Ryan Gravenberch has exceeded expectations this season, and last season he was a bit part player. This season he has been playing in almost every game. He's only 22 and Wataru Endo has been coming on from the bench. We are approaching second half the season and needs to strengthen our squad. Where do we strengthen?. 1.Midfield?. 2.Defence?. 3.Attack?. Do we sell Wataru Endo to raise funds?.
It's a difficult one tbh as injuries going into January may ultimately make the decisions here, but I think we do still need a 6 as Gravenberch to Liverpool is what Rodri is to City in terms of maintaining the balance of the team.
Yes left full. I said we needed one last summer and it's getting more and more obvious to people now. That said A) sell nunez ffs. He's not up to it. Sorry. Go buy that striker B) we have two cms in gravenberch and macca for two spots. We have 3 for one attacking slot in szoboszlai, Jones and Elliott. Sell endo and morton and buy one good cm (there's 30mil there not doing anything) There's lots we can do to improve on where we are. Imo lb and striker is the first place to go if vvd and salah sign up. Sell nunez and get 50mil if very very very lucky and try get a striker thst suits us. Sell morton and endo and then try do something for cm. This is not a position imo that we have really got a young player for
I must be one of the few left who still think (more hopes) that Nunez can come good. I do love his fire but accept that he hasn’t improved S we were all hoping.
I'm in that camp as well. There are aspects of his game that have improved but Slot's work with him has gone in a different direction to what I expected. This really is a crossroads season for him.
Nunez is certainly a strange one. He was brilliant vs Madrid imo and will do a few things during a game that are top class, but then that will be balanced out with some really poor decisions One thing we obviously can't fault is work rate and determination. At the end of the day he will split opinion but only Slot's opinion counts so we'll see what he thinks come summer.
This. I kind of get the impression, maybe more gut feeling, the Slot's making do with him and would ideally like an upgrade, but it's not his main priority. Could be wrong though.
If we sell nunez, I'm convinced he will go else where and bang goals in left right and centre. I don't think he's used properly by us, we don't play to his strengths, he doesn't really fit. Do we persist and try to change the way he plays or change him for someone more suited?
Forwards have to score goals. He gets in some good positions and he never gives up. He tries hard but he likes a ball over the top like salah does and we don't play enough of that game to keep him going. The positions he takes up as a big man in the box for a cross are bizarre at times. Just not in a position to score imo. We need a forward to lead the line and convert chances. A fit jota. Happens all too rarely unfortunately
He must be being told to take up those positions though. I don't think coaches tell players to stand where they like.
Perhaps but under klopp he was inclided to the same things. I just think he moves outside the open of most dangerous and constantly goes towards the near post and beyond it. If you look at us when the ball is either side you'll.see himmgavitat8jg towards it and getting so far across he's no longer any danger. Most strikers I would call lethal have little interest in being in the build up, they want to be at the end point. You'd want himmgoing away from tjr ball amd being able to come across the defender to finish or make a header.
This is pretty much what I think. I will always call for patience. In this case, I don't know what time limits you put on that. I think him not being played by Slot for a while, altered his development. If he'd been first choice under the new manager, we may have seen a rapid change in his output similar to Gravenberch. The lack of confidence in him is in turn affecting his confidence.
As stated in transfer thread.... We're probably selling or losing 7 players over the next few transfer windows. I'm not sure how much strengthening we will be doing as much as refilling vacant positions. (Some of those spots will be hard to improve)
It seems Slot is not that fixated on a no 6. Zubimendi certainly isn't one. The beauty of being flexible and playing 4-2-3-1. Macca looks a lot happier not trying to be a DM, but dictating the game from deeper and moving forward when he wants. Have to admit, I was wary of Gravenberch after last season - the talent (especially that sublime half-turn) has always been there for all to see, but he's no classic no6 either. It certainly suits Jones better. Szobbo was outstanding in the first 25 minutes on Sunday, and came back into it in the 2nd half. The Szobbo of the first 4 months of last season. I think the current style will suit Elliott better as well. As said, it seems Endo is the biggest loser so far, but he'll get his chance in cup games and, perhaps, at full back the way things are going. Btw, can we take our foot off the gas in the CL after the Girona game if we win it? There's no special prize for being top of the league stage, is there? As long as we're in the top 8 we get drawn against a team that comes through the play-offs, isn't it? And are clubs from the same country separated for the last 16 as in the old format (and teams that have already played each other?
having had a quick look at how they draw the R16 it appears to be bizarre so as far as i could see was no advantage to coming first rather than second in fact any number of teams could end up playing teams who finished below the one who the team who came first in the table . I assumed that has gone due to it nnot being the case earlier but that is purely assumption
Gravenberch is like watching a rolls Royce cruise by when he runs with the ball. It's just a glide. Slot is like a lot of Dutch managers in that he doesn't believe in the donkey who kicks people 6. Gattutso, make level and so forth and so on. The great French insult to deschmaps, the water carrier. These are not the players I think slot wants to know about. Gravenberch and macallister both play on the half turn and want to pass the ball and make play. They have the brains to be positionally correct most of the time. If you look back at pep's barca you'd be insulting busquets calling him a water carrier or daring to say xavi was anything but a playmaker yet they did a very similar job. Iniesta xavi busquets. The best three I've seen still. We have not got any remotely resembling an Iniesta in jones or Szoboszlai but we do have a pair of players who can play together with Gravenberch and macallister and work in their own way to push on at the tip of a diamond and press and make chances thst way. In the end klopp didn't put gravenberch at 6 but he had his own philosophy which matches slot's so he's basically handed a close to idela trio for slot to start out with. What slot has done is just fixed the imbalance in the side and let them off to do what he wants, how he wants it. The fact lfc don't have egos (that are bad appled, salah ego is massive) means thry bought into not attacking unless it was a clear chance and the better balance of attack and defence is paying dividends I have felt for 2 seasons at least under klopp the balance was off and we were really pushing hard after the quad season that tailed off into glorious failure (could not get closer really) I felt thst once fabinho fell apart the cracks were never resolved. He couldn't do the job and we never looked right. Now Konate alisson vvd Trent gravenberch maccallister Robertson Salah jota Szoboszlai diaz With the ball we are seeing the keeper and cbs as almost a line deep. the full backs tucked to about the wdith of the pen area. If there's a press then macallister is actually inclined to move up and wider so you have a trio of gravenberch plus full backs as passing options. We are seeing genuine width as the starting point for both "wingers" to also be options to the cbs. Without the ball we are seeing a 424 with szobo as a central press and the two midfielders staying goal side and pressing on the next pass I do feel we are fsr less likely to be caught out totally by a breakaway but if we fail to win a ball and get beaten then we might be in trouble. It's still a system that is man to man when anyone is brave enough to put players forward
