OneMoSalah

Be all for shifting Barkley or Bats but they aren't daft enough to take either IMO. Theyd want a Ruben, Kurt or Fikayo level of player 100%.

Think hes rebuilt his reputation. He had the bigger move to Dortmund earlier on in his career and it didnt come together but now he has slowly improved and become a good CB who is in his prime years, aged 26 now. He has the technical and physical attributes all modern day German defenders have and would be a good option, plus he has developed real leadership qualities and is seen of more as a senior figure at Gladbach.

For all the games Lallana started he wont be a miss. Plus Lovren as well, 16 games in all comps, hardly a huge loss could easily give them minutes to a young kid. If it were more used players yes but can’t really see them missing those 2

In an attacking sense based on chances created yes maybe we have been the 3rd best team in the country but even then its not a given because you still need to take these chances and our conversion rate was poor. Stats are misleading also. Do not think thats exactly fair on Kepa while he’s made glaring mistakes, we conceded 14 goals from corners, 8 from counter attacks and more goals than any other team in the top 10 of the PL. The generic struggle for clean sheets, its not just down to the GK and it would be extremely naive to think this group of defenders are enough to compete for titles even with a GK performing well/not making mistakes, we are still short there. Plus the ‘taller teams are gonna get more chances against us’ comment from Frank in a game however many back wasn't exactly the most reassuring thing to hear either when talking about defending at set pieces. I wouldn’t have thought our defensive numbers should be that good, or if they are then it’s evidence enough stats are hugely misleading because from day one in pre season you could see defence was gonna be a key issue for us in someway or another. Even if the stats do look good, which I am intrigued to see where you seen them, it really doesn’t add up that we have 12 losses and 6 draws but have good defensive stats. I would say under Sarri for a spell we were more solid and at the end of that season statistically were the 3rd best defence in the PL league. Again more evidence stats are misleading because at times it was a horror show.

Yeah he was really good. Pep not fancying him really killed his career although he had made mistakes with Pellegrini but recovered, that was the final nail in the coffin when Pep binned him though. Weird how his career has panned out.

I still think without the mistakes of the last 2 seasons, De Gea would be a cert play ahead of him next season and I really think he will still be their number 1 because he may not be the GK he once was but he still makes some very good saves at times and they still view him as world class. I think Henderson has promise but this accelerated talk of becoming Uniteds number 1 isn’t purely down to how well he has done but how poorly De Gea has done this last 2 seasons with high profile mistakes. Henderson has made mistakes this season also but the scrutiny of making mistakes at a Sheffield United is nothing compared to a Man United or Chelsea. He maybe isn’t necessarily ready to be a number 1 GK at a top 4 club but again, it would be unfair to say that without him actually playing at one. I think of some of the GKs who were good at smaller teams in the PL and struggled when they got bigger moves such as Asmir Begovic, who was extremely talented at Stoke and undoubtedly a better GK than Henderson right now imo when we signed him but he never really was assured here at all and looked very ordinary and shaky at times. Mignolet as well although struggled maybe a strong word, didnt really improve at Liverpool if you ask me but if I am honest he did look a lot more assured for them than Begovic did here and was definitely one of Rodgers more successful signings out of a multitude of utter shite when you see the list but never to the level of what any of the top clubs GKs were imo. Henderson has had good performances and I think he is a better GK than Pickford who was England’s number 1 at the world cup but honestly Pickford is pretty poor it wouldn’t be unfair to even suggest most of the decent English keepers in the PL probably have a better chance of being in the squad come the Euros next summer if Southgate is fair with his selections. If it were this summer you could say the likes of Nick Pope, Dean Henderson, Alex McCarthy, Ben Foster even Aaron Ramsdale and Fraser Forster after an impressive half season spell with Celtic looking particularly good in the Europa League also would be ahead of him potentially. Thats how badly his performances has flatlined. £55m is a bit excessive as well IMO, even if we did spend £71m on Kepa.

Think its been more of a deeper routed issue than their managers though. Players haven't been good or consistent enough. Think if he gets to get 4 or 5 good players into that squad they can push on a bit but I have to agree it will be a tall order if they finish top 6 next season which is probably where they want to be. Coleman came out and said players cant keep hiding behind managers at some point this season and that is spot on. They've invested heavily and have some good players in there and even some less good but more experienced ones who have really shirked any sort of responsibility.

Meant overall in all comps, 15 or theres about in PL would be more than fine imo. As youve said here weve not had many in league score over 20. Even the other teams very rarely do players go over 20 each season, ok Vardy did this season and maybe Aubameyang but think most were between 15-19, likes of Salah, Sterling etc. You do get the odd year where a Ronaldo will score a crazy amount of league goals (that season at Utd he had 40 odd in all comps) or a Suarez (20 odd and then 30 odd in last 2 seasons at Liverpool) or a Aguero (20+ in 5 or 6 diff seasons in PL) but those players are harder to find. if we have a group of players say Puli, Werner, Abraham and say Havertz if he moves, who get between 10-15 PL goals each and then pushing 20+ at least in all comps, I would imagine we would have a very successful season. Great teams dont just have one player scoring every week they have a collection of guys throughout the season getting reasonably solid numbers. That’s without mentioning assists as well. We've missed Edens goals and other sources such as Gaz and Luiz’s couple a season as well this year, 100%.

