It's Quiet Thread 15 - Txiki Blinders

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

This year we want Kane and greslish
Have 2 DM
Laporte not left, will be replaced if he goes I’m sure
Left back - have covered (top quality in Zin depending on your view or otherwise)

Not sure where the problem lies

From my perspective we have potential problems.

Assuming that we sign Kane and Grealish we're set at striker and attacking mid. In fact, I think we're good at attacking mid even if Silva leaves and we fail to sign Grealish - we're very deep at AM.

At DM, if we don't sign anyone, we have an extremely old Fernandinho with two others that aren't particularly great on defense:
Rodri - kind of a metronome, great passer, but not a great defender
Gundo - love him - but also not a traditional DM

Laporte is class. But he really wants to leave. Should that occur, are we really going to sign a quality replacement in the time frame remaining this window? If we deny his transfer, how might that affect Laporte?

At some point next season, either Dias or Stones or both will be injured or experience a dip in form. Garcia has left; and Laporte may well leave too. This, to me, looks like a potential problem area.

Left back - Zinczenko is an adequate backup. Should Ake stay, he's an OK backup too. We can shuffle Cancelo in at LB - and he'll kill it if he drifts in and has little/no defensive work to do. But really? LB is a huge problem IMO.

 

[M12Blue]

From my perspective we have potential problems.

Assuming that we sign Kane and Grealish we're set at striker and attacking mid.

At DM, if we don't sign anyone, we have an extremely old Fernandinho with two others that aren't particularly great on defense:
Rodri - kind of a metronome, great passer, but not a great defender
Gundo - love him - but also not a traditional DM

Laporte is class. But he really wants to leave. Should that occur, are we really going to sign a quality replacement in the time frame remaining this window? If we deny his transfer, how might that affect Laporte?

At some point next season, either Dias or Stones or both will be injured or experience a dip in form. Garcia has left; and Laporte may well leave too. This, to me, looks like a potential problem area.

Left back - Zinczenko is an adequate backup. Should Ake stay, he's an OK backup too. We can shuffle Cancelo in at LB - and he'll kill it if he drifts in and has little/no defensive work to do. But really? LB is a huge problem IMO.

Mate we cant have the ‘perfect’ team.
It was obvious keeping Fern meant no DM.
Rodri is more than adequate and Gundy behind Kevin and Grealish is fine if required.
Laporte will be allowed to go if he wishes and replacement will come in then or promoted from EDS.
Back ups are always going to be a step down, the key is it being a doorstep not a flight of stairs.
Kane and Grealish and we will have strengthen the strongest squad in world football even if Laporte and or Bernie moves on

 

[Semper aggressus]

From my perspective we have potential problems.

Assuming that we sign Kane and Grealish we're set at striker and attacking mid.

At DM, if we don't sign anyone, we have an extremely old Fernandinho with two others that aren't particularly great on defense:
Rodri - kind of a metronome, great passer, but not a great defender
Gundo - love him - but also not a traditional DM

Laporte is class. But he really wants to leave. Should that occur, are we really going to sign a quality replacement in the time frame remaining this window? If we deny his transfer, how might that affect Laporte?

At some point next season, either Dias or Stones or both will be injured or experience a dip in form. Garcia has left; and Laporte may well leave too. This, to me, looks like a potential problem area.

Left back - Zinczenko is an adequate backup. Should Ake stay, he's an OK backup too. We can shuffle Cancelo in at LB - and he'll kill it if he drifts in and has little/no defensive work to do. But really? LB is a huge problem IMO.

I think any club could look for potential issues in certain scenarios, but generally as long as we sign Kane then I think we have a very very good squad and the best first XI of any team in the world.

What would be an issue is if we fail to sign Kane or at least a very good striker, because the number of chances we miss is fucking horrendous.

All our attack minded midfielders are bloody brilliant but for every one of them the weakest part of their game is finishing. That is what always costs us points whenever we have lost or drawn. We dominate nearly every game but miss chance after chance, heads drop, or var fucks us over or we get hit on the break. Those things would hardly ever matter if we just had a reliable finisher. We cannot afford not to sign Kane.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Mate we cant have the ‘perfect’ team.
It was obvious keeping Fern meant no DM.
Rodri is more than adequate and Gundy behind Kevin and Grealish is fine if required.
Laporte will be allowed to go if he wishes and replacement will come in then or promoted from EDS.
Back ups are always going to be a step down, the key is it being a doorstep not a flight of stairs.
Kane and Grealish and we will have strengthen the strongest squad in world football even if Laporte and or Bernie moves on

Uh... where did I say we need or can possibly sign a perfect team?

