Much is being made of the back up defenders we have at the moment gong in to the new season, okay that's a fair point but if it remains we have only lost two players there and our board and manager are saying those positions are priority. Take a look at our Premier League rivals, from last seasons 8th downwards all Premier League clubs have this issue... It has always been like this in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundensliga. If clubs like ours had the strength in depth expected by some on this board then we'd be seeing the Swans and all other Premier League clubs having a £100,000,000 a year salary budget. We are not alone. The other clubs are also using unknown quantities, youngsters and upper Championship level players as defensive back ups. The difference for us though is what we have in front of our back up defensive line this season. Ki, Shelvey, Leon, Routledge, Dyer, Montero, Bony, Gomis, Gylfi. 8th down would kill for that to help their back up defensive line overcome their inadequacies.
Project I dont mind young defensive players as back up to an experienced back 4. Providing you have an experienced first choice back 4. Which I dont think we have at the moment with the imminent departure of chico.
Out of Vorm , Rangel , Chico , Williams and Davies it looks like Williams and Rangel remain and Rangel needs to be replaced . Now its not the fact that players can be replaced , its the fact that they all have to conform to each others play . We had Chico and Williams playing great together to build around but it looks like Chico is headin out . Maybe things will settle itself .. the Williams -Chico partnersbip is a huge loss .
You missed out Taylor. We still have three of the four that served under Rodgers. Only Chico is an urgent issue, Rangel less so and getting a replacement for him is a bonus. My personal opinion is that Bartley can form a great partnership with Williams as he is bigger, stronger, faster and fitter than Chico but didn't have his experience and defending nuance, however neither did Caulker and that part improved rapidly for him, before Bartley's injury he began to look extremely impressive and his last game of all he was performing against Everton as if he was ready to kick either Williams or Chico out of the starting line up. Granted it was for half hour but it was the best defensive performance any Swans player put on all season, I am preying he is gonna hit the ground running now he is fully fit.
For all intents and purposes , Taylor is like a new player ... played very little . If Chico was staying Id be less worried , williams will have a lot on his plate playing with someone else as a CB and Taylor will have more responsibility which may overwhelm him . Like I say , it may work itself out depending how things work out when the window shuts and how soon players arrive . Got to say, although I respect Chico a great deal , not sure why he couldnt have left earlier in the summer , bit disappointing
I think there are three key points that have been mentioned above by others: 1) Replacements should be as good as or better than .... and (as people have said) be a good fit to our style of play. (Watching United's back 3 try to pass the ball out from defense against 'Pool in the International Champions / Guinness competition final over here, clearly shows that just because your good doesn't mean you're confident enough under pressure to play our style for us.) 2) Competition for the same types of players is rampant - huge demand, small supply. 3) Depth ... as the saying goes over here ... it's great on paper until you have to play it. Playing somebody from "depth" when you have any injury is one thing; playing two, three or four from depth becomes something entirely different.
Dead right. It's the universal challenge, which is why when we have quality leave, for whatever reason or motive, it makes it more of a problem.
We were always facing a problem with Taylor and Davies, before the big injury Taylor was everyone's #1 (including for ML). If he hits his usual form again then Davies will see his place in the Wales starting XI under tremendous threat. One of them was leaving this season and Taylor had Premier League suitors ready and waiting, as it was Davies left for Spurs and now Taylor is back at the forefront to get real match fitness and practice. If we get a good LB we have that issue again and it doesn't sit right to let a good player like Taylor go because we overpowered depth on the left instead of buying another CB. Chico replacement is a defo, we need another CB. A right back is needed more than a Davies replacement, as our #1 RB is entering his twilight zone. We can't afford two Taylor's again and two 2011 Rangels at the same time, our budget just won't allow it. Just give me a new RB and a new CB, that let's us get a strong back four up and running and if Bartley comes back this season like he finished against Everton then we can worry about Williams and the new guy looking for first team football elsewhere.
If a player leaves then you can be sure the club have a back up. Why would a top club let any player go if it has not been discussed about backup. There is no way on earth we would have let Ben go without making sure we have a replacement..Top clubs don't work like that...
I'm happy in the knowledge that Chico's exit will bring in a better CB replacement, Chic's exit was decided quite a while back!................
Short memory Dai. Jason Scotland. Sold to Wigan. Never replaced. We lost 29 goals when he walked out the door. We had to endure Pintado (who worked his balls off), Beattie (Mr. sick-note), Kuqi .... even the hallowed but nonetheless lame return of Trundle, and perhaps others I have forgotten. You wouldn't dare to to imply that we're not a TOP club would you?
Why the club hasn't moved heaven and earth to keep Davies and Chico is beyond me. I was never wholly convinced by Taylor who was a hot head in his first season but in fairness was decent in his Premier League season - but that was the seasons ago. Since he has got back from his dreadful injury he has been well below the standard set by Ben Davies, took on captaincy on occasion yet led neither by example or direction. I hope he does find that extra ability from somewhere. Chico has reputation which is only partly deserved. Chico the 'liability' doesn't run when you look at statistics (for those who didn't get to see him live). Ashley Williams owes Chico a great deal IMO, but as a pair they were usually excellent. For much of the season it was obvious Rangel was brilliant when fit and when he a decent recovery period and Williams (probably because of his ankle injury) was below par. As mentioned elsewhere, and if Chico goes, our back four is going to operate on a wing and a prayer. We need, as has been stated many times in the closed season, a good RB to understudy and eventually take over from Angel, similar re Leon. And,since Ben left a quality LB. We now, it seems, also need a CB,
You didn't mention Sousa ... so you may have got away with it! That was the year when the usual suspects ganged up on Sousa who, without being allowed to buy a striker of any competence, improved our defence and our league position. But hey! He wasn't popular so he was 'released'.
Maybe the club tried to keep them but they wanted to leave. I can fully understand Ben wanting to go to a much bigger club and take the next step in his career and everyone on this forum would jump at that kind of opportunity too. As for Chico, if he wants to have it easy in the sand then so be it.
