Quote Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory View Post
I'd usually agree but the squad is wafer thin. We play a full strength team in the cup games, we only risk losing them in future cup games because the fatigue will catch up to them in the league. If we play the kids we may unearth so gems that are ready for the first team.

We have a good shot at the title. City look good now but they have a new coach and you just don't know what will happen. I remember when Chelsea looked good when Scolari came in as coach. They were scoring for fun then it all fell apart. After this summer, my expectations have been set a little higher. That desperation for a cup/any cup has gone. For me, that mentality stemmed from this squad needing to believe in themselves and this club. A self esteem boost. But if we continue to spend money on players like Ozil, the team will automatically get that from the sort of players we're bringing in.
The fact we have a wafer thin squad is precisely why we won't win the league and why we cannot pin our hopes on it whilst forfeiting the cups. All it takes is for one important player to be injured for one game and his replacement to have a mare resulting in dropped points. Said replacement may not even need to have a nightmare.All it takes is for him to not be of the requisite quality. In reality that scenario will probably happen several times over this season and it could even happen tomorrow, resulting in an accumulation of dropped points.

Gone are the days of us winning the league with a prominent base of 15 players like in 2004. They were individually and collectively better than the current side and even then were monumentally fortunate in terms of injuries. The current side are falling like hot sacks a crap.

The year Scolari was at Chelsea may have fell a part but we weren't the ones to capitalise and take advantage. If City implode this season it is more likely that one of Man U or Chelsea themselves will take advantage.

IF we buy in January that is actually just as much reason for us to not throw the COCup because we will be better equipped.

That said, I don't see why it needs to be a choice between strict first team players or the under 21's. We won't have all our players available (at any 1 point this season!) and we needn't play a team entirely of kids.....just a mix of 1st teamers, fringe players and younglings. Ie Giroud, Gnabry Flamini, Rosicky, Wilshere, Monreal, Jenks...... Moreover, Chelsea may well not play a best 11 either and will mix and match just as I am proposing we do.

Even Wednesday's team against WBA wasn't 11 kids and if it was, we would have most definitely gone out in my honest view.