He is a good player but the stats don't really show the full picture with CIty This is why city are more successful and run into less injures than most other clubs. De Bruyne (gold standard but 32) averages about 2000 minutes per season in the prem only over the past 4 years (was injured the seaosn before it but played 3000mins before that again) Gundogan 2350, 1850, 2031, 2015, 2135, 1508 ( B.Silva (28) 2202, 2860, 2070, 2028, 2853, 1519 Rodri (27) 2920, 2888, 2747, 2486 d.silva (last seasons) 1833, 2411, 2437,2767, 1801, 2661 See the point? There's 3420 minutes available to players to play in a 38 game season. what pep is doing is managing the players he can manage. these attacking players are "averaging" 58 minutes per game So when you wonder how did city keep going to win a treble or wonder why city have far fewer injuries than some clubs then just go look at what they are doing with these players. Its a 3241 formation apparently. i nthe 4 you have grealish, gundogan, silva, de bruyne, mahrez, foden and even alvarez. He is wokring the likes of stones and rodri behind harder than those 4. This si why you see defenders get more injuries there. anyway Just a little insight I picked up as to why city have more stamina at the end of seasons and why they see more consistency out of these players. 58 minutes a game on average. (in the prem only)
I just reckon a lot of this is down to funds and who is blinking first. City have made their rice move and its down to west ham sitting back and rejecting everything until they get an obscene fee. they know arsenal will stump it up Most clubs are then wondering what's happening with caicedo who apparently 80mil will not buy. will Chelsea pay it? will arsenal panic for him? etc. again brighton are sat back waiting and ready to reject all. there's absolutely zero value out there for anyone else if you are shopping in the prem. July 1st is the new financial year but i hold out very little hope now. LFC have already got onto this is anfield to repeat a klopp headline what he doesn't care when he gets players in. That's a pretty clear signal we will be there in august with no work done and playing catch up again.
I'm rather surprised by this. Hope he turns them down. He's still got something to give in a European team.
i can't see a reason to go thst rather than retire and take cash if he's moved from us for a new experience then going to head removers seems a very bad idea of new experience.
And Suarez Edit... Never mind, seen your "six legends" post now, thought you meant because he's retired through injury. More fool me for taking one of your comments seriously
It's looking like he left us with no clear forward plan other than the obvious wanting more playing time with maybe an eye on a Brazil swan song. To leave a club that adores you the way the fans and players adored him for a big pay cheque isn't where I thought Bobby stood.
well you say that but..... thier squad is not that big so guardiola is doing more subbing and rotating in that specific area. Look at the minutes he is putting through rodri by comparison If we compare and contrast this approach to klopp Salah is the gold standard: 3297 mins last season, 2762 (ACON) 3082, 2888, 3261, 2920. so nearly 1000minutes more than de bruyne every single season. even last year with 6 forwards or this year with 5 we did the same things. Mane 2825, 2812,2755,3086, 2208 (injury that year) The pattern is what you'd expect. Klopp had a first choice and that was that. He starts them all the time and that is that. just as a contrast Henderson 2072, 2602, 1706 (lot of injuries), 2244, 1982. henderson at his age is playing as many minutes for us as de bruyne is for city. when he can be got out on the park (last season) then we do well. We we can't get him out on the park we do badly. Fabinho 2677, 2316, 2566 (he was playing cb and got injured this season), 2074, 2013. again first choice and a lot of minutes put through the guy. Now when I look at LFC squad numbers theres lots of warm bodies every year and a lot of wages being paid but a general reluctance to part with cash to keep the squad going. It seems to me that the point that pepe puts less minutes through his key attacking midfield players legs is a good one. By contrast we seem to complain about our players being tired, jaded or not able to run yet we have the evidence that we work them hard while looking at spare players not really contributing much
If we let some of our "spare" players get some extra minutes in the early stages of the Europa this season, we can probably get by with a slightly smaller squad. I don't think we necessarily need to go all crazy. I think one more midfielder and a defender (ideally someone who can play CB or RB). For now, I'd be happy with that. Gravenberch, for example is being quoted as in the £20mill range (there might be others we prefer, but I don't think anyone would be disappointed with him). A similar astute signing for defender (who typically are less expensive to sign) and they can get away without really going above and beyond a mid-table team transfer kitty. Partially fund it with sale of a lesser defender if need be. I tend to hope our lack of spending in recent seasons means we have the money spare for when we need it, rather than the pessimistic approach that we'll never spend any. The owners may never go crazy spending money, but they won't want their investments to lose value (as it would were we to drop out of top 4 permanently). They're business men, they won't buy an Mbappe, but I have to believe they will spend when it means keeping their investment alive.
I was only poking fun mate. It's not squad size, it quality of the squad. We can replace salah with precisely **** all. Good job he's never injured. We've resorted to an 18 year old kid in midfield because our back up of keita & ox might as well be replaced by cones. Our first 11 has been run ragged season after season, its no wonder they look done in. We can bemoan injuries, but the injuries happen because they've got to play come what may. No rest, pushed to the limit = breakdown. We badly need new and importantly quality additions.
peps squad is overloaded with a certain type of player and they can all rotate about. there's not that much depth in other areas. hence silva at lwb this season he wants and likes lots of attacking midfield types and will play them at false 9 as well. he is also then minding them. klopp has gone for 433 very rigidly and has flexibility in his mind also but won't rotate the players as much and will play the key ones more.
yet look at jota. we got him back, started playing him in then over rplayed him v arsenal and he ripped his leg again reaching for a ball when he should have already been off the park. maybe that's one example but I think the differences are in ruthlessness (cancelo, walker) and in mind the minutes. yes pep has the luxury of unlimited hidden fund to keep them happy but he is also quite ruthless.
I'll be honest, I think if klopp had the opportunity to buy more he would. I dont think he'd ever be peps level of ****ing people off, but if someone said two years ago, **** keita, matip, ox etc off there made of glass and bring in who you want he'd jump at the chance. But he's not got that luxury, he's stuck with some players come what may.
