James is like an expensive Aidy White right now and Costa would probably have delivered more. When you think about the players that Bielsa has improved since he arrived, and even me as a glass half full fan cannot see any improvement in James, Rodrigo, Firpo or Koch? Maybe it takes longer with seasoned internationals, but time is running out
I’d say when played wide left definitely. He is quicker than Harrison, he tackles back better than Harrison, he has a better engine than Harrison. Harrison has a better end product, that’s where our problem lies.
It would be nice to see a proper analysis of what Bielsa has improved in each player. Does he just unlock their potential and when it is reached that’s the end? Here is the brain cloud for me… When he took over he had what five weeks with the squad before we came out and stuffed Stoke and Derby and we all thought WTF is happening, is this for real? You can’t improve an entire team in that short time, not individually player for player so did he just unlock the potential Orta signed? Yes Bielsa eventually cleared out the unwanted but he took over a team already assembled. I have always said it’s good that he works with Orta and that Orta now signs players Bielsa wants but I’m feeling the more say Bielsa has the worse the signing. Do some players need more time? If so were we just lucky that he transformed an entire team in one preseason? Why have so many taken two steps back, Dallas Klich and Harrison haven’t suffered with injuries
Potential for January upgrades imo. Klich - looks like he will not regain the form of early last season and Championship standards. Roberts - much improved recently but still waiting for consistency. 1 goal, 1 assist. Shackleton - looks like he will spend majority of his career at a lower level. There are others but we'd have to sell them in order to replace them but the above 3 are the easiest to upgrade. Note they are all midfielders.
My priority would actually be Rodrigo. Reason being he is 31 in March, we paid a lot of money for him and he will be on a big contract. Let’s get some money back for him while we can, we’ll take a loss but another year he’ll be worth zero. It’s very marginal who plays the worst or best between the four, Klich is already 31 he’s going to be near to a free transfer whenever he leaves, Shackleton I’d loan out in January and hope his price improves maybe the same with Roberts
Rodrigo is one to try and offload. However, with the financial state of clubs all over Europe I'm not sure we will recoup even 10 million for him if we decide to let him go. Nobody in England would take him. I fear we are stuck with him. He was incredible the last 5 or 6 games last season but has been very much AWOL this season when we needed him to step up. The other dead wood, if we could get buyers, would be Koch, Firpo, Harrison/James and maybe even Dallas. Try and recoup some money or maybe some swap deals and try and improve. Koch may prove to be decent but we haven't really seen him yet. However the emergence of Struijk has rendered him largely redundant. Firpo is terrible defensively but offensively has looked increasingly dangerous. I'd rather get rid and replace him though rather than hang on hoping he improves further.
Dallas, Klich, Cooper all nearing the end and will end up back in the Championship for their final contracts, except Klich who will end his career back in Poland. All 3 need t replaced with newer better models next summer. Roberts 1 goal and 1 assist this season 1 goal last season and zero assists he either needs to be excellent for the rest of this season or sold. Shackelton isnt going to be a premier league footballer. So between now and next season we need 5 or 6 players
Morning doc my take on rodrigo is he has no intention of putting anymore effort in. Will he be any better when fit again as don't think he will be. Shakleton is injured last i heard. Which appears to be his default mode.
Afternoon all. All the player's performances have been judged in an injury ravaged team this season. Rodrigo, Bamford and also Forshaw have the composure we desperately miss in Harrison, James, Klich and, to a certain extent Roberts, but Roberts has been better with a run in the team. Bielsa has earmarked many times that we don't convert enough chances and this is where, I think, Rodrigo and Firpo will help us. We won't know how good we are until we get players back. Forshaw isn't Philips but him and Philips are a good midfield together. Forshaw and Klich are AM trying to play DM, they don't have the awareness of Kalvin, who can also play CB. Klich and Roberts will be on the bench once we get players back. Our defence, including Firpo, have suffered with the injuries. Once we have Ayling/Dallas/Drameh Llorente/Cooper/Struijk/Koch/Cresswell Firpo/Struijk/Dallas We'll have options and we'll see how good Firpo is. I think he's got better each game. We only have a small squad so I'm surprised people want us to move some of them on in January. If anything Rads should consider adding a few if they're what Bielsa wants and are a decent price.
Ayling at CB just doesn't work, hopefully for Burnley it will be. Ayling...Llorente..Koch...Firpo Prefer Struijk to Koch if he's fit
Afternoon all. Some interesting matches in the 3pm KO's today. Watford v West Ham in particular is one worth keeping an eye on.
Not heard much yet, think it's likely Llorente will be back, Koch will have had time to recover from his 90 minutes, Firpo back from suspension, Struijk Rodrigo and Bamford can't be far away, heard James has recovered from his knock. Problem for me would be bringing them all back in at the same time but can we afford not too. Would expect. Meslier Ayling..Llorente..Koch. Firpo .........Dallas...Forshaw Raph..Roberts...James ....Bamford
Swansea Independent has reported that the club have held talks with Leeds about taking Greenwood on loan
It's purely from a financial point of view. It's widely reported that we don't have alot of cash to spend so getting a few fringe players out and hopefully replace with stronger is probably the play. Also, if we do survive, these young kids will have gained alot of unexpected experience. They'll be a year older and stronger and these will again supplement the first team squad. The likes of Cresswell, Klaeson, Struijk, Drameh, Summerville, Greenwood, Gelhardt, McKinstrey et al will likely come back after summer better and stronger. Not all will make it. The thing we miss is central midfielders. These will have to be brought in.
There must be a midfielder knocking about in Spain that we could try and do a swap deal with Rodrigo for.
Lewis Bate wont be far away next season and Bielsa really likes him. Amari Miller a brilliant left winger and Sean McGurk a creative midfielder along with Charlie Allen. Greenwood deserves to earn his spurs and hope he can grab it and come back stronger
He takes players to a new level of fitness (and arguably injury potential) He gives a team a unique style of play, which makes the team 'better' and the individuals within it appear better Presumably this all broadens their horizons and opens their eyes to different ways of playing He encourages adaptability and the square-peg-round-holes things broadens players positional awareness If the above makes them 'improved' then they're improved. Do they shoot straighter, pass better etc. Clearly not I'd say! Pep says MB makes players better, and who am I to argue. For me, i think its better from a fitness, experience, awareness perspective. I think a proportion of the squad are still 'championship' level individuals who have been able to play at a higher level in this team... would they be able to elsewhere? Not sure.
