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I fear for the team next season.
We have a threadbare squad that couldn’t cope with the demands of a 38 game season and early exit from both cup competitions.
Now we have EL to add into the mix next season. I think we’ll be fortunate to finish 5th or better next year,
Depends what we do in the summer.
We all agreed we needed to clear out dead wood. But it needs to be replaced with quality. If we don’t do that then yeah, we’re screwed.
do you think we are going to get a selection of 1st choice players or pad out the squad with rotational ones. Obviously we need a 1st choice striker and that probably wont be top drawer had we made the CL.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
Otherwise do we get a better back up right back, a left back who could challenge Tierney for first choice, another CM to usurp Xhaka. The four behind the striker seem settled and we arent in a position to have 2 quality players for each position as we dont have enough quality games to justify that.
So i would have a 1st choice striker, potential 1st choice left back, a strong CM and a back up right back. If Saliba returns then CB is ok with White, Gabriel, Saliba and Holding.
We REALLY need Saliba to come home.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumble
The rest of the centre backs are average and Holding is less than average.
They’re not average - they were just made to look average in the final third of the season when they lost both fullbacks to either side of them, Tomas Partey in front of them and were playing through injuries. Our first choice back 6 (inc. GK and Partey) are solid when they’re all fit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chippy
I’m with you on Saliba, though - the kid looks an absolute unit and the competition will push all 3 CBs to another level. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we invested heavily in fullbacks again - that’s two seasons in a row now that have fallen apart because of fullback issues and we can’t be having a third.
It sounds like the plan is to build out a smaller group of around 22 players who have more tactical flex to them - as Clive on Arsenal Vision puts it, players who can do one and a half jobs. Players like Saka and Tomiyasu who can both do their primary job to a high standard, but can also play 2 or 3 other roles to a 7/10 standard. Saliba has a bit of that flex to his game, as do a lot of the players we’re being linked with (Jesus, Hickey, Zinchenko, Dimarco, etc).Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumble
It’s gonna be fascinating to see what we do this window - we have a core of 11 or 12 players who I think we should be building around, and we could take this team in any one of 3 or 4 different directions, depending on who we add to them. Really struggling to call it at the moment.
In terms of numbers, we’ve already trimmed the squad down from something like 28 or 29 players (way too bloated) to 19 (too lean), and I’m expecting more still to depart this summer (definitely Laca, maybe Pepe, Leno and Xhaka, maybe Cedric or Nuno) - I can easily see it being another summer where we see 6 or 7 new faces coming in. Easily. And even then I think we’ll probably need another summer and a further 2 or 3 new faces before the job is done!
Totally agree with your full backs comment. Tierney and Tommy are made of glass. If Newcastle do in fact come in for Tierney as mentioned in the press for 40m, I would bite their arm off!Quote:
Originally Posted by I am invisible
That Jed Spence would be well worth a punt. He was a moster against us in the cup
And then knowing our luck he'll never get injured againQuote:
Originally Posted by Chippy
I know Tierney got injured in a no-importance Scotland game, but Arteta needs to learn to rotate more and rest players, he's to blame for some of the injuries
But yes, in order to rotate two good FBs are urgently required especially as we need to ditch Cedric and Xhaka of course who sometimes ends up at LB
Btw the fact Newcastle are looking to poach our players is a sign of things to come, if he goes what does that say about which club Tierney thinks is on the up?
The leftie who isn't a leftie falls back on the typical leftie tactic - shut them up in case they say something obviously revealing to normal people but dangerously revealing to lefties. You leave if people posting bothers you so much. Snowflake.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac76