Krul
Debuchy Taylor Colocini Santon
Tiote
Cabaye Sissoko
Remy Cisse Ben Arfa
vs
Giaccherini Altidore Johnson
Sess
Cabral Larsson
Colback Brown O'Shea Gardner
Mannone
Hate to say it but it's still leaps and bounds better.
They have proper full backs who are both internationals and very good ones. We have Colback and Gardner. They also have a decent back up left back in Haidaira.
Their midfield of Tiote and Sissoko is just too strong. The only midfielder we had who could handle them (which he did in the demo derby), N'Diaye, was foolishly shipped off to Turkey. Sissoko and Cabaye have both proven they are full of assists and goals while we're still searching for the allusive 'man with the keys'. They have two we have none!
PDC made a massive mistake letting N'Diaye go. With him i thought we had a chance of finishing above them this season as we were keeping a strong squad. He was looking solid and nullified the powerful midfields of Everton and Newcastle. Instead we've got to rely on awful centre mids like Larsson, Colback, Gardner and Vaughan as back up...all of whom have proven they are useless there. We need this attacking creative centre but even if we do get him we're still behind them!
Up front the signing of Remy and possibly Gomis just makes things worse.
Ben Arfa and Remy have proven they can handle this league and look very very good. Cisse is a goal scorer and with these two around him will surely find his form.
We have Altidore who is massively unproven and Giaccherini who looks similar to Malbranque when he came here and that's not a good thing! I think he's a little washed up and his best years are behind him. He doesn't have any pace and that will cost him dear in this league. Unlike Malbranque he's not really blessed with goals or assists. Worrying indeed!
Johnson's lack of pace also costs him and he doesn't have an amazing amount of trickery. Remy and Ben Arfa have pace in abundance. We should have signed Mavrias as back up but again we messed him and his club around and that fell through. Embarassing! DMK and Mavrias would have provided plenty of pace later in a game to cause problems.
We should be pushing on finding proper fullbacks and getting in some decent centre mid plus keeping the only half decent one we had! Instead we're trying to give utter crap like Colback a new contract and loaning out N'Diaye and pissing around with full backs.
We're still a long way off them horse punchers and we need to sort it!
Call me a mag all you want but i'm just pointing out facts!