OneMoSalah

Clever signing for Dortmund. Not an exceptional player but someone who fits in with what Favre wants from his fullbacks and with the uncertainty around Hakimi, getting a replacement on a free is a shrewd move. Think he is still defensively suspect to a certain level and didn't think we would ever be interested in him at all. Or United tbf. Can see why Spurs would be after him as he isnt as bad as Aurier.

In England it has. From 2000 to say I dont know 2012, there were a much much better quality of CBs playing in the PL. Particularly at the top teams. Now there aren't anywhere near as many of top level CBs in the PL. The quality of CBs maybe isn't dropping all around Europe but most of the very very best ones do not play in the Premier League. Where beforehand your Rios, Terrys, Stams, Vidics, Carvalhos, Campbells, Adams and the rest of them did. I do agree football has moved away from playing deeper and defending but even then, teams defending in general and organisation at corners and free kicks has steadily gotten worse in the PL, championship and SPL. While the average possession or passes per game in the PL might be higher than Spain/Italy/Germany and there may be more goals, the fact that we are now regularly talking about us, Arsenal and United severely lacking top CBs, holding all teams back to an extent sums it up. Even more so that all the names being linked to us, United and Arsenal in those positions are always from Spain, Germany or Italy. Obviously defending isn't just down to CBs but you see the difference VVD made to Liverpools back 4. Or when Vincent Kompany made big big strides at City when they started winning trophies with Mancini, you could see the difference when he played in their backline and when he didn't. You see how in stark contrast for instance David Luiz at Arsenal, when he plays and is seen as more of a ‘leadership’ figure, they are all over the place. As well obviously there is the coaching element, it is not unlikely that some coaches very rarely do shape or any defensive set play work as they think it isn't as important/will be monotonous/or whatever else out of 10000 reasons there could be which I think is mental. Could you imagine Italians not doing shape? Or defensive set plays? But it is also obvious to see that Man United dont have quality CBs like Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic or that we don't have quality CBs such as Marcel Desailly, John Terry or Ricardo Carvalho or Arsenal dont have quality CBs such as Sol Campbell or Tony Adams. The quality of CBs playing in the PL at the top clubs isnt what it was.

I think with those level of signings, even with Ole who isn't or never will be as highly regarded as those others, they'd still be very formidable. He doesn't strike me as the sort of guy who would alienate/burn people out like we seen with Mourinho and Conte here and they've bought into what hes trying to do. Fair enough Pep, Klopp as well as a few other managers would be better tactically and maybe make tactical tweaks to alter games but very good players are very good players and ultimately they make the difference in key moments. This is another reason why Frank has got to get the correct backing and recruitment here (Ziyech and Werner are in the correct mould along with Kovacic, Jorginho and Pulisic). Just as it would be the same with Jose at Spurs or Arteta at Arsenal. Good recruitment is so vital. If you take Son, Kane and Lo Celso out of Spurs team for instance or Lacazette and Aubamayang out of Arsenals team, they are very average but those guys can make the difference which ultimately can get you another X amount of points a season. Surrounded by the right players that can be the difference between finishing 1st or 2nd or 4th and 5th. Obviously managers are important but we seen what Pep needed to win trophies at City and what Klopp needed to get titles at Liverpool. I still think if City had Pellegrini or Mancini they would still be up there to win the league with the squad they have now. Just like whenever Pep leaves and they continue recruiting as they have been since 2010 they will still be competing.

Tbf I think regarding Ruben before last season: Mourinho seen him more Ruben as a 6/8 in his team, Conte seen him as more of a striker in his team, Hodgson seen him as a winger in his team, Sarri seen him as a CM in his team and Gareth Southgate seen him as a CM/CAM for England. His biggest problem has probably been the fact he was always seen as someone where nobody was completely sure of his best position until Roy and Sarri played him more consistently at first team level. Even then before last year he didnt really have consistent end product or numbers and none of the other guys beforehand had ever given him persistent playing time either in one position to cement it and make it his own. Frank played him more off the left but I do feel based on last season he is a central midfielder in a 3 or a 10. Whether or not he will persist with him there on the long term or not, we will find out.

