It’s still the midfield for me we have major issues with. One injury away from having to use week in week out a group who havnt been good enough so far. Sanson ain’t in favour Luiz - personally don’t rate - don’t see what he offers Ramsey - young and form will fluctuate McGinn - been poor for a while None of the above have anyone breathing down their neck to take their shirt off them. That’s a major major issue.We need more than any other position a top top CM. Not only will it immediately improve the 11 but will also improve the midfield squad by giving genuine purpose/competition for a shirt
This current squad is good enough to get 60 points.
Quote from: LeonW on August 15, 2022, 05:32:15 AMThis current squad is good enough to get 60 points. Really?? This squad got just over 40 points last season, have lost Carlos for much of the season so only have Kamara in addition. But somehow we are getting 60 points? I am with Vinnie re the midfield. We are a top 6 standard player in there from pushing on, and up front Bailey is massively unproven and Watkins and Ings are top half players, but not top 6. We often have claret and blue blinkers on with our players. Many are not as good as we like to think. As for Newcastle and Brighton, the difference there is they have a much more clear identity. Brighton more so, but I think they are hugely under rated as a squad.
If you ask their fans, I don't think more than 3-4 of ours are getting in their teams. As fans we have a very partisan view of the adult of our players at times. Newcastle as an example, their fans would argue that possibly only Kamara, Digne and Coutinho would get in their side. Wilson is a more clinical forward than we have (on Villa form for Ings), Botman, Pope, Trippier, Guimares are all likely to get into ours, Joelinton has been a revelation in midfield and we would all take Saint Maximam. Brighton are a sum of their parts, but Trossard, Lamprey, Dunk, Caicedo and Mitoma from what I have seen would push our players. They have bought very well in their structure and are then coached exceptionally well. The point I'm making though is the teams around us are better than we credit them, so getting top half, or 60 points, is much harder with the same group.
Quote from: ozzjim on August 15, 2022, 08:09:21 AMIf you ask their fans, I don't think more than 3-4 of ours are getting in their teams. As fans we have a very partisan view of the adult of our players at times. Newcastle as an example, their fans would argue that possibly only Kamara, Digne and Coutinho would get in their side. Wilson is a more clinical forward than we have (on Villa form for Ings), Botman, Pope, Trippier, Guimares are all likely to get into ours, Joelinton has been a revelation in midfield and we would all take Saint Maximam. Brighton are a sum of their parts, but Trossard, Lamprey, Dunk, Caicedo and Mitoma from what I have seen would push our players. They have bought very well in their structure and are then coached exceptionally well. The point I'm making though is the teams around us are better than we credit them, so getting top half, or 60 points, is much harder with the same group. Saying “if you ask their fans” isn’t really going to add much though. It would be the same as them saying “ask Villa fans” but then you and Leon giving very different answers.
Quote from: Chris Smith on August 15, 2022, 08:21:38 AMQuote from: ozzjim on August 15, 2022, 08:09:21 AMIf you ask their fans, I don't think more than 3-4 of ours are getting in their teams. As fans we have a very partisan view of the adult of our players at times. Newcastle as an example, their fans would argue that possibly only Kamara, Digne and Coutinho would get in their side. Wilson is a more clinical forward than we have (on Villa form for Ings), Botman, Pope, Trippier, Guimares are all likely to get into ours, Joelinton has been a revelation in midfield and we would all take Saint Maximam. Brighton are a sum of their parts, but Trossard, Lamprey, Dunk, Caicedo and Mitoma from what I have seen would push our players. They have bought very well in their structure and are then coached exceptionally well. The point I'm making though is the teams around us are better than we credit them, so getting top half, or 60 points, is much harder with the same group. Saying “if you ask their fans” isn’t really going to add much though. It would be the same as them saying “ask Villa fans” but then you and Leon giving very different answers. The point being that we look at it and say our squad should get to 60 points. Theirs would say similar, and not rate our players like we don't theirs. Seeing expectations around 60 points with our squad as it is, from a side that won 2 of their last 12 and only just got over 40 points is unrealistic and looking through very rose tinted specs at our squad.
We haven't improved nearly enough and it's still the same largely inconsistent bunch that we had last year. Watkins and Ings did OK against Everton, but I still think they're not the pair to really take us up a notch.
Quote from: VinnieChase84 on August 15, 2022, 01:51:42 AMIt’s still the midfield for me we have major issues with. One injury away from having to use week in week out a group who havnt been good enough so far. Sanson ain’t in favour Luiz - personally don’t rate - don’t see what he offers Ramsey - young and form will fluctuate McGinn - been poor for a while None of the above have anyone breathing down their neck to take their shirt off them. That’s a major major issue.We need more than any other position a top top CM. Not only will it immediately improve the 11 but will also improve the midfield squad by giving genuine purpose/competition for a shirt 100% agree.Any developments on your previous post about us being in for one of 4 top midfielders?