Squad compared to last season

On the pitch definitely stronger IMO, Raz starting as he means to go on against the dippers, Rodri looks a phenomenal buy plus the likes of zinchenko/foden with another years experience under their belt in their respective positions. Jesus will be flying with confidence after the fa cup final and Copa America as well, could be huge for us. In CB we've lost Vinny obviously but can see ferna operating in there more and of stones can start this year the way he's started the previous 2 but stay fit throughout the season he'll be "back". And of course we have our marquis "new signing" Kevin deBruyne! If Mendy finally comes back properly we're pretty much unbeatable all over the park (and bench) on any given day

Off the field we've lost the heartbeat of the dressing room but it's a dressing room full of leaders, experience and quality. Plus the likes of Raz will be dead keen to make that step to dressing room voice.

Losing sane is a blow but will mahrez step up in his absence? He absolutely can IMO

We're in great nick going into this season, PL/CL beware
 
Gabriel said:
We’ve strengthened in the necessary areas, but with two key players already out for lengthy periods, you just cannot predict how injuries will affect us over the season.

I was a little surprised that we didn’t add a midfielder, but I’m confident that we might have already earmarked two players for next summer.
Click to expand...

Rodri?
 
Stiff Little Wingers said:
I feel it’s not easy to answer. Losing Leroy for a long time is a huge blow not only for the poor lad but places pressure on other wide players. Another injury up front for a couple of months would be a real challenge. Plus we lose the pace and virtuosity of him.

Vincent as a whole package just can’t be replaced. He was a colossus. We have not signed another CB and playing Fernandinho there may not work as well as what Pep did with Masherano- simply because there is more long ball and physicality here and Fern can be rash. Look at the Schalke and Newcastle games - the quick game breaking foul is not much of an option as CB. The whole team needs to step up with leadership and that’s not easy if you’re fighting for your place.
We’ve also God forgive lost a bit of David. We saw last season he can’t play a whole top notch season as he could 2-3 years ago.
Incoming, Rodri looks okay but too early to judge. Cancelo looks good on you tube but too early to judge. Angelino is a back up.

Which leads into the biggest risk for me if we go for everything - that KDB, Bernado, Sergio and possibly Raheem end up being overplayed simply because needs must. The other longer term risk is the effect of a transfer ban.
I think there is an element of classic City mistakes in not strengthening enough after winning the league. Others have strengthened and as we saw on Sunday Liverpool are a very good team.
I would have been looking at David’s replacement right now as well as Sergio’s and also a Delph type whose good enough to do a job but does not mind not playing that much. Foden is too young to have the pressure of replacing David like for like at least for a couple of seasons in my view- amazing talent that he is.
So overall I would say slightly weaker and I think it will be a great challenge for Pep to rotate properly and bring a couple of youngsters in- if anyone can do it he can but I think to retain the league again will be his greatest achievement.
I’m backing him and the squad to do it
Click to expand...
Let’s hope we get 40 points and avoid relegation.
 
A mixed bag really! You’s signed some great players, like Rodri and cancelo that will strengthen you. However, losing kompany, was a big loss to you’s and haven’t replaced him. Plus you lost sane for a while, which is a blow to your attacking options. If you’s had sold sane and got new attacking winger it wouldn’t have been a problem!

If you’s keep Kev de bruyne fit, that would be massive for you’s. I say no change overall, similar squad depth to last season, just you stronger in a certain area now, but weaker in another.
 
Gabriel said:
Should have been more specific- my apologies- another attacking midfielder.
Click to expand...
Midfield - ferna, Rodri , d silva, b Silva, gundogan, foden, KDB
Attacking - kun, Mahrez, sterling, jesus. Bernardo can also move up.

I think we're covered in midfield/attack!
 
If the bar staff are more organised and prepared then I see a rather good season ahead.

Our squad is looking great
 
Eoiyflem said:
Midfield - ferna, Rodri , d silva, b Silva, gundogan, foden, KDB
Attacking - kun, Mahrez, sterling, jesus. Bernardo can also move up.

I think we're covered in midfield/attack!
Click to expand...

I appreciate that. However, at the culmination of last season, it was the attacking midfield that was stretched to breaking point and running on empty; I had thought that we might have kept a couple of players, say Manu Garcia and Patrick Roberts, just to eek out the squad and to prevent the abovementioned appearing in certain cup rounds, but it was not to be,and hence why I thought we might have added one midfielder. Should we be so successful again this season, the onus will fall on the same players, so I just hope we can avoid too many further injuries.
 
It's not so much that the squad is stronger (though I believe it is) but that we have more options. We could play a 3-5-2/5-3-2 much more effectively with Cancelo and a fit Mendy/Angelino as well as a traditional 4-4-2 or the usual 4-3-3/4-5-1.
 
Gabriel said:
I appreciate that. However, at the culmination of last season, it was the attacking midfield that was stretched to breaking point and running on empty; I had thought that we might have kept a couple of players, say Manu Garcia and Patrick Roberts, just to eek out the squad and to prevent the abovementioned appearing in certain cup rounds, but it was not to be,and hence why I thought we might have added one midfielder. Should we be so successful again this season, the onus will fall on the same players, so I just hope we can avoid too many further injuries.
Click to expand...
Absolutely fair enough. Have to say I disagree, don't think we were stretched when you've Mahrez/foden/sane/Jesus constantly benched, it was more that the team were that fit and that focuses that nobody could be dropped. we had a litany of injuries last year, impossible to predict. If you buy on the back of that and nobody gets injured you have 30/40/50m players not even getting in the squad. That breeds negativity which is a dressing room killer. I think we've the right amount for healthy, strong competition to keep the superb team spirit we have, particularly when you look at the versatility of most of those players plus foden becoming more prominent.
 
