Richarlison

[Sandman]

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Oops k then lol

He doubled down

 

[metalgear]

I

It's odd that people are describing Richy's output as poor, he's almost one G / A every other game whilst mainly playing on the wing carrying an injury which required surgery.

If you factor in his whole time at Spurs granted it won't be pretty stats wise but this season he's brought a lot outside of direct goal involvements as well, even if some don't want to acknowledge it. I guess many on here would also label Jesus as useless because he doesn't bang in 30 goals a season but that's another thing which is to be expected, best not mention the honours he's won or the 4 goals in 5 in the CL this season..........

Interesting to see if Richy stays central tonight, whether it's something that'll change throughout the game or perhaps depending on what kind of opponent we're up against. It's usually a decent atmosphere at the City ground and I don't think he'll be bothered, no doubt the guy will just want to build upon his brace last time out.

I think we can expect more given his hefty price tag ....it indicates that we were oaying for potential. Sure it may be unrealistic to base performance on transfer price, but the counter argument is that we overpaid and perhaps can sell him to get someone with equivalent output but for less. And invest the rest in other areas in the squad.

My main concern about Richie is that he doesn't get a lot of positive contributions in the match. For example Kane works harder in the role. Richie's hold up play and passing also seems to be at best average. We've paid a lot for ndombele, lo celso and richarlison. Frustrating that we've not got our money's worth so far.

How long more should we be patient with Richie when the alternative of recruiting players that can hit the ground running has been very successful recently?

 

[spurspinter1]

I

I think we can expect more given his hefty price tag ....it indicates that we were oaying for potential. Sure it may be unrealistic to base performance on transfer price, but the counter argument is that we overpaid and perhaps can sell him to get someone with equivalent output but for less. And invest the rest in other areas in the squad.

My main concern about Richie is that he doesn't get a lot of positive contributions in the match. For example Kane works harder in the role. Richie's hold up play and passing also seems to be at best average. We've paid a lot for ndombele, lo celso and richarlison. Frustrating that we've not got our money's worth so far.

How long more should we be patient with Richie when the alternative of recruiting players that can hit the ground running has been very successful recently?

I think the price tag was more about buying someone suited to the league with a mind to hitting the ground running, which obviously didn't happen for various reasons. In terms of potential he wasn't a young player when we bought him and was a one in three kind of player, albeit for a struggling Everton side.

My thought is that Ange likes him a lot and isn't looking at him as a potential sale but I suppose that's conjecture. The "patience" shown to Richarlison was in a rough first season hindered by injuries which have only now been resolved, the guy is in the team by merit. At the risk of sounding like a broken record he's been good and getting better this season, it'd be odd to sell him now he's starting to look the part. Defense and midfield need the investment more imo and Veliz will grow in to his role with time + minutes.

I see your points but flat out disagree that Kane works harder, Richy runs all day and even in a quiet half apart from the goal he won the ball back a couple of times and puts constant pressure on, which Kane simply cannot do because he doesn't have the legs for it. Any striker is going to look markedly average in terms of build up and finishing but that's because Kane was a special player. I'm oddly glad that era is over but any Spurs player who misses a chance will always get the "Kane would've scored that" for the foreseeable future which neglects the idea that despite being an incredible player perhaps just isn't suited to the way Ange plays anyways...

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I think the price tag was more about buying someone suited to the league with a mind to hitting the ground running, which obviously didn't happen for various reasons. In terms of potential he wasn't a young player when we bought him and was a one in three kind of player, albeit for a struggling Everton side.

My thought is that Ange likes him a lot and isn't looking at him as a potential sale but I suppose that's conjecture. The "patience" shown to Richarlison was in a rough first season hindered by injuries which have only now been resolved, the guy is in the team by merit. At the risk of sounding like a broken record he's been good and getting better this season, it'd be odd to sell him now he's starting to look the part. Defense and midfield need the investment more imo and Veliz will grow in to his role with time + minutes.

