Squad depth above star players

During the silly transfer season I will admit I was caught up in the euphoria that we may sign some marquee players as our owners had promised we would get the required funding. When the names started coming in I was shocked at the fees we were paying out for the likes of Henderson and Downing. Adam at 6-8Mil depending on who you believe I thought was a very good signing. Maybe it was the hangover from Hicks and Gillette era where we were basically paupers as compared to the likes City and Chelsea.

After reflection, I noticed that we could now afford to have injured players but still go and get a result at Arsenal. Suarez and Miereles all started on the bench while Gerrard and Johnson were not even in the match day squad via injuries. To top it up the likes of Cole,Poulsen and Aquilani were also not on the team. This is a luxury we lacked even during the 2008/09 season. One injury and we were already looking weak.

We may not be able to afford the wages of the Aguero’s of this world but one thing is for sure we have more than enough to cover for injuries as well as ensure there is competition. Furthermore we can now allow players like Gerrard recover fully from their injuries without the need to rush them by having them play on pain killers. Slowly and slowly I am beginning to warm up to Kenny’s signings and appreciating the team as a whole rather than the individuals and this will put us in good stead for the games to come.

 

Agree with what you say, none of the players we bought are "stars" apart from suarez but with each signing the squad has definately got stronger and that is all we can ask for.

 

I think signing Adam and Enrique for a combined fee over approx £12m is genius! These two bring an element of calm and composure to our team. I particularly enjoyed the match against Arsenal because everyone wanted the ball - the close control and passing was really good, especially in the tight spaces.

Downing adds good movement and technique as well pace and drive to attack the defence.

The only signings that I'm unsure about are Henderson (young but technically very good and needs to assert himself on the game which will come with time) and Carroll. Carroll is the one I'm most worried about because of his lack of technical ability. I hope he proves me wrong during the season.