think if you're wanting several defenders and midfielders in summer you'll be disappointed
Dias is the key. If he stays fit for most of the season, and we actually start controlling the midfield again, we'll be back. I remember Lescott saying that when he first came to City, he knew he was never going to oust Kompany, so he had to make sure he was the best partner for Kompany. It's the same with Khusanov and Reis. Ruben will elevate their games. But yeah, Akanji is our only CB who's not injury prone these days, and he's probably the least talented of the four senior CBs.I hope you are right, but I think that's wishful thinking. Our defenders from the Treble season are two years older now, suffer more injuries and are arguably slower. Time to move some of them on, preferably those who are least available.
You say that, but who’s going to take them? If we’re not going to get a good fee, then we might as well keep them and phase them out incrementally over the next few windows.I hope you are right, but I think that's wishful thinking. Our defenders from the Treble season are two years older now, suffer more injuries and are arguably slower. Time to move some of them on, preferably those who are least available.
You say that, but who’s going to take them? If we’re not going to get a good fee, then we might as well keep them and phase them out incrementally over the next few windows.
Can’t just go replacing half the squad all at once. Need to have some guys left over to transition.
I doubt thatPut Rodri, Nico and Bernardo in front of that defense and we have a repeat of the treble season tie. Our defense this year has much more to do with our suicide midfield setup and poor fitness management than anything.
I meant more in the context of this Real Madrid team as it stands today but should’ve been clearer.I doubt that
Our defenders are injury prone, slower and no longer available as a regular unit.
Having Rodri and Co available may have made a bit of a difference but not enough to resemble that treble season team.
One you don’t let players just goDeep surgery is needed. If other clubs wouldn't take our CBs, why would we need them in the first place? Let some of them go and buy a CB who can start 40 games next season.
One you don’t let players just go
Second they have to want to go
Finally we now have depth at CB this allows the injured CB recover. Something lesser clubs cannot do. The injured but experience players can help the new signings.
You also have to consider cost time and hassle and chaos of moving out lots or any of CB in a summer window. In which we need fullbacks midfielders ( I mean cm) and I suspect 3 new goalies. That before you look at CB or Kevin or Bernardo replacements.
I am tempted to say keep everyone till January at least bar Philips and Walker. (Assuming Ederson and Ortega want to leave and Carson retires) and focus on building depth and quality
Germany has the fastest league according to data since it’s a league where most team counter attack. So the slow motion thing is a new one. I think most teams just have more space. If you don’t play for Munich you as an academy player especially on the offensive side will always have space to play to. Overall the PL intensity is higher , yes. But for an offensive player the Bundesliga is perfect since Munich is the only team - clubs park the bus against.In Germany the game is played in slow motion and they without question have some of the worst defenders in Europe.
And why I have a worry about Marmoush in the PL.
Statics and lies etcGermany has the fastest league according to data since it’s a league where most team counter attack. So the slow motion thing is a new one. I think most teams just have more space. If you don’t play for Munich you as an academy player especially on the offensive side will always have space to play to. Overall the PL intensity is higher , yes. But for an offensive player the Bundesliga is perfect since Munich is the only team - clubs park the bus against.
Marmoush best position is the position where we see Wirtz or another 10 in. Could be a player who doesn’t have a position in our team which would be fatal for that price and wage.
Germany has the fastest league according to data since it’s a league where most team counter attack. So the slow motion thing is a new one. I think most teams just have more space. If you don’t play for Munich you as an academy player especially on the offensive side will always have space to play to. Overall the PL intensity is higher , yes. But for an offensive player the Bundesliga is perfect since Munich is the only team - clubs park the bus against.
Marmoush best position is the position where we see Wirtz or another 10 in. Could be a player who doesn’t have a position in our team which would be fatal for that price and wage.
Musiala signed 5 year extension today. Thought that was a genuine target. Wirtz just got a bit more in demand. Real will fight us
You’re making out like they are old at 31 they are not.Reasonable points.
But the premise that if we have more defenders, then the injury prone players will be less injury prone might be wishful thinking.
Stones turns 31 in 3 months, Ake 30 next week, Akanji 30 in several months.
Akanji has been fit and available most of the time. Plus he's versatile, as he can play at CB, RB, and LB. We'll keep him and Dias.
But keeping both Stones and Ake doesn't make sense. They ain't getting younger and fitter. Get a CB who can start 40 games and is experienced enough to start vs. our rivals in England and Europe.
Otherwise, next season might be more of the same. The younger CBs will have some good and some poor games. To rely on them in the big games will be naive. Hope I'm wrong but I doubt it. If we start next season with this set of CBs, we'll have other injury crises and won't win big trophies. It's not only that our CBs are getting older and injury prone, but that they do not defend really well. Stones got superlatives for his performance, and he was poor for their 3rd goal (watch how he defends vs Bellingham), and could have done better for their 2nd. We were with our best defenders on the pitch in the first half, 5 of them, and conceded more clear chances in that half alone than in both legs last season.
Yes it would be ,except we won't be doing half of that. Nor do we need to.We have one heck of a mess to sort out.
The following are past their sell by, unreliable or head has gone and needs a change
Akanji
Ake
Stones
Bernardo
KDB
Grealish
Gundo
Ederson
The following here are not good enough
Nunes
Doku
Kovacic
Lewis
New Signings 2 CBs for future and Nico and Marmoush
Which essentially leaves us with
Dias Rodri Gvardiol Foden Haaland Savinho
Thats one hell of a rebuild
You’re making out like they are old at 31 they are not.
Odds are at least one of if not two of all Stones Ake Dias Akanji would be available against our big teams. So the younger players would play the other games.
Akanji Dis and Ake normally do ok in a season injury wise just stones who doesn’t
They don’t defend well ? They won us the treble
I suspect that even when fit, niggles,
tiredness, injuries elsewhere are playing a role in the current poor form of the defenders and a season with a better and bigger squad will result in a increased level of performance all round
Any reason you went for Brits over other EDS keepers here? Galvez is a wild shout from nowhere.This is our potential squad for next season - 25/26.
We already have these players, except we would need a new GK and RB. Those two would be top priority signings.
I would sell: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, KDB, Grealish, Nunes, Phillips.
...
So, assuming they're all fit, if we started the season with this squad, i reckon we'll be contending for every title, again!