And we choose not to buy him (Nuno Mendes), so maybe our managers think he's not as good as our Cancelo or Zinchenko at this moment? Who know, I don't know either, just guess that our managers put more faith on our current LBs to invest in other positions for now.
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Txiki Begiristain
- Thread starter cookster
- Start date
ChicagoBlue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 10 Jan 2009
- Messages
- 16,555
Txiki and Ferran operate on a different plane than I think some of us imagine.
Where we see an exciting player, they see a player, a transfer fee, a wage, a squad slot that has to meet PL and UEFA restrictions, and a current squad player that may need to be removed.
That is a very long-tailed calculation from a business and FFP perspective, and is often fraught with more difficulties than we may give credence. There’s agents, families, language, culture, Pep’s tenure, Manchester, taxation, image rights, and, not inconsequentially, who occupies that position in Pep’s First XI!
We are attempting to be one of the biggest, most successful, clubs in Europe with perhaps the smallest fan base of the Top 10 clubs in Europe. Hell, for most players and fans, we are not the biggest, most successful, club in Manchester…regardless of what we might think of recent history!
I think Txiki’s transition from “we want you and we will pay you the moon and the stars to help build us” to “we are one of the best teams in Europe, come and play for us” has been far more difficult than some people can imagine.
The Sheikh has turned £200M into £2B on paper, but he needs the business to pay for itself. In today’s inflated transfer market, player wages, and agent fees, that’s a complicated proposition for us…even as we pay £100M for Grealish!
I think the club is in good hands, but I also know we are a few bad years from potentially being in more difficulty than we imagine.
The PL is cut throat and Top 4 is absolutely not guaranteed for any of the Top 6 or 8 teams. No Top 4 sucks at least £50M from the coffers, and that’s just the UEFA money. Throw in sponsorship clauses and it may well be double that ever year.
It doesn’t take many of those years to create a big hole in the financial projections you made when you signed X, Y and Z players to 5 year deals on £1M/month.
I think this year the club is walking a tightrope, because I think the game is changing under our feet. It is becoming faster and more physical at a time when our team is one of the least physical and often slowest build up teams in the League.
We are built for technical perfection and don’t enjoy the more physical side of the game. We are also a very small team, which is counter to the current trend.
Accordingly, we are trusting that Pep, and the exact same squad, (bar the obvious “one out, one in” exception) can push for the Premier League and Champions League. If not, the financial consequences are large at a time when ALL CLUBS desperately need the money.
The PL looks to be a 4 horse race right now, with 3 other clubs possibly staking a Top 4 claim.
In the CL, while I think we have enough on our day to beat anyone anywhere, even our Group isn’t a guaranteed 1st or 2nd place finish this season!
Txiki has definitely played a blinder since he arrived, but his skills are needed more than ever to sustain The Project!
Where we see an exciting player, they see a player, a transfer fee, a wage, a squad slot that has to meet PL and UEFA restrictions, and a current squad player that may need to be removed.
That is a very long-tailed calculation from a business and FFP perspective, and is often fraught with more difficulties than we may give credence. There’s agents, families, language, culture, Pep’s tenure, Manchester, taxation, image rights, and, not inconsequentially, who occupies that position in Pep’s First XI!
We are attempting to be one of the biggest, most successful, clubs in Europe with perhaps the smallest fan base of the Top 10 clubs in Europe. Hell, for most players and fans, we are not the biggest, most successful, club in Manchester…regardless of what we might think of recent history!
I think Txiki’s transition from “we want you and we will pay you the moon and the stars to help build us” to “we are one of the best teams in Europe, come and play for us” has been far more difficult than some people can imagine.
The Sheikh has turned £200M into £2B on paper, but he needs the business to pay for itself. In today’s inflated transfer market, player wages, and agent fees, that’s a complicated proposition for us…even as we pay £100M for Grealish!
I think the club is in good hands, but I also know we are a few bad years from potentially being in more difficulty than we imagine.
The PL is cut throat and Top 4 is absolutely not guaranteed for any of the Top 6 or 8 teams. No Top 4 sucks at least £50M from the coffers, and that’s just the UEFA money. Throw in sponsorship clauses and it may well be double that ever year.