To make things even clearer - Grealish is a luxury signing, IMO.

Meanwhile, IMO, we very badly need a quality starting LB; also, I'm not at all happy with Fernandinho, Gundo and Rodri as our choices at DM (Fern great backup, Gundo and Rodri might play there too and will excel if not having a big defensive role; we don't have a youthful, class destroyer in our side - and I think we'll drop points because of this).

 

[M12Blue]

Uh... where did I say we need or can possibly sign a perfect team?

To make things even clearer - Grealish is a luxury signing, IMO.

Meanwhile, IMO, we very badly need a quality starting LB; also, I'm not at all happy with Fernandinho, Gundo and Rodri as our choices at DM (Fern great backup, Gundo and Rodri might play there too and will excel if not having a big defensive role; we don't have a youthful, class destroyer in our side - and I think we'll drop points because of this).

Your unhappiness with the potential concerns you list obviously indicates replacements needed.
They would I assume, to be better than we have, be top draw players.
They would rectify potential concerns thus creating the ‘perfect team’ will they not given the rest of the starting 11 are bloody good.

Expect another couple of EDS boys to do what Foden has over the next couple of years. The others will be sold to fund any future transfers if city feel the need to show our financial muscle again.

Messi is a luxury player, Grealish will be a key player who happens to be English so a little pricey but perfect, oops, very good for us

 

[blueparrot]

Uh... where did I say we need or can possibly sign a perfect team?

To make things even clearer - Grealish is a luxury signing, IMO.

Meanwhile, IMO, we very badly need a quality starting LB; also, I'm not at all happy with Fernandinho, Gundo and Rodri as our choices at DM (Fern great backup, Gundo and Rodri might play there too and will excel if not having a big defensive role; we don't have a youthful, class destroyer in our side - and I think we'll drop points because of this).

I f we sign Kane we have all we need to play the way Pep wants us to play, so we'll drop points but not many.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Your unhappiness with the potential concerns you list obviously indicates replacements needed.
They would I assume, to be better than we have, be top draw players.
They would rectify potential concerns thus creating the ‘perfect team’ will they not given the rest of the starting 11 are bloody good.

Expect another couple of EDS boys to do what Foden has over the next couple of years. The others will be sold to fund any future transfers if city feel the need to show our financial muscle again.

Messi is a luxury player, Grealish will be a key player who happens to be English so a little pricey but perfect, oops, very good for us

Look - we disagree.

Next thing you know you accuse me of wanting a "perfect team." I don't see why this is called for.

I would very much prefer that we sign young, potentially great, but not at present world class players at LB and DM and that we skip signing Grealish if funds are short to pursue these options.

Grealish would in all likelihood be a good/great signing - but we have much bigger needs at other positions.
===
Football is a competitive sport with many vastly wealthy clubs competing. No side is going to have a "perfect team" - moreover, if some side won every single game they played, year after year, after year - football would become boring.

No - I don't want a "perfect team" - the number one best rated player starting at their respective position and the 2nd best player at backup - a ridiculous proposition and wholy unattainable (let alone undesirable as mentioned above).

I do, however, want to see us bridge the biggest gaps we have in our side - even if Silva leaves - we're exceedingly strong at AM. We have problems at LB - especially - and at DM and I'd like for us to address these areas.

Too - should Laporte leave - and since Garcia has left - we might have a problem at CB. I'd like for us to sign there too.

 

[blue oli]

I recon there is a potential for Eddie to get a record number of assists for a goal keeper this season with a proper striker again

 

[M12Blue]

Look - we disagree.

Next thing you know you accuse me of wanting a "perfect team." I don't see why this is called for.

I would very much prefer that we sign young, potentially great, but not at present world class players at LB and DM and that we skip signing Grealish if funds are short to pursue these options.

Grealish would in all likelihood be a good/great signing - but we have much bigger needs at other positions.

Zin what 23 years okd
Rodri what 23-24 years old

Are they not what you describe as we need? Young potential

Bring in competition for them, ship mendy out mmmmm not sure that happens, Fern just been extended.
Grealish is exactly what we need and it’ll show

 

[Daz_Blue]

City squad in 3 years show ...