I see your points but flat out disagree that Kane works harder, Richy runs all day and even in a quiet half apart from the goal he won the ball back a couple of times and puts constant pressure on, which Kane simply cannot do because he doesn't have the legs for it. Any striker is going to look markedly average in terms of build up and finishing but that's because Kane was a special player. I'm oddly glad that era is over but any Spurs player who misses a chance will always get the "Kane would've scored that" for the foreseeable future which neglects the idea that despite being an incredible player perhaps just isn't suited to the way Ange plays anyways...

I agree. His work rate is unquestionable
It’s his strength
Kanes was selective
It’s not a comparison

 

[Bishop]

I think the price tag was more about buying someone suited to the league with a mind to hitting the ground running, which obviously didn't happen for various reasons. In terms of potential he wasn't a young player when we bought him and was a one in three kind of player, albeit for a struggling Everton side.

My thought is that Ange likes him a lot and isn't looking at him as a potential sale but I suppose that's conjecture. The "patience" shown to Richarlison was in a rough first season hindered by injuries which have only now been resolved, the guy is in the team by merit. At the risk of sounding like a broken record he's been good and getting better this season, it'd be odd to sell him now he's starting to look the part. Defense and midfield need the investment more imo and Veliz will grow in to his role with time + minutes.

I see your points but flat out disagree that Kane works harder, Richy runs all day and even in a quiet half apart from the goal he won the ball back a couple of times and puts constant pressure on, which Kane simply cannot do because he doesn't have the legs for it. Any striker is going to look markedly average in terms of build up and finishing but that's because Kane was a special player. I'm oddly glad that era is over but any Spurs player who misses a chance will always get the "Kane would've scored that" for the foreseeable future which neglects the idea that despite being an incredible player perhaps just isn't suited to the way Ange plays anyways...

I disagree with a couple of points. I'm not so sure Ange is truly happy with him. If recall his reasoning for moving Son back out wide, it was because that was the area that he felt the chances we coming in and he wanted his best finisher there to take advantage of them. So it was more "Son is my best finisher and I need to get him in the area where the chances are falling' than "I really want Richy up top as I think he's the best option".

The other issue is I don't think we need midfield and defensive reinforcement more. The midfield is fine, the defence just needs depth. The attack lacks starting quality relative to the midfield and defense. It's actually our attack or more specifically the quality of our final ball and the finishing itself that has let us down. With Son playing as the striker we've lacked a truly dangerous 1 on 1 wide man. Someone who can run directly at his defender, beat them and then either take the chance themselves or accurately find a team mate with a quality ball. That is what Son has done in the last two matches to great effect but it's been lacking otherwise.

If we had a truly dangerous wide attacker who could do the things I suggest and a striker who could reliably finish or finish above xG as Son reliably does than games like Villa, West Ham and even the Arsenal match would probably have turned into wins. The Liverpool match possibly would have be won more easily as well.

I'm thinking a player in the mould of Nico Williams. He can play either side, he's a deadly 1 on 1 dribbler, capable of beating 2 defenders at a time with pace or body feints and he has a decent shot. That is the calibre of player Ange's system demands. So sure we can settle for maybe ok or we can strive for the exceptional. I don't believe or I'll say it, I know Ange isn't here to settle and we need to get out of that mondset.

 

[Gutter Boy]

I think the way round Richarlison and Son play will depend on the opposition. On friday he said he went that way round because there wasnt going to be any space behind the defence for Son. So possibly we'll see Richarlison central against low blocks, and Son there against higher lines

 

[Gazza Dazzla]

I think the way round Richarlison and Son play will depend on the opposition. On friday he said he went that way round because there wasnt going to be any space behind the defence for Son. So possibly we'll see Richarlison central against low blocks, and Son there against higher lines

Yep if you listen to what Ange has said about it and interpret it without any pre-bias then he’s said exactly that and also that Richy is a different player since the operation.

That passes the eye test for me as well.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I disagree with a couple of points. I'm not so sure Ange is truly happy with him. If recall his reasoning for moving Son back out wide, it was because that was the area that he felt the chances we coming in and he wanted his best finisher there to take advantage of them. So it was more "Son is my best finisher and I need to get him in the area where the chances are falling' than "I really want Richy up top as I think he's the best option".

