If we don't go for Rodrygo I'll be disappointed, but Trossard is a good player in this squad and I'm happy to keep him. But, we still need strengthening on that left side.
I'm not opposed to keeping him as a squad player, but we didn't need to give him a payrise because it will make it harder to shift him now and his value will depreciate. It also reduces our chances of getting a LW as there's been no concrete links with Martinelli going, so we will likely keep the same LW options we've had for the past few seasons - which is a huge mistake. Madueke is also an option on the left too. This all means we are (in all likelihood) not going to refresh that LW position and that is yet another mistake in a catalogue of mistakes this club has made over the past few years.
The keystone cops defending was part of the reason Raya had to make the saves he did. I'm not sure Calafiori made a single successful tackle in the game. Let me check ............. Premier League website shows Calafiori made 1 Tackle and 1 Interception LOL.
I don't see how he can be a success playing on the left. You bought him on the strength of potential you saw when he played on the right, why would you put him on the left ?! Baffling.
It was a poor game I agree but I thought our defending was decent enough given the pressure we were under. Not saying it was brilliant by any stretch, but it got the job done on the day.
Yeah I don’t see Madueke working on the left. He’s been brought in as depth on the right. Which means we still need to strengthen on the left. Not sure that’s gonna happen now that trossard has signed a new deal, but I hope we go all out for rodrygo
IMO we are already in danger of creating big problems with the squad. There are too many players that will expect to start and could start at other clubs. I've never thought it was feasible to have a 25 man squad stacked with 'starters'. We're not going to be able to keep players from the current squad for long. Havertz or Gyokeres will be moved on Odegaard will possibly be moved on , depending on Nwaneri - who himself will leave if he doesn't break through as a starter. Our defence is way too stacked and we'll probably lose 3 or 4 of them in the next 2-3 years We're also going to have problems with MLS if he doesn't start. He broke through last year and got called up for England. He's started the season on the bench. He may even leave in January if he's not getting a lot of game time. Then there are players like Dowman. I do think he has another year before he's going to be pressing to start, but if he sees no path, he will go. There are already rumours that other clubs will be in when he's eligible to sign his first pro contract.
Surely this is what we've been asking for for years ? A squad that has as good back up as the starting XI
IMO a squad needs good back up, but not full of players who are 'starters' I think the idea of a back up being as good as a starter in a squad has always been a bit of a folly. I don't buy the trope that competition for a place between two equal level players makes both players better - maybe that was true years ago but not anymore. These guys are super rich and it's easier to just leave. It just creates winners and losers and the loser goes. That's fine if the strategy is to just keep buying and buying new players and constantly turning over the squad - but i dont think that works. We've got a lot of fans delighted with this transfer window - i am concerned about it. There is a pretty significant trend of decreasing manager tenures in the PL driven by a few things including short termism and pursuit of money/revenue growth, but also manager / player relationships. The latter is almost certainly driven by so called competition for places. The concept of 'team' is getting lost and IMHO is destroying football - or maybe already has. The knock on effects are huge - including ridiculous prices for fans to watch the game, pricing out many. I like squads that have proper plans for evolving as players age. Sure, new signings are always needed, but football today seems obsessed with transfer windows to the point it's hyped more than the actual sport.
Thing is there's something like 60 games per season now with all of the cup competitions, so there are plenty of games for the squad to get games. Also the last 2-3 seasons have seen us miss out because of a lack of squad depth. So I see it as a good thing that we now have an equally as good 22 Remember we were playing Merino as a striker last season. And we've had to do all sorts of make shift solutions because our depth has been lacking. If players are committed to the cause, they will fight for their place. If they want to **** off because they don't feel they are getting game time, then they shouldn't be here anyway.
I do not agree at all that we missed out due to squad depth. We missed out in 2 seasons because City were better than us - just. Last year was down to the severity of injures than no one could cope with. Merino was playing because BOTH are 9's were out for half a season. That's just bad luck - unless we're now into 3 deep - all starting quality! Players being 'committed to the cause' is just fan language and it's quite naive. It's language of yesteryear. What we have now is fake **** like players in huddles on the pitch putting on a show of commitment. It doesn't exist - players will go where they can to get the most money and game time.
Squad depth absolutely was a factor, which is why we've spent so much this summer. Remember not only Merino, but we had to bring in teenagers to cover also (Which actually turned out really well for MLS and Nwaneri). We also had Partey playing at RB When you looked at our bench last season, we had players on there who had never even played for the first team before.
Well last Season has shown you basically need two good 11's now if the plan is to compete in the League and Europe. CF - Havertz, Gyokeres, Jesus RW - Saka, Madueki, Nwaneri LW - Martinelli, Trossard Numbers wise we probably have enough - I just worry about the quality down the left. Trossard for whatever reason always plays better as a sub.
