LAM09

I was worried Maresca might go down the false nine route again. I'm pleased to see he's made the right decision (one that really should have been made after the Fulham game).

There were literally reports like a day ago saying he wants to remain at Como and continuing to build that team. It would actually be refreshing to see him remain at least for another season rather than these former players making the step up at any opportunity (Motta - failed, Kompany - joke league, etc).

I've been very vocal about his lapses in concentration, which seem to happen multiple times per game, so I'm totally with you and your evaluation. The issue is those making the decisions and actually being blindsighted where one of our own is concerned. Guehi doesn't excite me in the slightest especially if the rumoured fees are to be believed. Are players in their prime really going to accept £150kpw~?

What happens to Colwill if we purchase two CBs? Purchasing someone who would mostly be a bench/rotation player would be a waste of money because it appears that the club has all of their expectations on him for that position. That, in my opinion, is mostly due to the owners' readiness to spend a lot of money on players. We may be in a far better situation both financially and on the pitch if they stopped spending £50–80 million on poor players who COULD be the next this or that.

I could play devil's advocate and say, we were a win off being top of the league in December to potentially missing out on CL football entirely. There are key components to building a balance squad that are missing - Reliable GK, WC CB, and WC WF/CF. Those three are effectively what won the title for Liverpool. If I am to believe everything that is written, we won't be addressing any of those areas with the level of quality required. Estevao could potentially "take to water like a duck", but I highly doubt it given his age & physique.

Your guess is as good as mine. City have a buy-back option as well, which I hadn't seen mentioned anywhere. Whose we? My thoughts match yours. I saw enough off him at last year's Euros to see he's just another hyped up player. They did sign Reis & Khusanov for almost £70m in Jan. I don't see them as ready made anything. Getting De Bruyne's massive wages off the books might have the slightest impact on potential business next month.

I agree. If he hadn't come from City's academy, there would be little to no hype surrounding him.

Delap going to United couldn't be a worse move for him considering the state of the club. It's just a shame that something like this doesn't immediately signal our intentions of going back in for Osimhen.

Feeder club!

I applaud him for actually taking accountability, especially at his age. A number of players here could learn a lot from him.

Obi Mikel said he wasn't a top CF who could lead Chelsea. Jackson having the nerve to call him out on social media screams everything that is wrong with most modern day players.

False nine knowing Maresca.

Really has. He seems to constantly be picking up injuries which doesn't help his case either. Sad to think we might have to go after a RB if Acheampong isn't giving more playing time.

James had the chance. No idea why Gusto didn't close Bruno down immediately. Next two games are must wins to keep things in our own hands. Only plus is Jackson won't be seeing any playing time.

Players turn up when they feel like it. There's nothing worse than that (Ipswich performances standout).

This are the stupid antics he is known for which people came to his defence during the summer. I really can't stand him.

Jackson's only contribution today. Should be a red, as he had no intention to play the ball. His season is over, if so.

Lavia asleep. There isn't even any point complaining about our back fire, as it's become the norm.

If United win the EL. they will have a piece of silverware (I'd say most clubs would consider that a top trophy with a Super Cup match to follow). For all we know, Arsenal could fail to quality for the CL. Everything isn't always cut and dry.

Scratch that. Ha ha

Only Southampton's third cleansheet in 48 PL games. They are officially better than that dire Derby side with Savage. 😄

Money talks. They'll be writing this season off as "a one-off" should they EL final. He really isn't a RB. If Liverpool do buy him, he'll be found wanting defensively.

Amorim. He is effectively the guy who help bring Gyorkeres to his current level.

Some positivity is always nice. I see all the teams around us expect for City dropping points, so a win would put us in a great position.

Most of the squad have never won silverware either. This is the best chance we'll get for the foreseeable future. Anything can happen over one game, tbh. If we don't apply ourselves or make stupid mistakes like previous games in this competition, we could actually be punished for once.