 9.
That said- is there a rule where you can't pull your 9, pop the goalie in there after a kit change and then put in your back up keeper?
Sorry I think Eddie's getting the tasket for goals and will need to be fed.
Of course we have options. Are those options good enough to see us through were we to lose Haaland for any period of time? By see us through I'm talking about winning the Prem/CL. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
The fact Nunes is rubbish renders him completely pointless.I devoutly hope Savinho can be a back up striker for us if needed - nobody else in the squad has a good track record in that position. Gundo is a big bonus I agree but he is not a 6 and just renders Nunes completely pointless.
Or perhaps, how do you convince Florian Wirtz to come and play in the national league...Those linking a quiet summer to the 115 are frankly nuts. As if we are in anyway guilty, there would more than likely be a transfer ban, so if we were expecting any future punishment, we’d be spending like drunken sailors/Chelsea.
Don't think it's right to put the likes of Delap or Celina on the same level as Foden, Palmer or Garcia. Whenever Pep has pulled a kid into the first squad properly (Foden, Garcia, Palmer, Lewis, Bobb and now potentially O'Reilly), they have contributed significantly, not just 5 minutes here and there. I'd argue Pep has always started the season with a squad of 22 or 23 first team players, not counting Carson and kids getting a runout in the Carabao while mainly playing for the EDS.
19/20: 23 players, but Angelino out in Jan. Fewest minutes: Angelino (900), Garcia (1,400), Bravo (1,450), Laporte (1,500), Foden (1,750), Zinchenko (1,750)
20/21: 22 players. Fewest minutes: Agüero (700), Garcia (850), Aké (1,000), Steffen (1,100), Mendy (1,500)
21/22: 22 players, but Mendy infamously out and Ferran out in Jan. Fewest minutes: Mendy (150), Palmer (400), Torres (500), Steffen (800), Fernandinho (1,750), Zinchenko (1,850)
22/23: 22 players, but Cancelo out in Jan. Fewest minutes: Phillips (600), Palmer (850), Gomez (950), Ortega (1,200), Lewis (1,450), Cancelo (1,850), Laporte (1,850)
23/24: 22 players, but Phillips out in Jan. Fewest minutes: Phillips (300), Gomez (450), Bobb (800), Nunes (1,350), Ortega (1,600), Lewis (1,600), De Bruyne (1,750), Stones (1,850)
24/25: 23 players currently. I expect O'Reilly to get 300-500 minutes max due to the number of midfielders around, McAtee hopefully 1,000+ and Bobb should have gotten at least 1,400-ish if he didn't get injured. Even if O'Reilly does not make it (yet), that's 22 senior players – McAtee has played amost 2,000 minutes of PL football last season.
I do feel we are overstocked in midfield and light in the striker department. Could have done with Nunes out and a #9 in. Purely numbers-wise we are more than fine though.
I believe it probably is. I’m sure many would be willing and able but whether they would be capable is quite another thing. The problem with signing designated strikers as cover for Haaland is that they need game time to find form and that is going to be hard to come by. Haaland missed 12 matches through injury last season and was rested for 2. Having had the entire summer off, however, one would now expect him to be closer to his opening season figures, when he missed 3 matches through injury and was rested for 5. Either way, that’s not much playing time left for another designated striker to find form, and the club appears to think that the money and playing time could be better utilised. It’s a risk either way, to be sure, but I can understand their decision.What do you define as too expensive? I'm just genuinely asking? Is 30 to 40 mil too much to ensure genuine cover for Haaland? Because I guarantee that at that number we would find at least a dozen candidates willing and able to fill that role on this squad at this point in time.
Only for one game, though one would hope he won’t be called up purely for the Switzerland game.He’s suspended for his Gibraltar chants.