Surely he will be our new number 11? Heres hoping he can get settled in and make a difference from the beginning but also have a feeling there may be initial teething issues at the start. Have big expectations for him still and he can definitely add another 15-20 goals in his first season to this team. I expect people will want more but I think to consider the potential that he may need time to get accustomed to the PL and the team, 15-20 in his first season would make a very good addition to a side lacking more goals for the amount of chances we created. Plus I like that he can feature also on the left, if push comes to shove and Tammy is doing well, we can accommodate both in or if it suits some games better, giving us real flexibility. Or even when chasing games go to a 433 with those 2 and Christian in attack, who is also likely to be a another goal threat next season (10-15 minimum I think is very possible bases on this year) as well as throw in Ziyech into the midfield, it bodes well to have real options and different profiles of players. Havertz joining would be icing on the cake in terms of attacking positions but we still need to look in the backline at LB and CB as well as GK probably. Also need to consider selling Barkley as we cannot expect to persist with him in the squad when we will have guys like Ziyech, Havertz, Mount and Ruben who will all play more advanced roles. Also mentioning Ruben I am not so sure where he will fit in if this Havertz moves happens also? Its certainly going to be interesting but I dont think only selling Barkley is going to be ideal. Gilmour will be back also and then there is the talk of Jorginho to Juventus. I think in advanced positions, Barkley, Ruben, Mount, Ziyech and Havertz is far too much. Even if Ziyech and Havertz can play wide but both probably like to be more central. At least one has to go maybe 2.

If Lampard wasnt so enforcing of playing him at LB it would of been considerably less I think. James got a good portion of playing time this season. Like 2000+ minutes I think I seen somewhere. Also don’t think Azpi had a bad season either, limited on the left at times but still, the usual 7/10, consistency was there all season. Played well. Got some assists. Good influence on the group.

Number 2 yea. Number 1 no.

Seen he was leaving Zenit, not sure Everton the best move for him but he could be a good addition for his experience and influence on some of their younger players.

Get the FA cup won now. Good step for the young guys and Frank. Still a lot of bad things to look at and address though. Next season will be better though, or heres hoping.

Bar Udinese hes been really solid for them. Hes still only young and inconsistent moments are to be expcted but he has been much much better in 2020.

True but having his best year in terms of goals and assists this season. Been one of our better players over the course of the season.

Just bin him. Please.

Well it depends if he plays tucked inside on the left or through the middle. First season as well I would expect some slight teething issues maybe too fitting him in either through the middle or on the left.

Regarding the points and looking at the losses and draws we have this season, I think we could have had another 12-14 points at least. While I know it doesn’t always work like that I do feel we missed an opportunity with some of these which is disappointing and not ideal. Before the season started I felt top 4 should of definitely been achievable regardless of the manager and still think if we had an Allegri or even Sarri we would of gotten more points with this squad. Even under Conte that second year finishing 5th was a disappointment. it is a process though and I think now next season we have to get another 12-18 points on top of this seasons total at least. I dont think theres many excuses for next year even with the backline because the offensive players coming in has got me thinking we will be more clinical, particularly Werners arrival. He should get like 15 goals next season. Plus Ziyech can get on the scoresheet and Pulisic will kick on again. It may not make us title challengers and the defence will also be a reason as to why if it isn’t significantly improved or sorted on, there is enough optimism for us to get more points.

Maybe not but I think we should play 4231 and maybe we can have Willian as a 10? I think hes still vital to this team in regards to the work off the ball and his ability to retain possession under pressure, which is a big thing for us despite his role in first Liverpool goal, he very rarely gives it away in these positions and is also good for our transitions, where as Mount who also does well off the ball isn't necessarily as quick or good in 1 v 1s or key passes. Plus Masons played 50+ games this season and has featured every game since the restart bar Norwich. I think Willian and Reece have great combinations on the pitch in the final third also, just like Reece and Callum.

I think your right regarding Azpi. I think he will still be able to compete at a very good level for another 3 years. He isn’t necessarily the slowest or fastest fullback and his defensive nous hasnt shown any signs of declining either. Also he can play the right sided CB role as well in a 3 and that makes him a good option to keep around this team.

Good to see, as long as he doesn't over do it but I am sure he wont have. Shows commitment and the fact hes willing to put the extra yards in despite the talk of him wanting to go somewhere else for games. Which I think may be a bit exaggerated anyway.

I think their performance when coming on in the last game should warrant him considering it.

Coman will he a good signing but cant see Bayern letting him go. Coman, Sane and Gnabry is an excellent selection for them. All young and proven as well.

