Two Teams...

So with our current squad how far awayare we from having two players for each position based on a 4-2-3-1 set up.

GK - Krul (Elliott)
RB - Janmaat (R Taylor)
CB - Williamson (S Taylor)
CB - Colo (Mbiwa)
LB - Haidara (Santon)
DM - Tiote (Colback
DM - Anita (Kemen)
LM - Sissoko (Gouffran)
RM - Cabella (Obertan)
AM - De Jong (Ben Arfa)
ST - Cisse (Perez)

For me Elliott is a suitable back up, I know some don't rate him but he was very good against Southampton last season and for where we want to be he's just about good enough given the fact he should only be used 2-3 times a season. Other than that I do genuinely believe we're only two strikers, a further wide player and another CB away from having a very competitive squad. I think we'll get two strikers but that will then be our lot, leaving us a CB & winger (Obertan is not suitable back up) away from having a very decent squad. In an ideal world Mbiwa gets sold and we replace with better.

Granted players such as Gouffran and Sissoko did tail off last year towards the end of the season but that doesn't make them bad players. I fully expect the whole squad to have a spring in their step for when the season starts. Personally I don't think there is any reason not to be optimistic. Once the two strikers are added that is easily a top 10 squad for me.

 

hate to be Tiote-esque but my first thoughts are that I am underwhelmed by our first choice striker and central defence, and that (Santon possibly excepted) it's a big step down in quality from our first teamers to their respective backups.

 

For me we need to still move on:

Marv
Obertan
Jonas

Plus I expect Mapou to go too.

 

Unhappy with the backup at RB (Santon will be expected to cover, I think), the CB's (Saylor and Willo aren't good enough), and I don't agree with the backups in AM positions (Sammy and Aarons ahead of Obertan). Additionally, HBA unlikely to be there which means we've got no plan b if SDJ's injured (as usual, same with Cabaye) - I'd like to see us at least prop that up. Thought Abeid or Vuckic could have done it, but both just aren't PL standard. CF is a joke - having a young, unproven Spaniard so near the 1st eleven is embarrassing.

We really struggle with true flexibility here. We don't have the talent at CB to go 3 at the back, we don't have anywhere near enough attacking options to switch to 2 or 3 up top either. You can't just expect to use 14 players a season with no injuries. For me, we're still at least 6 or more short. Yes, nice to have incoming players, but so far we're replaced Cabaye, replaced Debuchy, replaced Gosling, replaced (sort of) Remy (with Remy!). We still haven't even replaced Shola, MYM, Jonas and still need to replace HBA, Marv and Obertan. That's six. We haven't replaced Ba, really, so that's seven more.

We won't get seven, but it's fascinating to see how positive a few signings can make people, when really the team is currently worse off than the abject cr@p that limped to 10th.....

 

TBh Id rather we spend our money on two very classy strikers than back up for fullbacks. Yeah ****ty fullbacks cost us games, but mostly it costs us in the games against top teams which were always unlikely to win. Santon and Anita as cover for fullbacks is fine by me. Im glad we finally replaced Guthrie with Colback, a competent player to cover at centre mid, we haven't had that for a while and fatigue in centre midfield has cost us so much in recent seasons.

 

I get what you're saying, but I think the team is better but the squad is weaker (down purely to numbers). The reason for my optimism is that the ones we are bringing in seem to be an improvement on what we have/had apart from Cabaye (who we've replaced as well as possible for where we are). The quality is better but it is still spread far too thin. Maybe I'm getting carried away with how things have gone so far, but i expect us to get two strikers, one who will at least match Remy and one who will be a definite improvement on Shola.

I do worry about CB though. I'd like us to bring in one more quality CB even without selling Mbiwa, and if he goes I'd want him replaced at least like for like. It's that bit I'm still not confident of happening, but maybe we have learned a lesson. We will see.