The other issue is I don't think we need midfield and defensive reinforcement more. The midfield is fine, the defence just needs depth. The attack lacks starting quality relative to the midfield and defense. It's actually our attack or more specifically the quality of our final ball and the finishing itself that has let us down. With Son playing as the striker we've lacked a truly dangerous 1 on 1 wide man. Someone who can run directly at his defender, beat them and then either take the chance themselves or accurately find a team mate with a quality ball. That is what Son has done in the last two matches to great effect but it's been lacking otherwise.

If we had a truly dangerous wide attacker who could do the things I suggest and a striker who could reliably finish or finish above xG as Son reliably does than games like Villa, West Ham and even the Arsenal match would probably have turned into wins. The Liverpool match possibly would have be won more easily as well.

I'm thinking a player in the mould of Nico Williams. He can play either side, he's a deadly 1 on 1 dribbler, capable of beating 2 defenders at a time with pace or body feints and he has a decent shot. That is the calibre of player Ange's system demands. So sure we can settle for maybe ok or we can strive for the exceptional. I don't believe or I'll say it, I know Ange isn't here to settle and we need to get out of that mondset.

Nico Williams doesn’t have record for scoring goals
I’ve seen the hype and he is certainly quick. But the league he is in is toilet
He could be anything but the price wouldn’t reflect that

 

[Bishop]

Nico Williams doesn’t have record for scoring goals
I’ve seen the hype and he is certainly quick. But the league he is in is toilet
He could be anything but the price wouldn’t reflect that

Yeah he's yet to become a goal scorer but he has the potential, it would be an educated gamble but one I'd be happy to make if the price wasn't too high. But tbh it's more the profile of player as opposed to him specifically, it's that kind of genuinely dangerous wide man, a direct dribbler who can play on both sides that would add a massive amount to what Ange is already doing.

Disagree on La Liga being toilet btw. I still watch it now and then and the quality is still high throughtout

 

[Raziel]

Yep if you listen to what Ange has said about it and interpret it without any pre-bias then he’s said exactly that and also that Richy is a different player since the operation.

That passes the eye test for me as well.

think it does but he really needs to kick on from here. If he's now 100%, playing in aside that gives attackers chances, spends a lot of time with ball and in opposition box, he's got to make it count.

He can be one of those "contributes to team" strikers with 8-12 goals a season or he can get himself 15+ and be another step up (don't ever see him in the elite category). The 15+ type player has a role with us, if he can't get there, he will be replaced at some point

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Yeah he's yet to become a goal scorer but he has the potential, it would be an educated gamble but one I'd be happy to make if the price wasn't too high. But tbh it's more the profile of player as opposed to him specifically, it's that kind of genuinely dangerous wide man, a direct dribbler who can play on both sides that would add a massive amount to what Ange is already doing.

Disagree on La Liga being toilet btw. I still watch it now and then and the quality is still high throughtout

I think it really a poor but looks better because of the relative quality

At least it’s more competitive this season with city’s team doing something

 

[spurspinter1]

I disagree with a couple of points. I'm not so sure Ange is truly happy with him. If recall his reasoning for moving Son back out wide, it was because that was the area that he felt the chances we coming in and he wanted his best finisher there to take advantage of them. So it was more "Son is my best finisher and I need to get him in the area where the chances are falling' than "I really want Richy up top as I think he's the best option".

The other issue is I don't think we need midfield and defensive reinforcement more. The midfield is fine, the defence just needs depth. The attack lacks starting quality relative to the midfield and defense. It's actually our attack or more specifically the quality of our final ball and the finishing itself that has let us down. With Son playing as the striker we've lacked a truly dangerous 1 on 1 wide man. Someone who can run directly at his defender, beat them and then either take the chance themselves or accurately find a team mate with a quality ball. That is what Son has done in the last two matches to great effect but it's been lacking otherwise.

