much as I like the fella, I am afraid that De Ridder may struggle up against quality fullbacks in the premier league.
I just have a feeling this will be the year that he makes a real name for himself, he's got the pace, the skill. He just needs to improve on his final product and I think that will happen, training with better players everyday.
I really hope you are correct, I really do. He seems a smashing bloke and I would love him to prove me wrong. I'll be supporting him nonetheless.
The players I think who will be more than able to cope with the PL are: Kelvin, Rickie, Jay Rod, Adam, Morgan, Jack, Frazer, Daniel, Tadanari and Guly. The ones who will take some time to adjust: Sharp, Jose and Jos. The last two will need a quality centre half paired with one or the other of them. Sharp needs to slim down as he is too slow at the moment. The remainder are either too young at the moment and will take a little more time or are never going to make it. I think we need four more signings: A quality centre half, an attacking midfield player, a right sided midfielder, and cover/replacement for Kelvin. All that lot should cost about £15m.
We have to improve defensively. On paper our defence was good last year, but anyone who watched us would know that we give away a lot of chances to the opposition. This season we will be punished more for such profligacy.
I reckon we will need to adjust our tactics for next season. As we saw at the Euros, banks of 4 aren't the way forward. Morgan and Cork were 2 of the best midfielders in the Championship last season, but on their own, they aren't strong enough to battle the likes of Toure and they could do with another man in the middle to help them keep possession. That would most likely mean Lallana being a central playmaker and someone else on the left. Would make more sense of us being interested in this Buttner bloke if there will be a vacancy on the left. An alternative to a 442 is a must if we aspire to be better than perennial strugglers. How to impliment it must have surely crossed NA's mind.
I don't think Richardson and Hammond are good enough to start next year. So I an experienced RB for a cheap price like Danny Simpson (free transfer) would be a quality signing! And a hard tackling energetic central midfielder to replace Hammond as captain and take his role in the middle. As for Simpson, I fully expect Reading to sign him up!
I would be fairly surprised if we played the same shape next season - certainly as the season gets further and further under way. As great as is his going forward, I've said for ages now that defensively Lallana will be a liability at LM in the PL. I really think that we need to move him into a free role (where I think he would excell), and play a more defensively-canny player at LM. Doesn't need to someone like Marsden, just someone who knows what they're doing defensively. Hence why this Buttner lad sounds promising.
Wouldn't need to be a defensive player at all, just someone who will stay on the left side of the pitch to give Fox a bit of cover and to consistently have a wide option. Same on the right. Keeping possession requires an outball and a hoof up to Lambert is unlikely to cut it.
That's what I mean by it doesn't need to be someone like Marsden. Guly for example I wouldn't class as a defensive player, but he is someone who I think it's defensively switched-on. Someone who stays out-wide, is generally someone who is a least slightly switched-on defensively. They don't just go off and wonder.
