24 Apr 2024 10:13:44
I'm with Dan in one of tthe threads below terms of including Gallagher and Chalaboa as among the very few players I would definitely wish to keep along with Palmer, Gusto and Colwill.
The five you listed dan are not only players who give their all every game but have also performed the best this season. To sell two out of the five would seem to be madness if this is planned. I would add Enzo to the list if he can get and remain fit and still think Caicedo if he can not be too reckless and focus for all 90 mins can psove to be a good acquisition too.
In terms of those to sell, and we cleraly need to sell many beyond quite a few out on loan who will definitely go, the jury is still out for me on some of them. BB on recent form has to be one of them having been so promising in early performances. But he has been absolitely shocking since his injury, I'd reckon at least one error per game that led to a goal. Perhaps Mudryk under right manager and in right team would be quite a player as I have feared Havertz might become at Arsenal. I am not sure on him. Madueke has the skills but does he have the head on him to use them every game and for 90 mins, I'm also not sure on him though as he has looked in games before last night's to be one of our biggest threats. Cucurella has had some decent and more solid games including the semi v City. With BC he is certainly good enough when fit but it's the endless injury problems, so who would buy him? Disasi has usually played with spirit at least, and chipped in with a couple of goals, but has also been error prone but he is yet another on my 'not sure' list. Sterling has had a few good games, a couple of v good ones, yet more often than not is too easily budled off the ball, or runs into players or makes wrong decisions like shooting when someone in better position. He is on v high wages, had been benched at City and would sell if one could. But given those high wages I am not sure who would buy him though it could be one of the sides coming up from the Chamionship perhaps.
I would end by saying that we - and so I include myself in this - have often been too depressed after a bad result and too optimistic after a good one this season. I have said a few times that at its beginning I didn't know where we would finish between 5th and 17th and more recently adjusted this to between 7th and 14th. I still don't know. What most of us do kn ow is that main weaknesses remain a consistent no 9 taking most chances, Which doesn't mean that Jackson won't get etter and could be really useful as left side attacker in moble front free. Plus at least one world-class centre back to replace ageing Silva. And possibly a world-class goalie too though would keep Petrovic as he been excellent in some games is young and could also improve. Might be hard though getting what we want in all of these positions in one transfer window and if we are not in Europe, or only in the Conference League.
24 Apr 2024 10:39:58
JBS, I enjoyed your very well balanced post.
I would just add and emphasis just one more point about our ongoing injury issues. We have not been able to rotate or just rest certain players regardless of form because of those injuries. So on that score alone I will give Poch more time.
24 Apr 2024 10:43:11
JBS, your post makes a lot of sense. Leaving aside the problems up front, our defence has been awful all season True some of the problems relate to tactics and coaching but whatever combination we use is generally ineffective. I exclude AG and Silva from these criticisms. Petrovic has been okay but he is not top class. James and Chilwell cannot be relied on due to their absences because of injury. How can you work up tactics and build a cohesive defensive unit if you are relying on James and Chilwell- I wonder how many times they have played 90 minutes together in the last two seasons. Unfortunately, I have no suggestions on how to sort this mess out.
24 Apr 2024 12:12:45
Yes Tom our injury problems have made it diffuclt for the manager and for us fans to even be able to have an opinion on how much a properly fit - and for good length of time - a Nkunku or Lavia could add to our side though we got a glimpse of this in term of Nkunku in his v promising pre-season debuts. Then there is Fofana forever it seems in the treatment room with James and Chilwell, and all of those if fully fit for a season would make a huge difference. I wonder too whether their total time on piytch together is more than 200 minutes or so this season, and then it's possible that one or the pther still wasn't fully fit. Will RJ's op have solved his consistent problems? I don't know.
So as you say Jimbo, will they ever both be reliably fit enough for a whole season? And it's the Defence that has probably been even more consistent in its leakiness than the attack has been in its wastefulness. Ans a strong defense is so crucial for any title winning side and we can but recall with immense nostalgia that we only conceded (still a record surely? ) 15 goals in the 2004-5 season in the EPL. Yes, and this means we also need a goalie who is at least somewhere near to being at a Peter Cech level. It has been worrying that Petrovich has now been beaten at is near post a few times and his ditribution though better than Sanchez (let alone Mendy after first season) is not top class or at least not yet.