If we had a truly dangerous wide attacker who could do the things I suggest and a striker who could reliably finish or finish above xG as Son reliably does than games like Villa, West Ham and even the Arsenal match would probably have turned into wins. The Liverpool match possibly would have be won more easily as well.

I'm thinking a player in the mould of Nico Williams. He can play either side, he's a deadly 1 on 1 dribbler, capable of beating 2 defenders at a time with pace or body feints and he has a decent shot. That is the calibre of player Ange's system demands. So sure we can settle for maybe ok or we can strive for the exceptional. I don't believe or I'll say it, I know Ange isn't here to settle and we need to get out of that mondset.

Son and Richy will switch depending on the opposition but the versatility of having both is handy.

You are allowed to speculate that Ange isn't happy with him but evidence shows that when he's fit he picks him so must be taking information on board and stats or no stats, is having a positive effect on results and performances. Sure we could do with another player of Son's calibre, there's no club in the world that wouldn't want that. You're effectively saying we'd have won some games if we had better players, which is a very floaty and non determined argument. What about the games Richy has actually helped us win in the real non hypothetical world?

As for "If we had a truly dangerous wide attacking player", what do you think Son / Kulu / Johnson are? Given we spent 50m on the latter I don't see us investigating in a forward, unless we can sell Gill and let Veliz go on a loan. Plus Solomon eventually coming back but that still seems a weird transfer to me, that's a whole other situation I guess.

I haven't seen much of Williams but three goals in 14 appearances in a weaker league isn't inspiring, it's actually less prolific than Richy lol.

Ange at least in a press conference has stated we need a CB. You might have changed your tune on Davies, iirc you've generally been pretty disparaging of him so that would be some about turn. Midfield-wise the loss of Bissouma for GHod knows how long as well as Sarr shortly, GLC breaking down again and Bentancur miles off fitness... Are you just a huge fan of Skipp and PEH to see us through the winter? It's a bit off topic so maybe best for a squad planning thread but I can't see how forwards are anywhere near a priority compared to CB LB and CM. We'll have to see what happens in January I suppose but I know where I'd be looking at if I was playing FM with Spurs on January, upgrading on Richy and blocking Veliz's progress seems an odd direction to go in.

 

[Bishop]

Son and Richy will switch depending on the opposition but the versatility of having both is handy.

You are allowed to speculate that Ange isn't happy with him but evidence shows that when he's fit he picks him so must be taking information on board and stats or no stats, is having a positive effect on results and performances. Sure we could do with another player of Son's calibre, there's no club in the world that wouldn't want that. You're effectively saying we'd have won some games if we had better players, which is a very floaty and non determined argument. What about the games Richy has actually helped us win in the real non hypothetical world?

As for "If we had a truly dangerous wide attacking player", what do you think Son / Kulu / Johnson are? Given we spent 50m on the latter I don't see us investigating in a forward, unless we can sell Gill and let Veliz go on a loan. Plus Solomon eventually coming back but that still seems a weird transfer to me, that's a whole other situation I guess.

I haven't seen much of Williams but three goals in 14 appearances in a weaker league isn't inspiring, it's actually less prolific than Richy lol.

Ange at least in a press conference has stated we need a CB. You might have changed your tune on Davies, iirc you've generally been pretty disparaging of him so that would be some about turn. Midfield-wise the loss of Bissouma for GHod knows how long as well as Sarr shortly, GLC breaking down again and Bentancur miles off fitness... Are you just a huge fan of Skipp and PEH to see us through the winter? It's a bit off topic so maybe best for a squad planning thread but I can't see how forwards are anywhere near a priority compared to CB LB and CM. We'll have to see what happens in January I suppose but I know where I'd be looking at if I was playing FM with Spurs on January, upgrading on Richy and blocking Veliz's progress seems an odd direction to go in.

Regarding speculating to Ange's thoughts, he actually said it himself, he said he wanted Son back out wide because there's were the chances were falling it's not me putting words into his mouth, he said it himself.

