True. I'm listening to arsenal deluded fools waffling on about how their amazing kids are going to sweep the world as well. What they dont get is citys secret has been buying 23/34 year olds who are absolutely ready to go. Just about every one of their starts have been signed that way and it's a conveyor of players. Loads of kids with no leaders will struggle build the consistency needed imo and it's been arsenals Achilles heel for years. They left the great defence and strong cms age out and replaced with nothing. Imo people under rate the influence of Milner, henderson, salah etc in terms of setting the tone. Imo we badly need players now to take the mantle on 3 or 4 24 year olds really to storm the league. But we just dont have the cash imo.
One of the reasons i didn't think much of the Thiago signing was the fact we shouldn't be using our scarce resources buying 29 year olds when we already had an ageing squad .
And then the kids get frustrated with the lack of progress and move somewhere better, and you're back to square one. Anyway, Liverpool people saying you won't win anything with kids. Can't go wrong.
The thing about the man utd myth is that this group of kids emerged and swept the league blah blah. Its directly coming from alan Hansen's big mouth. The reality of the thing was very different. They had won the league. Yes there was scholes, Giggs, neville and Beckham but the reality was giggs came through earlier and in reality there were very senior pros guiding them through as well as their manager. Schmeichel 28 Bruce 31 Pallister 27 Irvin 26 Kanchelskis 23 Ince 26 Hughes 28 Cantona 26 That's 1992. Sure mix in the 4 or 5 kids if you want the reserve in butt as well but that's nothing like what we have seen at arsenal for 15 years. Theres no senior leadership. They made aubameyang captain ffs. Or xhaka. Auba's attitude has been consistently questioned over his career. The success of what klopp has done here is not actually to do with youth, even though he has given a few a go each year. It's actually all about high standards and players signing up and delivering and them purging out anyone who wasnt up to that standard of work
Not to mention he didn't/doesn't fit the Klopp style. Gini was far more the type of mid our system needs and after it was clear he wasn't going to agree term (was clear about a year before) we should have been looking for a similar style of player instead of pursuing Thiago Thiago would be far more suited for a Pep team, he'd probably be dominating at Citeh.
If Thiago could stay fit he's devastating. I love watching him for the sheer skill. His goal the other week was unbelievable. It almost defied science. Him, Fabinho and Henderson in midfield dominate games. He's been unlucky in having that assault on him at Goodison that put him out before he'd really got started and also picking up Covid. I don't know if he's currently out injured or it's Covid but if he can get a string of games together, I'm more than happy with him.
I think Klopp wanted to change our approach and look to dominate possession more against the better sides but also find a way of breaking down the 'defend the box at all costs' teams too.
Hip injury right now apparently. I dont think it's really fair to say hes not a klopp player.given klopp bought him. Klopp said mkhitaryan suited his side like.an arse on a bucket at dortmund but I saw no impression of a pressing monster there. Keita is the same, klopp was desperate to get him but while hes great at making interceptions the rare times he is fit he is a totally different player. Klopp has had.mane and salah pace but does that.mean he is a one trick pony? I think he would like a more.controlling, passing midfield.
Wolves rumoured to have accepted a bid of £22m for Adama Traore. Wasn't he being valued at £50m-£60m not so long ago...?
Was being quoted 70m year or so back when he had that mini spell where scored a few goals. Since then just done nothing. Remains to be seen if he can actually give a goal output playing for a more attacking team