 

Let's just put this in to perspective, Everton's back up for Coleman is a 33 year old Hibbert. I'd rather have Raylor. At CB they have Alcaraz and Stones, the latter is decent, the former is awful and worse than Saylor. Upfront they have Kone and that's it. He's just missed a whole seasons football through injury. Gibson is their cover for CM, he's on a par with Colback at best.

No left back cover for Baines with Oviedo out for another 6 months.

Our fan base has become far too pessimistic for me, we really aren't that far away from where we want to/should be.

 

Don't think it's pessimism - - it's an attempt to keep hold of the unbridled optimism that any hint of good news generally has on us.

We are still too weak up front and at the back. One decent player in each position and the senseless optimism will be unstoppable.

 

I'd hedge my bets that most think we're miles behind Everton though, yet they only have one senior striker and he's just missed 12 months of football and is the wrong side of 30.

Southampton are a mess, regardless of how much money they have in the bank. We're better than Stoke and every team that finished in the bottom half last season. I'd hardly call it senseless optimism to be fair.

 

I always go into a season being optimistic. Well unless we start against the reigning champi... Crap

I like our squad. We need a better CB partner for Collo (I'd like to start MYM beside him but I guess that's not gonna happen judging by the exit rumours) and yes some striking options - although with service from Cabella and SDJ, I think Cisse will have a better season.

The main 6 can afford to have players that can be swapped in /out of positions at will due to ridiculous finances (£75m / season for kit sponsorship?!). It's just another example of the growing gap between Man C, Liv, Che, Ars, Tot, Man U and the rest of us.
Everton, Southampton, Newcastle can all field 1st teams that can challenge those teams and get up among them on the odd season. However on average I'd expect we're likely to be battling with each other and one other for 7-10.
Much like the rest of the league can do the same to us 3 although the gap is much smaller there.

Basically we have to accept that we need to utilise unproven / sub-par / youth players as back-ups because we don't have the income to support 22 first teamers

 

I think Everton may well struggle. Part of it is the fact they are in Europe this year. Part of it is that they haven't IMO replaced their loanees of last year particularly Lukaku and Deufelo (sp).

One of my many many many pet hates is the loan system in the Premiership. Personally, I would ban loans out by Premier League teams to and from other Premier League teams and the equivalent in foreign leagues. May reduce Man City and Chelsea and others from buying anyone and everyone and preventing other Clubs from buying the player. Lukaku is my best current example. Three years at Chelsea and 2 spent at West Brom and one at Everton. What on earth other premier league clubs think is beyond me. Stops your own talent from developing and just helps develop players for the "big" clubs who then either play the player or sell without incurring the development cost particularly wages.

 

The thought of Raylor actutally playing another game for us terrifies me! He was not a very good player at all before his injuries so wonder what he is like now!

 

I've got a feeling he wont be our back up RB this year. Arsenal have been linked with two RB's today, one signing and one loan, and that might mean that the rumours of Jenkinson coming up here as part of the Debuchy deal might have something to them.

 

Sissoko should not be playing anywhere but CM/CDM. He's capable of putting in a shift as a winger, but the bloke is miles better as a withdrawn CM making runs up the pitch and finding space.

His best attributes are his pace and strength that he can use to get away from the players marking him, and basically rape a set of CM's with his presence.

He does have creative abilities and they should be utilized, but he's best used as an athlete and disrupter who gets forward and aids attacks, rather than being expected to run with the ball, skin players and whip in crosses.

My team -

---------New ST/Cisse------------

Gouff------De Jong--------Cabella

-----Sissoko----Tiote--------

Haidara---Colo----Willo-----Janmaat

--------------Krul----------------

I feel bad for Anita seeing as he is better than Tiote in most aspects, but I feel Sissoko and Tiote are the right mix. We should keep Tiote right at the back. If he make him go forward that's when trouble starts. Sissoko should sit next to Tiote but do most of the running, and he can get forward with runs down the center.

De Jong CAM behind the striker. He's very powerful in the air so that should be utilized. Cabella on RW with his pace and skill, and HOPEFULLY now we have a winger that can ****ing cross consistently well!