I would have thought that what happened last season and the number of times teams ran through us is a better guide to what the squad needs, rather than how good the side was in the treble and four in a row years.
In our pomp we had Grealish, Gundogan, KDB, Bernado and Rodri in their prime and although De Bruyne would take risks in possession, he’d usually do it in areas that didn’t leave us too exposed. We also had Stones helping keep possession in midfield and in a lot of games we also had Walker’s pace to provide cover.
I think we’ll be taking more risks in possession this season, at least I would hope we will, and if we’re regularly playing the likes of Marmoush, Cherki, Doku and Foden then you would expect us to lose possession more frequently.
Reijnders looks very mobile, but him aside we lack mobility in midfield. If we were take someone like Gonzalez out of the squad and replace him with someone with greater athleticism then I think we’d have a better balance to our midfield.
Again, going back to examples of what happened in 2020 or the treble year aren’t really relevant, as a certain midfield pairing working in one team and with certain players around it doesn’t guarantee it will work with others. We’ll be more vulnerable to losing possession next year and that will influence the type of players we need in the middle of the park.We didn't have Rodri last season, also Reijnders, Gonzales (for most of the season). Yet we won more points than Liverpool and Arsenal after December.
What fans think and what Pep thinks are two different things. I doubt Pep would subscribe to your analysis. This was the analysis of many back in 2020 when they were slagging off Gundo and Rodri...
It isn't nonsense as Liverpool dropped points after winning the league away at Chelsea and Brighton and at home to Arsenal and Wolves. The only one of those fixtures that you'd argue they likely would've won anyway is Wolves at Anfield.Again, going back to examples of what happened in 2020 or the treble year aren’t really relevant, as a certain midfield pairing working in one team and with certain players around it doesn’t guarantee it will work with others. We’ll be more vulnerable to losing possession next year and that will influence the type of players we need in the middle of the park.
Also, a minor point, but this most points in 2025 thing is an absolute nonsense. Liverpool won the league with weeks to spare and were on the beach for their last four or five games. Arsenal clearly prioritised the CL and weren’t bothered about dropping points.
Again, going back to examples of what happened in 2020 or the treble year aren’t really relevant, as a certain midfield pairing working in one team and with certain players around it doesn’t guarantee it will work with others. We’ll be more vulnerable to losing possession next year and that will influence the type of players we need in the middle of the park.
Also, a minor point, but this most points in 2025 thing is an absolute nonsense. Liverpool won the league with weeks to spare and were on the beach for their last four or five games. Arsenal clearly prioritised the CL and weren’t bothered about dropping points.
I actually didn’t mention speed in any of my posts. Speed and mobility are not one and the same. You can be as intelligent a footballer as you like but if you can’t get to the ball or into position then it doesn’t count for much. Numerous examples of this last season when teams ran through us for fun, Spurs putting four past us at home being just one of them.Past examples show the enormous bias in favour of speed over intelligence on here, which led to utterly silly posts about Gundo and Rodri back then. I wish people could learn from the past.
Also, the presumption that we will be a lot more direct next season is based more on vibes than on understanding how Pep sees football. We had 9 seasons under Pep and some still don’t understand basic things, letting their bias in favour of pacy, direct football get the better of them.
Pep isn't Klopp. We'll try to control games and there's going to be a lot of sideways passing whose point some can't and, apparently, will never understand.
Doesn’t highlighting the impact of a difficult run of games just demonstrate why you should judge a team over the entire season, rather than some arbitrary point like from January onwards?It isn't nonsense as Liverpool dropped points after winning the league away at Chelsea and Brighton and at home to Arsenal and Wolves. The only one of those fixtures that you'd argue they likely would've won anyway is Wolves at Anfield.
They just so happened to have a lot of difficult fixtures at the end of the season.
I actually didn’t mention speed in any of my posts. Speed and mobility are not one and the same. You can be as intelligent a footballer as you like but if you can’t get to the ball or into position then it doesn’t count for much. Numerous examples of this last season when teams ran through us for fun, Spurs putting four past us at home being just one of them.
I also didn’t say that we’d play more direct next season. I said we had more players who take risks with possession, rather than tending to channel it through De Bruyne, and so we are likely to be more vulnerable to losing the ball and counter attacks.
And I don’t think anyone said that Pep was Klopp.
So he's rushing arsenal by using our name.Eduard Inda who's the director of Diario who is a main Madrid paper and is also close with Perez is saying exclusive City have contacted Madrid to sign Rodrygo.
So he's rushing arsenal by using our name.
it ain't happening unless one of doku / savio leaves, can't be a seperate deal either due to hg issues tooRodrygo doesn't want Arsenal. According to him and another Madrid journalist he's waiting for us.
Edu who's another top Madrid journalist said this
"The Rodrygo issue is becoming unsustainable... He's playing both sides... on one hand, he says he wants to stay in case City doesn't make a move, but his intention is to leave."
Basically went on to say he's waiting for us
it ain't happening unless one of doku / savio leaves, can't be a seperate deal either due to hg issues too
I'd let him go full stop has not shown anything in any game he's played.I`d let Savinho go if we could get Rodrygo.
there's so much more to defending, the obsession with pace is getting annoying.
Doku for me.I`d let Savinho go if we could get Rodrygo.
I wouldn't, I think Savinho has more potential,would be swapping just for the sake of it at great expense.I`d let Savinho go if we could get Rodrygo.
Doku for me.
he just has no chemistry with Haaland imo.I prefer that Doku can come on and be explosive and actually gets past his man? Doku is also considerably stronger than Savinho? Savinho price wise would also be easier to get shut off?
he just has no chemistry with Haaland imo.
He has 1 assist to him. Savio has 6 already. Rodrygo and Omar off that side would be more than enough depth