The team next year.

[FantasyIreland]

With each passing week its looking like our transfer business will be of much more significance than many of us had thought.

This squad needs a huge overhaul......we have to concentrate on midfield,as,other than Silva and Fernandinho,we look toothless and uninspired......our lack of presence in this area is also having severe repercussions on our defence as,in particular,our centre halves are finding......as they are often being left exposed and/or being dragged out of position in an attempt to rectify the problem.

Kompany and Mangala have come under huge scrutiny and criticism this season,with many claiming them both as underperforming or lacking ability.......well what chance have either got with next to fuck all protection in front of them and a manager who continues to swap and rotate them,and the fullbacks, every other game - a team is built on its foundations and consistency and understanding is a key factor in such.......our lads have been hung out to dry in these aspects.

Many of our 'superstars' have had their day at our club,we look tired,stale and disinterested......new blood,with a fresh hunger are required.

Its going to be very difficult to rid ourselves of many of our players due to their incredible contracts so I feel we will have to compromise significantly on fees which,in turn,will affect our ability to spend......however,its something that needs to be done and i'd be starting with Toure,Nasri,Kolarov and Dzeko......quickly followed by Navas,Jovetic,Demichelis and Sagna.

Whether our freefall,and the inevitable change in manager........will affect our targets remains to be seen.....? I certainly don't think we are as an attractive proposition as we were 6 months ago.......but one thing is certain......its going to a very,very interesting summer!

 

[richards30]

Pogba
Koke
Gaya or rodriguez
Varane
de bruyne
sterling
Dybala
Carvarhal

Ancellotti

 

[cibaman]

Pogba
Koke
Gaya or rodriguez
Varane
de bruyne
sterling
Dybala
Carvarhal

Ancellotti

I dont claim to be an expert on overseas players. Do any of that lot have the strength of personality and leadership skills we need?

 

[tomMCFC29]

Next year can we really see a league winning team from what we have at the moment?

At a stretch these are the basis of a first team

...................................Hart

Zabaleta.....Kompany.....Mangala.......Kurzawa

Fernadinho.........Pogba..........Barkley
Silva.........Kun......Sterling

So we need 4 grade A players.

The trouble is at least a couple need to be british. Sterling or Bale, are the obvious candidates up front. So almost certainly that's Sterling. Midfield must be Pogba and who else is there but Barkley.

LB Kurzawa.

That little lot would probably cost. 130 million minus anything we get for Yaya, Jovetic, Edin etc.

Would that team win it?

You say we need four Grade A players and then don't list a single one.

Those four highlighted are just four half decent players. Nothing special. Grade C, if you ask me. Maybe Sterling and Pogba might end up being Grade B in a few years time. Barkely constantly gives the ball away. And that Kurzawa was a joke against Arsenal, looked like a comedy player.

This team also needs about six or seven new signings, not four. We are gone, completely gone as a side.

The recruitment policy of this club since 2011 has been a fucking disgrace. When you see the amount of money we've spent it's all been on average players and squad players. £200+m in three and a bit years and not a single one at the level of Silva and Kun. Not a single high quality player aged 20-25. We've allowed all our best players to age together and we have no younger hungry high quality players coming along in the next wave.

People's heads should roll big time. Players, management team and board level staff for our recruitment.

We've spent £78m to replace Barry and de Jong and we've gone backwards. You could put your hand in a tombola of bottom six Prem sides and plucked out higher quality than Fernando García and Rodwell (who cost £43fuckingM between them!).

I disagree about Pogba. I'd say he's the best central midfielder in the world right now and is only going to better. He is definitely not a grade C and imo we have to do all we can to bring him in summer.

 

[Gabriel]

Rather than enter into a fantasy team picking exercise, I think the real question that needs to be addressed is what kind of football are we going to play as of next season?

We have tried to follow the Barcelona model only to find that we don't have the energy levels to maintain it consistently domestically, nor the skill levels to keep the ball long enough against the top European teams (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Dortmund). While we blindly went down the path of pressing and possession, Bayern had already shown its limitations only for Real Madrid, in turn, to move the game forward again with a game built on countering at blistering pace. Where now for us, then?

Is it really possible to play a style of football that can consistently win in England and abroad? For all the players being bandied about, and talk of FFP, I rather fear that we'll forever be playing catch up until we devise a system that is unique to us and not simply a poor imitation of what has been exhausted elsewhere.

 

[kaz7]

Depends on who the manager is,we have a lot of very good players who are made to look crap at the moment
I think with a new manager the clearout may not be as big as some are hoping for

 

[BigOscar]

Midfield is key. Get that right and the defence looks infinitely better and the attack gets that ball more consistently and quicker. All season it's been our weakness, exposing our defence and playing at a painfully slow tempo, while it's also always been our problem in Europe as well, even before this year. The right replacement for Yaya and everything else falls into place, get it wrong and we turn into the rags of the past 4 or 5 years, trying to make a team without a functioning midfield.

 

[mosssideblue]

Rather than enter into a fantasy team picking exercise, I think the real question that needs to be addressed is what kind of football are we going to play as of next season?

We have tried to follow the Barcelona model only to find that we don't have the energy levels to maintain it consistently domestically, nor the skill levels to keep the ball long enough against the top European teams (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Dortmund). While we blindly went down the path of pressing and possession, Bayern had already shown its limitations only for Real Madrid, in turn, to move the game forward again with a game built on countering at blistering pace. Where now for us, then?

Is it really possible to play a style of football that can consistently win in England and abroad? For all the players being bandied about, and talk of FFP, I rather fear that we'll forever be playing catch up until we devise a system that is unique to us and not simply a poor imitation of what has been exhausted elsewhere.

Top post

 

[Damanino]

Depends on who the manager is,we have a lot of very good players who are made to look crap at the moment
I think with a new manager the clearout may not be as big as some are hoping for

Thats true. Last year rags wanted Moyes out and the deadwood like Young, Fellaini.

But LVG came in and he turned the dross like Young, Fellaini into big match winners, didnt he?

So we might just need a manager that has some ideas at least and we could be seeing a very good Dzeko for example.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I dont think it matters if we sign a load of world class players. we need players with passion who actually care and give effort. we need to pick wisely the players we want.