Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[BillyShears]

The squad isn't unbalanced, Enrique's selections are. In a squad with 3 available full backs and 2 available defensive mids last night he elected to play Rakitic as a holding mid and select Mathieu and Roberto in the full back positions. Agree the top brass are idiots but Robert Fernandez took the right steps last summer to reinforce the squad and Enrique has made next to no effort to use the players he's brought in, guaranteeing stagnation. His entire MO is pick 7 random outfield players behind MSN, get it to the front three as quickly as possible and pray. It ignores the strengths of the rest of the squad and makes them too narrow and predictable.

Honestly, if they bring in the Bilbao coach or Allegri in the summer, even if they don't make a single signing, they'll be my favourites for the CL last year.

Maybe, I guess from the outside it just looks really messy!

 

[aguero93:20]

Maybe, I guess from the outside it just looks really messy!

Yeah, they are lacking a bit of leadership as a club at the minute as there's a disconnect between the executive and the first team squad, another disconnect between La masia and the first team squad and Enrique is doing nothing to bridge that (Guardiola alluded to the stress of this part of the job being a factor in his decision to leave so it might need someone other than the coach to take on). They really fucked up turfing out Joan Laporte imo and they're extremely lucky that the first team has been so good during this period - it's something they badly need to sort out in the next 2 or 3 seasons or they'll go the same way as the rags and the two Milan clubs. Right now they still have an amazingly strong side that's being held back by a coach that's stayed there a season too long imo.

 

[BillyShears]

Yeah, they are lacking a bit of leadership as a club at the minute as there's a disconnect between the executive and the first team squad, another disconnect between La masia and the first team squad and Enrique is doing nothing to bridge that (Guardiola alluded to the stress of this part of the job being a factor in his decision to leave so it might need someone other than the coach to take on). They really fucked up turfing out Joan Laporte imo and they're extremely lucky that the first team has been so good during this period - it's something they badly need to sort out in the next 2 or 3 seasons or they'll go the same way as the rags and the two Milan clubs. Right now they still have an amazingly strong side that's being held back by a coach that's stayed there a season too long imo.

D'you know anything about the LB from La Masia we're being linked with? Can't remember his name but he's apparently out of contract this summer.

 

[aguero93:20]

D'you know anything about the LB from La Masia we're being linked with? Can't remember his name but he's apparently out of contract this summer.

Cucurella? No idea, none of the B squad/La Masia have gotten a shot in the senior team under Enrique bar Roberto. Could well be something in it though, he's apparently very highly rated in Spain, hasn't signed a new contract and looks to be behind Mathieu, Alba and Digne for the position, with Digne being quite young. If he's any good then it should be a good move, low compensation fee due since it's decided by the English FA and I don't really think Angelino has what's needed to make it even as a squad player at this level so...

 

[BillyShears]

Cucurella? No idea, none of the B squad/La Masia have gotten a shot in the senior team under Enrique bar Roberto. Could well be something in it though, he's apparently very highly rated in Spain, hasn't signed a new contract and looks to be behind Mathieu, Alba and Digne for the position, with Digne being quite young. If he's any good then it should be a good move, low compensation fee due since it's decided by the English FA and I don't really think Angelino has what's needed to make it even as a squad player at this level so...

Yeah that's him! Wonder how he compares to the kid at Fulham.

 

[aguero93:20]

Yeah that's him! Wonder how he compares to the kid at Fulham.

It would be interesting. There's 2 years between them so I doubt they've gone head to head with England and Spain. Wouldn't go near Sessegnon until he's signed a senior contract with Fulham though, we'd get absolutely fucked on a tribunal with him already a regular in their senior team. If we're interested in him (and I hope we are he looks quality, couldn't believe how young he was) far safer to negotiate a similar deal to the Roberts one, small guaranteed fee with huge scope for add ons.

 

[Hamann Pineapple]

 

[birchwoodgingerste]

Would love us to sign him unbelievable player

 

[Dax777]

I think Messi is the best player ever - if City signed him then it does not show pep as a manager who can create a team. If we won it all the media would just say it was due to messi signing not Peps ability.

I'm just not sure that what pep wants as his legacy, but the owners may say an opportunity to sign the hime is to good to turn down for the clubs profile etc.

Agreed.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I have a notion that if the world's best player, whoever it may be, were to sign for us, then his season would be stymied by a combination of lying, cheating refs reporting to their paymasters all manner of misbegotten moments, or that they had not laid a retina on said incidents, and the RagDipperArseHaringeyMeedya looping every nudge, foot flick, arm wave, head nod as though his extremities were lethal weapons. He will never be able to emulate what he has achieved already nor develop to his full potential.

Pep is reported as saying that we're gonna be better next season. I wonder if he thinks we are then gonna get the same treatment as other teams or that other teams will get the kind of treatment we've had this season. I fancy this season has only seen the beginning of the shit that refs and the Farce have doled out.