The Squad planning thread

[John Wayne]

I feel like we need to go back to sign players who actually suit our team? I feel like the past couple of windows were signing players who are currently in good form. Marmoush is a prime example. Scoring for fun at Frankfurt so we’ve gone and bought him but doesn’t really suit us does he? Bought a shit tonne of centre backs and left us with one make shift right back. We’ve signed a box to box midfielder in Reijnders and we don’t even play in a way that suits that type of midfielder. Again did we sign him because he was doing well at Milan scoring a lot of goals?. I hope I’m wrong but I had a fear that Semenyo will go down the same route. Signed him cause he’s bang in form and had a good release clause rather than signing him cause it’s exactly what we need.

We have all the tools to play a certain style, one that we were starting to play in the autumn. We even brought in Pep Lijnders to play that style. For reasons I cannot fathom, we've reverted to a system that no longer suits the players we have and one from which the game is moving away. Pep needs to drop that defensive line a few yards and we need to counter-attack more. The high line and possession-based game is all but dead and we don't have the players to play it anymore.

 

[John Wayne]

Oh really now? Cherki, Donnarumma, Ait-nouri, semenyo and guehi all for less than arsenal bought those flops eze and gyokeres. I think Viana has done a fabulous job so far.
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Exactly. We've bought certain types of players and coaching staff to play a new style that the manager appears to have abandoned.

 

[Goater101]

We have all the tools to play a certain style, one that we were starting to play in the autumn. We even brought in Pep Lijnders to play that style. For reasons I cannot fathom, we've reverted to a system that no longer suits the players we have and one from which the game is moving away. Pep needs to drop that defensive line a few yards and we need to counter-attack more. The high line and possession-based game is all but dead and we don't have the players to play it anymore.

Yeah you’re right. Seems to be a switch in style post Christmas? I don’t get it. I’ll put it down to the players that are available. If those two results happens with Dias/Gvardiol an Nunes at the back I’d be very worried. Anyway onto Saturday

 

[John Wayne]

Yeah you’re right. Seems to be a switch in style post Christmas? I don’t get it. I’ll put it down to the players that are available. If those two results happens with Dias/Gvardiol an Nunes at the back I’d be very worried. Anyway onto Saturday

Yes. Nunes, Guehi, Semenyo and Bernardo will make it look and feel a lot different on Saturday. Maybe Doku and Gonzalez too.

 

[Stelea]

Oh really now? Cherki, Donnarumma, Ait-nouri, semenyo and guehi all for less than arsenal bought those flops eze and gyokeres. I think Viana has done a fabulous job so far.
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Donnarumma is the only exception. Can’t count Semenyo or Guehi yet. Ait-Nouri is hopeless and doesn’t even resemble a footballer. Cherki, to jury is out

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

We’ve lost too many world class players and not replaced them. Stones (injured), Walker, Gundogan, KDB and more.

Walker in particular has been our biggest loss, as he was the best right back in europe

 

[richards30]

We’ve lost too many world class players and not replaced them. Stones (injured), Walker, Gundogan, KDB and more.

Walker in particular has been our biggest loss, as he was the best right back in europe

We definitely need a top class durable right back, Anderson and Smit

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

We definitely need a top class durable right back, Anderson and Smit

Are there any though? I can’t think of many genuine world class right backs or players good enough to lace walkers boots

 

[Quinny851]

Oh really now? Cherki, Donnarumma, Ait-nouri, semenyo and guehi all for less than arsenal bought those flops eze and gyokeres. I think Viana has done a fabulous job so far.
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Evening Hugo. Welcome to BM

 

[Gumzy97]

We have all the tools to play a certain style, one that we were starting to play in the autumn. We even brought in Pep Lijnders to play that style. For reasons I cannot fathom, we've reverted to a system that no longer suits the players we have and one from which the game is moving away. Pep needs to drop that defensive line a few yards and we need to counter-attack more. The high line and possession-based game is all but dead and we don't have the players to play it anymore.

The players we’ve bought are prime counter attacking players. But Pep is trying to piece them together in a possession based system.

I’ll even add Savinho to this watched a few more clips of him at Girona he’s completely different player on the counter. Same with Haaland at Norway.

Instead of playing to the players we’ve signed strengths Peps stuck in wanting to follows his philosophy of controlled possession when the pieces that have been given to him don’t thrive within that system.

Put Cherki , Reijnders , Haaland , Savinho , Doku and Foden in a counter attacking system we’d blow teams away.