If we keep Mangala for another season then the 4th cb is there until we fully
get what we are after. Rather have 3 propers Cbs than 80 million pounds worth of slabhead
 
Eoiyflem said:
Absolutely fair enough. Have to say I disagree, don't think we were stretched when you've Mahrez/foden/sane/Jesus constantly benched, it was more that the team were that fit and that focuses that nobody could be dropped. we had a litany of injuries last year, impossible to predict. If you buy on the back of that and nobody gets injured you have 30/40/50m players not even getting in the squad. That breeds negativity which is a dressing room killer. I think we've the right amount for healthy, strong competition to keep the superb team spirit we have, particularly when you look at the versatility of most of those players plus foden becoming more prominent.
Click to expand...

Agree with the negativity point, but the players you mention generally play higher up the park or wide, and the one central midfielder is still young. We’re blessed with talent in the engine room, but Silva is winding down, and de Bruyne and Gundogan have well-known injury issues, albeit they may hopefully be over. The management are evidently happy to go with that group again, so I’m sure we’ll be fine. Not that long till next summer anyway. :-)
 
Stiff Little Wingers said:
I feel it’s not easy to answer. Losing Leroy for a long time is a huge blow not only for the poor lad but places pressure on other wide players. Another injury up front for a couple of months would be a real challenge. Plus we lose the pace and virtuosity of him.

Vincent as a whole package just can’t be replaced. He was a colossus. We have not signed another CB and playing Fernandinho there may not work as well as what Pep did with Masherano- simply because there is more long ball and physicality here and Fern can be rash. Look at the Schalke and Newcastle games - the quick game breaking foul is not much of an option as CB. The whole team needs to step up with leadership and that’s not easy if you’re fighting for your place.
We’ve also God forgive lost a bit of David. We saw last season he can’t play a whole top notch season as he could 2-3 years ago.
Incoming, Rodri looks okay but too early to judge. Cancelo looks good on you tube but too early to judge. Angelino is a back up.

Which leads into the biggest risk for me if we go for everything - that KDB, Bernado, Sergio and possibly Raheem end up being overplayed simply because needs must. The other longer term risk is the effect of a transfer ban.
I think there is an element of classic City mistakes in not strengthening enough after winning the league. Others have strengthened and as we saw on Sunday Liverpool are a very good team.
I would have been looking at David’s replacement right now as well as Sergio’s and also a Delph type whose good enough to do a job but does not mind not playing that much. Foden is too young to have the pressure of replacing David like for like at least for a couple of seasons in my view- amazing talent that he is.
So overall I would say slightly weaker and I think it will be a great challenge for Pep to rotate properly and bring a couple of youngsters in- if anyone can do it he can but I think to retain the league again will be his greatest achievement.
I’m backing him and the squad to do it
Click to expand...

i probably agree with half of this.

kompany was one of the greatest captains in premier league history so we’ll miss his leadership hugely.

however in terms of pure centre back quality, i have complete faith in both stones and otamendi (only time will tell if this faith is misplaced). i don’t rate fernandinho as a defender at all, but feel 3 quality cbs + one youth prospect is sufficient cover.

silva’s form tailed off towards the end of last season, but from what i’ve seen he’s been one of our best players pre-season. guardiola once described him as a cross between xavi and iniesta, and they were both still going strong at 33/34, simply because god-given talent ages extremely well. rodri has looked really good so far, and walker seems to have turned a corner, so not the end of the world if cancelo takes time to settle.

sterling and bernardo will probably be overplayed, but jesus and gundogan are both excellent, and will cover a lot of slack for aguero and de bruyne.

possibly we’ll be a bit worse than last 2 seasons and finish on around 95 points, but i think we’ll still win the league by a greater margin than last year, purely because our closest rivals have completely stalled this summer.

liverpool’s 5 best players by some distance – the front 3, robertson, and that dutch twat – missed just 8 games between them last season. that sort of extended run of good fortune is unheard-of, borderline miraculous, and simply isn’t gonna happen again. this season injuries/fatigue will take their toll (especially on salah and mane, thanks to their busy summers), and when they do klopp will find he doesn’t have the squad depth to cover their absence, nor quality elsewhere in the first team to share the load.
 
The "triple" will have boosted an already strong mentality, which is the difference between similar squads, the more confident a team is, the harder they are to beat.
Over the last four decades clubs that have reached this level, Barce RM Rags dippers have enjoyed the luxury of "winning mentality", though it's the opposition's "losing mentality" that is crucial, imo. Back in the day, as a fan, I never really expected us to beat the Arse or dippers, and it seemed like the team felt the same way.....
Am pretty sure that we are at that level now, with teams sub-consciously resigned to losing before a ball is kicked, avoiding a drubbing seen as "acceptable". Obviously, i can only speak for myself, fwiw, might be nonsense, but "feet on the ground nonsense" gained through decades of highs and lows, heart-break and euphoria, and hand on heart, this club has never been anywhere near the level we are at now.
So yes, we are stronger than last year, and next year stronger than this. It's the holistic way....if only we could sort out the web-site.....
 
No squad is perfect, every team has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But, if we can't win at least one big pot with this squad and this coach, I am a banana, as Ian Hislop once said.
 
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