Next seasons squad

[mjc23]

If we sell both, very possibly.

But I think RDZ will want to keep at least one of Cuti or VdV. He didn’t join us to start a complete rebuild…he’ll want to be competing for a CL spot next season. And then build further the following one.

As I said above, this is what I think RDZ will want. I fully expect Vuskovic to prove a valuable starter by the end of next season but I believe RDZ will want to phase him in during the season, partly to protect Vuskovic from the media hype, but also to begin the season with an experienced CB pairing to minimize the risk of inexperience in a new league.

Can you compete for a CL spot in the championship?

 

[braineclipse]

My point was about how I think RDZ will see him.

Judging from his team selection (Bents, Biss and Paulinho over Gray, Bergvall etc) I expect him to phase Vuskovic in rather than throw him in the deep end straight away, that’s all.

I think that's a solid observation. But time will tell what things look like with a full season and without every game having these ridiculous stakes to them.

 

[Bishop]

Tell me again lads how you'd keep most of these players and expect an improvement

It's craziness but then they don't believe the players are the problem at all. It's all Frank and injuries.

 

[Bishop]

Can you compete for a CL spot in the championship?

Only a madman can seriously think we will be competing for a CL place next season if we survive.

We are brick and have been brick consistently for 2 seasons now and the thought of CL competing comes up.

Maaaaan we need to get relegated to cleans everyone's brain.

 

[Raziel]

It's craziness but then they don't believe the players are the problem at all. It's all Frank and injuries.

Tell me again lads how you'd keep most of these players and expect an improvement

It 100% is Frank & injuries, the data and eye test are extremely telling





And Frank had Xavi, Solanke, Romero for most of those games.

Now, nuance matters, do I think this team is a top 4 team? or do I think the front line is good enough? no absolutely not

But if you watch us play under RDZ, look at those numbers above (in a month), consider no Vic, Romero, Maddison, Odobert, Kudus, Xavi, Solanke, Deki and think we wouldn't have easily been top 10 .. really no rational conversation to have, even now, if we won our last two games and Chelsea lost theirs, we would only end up 5 points behind them in our worst season in 50 odd years?

p.s. (edit) and just for controversy (yes, wouldn't happen), RDZ's PPG per game at full season would put us 6th right now

 

[robp135]

It 100% is Frank & injuries, the data and eye test are extremely telling

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And Frank had Xavi, Solanke, Romero for most of those games.

Now, nuance matters, do I think this team is a top 4 team? or do I think the front line is good enough? no absolutely not

But if you watch us play under RDZ, look at those numbers above (in a month), consider no Vic, Romero, Maddison, Odobert, Kudus, Xavi, Solanke, Deki and think we wouldn't have easily been top 10 .. really no rational conversation to have, even now, if we won our last two games and Chelsea lost theirs, we would only end up 5 points behind them in our worst season in 50 odd years?

Didn’t have Solanke for many games to be fair.

 

[monkeybarry]

If we signed that guy during the summer for £60M nobody would be talking like this. Which is what it would cost if Hamburg owned him.

If we get relegated and are forced to sell Bayern, Barcelona etc want him. He will go and start for them. But yeh let’s stick with Kevin Danso!

We will, Danso and Vuskovic.
I'd be very surprised if Romero and VdV are still here next season, and I'm fine with that; they've been our CBs for two seasons of a sieve like defence. Not all their fault of course, but they've played their part in the brick

 

[Muttley]

We will, Danso and Vuskovic.
I'd be very surprised if Romero and VdV are still here next season, and I'm fine with that; they've been our CBs for two seasons of a sieve like defence. Not all their fault of course, but they've played their part in the brick

It's a very good point.

I think the club has been in denial for a long time. They don't readily promote youngsters and all we hear is that there is a big jump between the level that the youngster is playing at and the level they need to be at to be in our first team. Then we watch the so called 1st teamers not performing at that level anyway. That just implies that we should have just created the space for the youngsters to fail fast or succeed.

 

[Bishop]

It 100% is Frank & injuries, the data and eye test are extremely telling

View attachment 22325

View attachment 22326

And Frank had Xavi, Solanke, Romero for most of those games.

Now, nuance matters, do I think this team is a top 4 team? or do I think the front line is good enough? no absolutely not

But if you watch us play under RDZ, look at those numbers above (in a month), consider no Vic, Romero, Maddison, Odobert, Kudus, Xavi, Solanke, Deki and think we wouldn't have easily been top 10 .. really no rational conversation to have, even now, if we won our last two games and Chelsea lost theirs, we would only end up 5 points behind them in our worst season in 50 odd years?

p.s. (edit) and just for controversy (yes, wouldn't happen), RDZ's PPG per game at full season would put us 6th right now

Top 10 is where I think a more reasonably fit team would finish but that wasn't the conversation. The conversation was a competing for the CL next season which is nonsense.

I like De Zerbi and rate him quite highly but the sample is so small any statistics are pretty inconsequential and the eye test doesn't tell me any different. We are not a good side even under De Zerbi, we have improved significantly but we still lack ball playing ability, we still can't play through the lines, we still lack players capable of beating their man consistently, our through ball attempts are abysmal, lacking direction and pace and we still don't actually create much of real quality.

