It's not just the prospect of a new signing either. We haven't seen this much but if Mahrez continues to impress and nails down a place on the right then there's a possibility that Bernardo could start to play more in midfield which would mean another player in his way. Interesting to see how things unfold throughout the season.Phil's on a ticking clock. There's 57 games max (excluding cup replays) before David Silva retires, and Pep will not let the squad get weaker, so Foden has to be ready to take over as a proper first teamer by July or we will go out and buy someone who'll block him for years.
You're setting yourself up for disappointment here mate, he never plays Bernardo and Kevin together in midfield. Only time it's happened was in December against Leicester when we had an injury crisis. A more realistic expectation is one of Kevin and Bernardo paired with one of Gundo and David.Bernardo should be paired with KDB and Rodri at midfield. He is too good to be on the bench. Use David/Gundogan when resting KDB/Bernardo, but these guys need to play every game.
I feel that if Mahrez can get a run of 6 or 7 games now, he can build his confidence,hit his best form and then he'll probably stay there or thereabouts even going in and out of the side later on in the season.
Whereas if he never gets a run of games, he's always going to be on the periphery, and never quite feel at home in the side.
Think we'll struggle again as Watford are are a lot better than Shakhtar, so Ian Herbert tells us anyway. Obviously we can't take anything for granted but we do enjoy playing these and should have enough to win it. I'll go for a squeaky bum 1-0 win with Merlin the scorer. Team for me is Ederson, Cancelo, Zinchenko, Otamendi, Garcia, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, B.Silva, D.Silva, Sterling, Aguero.
Subs: Bravo, Mendy, Walker, Gundogan, Rodri, Mahrez, Jesus.
De Bruyne and Fernandinho has to play every PL-game for atleast 5-6 weeks or as long as Stones is out. I really hope Pep understand this.
With leader Ferna in the back four and Kevin as attacking mid, I would feel quite comfortable in both defense and attack. I also feel we need to use Mahrez more consistently at right wing so he can really find his form. I'm not his greatest fan right now because he is so inconsistent and sometimes pure crap. Bernardo should be paired with KDB and Rodri at midfield. He is too good to be on the bench. Use David/Gundogan when resting KDB/Bernardo, but these guys need to play every game.
It seems that he generally plays better away from home. When we play at home against packed defenses he has a tendency to slow down the play. In away games he usually has a bit more spaceFeels to me like he could be key in the big games - as he was for Leicester. Remember that goal at Brighton - turned a potentially nervy 25 minutes into a party.