Possible squad/starting XI next season?

[The Pandorica Opened]

Assuming a 4-3-3, is this what we're hoping for going into the market?

I can see McAtee getting some minutes at the 8-ish role, and not sure if Zinny would be part of these plans.

 

[Tolmie scores]

We have to play more direct and pacey football with Haaland

Ederson
Walker
Stones
Dias
Cancelo/Cucurella
Rodri
Bernardo
De Bruyne
Sterling/Mahrez
Foden/Grealish
Haaland/Alvarez

Hopefully, in 2023 we would replace Gundogan with Bellingham, but if Sterling wants to go, we need to buy a good winger in the summer.

Does look great but gundy as club captain in fern role would be good to see. Underated technucian as well. Great squad keader in the makung

 

[Saddleworth2]

View attachment 44586

Assuming a 4-3-3, is this what we're hoping for going into the market?

I can see McAtee getting some minutes at the 8-ish role, and not sure if Zinny would be part of these plans.

West Ham Zinny agree.
A Villa Zinny don’t agree.
The boy has a great deal of talent and bleeds blue. We need that in our squad.

 

[Tolmie scores]

Rubbish
Carson as GK for me

I give ederson sone stick as well. I don't really rate him as a GK but as an ambitious hard working team player...his attitude is really commendable and valuable..great to have a better quality reserve mind you. Steffan stops shots but can't read the game..anything could happen with a through ball.. chasing a forward to the by line is one classic exampke. No top keeper does that ..seems a great bloke mind which always helps in a GK

 

[hihosilva]

I think we can expect to see Palmer having more game time next season.

 

[DeBlueLou]

Goalkeepers: Ederson Steffen Carson

Fullbacks: Cancelo Walker Cucurella (Zinchenko)

Central Defenders: Dias Stones Laporte Ake (Phillips)

Midfield: Rodri Phillips De Bruyne Bernardo Gundogan (Zinchenko) McAtee

Wingers: Mahrez Sterling Foden Grealish Palmer

Strikers: Alvarez Haaland

*() means they can be an option there.

 

[Gigant]

I miss that 2017-2018 depth in our squad

As today , does we have an 8 domestic players in the squad that league rules required

 

[Gigant]

Is it just me , or idk even with Phillips signing we missing one good CM for a back up.

Reminding me on a 2018-2019 season, when KDB and Dinho went injured for all season long , yes I know we won all at the end , but it was painful to watch game after game a midfiled contains Gundo , Silva & Bernardo w/o any proper sub.

 

[Retro_Citizens]

Does look great but gundy as club captain in fern role would be good to see. Underated technucian as well. Great squad keader in the makung

I would love walker to be our next captain, he is the oldest in the squad and a great leader

 

[Lauz9888]

Agree with what others have said, we shouldn't be looking to move anyone on unless they want to go.

I can see us losing at least one of Sterling, Gabby or Mahrez, although I'd rather not - but if it's just one of them we lose then we shouldn't need to further replace them considering the other additions we've already made to our front line and the potential we've got coming through the EDS.

Key requirements are a CDM and a full-back.

CDM is relatively straightforward - we need someone to rotate with, cover for and challenge Rodri.

Full-back is a little more complicated.

In our current squad, my right-back preference is Walker, then Cancelo, then Stones if it's an emergency. And my left-back preference is Cancelo, Zinchenko, Ake, then Laporte if it's an emergency.

I feel like the team is weakened more by Walker being injured/suspended than it would be by the same thing happening to Cancelo. Because a Walker absence means either you go to second choice at both right and left-back, or you keep your first choice left-back and play Stones out of position, weakening you at right-back and potentially weakening you centrally too.

So I'd actually prioritise a backup right-back over a backup left-back, although I think our squad is small enough that if the price was right, we could take one of each.

The Cucurella rumours suggest I'm wrong though and the priority is a left-back.