I'm very happy with De Zerbi but talk of competing for the CL next season is actually madness.

 

[billyiddo]

Our problems primarily centre around creating and finishing chances - that's as true now as it was at the beginning of (and throughout) the season - our Xg hasn't noticeably shifted despite the players finally looking focused & committed and it won't until we either have Maddison and/or Kulusevski back or preferably much needed improvements brought in via the transfer market across the majority of our starting attacking/creative unit.

RDZ in some respects has a pretty straightforward job initially - motivate the players to fight to avoid relegation. He has got that buy-in, they are working hard and fighting, but it's undermined by a lack of quality.

That buy-in would soon dwindle if they were busting a gut each week during a full season and not picking up results, and with the low chance creation numbers we are seeing the results would not likely follow (without a Kane or Son to carry the team) and that would ultimately lead to a tapering off of the effort bringing us back to square one. If we stay up and do not reinforce significantly that is what I would expect to see play out over a season.

 

[Raziel]

Our problems primarily centre around creating and finishing chances - that's as true now as it was at the beginning of (and throughout) the season - our Xg hasn't noticeably shifted despite the players finally looking focused & committed and it won't until we either have Maddison and/or Kulusevski back or preferably much needed improvements brought in via the transfer market across the majority of our starting attacking/creative unit.

RDZ in some respects has a pretty straightforward job initially - motivate the players to fight to avoid relegation. He has got that buy-in, they are working hard and fighting, but it's undermined by a lack of quality.

That buy-in would soon dwindle if they were busting a gut each week during a full season and not picking up results, and with the low chance creation numbers we are seeing the results would not likely follow (without a Kane or Son to carry the team) and that would ultimately lead to a tapering off of the effort bringing us back to square one. If we stay up and do not reinforce significantly that is what I would expect to see play out over a season.

Average xG of last 5 matches is 1.50, Average xG of previous 10 is 1.11, Touches in opposition box, possession has all gone up.
And that's without Xavi/Maddison really having any influence. We win the ball higher up, we get more possession, we are in more dangerous areas.

We need to be better (at lots of things) but the difference in the RDZ timeframe has been finishing, Richi, RKM, Tel have all had opportunities to kill games off (even at Villa, we should have been out of sight by HT)

I have no worry about player buy in, the results have already been a massive step up, and they all likely prefer playing this kind of football vs. whatever the fudge Frank was trying to do.

 

[Seedy Ron]

If we stay up and do not reinforce significantly

I'm assuming that's a given, even for Clanger & Agent V.

 

[billyiddo]

Average xG of last 5 matches is 1.50, Average xG of previous 10 is 1.11, Touches in opposition box, possession has all gone up.
And that's without Xavi/Maddison really having any influence. We win the ball higher up, we get more possession, we are in more dangerous areas.

We need to be better (at lots of things) but the difference in the RDZ timeframe has been finishing, Richi, RKM, Tel have all had opportunities to kill games off (even at Villa, we should have been out of sight by HT)

I have no worry about player buy in, the results have already been a massive step up, and they all likely prefer playing this kind of football vs. whatever the fudge Frank was trying to do.

Livescore avg 1.09 (1.32, 1.03, 1.05, 1.12, 0.91)
Fotmob avg 1.02 (1.27, 0.99, 0.92, 1.09, 0.84)

from our last 5. Which ties in with our seasonal average.

Results have been a step up, undoubtedly, but both the eye test and the stats that I've seen confirm to me the lack of meaningful chances created.

 

[Ace Face]

It 100% is Frank & injuries, the data and eye test are extremely telling

View attachment 22325

View attachment 22326

And Frank had Xavi, Solanke, Romero for most of those games.

Now, nuance matters, do I think this team is a top 4 team? or do I think the front line is good enough? no absolutely not

But if you watch us play under RDZ, look at those numbers above (in a month), consider no Vic, Romero, Maddison, Odobert, Kudus, Xavi, Solanke, Deki and think we wouldn't have easily been top 10 .. really no rational conversation to have, even now, if we won our last two games and Chelsea lost theirs, we would only end up 5 points behind them in our worst season in 50 odd years?

p.s. (edit) and just for controversy (yes, wouldn't happen), RDZ's PPG per game at full season would put us 6th right now

It’s a hypothetical statement but I would argue that RDZ would have us Top 6 this season IF he had a fully fit squad and had the previous summer to work with them as TF did.

Yes we need upgrades in CM and attack but we should be competing with the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton and Villa for a 4-6 spot IF properly managed.

 

[Zavod 311]

Hot take. Porro is a better defender than Spence. Spence is elite at one on one defending and that’s it. Everything else’s he’s bang average for the league we’re in. Just look at results i games he plays. Consistently at fault for goals we concede and there is a reason why 5 managers in a row have preferred Porro to him.

nonsense.

 

[Bishop]

It’s a hypothetical statement but I would argue that RDZ would have us Top 6 this season IF he had a fully fit squad and had the previous summer to work with them as TF did.

Yes we need upgrades in CM and attack but we should be competing with the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton and Villa for a 4-6 spot IF properly managed.

He will never have a fully fit squad, so you need to evaluate what would be possible in a more realistic manner.

On that note our forwards are pish, significantly worse than the teams in the top 6 so I don't know how you think we would be competing with them.