Forget the stats, they can be extremely misleading in many aspects. Like Southamptons the amount of goals conceded at Southampton when van Dijk was there prior to leaving in January or the amount of assists Reece has this season when he should have so many more due to poor finishing or the amount of assists Jorginho doesn't have or whatever. Be exactly the same with GKs and even then he didnt have bad stats prior to moving, for a team like Bilbao which arent exactly high flying or hugely successful they were probably as good as theyd get all things considering. There is a clear reason why he was highly regarded throughout Europe.... or you going to tell me that these clubs following him were all wrong? I mean I had seen him play in a few La Liga games and he was decent enough, wouldnt have said he would ever be world class but solid enough to have a good career at a top level club. Plenty to work on to hit another few levels like all GKs around that age 22/23, still a few wee errors here and there but doubt many would of seen him coming here doing well last season and in his second season play so poorly at times, even more so after the year he just had previously where he has gained recognition in Spain and ousted David de Gea to the Spain NT #1 spot. Also de Gea the yips? Hes been making huge mistakes constantly in the last 24 months mate. Huge mistakes. But he was world class beforehand so its different to Kepa? So whats not to say Kepa had a really good first season last year (which he did) building on a promising campaign in Spain the year beforehand and now has had the yips in phases this season? Their situations are basically the same except one guy played in Spain for the bulk of the last 5 years and one guy in Manchester. Maybe to different levels but I don’t see how its hugely different because even then, Kepa has probably made less mistakes in the last 2 seasons than De Gea has. I wont deny there have been maybe 10 games this season where be has been poor for some of the goals and he was rightfully dropped earlier in the season looking back on it and even agree to an extent that replacing him could be a good idea if he doesn't recover but again, if he remains and gets back to last seasons level, I wont complain as it will save us signing another player and allow us to focus on the defence which needs a more vocal CB and a LB. What part of he renewed after the move fell through aren’t you getting? Like it was just over a week, I am sure Real pulled the plug just after the second week of January and he renewed on the 20/21/22nd of January. Why would we trigger a 20m release clause for a GK when we had every intention of trying to keep Tibo? Or if he wasn’t the number one or two choice originally if he did go - Alisson and Oblak were. Do you think a club would just sign a 20m or 71m GK on the off chance Courtois would be sold and they didn’t feel they could get one of those other two who are undoubtedly world class? Again the clubs stance was hard regarding Tibo and if he had returned to train, he wouldnt of had been able to strongarm a sale as much so I dont get this whole panic side of it, they obviously did whatever they do and had watched him before before green lighting the buy, which again he signed before Madrid even presented Courtois to their fans so he was brought in prior to letting Tibo go so this panic buy shit is beginning to sound even dafter to me. I mean even stupider for me, if you want to bad mouth the club for this why not mention why didn’t we pursue Alisson or Oblak sooner in the January? Oh wait clubs don’t necessarily sell their better players mid season. Unless in exceptional circumstances such as release clauses being met or loaned back (ie. Pulisic). It also clearly indicates that we were keen on trying to keep Courtois and why not, he is a WC Gk. it would be daft to consider that we couldnt sway him otherwise, like we did with Eden that same summer. Yes none of them went for record fees but if you look at Bilbao’s recruitment and their stance on selling players you’ll see why they only ever sell players for their release clauses. Javi Martinez to Bayern - release clause. Clubs wanted Muniain in the past but wouldn’t pay the release clause. Same with Inaki Williams the last few seasons, been interest but they want the release clause. It wouldn’t of mattered if it was 15m, 20m, 55m or 71m, we would of had to pay it. I get the fee is a bit big for a GK of his quality but you act as if we had a choice, or as if Sarri also didnt give his blessing after Pepe Reina, his GK at Napoli, said to him he would be a good signing after having worked with him with the Spain set up also. The club knew exactly what they were buying, the potential number 1 GK for the next 7 years at least, so that would indicate to me they knew maybe their be a little hiccup here and there (but not to this extent) but theyd expect him to grow in the role as we all did after last season. Just hasnt happened and I would think the club will probably push for Oblak but if we dont get him, which in my eyes is more than likely, I think he will still be here either in the 11 or on the bench.

He was poised to go to Madrid for 20 or 25m euros in January. I think the club likely wanted that to go through so Courtois would maybe stay. Then he renewed at Bilbao when they pulled out so higher release clause, wages etc as with most new deals. Plus you would think or hope we were likely always trying to persuade Tibo anyway but always probably had targets set on Oblak and Alisson first then the likes of inferior more attainable options such as Kepa and Areola if he did leave. Which is fair enough. Dont put all your eggs in one basket, smart move. Also what does it matter how many games he’s got? Plus thats only his first team games at Bilbao. Not including his B team spells or the various loan moves before which the standard may not be the same but its experience and its definitely professional games. Even then if thats how you want to look at it, okay, Alisson had only played 49 games in European football before Liverpool signed him. Oblak had played 34 games before Benfica bought him. De Gea played 57 games with Atletico before Man United bought him. Courtois had 41 games at Genk before we bought him. The games played means very little in regard to all of these guys because people acknowledged their talent regardless. So any data gathered maybe it would be a small data set but again I doubt they’d discount the loan moves or B team games or u21s, u19s games or games in the Brazilian league for Alisson too because these things all can give off more data to be used and can help build a more accurate profile of a player.