Regarding the better players I wasn't relating that to Richy directly, I don't think he even played in all of those matches. I was talking generally and the quality and effectiveness of our attackers. So definitely wasn't directed at any one player. Just that between Solomon, Richarlison, Johnson, Gil and Kulu I'm not sure I see a top 4 or even title challenging front 3. They all have their uses but really are we really seeing absolute top quality there? I don't, whereas a midfield 3 drawn from Sarr, Maddison, Bentancur and Bissouma at least when all are fit and available the starting quality is super high. It's relatively speaking the strongest of the squad and the area we compete and compare best with our rivals for a top 4 finish. Skipp and Hojberg are a significant drop but at least the starting 3 are of the required quality. That's without even mentioning GLC who is not a million miles off starting quality.

I've criticised Davies as a LB and I stil say the same things. He can't play there anymore, he's too slow, and gets bypassed far too easily. As a CB he's a decent squad option, the guy you're probably thinking of is Dier who I have never rated as CB.

I wasn't comparing Richy with Williams but sure if that's the angle he is less prolific than Richy but he's a lot more dangerous and is a creator, he has 3 goals and 5 assists from 14 playing for Bilbao and has something silly like 30 chances created this season, that's a Maddison esque figure. Watch a few games from him and you'll see what I'm saying. He's a danger man, quite similar to Doku, a player who attracts others to him opening space and as I said he's able to play both sides so adds quality depth as well.

But again it's not really so much him specifically but more the type of player and the attributes he possesses that we currently lack.

 

[Bishop]

I think it really a poor but looks better because of the relative quality

At least it’s more competitive this season with city’s team doing something

Are you one of these guys who think only thr PL is a worthy league because if La Liga is truly toilet then the rest of European football must be even worse?

 

[spurspinter1]

Regarding speculating to Ange's thoughts, he actually said it himself, he said he wanted Son back out wide because there's were the chances were falling it's not me putting words into his mouth, he said it himself.

Regarding the better players I wasn't relating that to Richy directly, I don't think he even played in all of those matches. I was talking generally and the quality and effectiveness of our attackers. So definitely wasn't directed at any one player. Just that between Solomon, Richarlison, Johnson, Gil and Kulu I'm not sure I see a top 4 or even title challenging front 3. They all have their uses but really are we really seeing absolute top quality there? I don't, whereas a midfield 3 drawn from Sarr, Maddison, Bentancur and Bissouma at least when all are fit and available the starting quality is super high. It's relatively speaking the strongest of the squad and the area we compete and compare best with our rivals for a top 4 finish. Skipp and Hojberg are a significant drop but at least the starting 3 are of the required quality. That's without even mentioning GLC who is not a million miles off starting quality.

I've criticised Davies as a LB and I stil say the same things. He can't play there anymore, he's too slow, and gets bypassed far too easily. As a CB he's a decent squad option, the guy you're probably thinking of is Dier who I have never rated as CB.

I wasn't comparing Richy with Williams but sure if that's the angle he is less prolific than Richy but he's a lot more dangerous and is a creator, he has 3 goals and 5 assists from 14 playing for Bilbao and has something silly like 30 chances created this season, that's a Maddison esque figure. Watch a few games from him and you'll see what I'm saying. He's a danger man, quite similar to Doku, a player who attracts others to him opening space and as I said he's able to play both sides so adds quality depth as well.

But again it's not really so much him specifically but more the type of player and the attributes he possesses that we currently lack.

Got ya, I think I had incorrectly assumed that you meant a few things specifically regarding Richy. Williams could be a useful player but fits the rare criteria needed to play for Bilbao and is young so I don't think they'd sell him for anything other than crazy money..

You forgot Son in your list of forwards, any trio of Son / Richy / Kulu / Johnson is a top 4 challenging front line if you play to their strengths, seems top quality to me at least, whereas Gill and Solomon just seem like filler to be fair.