Agree. Would say Lindelof has improved under Ole (after a few seasons where he struggled under Jose) and Wan Bissaka, who is very good defensively but they are lacking half a defence basically so if they ever play a bit more openly they will get caught out. Even then you ideally need 4 good fullbacks and 4 good CBs to compete for titles. We are no different. We have issues at LB and CB except Tomori and Rudiger (who can play much much better). Zouma will never suit us if we continue down the path we are going, he still struggles reading the game and playing out from the back. I do still have a slight hope that Christensen can turn it around but if he is here next season and doesn't really improve he could go. Well thats if Frank is going to be ruthless like he was with Luiz. Few others in the same situation in other positions. Maguire for 80mn is still nowhere near as good as he was ever made out to be and while Shaw has kicked on he has really not hit the heights you'd have expected (although his consistency has improved a bit but he would be a bench player at City or Liverpool). Their roles in that goal v Spurs the other night was shocking, laughable really, Maguire looked like a Championship player the way he was beaten and Shaw just didn't look around him and ran forward without thinking. The overall quality of defenders in the PL really has decreased though. Bar van Dijk and Laporte who for me are the standout ones, I don't really see any real quality at other teams. Guys like Joe Gomez, Lindelof, Rudi, Matip, Vertonghen and Alderweireld as well as a few others I will have missed are maybe in/were the bracket below but even then the gap between those and VVD and Laporte is big. That young Turkish fella at Leicester has got potential but I do think he has to be careful guys like Christensen and Davinson Sanchez have done well then faded so will reserve proper judgement to see how he does next season. It is weird though at a lot of clubs, I get the feeling coaches don't seem to focus on defensive set plays or shape anywhere near as much now and it has shown more than ever in the last 7 or 8 years in British football imo.

If they didn't have Son and Kane back fit and available I wouldn't see it either. Same with United having Rashford, Pogba and Bruno Fernandes all fit for this run in. I also cant see us beating both of City and Liverpool in the remaining games. Just have to see what happens as mentioned beforehand we still have Wolves as well. Hopefully a few teams can take points off those others but I do think it is less likely and we will need to do our part including those 2 massive games which if we do manage to win/not lose, will push us along nicely.

Cedric and maybe Mari are decent players but hardly outstanding or likely to pick the other boys up around them. They really need to get new CBs in, it is embarrassing watching them try to defend. I mean imagine how their fans feel 😂 I know our CBs haven't been particularly good or consistent this season but would happily rather ours than theirs.

If we get beat v City, it is still very possible because then we will all have played 31 games and the point difference will be 3 between us and United, Wolves and then Spurs will be 4 behind (assuming United and Wolves win their next fixture). If we get a win, it will be much more comfortable in the run in but if not, a draw is maybe decent enough but with Liverpool at Anfield we really need to give ourselves every chance. All three can still make the ground up considering people will probably expect us to drop points v Liverpool at Anfield and then we still have Wolves to play who have shown time and time again, are very capable of beating big sides. Spurs have got Arsenal and Leicester to play yet but would imagine they will get those results. I would be shocked if quite a couple of teams don't take points off Arsenal based on those games since coming back because defensively they are so soft. United have also got an easy enough run in bar Leicester, although again I think theyd fancy getting that result also. Wolves as well really have only got us and Arsenal (who I reckon they can beat on the day without a doubt), maybe Everton throw a spanner in the works but wouldn't count on it.

Johnny Evans has been a pretty good PL CB for over 10 years and is someone with vast international and top end PL experience as well as winning 11 trophies. He played at Manchester United over 100 times, don’t think many players do that if their below average from the period he was there. Man City wanted him as well when Pep came over while he was at West Brom. Okay he isn't world class but hes very solid, comfortable with the ball and doesn't overcomplicate It. I think his career has always been very under appreciated even more so when you consider some of the CBs he played with and mixed with during his time at United. Plus I think Rodgers has managed him very well since going in to Leicester as well. I am still baffled that an Everton or even Arsenal didn't take him when he left WBA or even before he went there, especially Arsenal in all fairness. I totally agree regarding the coaching aspect here though and kept mentioning it before over the course of the season and even when FL was at Derby, his team struggled to keep clean sheets and defend corners. I do think set pieces will continue to be an issue throughout his tenure here though, I haven't seen any real improvement in that aspect in terms of organisation and would say it is worst than it was with Maurizio and that wasn't very solid either. These sort of things will continue to affect us in games against smaller teams who look to capitalise on these situations, the likes or Burnley, Sheffield United, Villa, Newcastle. Games we cant afford to lose points in because I don't fancy us going and beating the likes of Liverpool or City yet despite the supercup performance. Still think even with Ziyech, Werner and if Havertz come we are still soft in out backline. Chilwell is good but never worth more than 50mn, Kepa has to get back up to his level from last season and at CB we still lack a real leader and organisation.