 

[John Wayne]

The players we’ve bought are prime counter attacking players. But Pep is trying to piece them together in a possession based system.

I’ll even add Savinho to this watched a few more clips of him at Girona he’s completely different player on the counter. Same with Haaland at Norway.

Instead of playing to the players we’ve signed strengths Peps stuck in wanting to follows his philosophy of controlled possession when the pieces that have been given to him don’t thrive within that system.

Put Cherki , Reijnders , Haaland , Savinho , Doku and Foden in a counter attacking system we’d blow teams away.

Yes, that's exactly right. But if Pep cannot/will not change then this has to be his last season with us.

There are loads of examples from September through to December of us playing this way. Reijnders carrying it 50 yards for Haaland's goal at The Emirates, Savinho getting the penalty at Selhurst Park, etc.

 

[Sleeping_Easy]

The talk about this squad is getting silly now. I’ve see multiple people online talk about us like we’re fighting relgation. The spoilt syndrome has settled in well before pep’s left not even after



even the great man takes time to turn around entire squad

 

[SaintColin]

Oh really now? Cherki, Donnarumma, Ait-nouri, semenyo and guehi all for less than arsenal bought those flops eze and gyokeres. I think Viana has done a fabulous job so far.
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He has got them cheaper than you would expect, you could say he got lucky with the situations of Cherki and Guehi but her got them over the line so fair enough. But it doesn’t matter how much of a bargain he gets them at if the player doesn’t fit what the manager wants…

 

[ALDN_Ko]

The talk about this squad is getting silly now. I’ve see multiple people online talk about us like we’re fighting relgation. The spoilt syndrome has settled in well before pep’s left not even after



even the great man takes time to turn around entire squad

Again, transition doesn’t mean crap performances. I wouldn’t mind if he was trying new tactics and we were getting beat, but he’s using the same stubborn tactics that got us into a mess last season. Everything is self inflicted. The injuries, the poor performances, the poor results all come from stubbornness and arrogance. It’s not normal to spend 400m in 18 months to produce abject performances against teams with a fraction of the spending.

 

[richards30]

The players we’ve bought are prime counter attacking players. But Pep is trying to piece them together in a possession based system.

I’ll even add Savinho to this watched a few more clips of him at Girona he’s completely different player on the counter. Same with Haaland at Norway.

Instead of playing to the players we’ve signed strengths Peps stuck in wanting to follows his philosophy of controlled possession when the pieces that have been given to him don’t thrive within that system.

Put Cherki , Reijnders , Haaland , Savinho , Doku and Foden in a counter attacking system we’d blow teams away.

Manager needs to go then?

 

[Columbia]

Oh really now? Cherki, Donnarumma, Ait-nouri, semenyo and guehi all for less than arsenal bought those flops eze and gyokeres. I think Viana has done a fabulous job so far.
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Agree to a point but the smiling Dutch ghost signing needs addressing, can’t think of a single top team who would want him. What does he even do?

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Yes, that's exactly right. But if Pep cannot/will not change then this has to be his last season with us.

There are loads of examples from September through to December of us playing this way. Reijnders carrying it 50 yards for Haaland's goal at The Emirates, Savinho getting the penalty at Selhurst Park, etc.

You’ve answered your own point about changing tactics with examples of him changing the way we play. He’s not going to change his overall philosophy though

Pep would probably come back at your point and say his tactics have won us everything over nearly ten years and even this season we’re second, in a league cup semi final and competing in all competitions

 

[richards30]

You’ve answered your own point about changing tactics with examples of him changing the way we play. He’s not going to change his overall philosophy though

Pep would probably come back at your point and say his tactics have won us everything over nearly ten years and even this season we’re second, in a league cup semi final and competing in all competitions

But with so many defenders out surely a top manager would understand and adjust to make us more stable and not push the defensive line even higher? Fucking Bodo could have literally scored 8 last night?!?! Rags as well on saturday as well?

 

[Tico Warrior]

The talk about this squad is getting silly now. I’ve see multiple people online talk about us like we’re fighting relgation. The spoilt syndrome has settled in well before pep’s left not even after



even the great man takes time to turn around entire squad

Why do people keep saying we are still in the FA cup as if it is a big achievement? We literally beat one team at home with a budget 100x smaller than ours.

 

[Roachy]

Why do people keep saying we are still in the FA cup as if it is a big achievement? We literally beat one team at home with a budget 100x smaller than ours.

It's used to bolster the appearance that all is well usually, when sometimes it isn't.