As for the CMs it's just the availability which is the most important thing, it's easy to recognize Bentancur's quality but he's had torrid injury problems and we lose our African pairing in January as well as Bissouma for his suspensions. If Kulu drops in as the 8 then we need one less which helps but that means you need Johnson fit otherwise anyone else would be a huge drop off in quality.

As I say we'll see what we can do in January, it'll be interesting to see but possibly in a more appropriate thread. Here we should just be appreciating the chance to regularly see Richy doing the chicken dance and hoofing balls in to the crowd during celebrations!
.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Are you one of these guys who think only thr PL is a worthy league because if La Liga is truly toilet then the rest of European football must be even worse?

No
I watch a decent amount of football and judge a team on the level of the weaker sides
That’ way you can see how good it is
German league is really poor for that too
Italian is now good
All quite a high standard
You can tell how the quality isat the end of the season by European standings
And IMO the rest of Europe is poor
they don’t have money to compete

 

[braineclipse]

I disagree with a couple of points. I'm not so sure Ange is truly happy with him. If recall his reasoning for moving Son back out wide, it was because that was the area that he felt the chances we coming in and he wanted his best finisher there to take advantage of them. So it was more "Son is my best finisher and I need to get him in the area where the chances are falling' than "I really want Richy up top as I think he's the best option".

The other issue is I don't think we need midfield and defensive reinforcement more. The midfield is fine, the defence just needs depth. The attack lacks starting quality relative to the midfield and defense. It's actually our attack or more specifically the quality of our final ball and the finishing itself that has let us down. With Son playing as the striker we've lacked a truly dangerous 1 on 1 wide man. Someone who can run directly at his defender, beat them and then either take the chance themselves or accurately find a team mate with a quality ball. That is what Son has done in the last two matches to great effect but it's been lacking otherwise.

If we had a truly dangerous wide attacker who could do the things I suggest and a striker who could reliably finish or finish above xG as Son reliably does than games like Villa, West Ham and even the Arsenal match would probably have turned into wins. The Liverpool match possibly would have be won more easily as well.

I'm thinking a player in the mould of Nico Williams. He can play either side, he's a deadly 1 on 1 dribbler, capable of beating 2 defenders at a time with pace or body feints and he has a decent shot. That is the calibre of player Ange's system demands. So sure we can settle for maybe ok or we can strive for the exceptional. I don't believe or I'll say it, I know Ange isn't here to settle and we need to get out of that mondset.

I agree. An elite, or potential to become elite fairly quickly, wide dribbly player would be so good for us. Along with CB it should be a priority imo.

Son and Richy will switch depending on the opposition but the versatility of having both is handy.

You are allowed to speculate that Ange isn't happy with him but evidence shows that when he's fit he picks him so must be taking information on board and stats or no stats, is having a positive effect on results and performances. Sure we could do with another player of Son's calibre, there's no club in the world that wouldn't want that. You're effectively saying we'd have won some games if we had better players, which is a very floaty and non determined argument. What about the games Richy has actually helped us win in the real non hypothetical world?

As for "If we had a truly dangerous wide attacking player", what do you think Son / Kulu / Johnson are? Given we spent 50m on the latter I don't see us investigating in a forward, unless we can sell Gill and let Veliz go on a loan. Plus Solomon eventually coming back but that still seems a weird transfer to me, that's a whole other situation I guess.

I haven't seen much of Williams but three goals in 14 appearances in a weaker league isn't inspiring, it's actually less prolific than Richy lol.

Ange at least in a press conference has stated we need a CB. You might have changed your tune on Davies, iirc you've generally been pretty disparaging of him so that would be some about turn. Midfield-wise the loss of Bissouma for GHod knows how long as well as Sarr shortly, GLC breaking down again and Bentancur miles off fitness... Are you just a huge fan of Skipp and PEH to see us through the winter? It's a bit off topic so maybe best for a squad planning thread but I can't see how forwards are anywhere near a priority compared to CB LB and CM. We'll have to see what happens in January I suppose but I know where I'd be looking at if I was playing FM with Spurs on January, upgrading on Richy and blocking Veliz's progress seems an odd direction to go in.