It doesn’t take many of those years to create a big hole in the financial projections you made when you signed X, Y and Z players to 5 year deals on £1M/month.
I think this year the club is walking a tightrope, because I think the game is changing under our feet. It is becoming faster and more physical at a time when our team is one of the least physical and often slowest build up teams in the League.
We are built for technical perfection and don’t enjoy the more physical side of the game. We are also a very small team, which is counter to the current trend.
Accordingly, we are trusting that Pep, and the exact same squad, (bar the obvious “one out, one in” exception) can push for the Premier League and Champions League. If not, the financial consequences are large at a time when ALL CLUBS desperately need the money.
The PL looks to be a 4 horse race right now, with 3 other clubs possibly staking a Top 4 claim.
In the CL, while I think we have enough on our day to beat anyone anywhere, even our Group isn’t a guaranteed 1st or 2nd place finish this season!
Txiki has definitely played a blinder since he arrived, but his skills are needed more than ever to sustain The Project!
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I like this post.Txiki and Ferran operate on a different plane than I think some of us imagine.
Where we see an exciting player, they see a player, a transfer fee, a wage, a squad slot that has to meet PL and UEFA restrictions, and a current squad player that may need to be removed.
That is a very long-tailed calculation from a business and FFP perspective, and is often fraught with more difficulties than we may give credence. There’s agents, families, language, culture, Pep’s tenure, Manchester, taxation, image rights, and, not inconsequentially, who occupies that position in Pep’s First XI!
We are attempting to be one of the biggest, most successful, clubs in Europe with perhaps the smallest fan base of the Top 10 clubs in Europe. Hell, for most players and fans, we are not the biggest, most successful, club in Manchester…regardless of what we might think of recent history!
I think Txiki’s transition from “we want you and we will pay you the moon and the stars to help build us” to “we are one of the best teams in Europe, come and play for us” has been far more difficult than some people can imagine.
The Sheikh has turned £200M into £2B on paper, but he needs the business to pay for itself. In today’s inflated transfer market, player wages, and agent fees, that’s a complicated proposition for us…even as we pay £100M fir Grealish!
I think the club is in good hands, but I also know we are a few bad years from potentially being in more difficulty than we imagine.
The PL is cut throat and Top 4 is absolutely not guaranteed for any of the Top 6 or 8 teams. No Top 4 sucks at least £50M from the coffers, and that’s just the UEFA money. Throw in sponsorship clauses and it may well be double that ever year.
It doesn’t take many of those years to create a big hole in the financial projections you made when you signed X, Y and Z players to 5 year deals on £1M/month.
I think this year the club is walking a tightrope, because I think the game is changing under our feet. It is becoming faster and more physical at a time when our team is one of the least physical and often slowest build up teams in the League.
We are built for technical perfection and don’t enjoy the more physical side of the game. We are also a very small team, which is counter to the current trend.
Accordingly, we are trusting that Pep, and the exact same squad, (bar the obvious “one out, one in” exception) can push for the Premier League and Champions League. If not, the financial consequences are large at a time when ALL CLUBS desperately need the money.
The PL looks to be a 3 horse race right now, with 3 other clubs possibly staking a Top 4 claim.
In the CL, while I think we have enough on our day to hear anyone anywhere, even our Group isn’t a guaranteed 1st or 2nd place finish this season!
Txiki has definitely played a blinder since he arrived, but his skills are needed more than ever to sustain The Project!
One thing that often strikes me is that we play a style of football that is significantly more difficult to achieve success with. Our best rivals play a counter-attacking game that punishes mistakes while our style is based on not making them, of possession, pass and move, and working to create overloads in pockets of the pitch. In our system, if a player gives away the ball cheaply, we are immediately exposed and players can look silly even though they may not have made the mistake. We require everyone to be on it and all those players, or nearly all, need to be technically outstanding and in form. It isn't the only way to play but when it works, it is beautiful. Our rivals can be less technically proficient and are, as you say, more physical, generally, and more adept at exploiting us when we make an error. I would rather watch the way we play but counter-attacking football, played with great pace, can be exhilarating too and is much more difficult to break down.