Anne Budge is being really bitter about this. Hearts if they werent in a relegation spot would never in a million years have talked about this and the restructure didnt receive enough support so dont see how they can complain. 3/4s of Scottish football fans can see this but she cant. Partick Thistle got done a bit of a shitter though in the division below they had a game in hand and if theyd have won that theyd have not been in the relegation spot. Think Stranraer maybe in similar position but Hearts are not doing this for the good of the SPFL its so they dont go down. 100%. Be interesting to see how quickly their laughed out of court.

I would hope it causes some issues but I think Fernandes and Pogba can work together in the same way Pep had David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne in the same midfield and even when Jose had Oscar and Cesc interchanging positions when we were playing that great football the first half of that season in 2014-15. It utterly depends on what Pogba does now because I do think based on his time with Juve and even if you look at his stats last season, he can score more goals. Fernandes is a huge improvement on what they had in terms of creativity and willingness to take risks playing forward so he could be the key, plus having Rashford back gives them a boost because he has been their best player this season. It will be interesting to see how they click everything in place because if you look at their attacking players on paper over the last few years, they have underachieved in terms of output. Maybe Fernandes and Pogba working well together can be the key to changing that. On paper they certainly look strong but I said the same before they sold Lukaku. They just lack regular goalscorers who will bag them guaranteed goals every season. Like us really but we have created more chances just havent been clinical enough.

Totally agree about it being cancelled it should be but it likely wont. Yes it isnt fair but lets be honest the CL isnt fair regardless from the get go because certain league champions have to go through 4 rounds of qualifying to get to a group stage anyway so I mean a few top clubs with 100s of millions worth of talent missing 2 or 3 players isnt exactly a hardship. I can also see the argument of if they are gonna finish some major leagues then they will argue that they should play to finish the CL and Europa. It makes no sense to me already that some leagues have finished early and some havent but if some leagues will continue obviously many will want the CL to as well seeing as its in the knockout stage now. Clubs all across Europe will be without many players if they dont sign small extensions of their contract to finish like the PL (for example us with Pedro, Spurs with Vertonghen, City with David Silva among many others) and no clubs will be able to register more players for the CL/Europa anyway I dont think. It isnt going to necessarily be an even playing field but all the leagues should of followed 1 decision to make this easier to decide. In Belgium, Holland, France and Scotland they ended the seasons prematurely and awarded trophies to the teams at the top. Italy, Germany, Spain and now the PL will/have resume games. Its a real mess tbf, UEFA should of said okay everyones season either finishes prematurely and no trophies awarded/award trophies or everyone keeps playing when its safe to do so. If PSG play CL they will not have the same match fitness as say any German or English clubs who will be resuming league fixtures soon because they wont be playing competitive league fixtures.

75m for Chilwell? Fucking hell. Avoid. Good player but never worth 75m and never will be even in an inflated market. Other LBs out there for much better value for money. Would pay 45/50m tops for Chilwell nothing more.

Seen a few people say Ross is still relatively young on this, twitter and other things etc but is it just me who doesnt think this? He is 26. That is still young I suppose but in footballing terms its like the whole joke regarding Jesse Lingard is still a young talent thing. I really do think we are going to struggle to offload him, Michy and Drinkwater, all 3 are on 90-100k a week and in the current climate who is going to pay the fees we would want and a competitive salary close to that, certainly none of the top clubs with resources because they arent good enough. Bakayoko have no idea regarding him, hopefully he will get a move because he isnt the right fit for here but again wages and prices, if PSG dont buy him I dont know who will.