Personally I don't think Son or Richarlison are particularly suited to the wide attacking roles in this system. Having both options for the striker role is really good (not least because of injuries, rotation and all that). But both have played wide because we've been short of other options imo.

We currently have Perisic and Solomon injured. But it seems that Perisic is essentially done for us so of the players we can count on this season and next it's only Solomon that's out. And we're struggling for quality options imo.

We have different options in that mix for the wide roles. But we lack that real dribbling difference maker imo. And it's one of the key missing ingredients in this system. Not just currently because of injuries, but in the squad even when everyone is fit.

Would have to be someone a bit special, so won't be easy. But if we could find that spot on wide attacking player. It would be so good.

Midfield is mostly a problem due to injuries and suspensions. Wide attacking roles are a problem with everyone fit.

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

I have to ask. Is Richarlison stupid. Kulu scores. He picks up the ball and boots it in the crowd again. I can see a situation where he is on a yellow and gets a second and sent off.

He's a very emotional person, you can almost read his feeling when watching a game, he doesn't think in a lot of situations he reacts. I don't think he'll change unless he gets a lot of psychological help.

 

[Bishop]

Got ya, I think I had incorrectly assumed that you meant a few things specifically regarding Richy. Williams could be a useful player but fits the rare criteria needed to play for Bilbao and is young so I don't think they'd sell him for anything other than crazy money..

You forgot Son in your list of forwards, any trio of Son / Richy / Kulu / Johnson is a top 4 challenging front line if you play to their strengths, seems top quality to me at least, whereas Gill and Solomon just seem like filler to be fair.

As for the CMs it's just the availability which is the most important thing, it's easy to recognize Bentancur's quality but he's had torrid injury problems and we lose our African pairing in January as well as Bissouma for his suspensions. If Kulu drops in as the 8 then we need one less which helps but that means you need Johnson fit otherwise anyone else would be a huge drop off in quality.

As I say we'll see what we can do in January, it'll be interesting to see but possibly in a more appropriate thread. Here we should just be appreciating the chance to regularly see Richy doing the chicken dance and hoofing balls in to the crowd during celebrations!
.

I left Son out of the list because he's unarguably of the quality required. Having him in there makes it a decent standard but without him it's quite lacking imo.

I agree. An elite, or potential to become elite fairly quickly, wide dribbly player would be so good for us. Along with CB it should be a priority imo.

Personally I don't think Son or Richarlison are particularly suited to the wide attacking roles in this system. Having both options for the striker role is really good (not least because of injuries, rotation and all that). But both have played wide because we've been short of other options imo.

We currently have Perisic and Solomon injured. But it seems that Perisic is essentially done for us so of the players we can count on this season and next it's only Solomon that's out. And we're struggling for quality options imo.

We have different options in that mix for the wide roles. But we lack that real dribbling difference maker imo. And it's one of the key missing ingredients in this system. Not just currently because of injuries, but in the squad even when everyone is fit.

Would have to be someone a bit special, so won't be easy. But if we could find that spot on wide attacking player. It would be so good.

Midfield is mostly a problem due to injuries and suspensions. Wide attacking roles are a problem with everyone fit.

Yup you get exactly what I mean and it explained it better than me.

When everyone is fit it's definitely the weakest area of the squad and the starting 11 for me.

 

[spurspinter1]

I left Son out of the list because he's unarguably of the quality required. Having him in there makes it a decent standard but without him it's quite lacking imo.

Yup you get exactly what I mean and it explained it better than me.

When everyone is fit it's definitely the weakest area of the squad and the starting 11 for me.

Brain eclipse does that sometimes, very good poster.

I can't argue with what you or he has proposed, LW is an upgradable spot if we're looking at first eleven, but my attention would still be on improving the back ups in areas like CB / LB. It does depend on sales though of course, as I said if we can get a permanent move for Gill and a loan for Veliz, plus with Ivan essentially on his way out there might be space for the right kind of player like a Doku type player I wouldn't be against it at all.