It's Quiet Thread 15 - Txiki Blinders

[decmancity]

Zin is an OK backup player. If you think he's risen to the level of preferred starter - at say left back - for a side challenging for the PL and CL title - with respect, you are far, far overvaluing Zin's ability.
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The above said - I'd like for us to retain Zin as a backup/utility player. He's got talent - not awesome talent - but OK talent. But what sells me on Zin, is that he never seems to complain and gives his all when on the pitch. He's a team player - and team chemistry is extremely important.

20 starts in the prem and 9 in the CL probably tells me he has risen to the level of preferred starter - at say left back - for a side challenging for the PL and CL title.

>> We have Zinchenko, who is a top level LB now
Huh? Under pressure against a top side, he's a massive weak link. Gives the ball away carelessly - and one-on-one defensively against a RW, I do not trust him at all. With alarming frequency, crosses come in.

>> DM, whilst we have invested a small fortune in Lavia and Rosa, this isn't a priority.
Again, huh? If we played a quality DM we would have won the CL.

Well thats your opinion, I disagree.

Impossible to say that. How about one of the most expensive midfields and forward lines in the world creating the sum of fuck all for 90mins also?

 

[blue ranger]

So it was Zinchenko's fault that we failed to score? Strange that.

No but he certainly didn’t help when we conceded one. I don’t dislike him. Seem a decent bloke and does a decent job, but we should be aiming for better. And pep must agree because we have seen cancelo, ake, Laporte and Mendy all start games there. Only my opinion though.

 

[kun]

>> We have Zinchenko, who is a top level LB now
Huh? Under pressure against a top side, he's a massive weak link. Gives the ball away carelessly - and one-on-one defensively against a RW, I do not trust him at all. With alarming frequency, crosses come in.

Name me a realistic signing at left back who is better than Zinchenko and played at an equally high level or higher.

>> DM, whilst we have invested a small fortune in Lavia and Rosa, this isn't a priority.
Again, huh? If we played a quality DM we would have won the CL.

Would we? Another huge assumption. I think we'd have been better with Ferna but the idea that we definitely would have won is absurd.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Not sure I see that. He does a job but it has costed us on occasions, including the CL final.

Behave yourself.

 

[kun]

Zin is an OK backup player. If you think he's risen to the level of preferred starter - at say left back - for a side challenging for the PL and CL title - with respect, you are far, far overvaluing Zin's ability.

Except this is the level he has been playing at for 2 years or more.

 

[kaz7]

No but he certainly didn’t help when we conceded one. I don’t dislike him. Seem a decent bloke and does a decent job, but we should be aiming for better. And pep must agree because we have seen cancelo, ake, Laporte and Mendy all start games there. Only my opinion though.

Zinchy was out injured for a fair while at one point

 

[M12Blue]

Kane
We have Zinchenko, who is a top level LB now (In a Pep team)
DM, whilst we have invested a small fortune in Lavia and Rosa, this isn't a priority.
Taylor Harwood-Belis and Mbete are the very promising prospects at CB.
Grealish. Luxury, yes. Quality, yes.

Not sure I see that. He does a job but it has costed us on occasions, including the CL final.

I think CL gets pinned on Peps selection not Zin to be honest

 

[Dadsupportedthem]

Pep has invested around 3 seasons moulding Zinchenko into the LB he desires. Zinchenko didn't have his best game in the final, along with many others. Those who are casting him aside as not good enough on the back of that are pretty pathetic imo. Talk about fair weather.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

I can't agree with you on Zinchenko. He's an excellent footballer who has excelled in an unfamiliar role. He's young, talented, and determined. Exactly the type of player we want to keep.

I agree that Jack Grealish is a luxury, but so what? If we were short of cash I might be mildly concerned, but we're not.

Your post makes it sound as though we're desperate and the window closes at 11pm tonight.
We could have a new LB or DM lined up to be signed tomorrow for all we know. We may even have another striker on the way!

Sit back, appreciate that we're PL Champions on the verge of signing our top targets at record fees, and enjoy the ride.

As the more relaxed among us say, fuck it, it's not our money!

Cheers mate. Thanks for your post.

I won't reply to areas already mentioned in my posts above.
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One observation though, that I've not expressed much - in this thread - if at all - is how we've previously conducted fantastic transfer window business.

In the past, we've identified our prime targets very, very early on. These targets were, by-in-large, potential world class players - but not obviously so - thus the competition for signing wasn't at a premium.

Thus we signed Silva, Rodri, Dias, Gundo and so on and so on - not per se bargain basement - and maybe even top spend at their respective position - but we negotiated early and got great deals.
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Maybe COIVD is at play here - but this window - we've departed drastically from the successful formula outlined above.

We're in slow/stalled negotiations for Kane - and Grealish is going to cost us an arm and a leg.
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This sort of bidding war/expensive negotiation seems very new to our side.

Moreover, in this window there were no top potential prospects signed early on.
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It seems to me that this window poses unique challenges to our management side.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Name me a realistic signing at left back who is better than Zinchenko and played at an equally high level or higher.


Would we? Another huge assumption. I think we'd have been better with Ferna but the idea that we definitely would have won is absurd.

>> Name me a realistic signing at left back who is better than Zinchenko and played at an equally high level or higher.
Hell, the janitor down the street has higher potential - meaning potential to become a first choice starter - so gifted that were he to come onto the xfer window - top clubs would pursue him as a starter.

Zin is obviously gifted and I really do want him to stay on as a backup. As starter though... no way. Do you really think that any top club - by-in-large - would trade Zin for their current starting LB? I do not - at all.
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RE no DM in CL.
Who knows. But answer me this. If we did have a very gifted, fit, DM, would Pep have been more likely to field him in the final? What might or might not have transpired from there is speculation. The consensus football pundit opinion though is that we'd have been much better off with a DM in the final. And I tend to agree.