I think for most CBs going to Italy is a good move. Just look at the CBs theyve produced and developed in Serie A over the years in modern times and in the past. Even guys who are or have been linked with moves to the PL that have moved over from other leagues such as the likes of Koulibaly, Demiral, De Vrij, Skriniar etc have all visibly improved a lot in Serie A. The leagues a lot more tactical but I would be surprised if de Ligt doesnt bounce back next year. He still has plenty of time and the talent to go to the very very top.

They probably said the same thing about Mane when he signed..... or Firmino. I do think us getting him is a real coup because 1 we get a very good player who can score us goals and 2 Liverpool dont get someone who would suit their team right to the ground as well as adding another regular source of goals. Its that simple. If Fowler or Barnes cant see that then they are deluded. Even if he isnt as well rounded or even as talented as those 3 they have already at Liverpool, the guy is a serial goalscorer in the Bundesliga. If they lost one or two of Firmino, Salah or Mane to injury they dont have any real obvious quality replacements to sub in and they dont have anyone else scoring regularly in the other positions in their team. Shaqiri and Origi are decent but still very average and not consistent enough for a top club like Liverpool and they would get found out in a sustained run in their team. If they can't see how he would of been a huge upgrade on them at least and gave them something then they have no idea about football and based on what theyve done since theyve stopped playing I am not surprised either 😂 even more considering Fowler was a striker so surely you would think he would have noticed watching Werner how good he can be and what he could offer any team yet alone Liverpool. But suppose he will never say Chelsea have pipped Liverpool to a top player. Even if we got someone like Mbappe 😂

Hopefully through the middle. I mean he isnt the most physical player but look at his goal record? He can get in behind teams and score goals. Hopefully he is here as a CF option first and foremost.

We have a buyback clause for 40mn IIRC. Thats not exactly cheap. Even if they did get relegated I doubt we would get him for less than 30mn.

I know he is seen more as a player who plays in a 2 upfront but surely if we are spending 50m on him he will be used as a striker and not outwide?

If we were to sell Zouma hopefully it isnt to replace him with Ake..... both are solid enough CBs but Zouma is the better of the two for me and Id say its quite comfortably clear to see that other than Ake's comfort on the ball, Zouma is the better player. I mean I understand he is an ex academy player, Dutch international, has worked with Frank as a player etc but he really doesnt improve on Zouma for me. If we sell Zouma we have to replace him with a better quality player, not the same level, not worst because our defence hasnt been very good this season bar Tomori who was a real shining light for a while.

Honeslty I dont see how it would be a stupid decision he would likely be a squad player here. Ziyech (think he should play centrally but FL likes Mason a lot so wouldnt be surprised if he plays RW) and Pulisic when fit will likely start ahead of him in the wings. Callum is in and around the team and well okay if Willian goes and Pedro who looks to be off already, we will need another winger but I think we will go for a better player than Boga if thats the case. Plus I am pretty sure we lost the chance to use the buyback? Or they were trying to negotiate with us to have it replaced for a sell on clause or whatever?

Partly but I do think that the financial side of it cannot be easily ignored either, as I would reckon its more the issue than playing time or another CF coming in. He wants to match Callums wages and for someone who has 13 PL goals in basically his debut season of playing regularly for the club, he has every right considering how the club bowed to a player who played maybe 10 or 15 games and got the 120k that goes to 180k with add ons and almost gave him the number 10 shirt after that was apparently askes for included in negotiations. I mean this wont be the first time we see player X wants to earn closer/same as CHO in the next few years I reckon. We panicked because of Bayern Munichs interest and caved and for me the jury is still out as to whether this season he has done anything of note bar a few wee spells in a couple of games and the Newcastle one. Personally think he did more under Sarri.

Curious to see how he does here. Hopefully plays through the middle and not shunted wide.... Werner and Ziyech though, two very good signings if you ask me.

Tbf he wasnt just 'good' under Conte. I felt before his drop in form he was probably playing better than a lot of CBs in the PL at the time and definitely better than a lot of the CBs of a similar age in Europe bar de Ligt and a few others. He has potential still but I am not sure if he will ever reach those levels of performances again. I have a feeling that the system helped him as well as it did Luiz the previous year but thats a different matter you still have to perform.

Bayern want him and Sane. So I reckon hes probably gonna be a Bayern player. Even with covid Bayern are a massive club and will probably be able to do the deal plus Leverkusen and City wont keep players who dont want to be there.