Centurions
Well-Known Member
For not tracking back during the CL final last year.Well what’s txiki getting accused of today? ;)
ChicagoBlue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 10 Jan 2009
- Messages
- 16,555
Exactly!I like this post.
One thing that often strikes me is that we play a style of football that is significantly more difficult to achieve success with. Our best rivals play a counter-attacking game that punishes mistakes while our style is based on not making them, of possession, pass and move, and working to create overloads in pockets of the pitch. In our system, if a player gives away the ball cheaply, we are immediately exposed and players can look silly even though they may not have made the mistake. We require everyone to be on it and all those players, or nearly all, need to be technically outstanding and in form. It isn't the only way to play but when it works, it is beautiful. Our rivals can be less technically proficient and are, as you say, more physical, generally, and more adept at exploiting us when we make an error. I would rather watch the way we play but counter-attacking football, played with great pace, can be exhilarating too and is much more difficult to break down.
I have spoken before (and got pilloried by a few) when I highlighted the lack of TECHNICAL ability of a player or two (OK, it was mainly Sterling losing the ball when his full back is ahead of him!) and how it damages the whole system when they give the ball away in poor positions.
Pep’s system is one of perfection, whereas other teams physicality can simply be about overpowering you in certain areas, or domination. However, when we are on our game, we can make the biggest, most physical team look silly chasing spaces and balls that have already moved on to the next player.
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I didn't target you and at no point have I said we couldn't improve at left back, you said 'it will cost us' but blatantly having shit left backs hasn't cost us has it?You clearly do not agree with my position about our left back situation and that's fine. There is therefore no point discussing it further and this back and forth is a total waste of time. If someone disagrees with you then that person is deemed to be full of doom and gloom...it's called giving an opinion.
If you want a list of the 10 or 20 highest rated left full backs in the world just Google it yourself. You will see the likes of Alphonso Davies, Jordi Alba, Andy Robertson, Chilwell and the rest included there. City have actually targeted the very highly thought of young Portuguese full back Nuno Mendes who plays for Sporting Lisbon...looks to be one hell of a prospect.
That was really my only point, the rest of this back and forth comes from your replies.
So one last point, I asked for you to name me realistic left back signings and you gave me Bayern's, Liverpool's, Barcelona's and Chelsea's, did you not understand the meaning of realistically attainable? lol
Yes, Mendes would be a good signing and I would be happy to have him here and have him and Zinchenko rotate.
Ps it is called discussion btw :)
Haha!!! Finally you agree about what a discussion should be and giving an opinion. Shame you referred to it as pedalling doom and gloom.I didn't target you and at no point have I said we couldn't improve at left back, you said 'it will cost us' but blatantly having shit left backs hasn't cost us has it?
That was really my only point, the rest of this back and forth comes from your replies.
So one last point, I asked for you to name me realistic left back signings and you gave me Bayern's, Liverpool's, Barcelona's and Chelsea's, did you not understand the meaning of realistically attainable? lol
Yes, Mendes would be a good signing and I would be happy to have him here and have him and Zinchenko rotate.
Ps it is called discussion btw :)
When we're knocking in goals for fun it's usually the cost of the pies getting the stick. Perhaps that's got too boring.?Well what’s txiki getting accused of today? ;)
wolviedinho
Well-Known Member
Maybe. Emotional business supporting City. Most posters know this thread is nonsense but just like the match day thread it helps people let of a bit of steam.When we're knocking in goals for fun it's usually the cost of the pies getting the stick. Perhaps that's got too boring.?
Txiki, Soriano, Khaldoon, Pep, Omar sort the signings out. I want 1 before the deadline ;)
Do you not think that believing City not signing a new left-back is 'going to cost us' is anything other than doom and gloom, when the fact is we have won everything bar a champs league with 3 non-left-backs and a perma injured one?Haha!!! Finally you agree about what a discussion should be and giving an opinion. Shame you referred to it as pedalling doom and gloom.
It is certainly an odd take but then that is just my opinion because I don't understand what it is 'going to cost us?'