Not in football. Congrats, you have conceded 0 goals this season. But you scored 0. You are literally on the cusp of relegation.
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Don’t really get this post. How is it different from saying;
Congrats. You scored 50 but conceded 85. You’ve been relegated! ?
Because you can still win by scoring 50. If you never score you arent winning. FFS, Liverpool had this down to a science 2 years ago.
Zatara
Player Valuation: £100m
If you look at it objectively, youve partially proven my point.
LB -- Digne / Baines
RB -- Coleman / Kenny
Baines will be gone in the summer.
Kenny is the perfect backup BUT i think we should send him on loan to develop if hes not getting games.
With that in mind, what we ideally need are 2 full backs good enough to push Digne and Coleman for their places.
As you pointed out (for a utility player) who is going to sign for us knowing they are behind either Digne or Coleman?
Surely, the sensible option is to go for a player who can play both positions...
A-- Someone who can play both RB/LB
B-- Someone who can play LCB/LB + another RB/RCB
The best player i think we could go for is someone (tierney or otherwise) who can play both full back positions and push for a first team place.
The other option is to sign 2 players who arent at the standard required or the right mentality if they are comfortable as backup
Tierney 'could' feel he is good enough to get a lot of games in either position and would be a strategic long term signing.
We are a counter attacking team so we need to soak up pressure and break at speed.
Under Martinez, Koeman and Unsworth we looked like we would concede from every attack, its only since the last few games where we look strong at the back
Permanent
GK -- Pickford / Stekelenburg / Virginia
LB -- Digne / Baines
RB -- Coleman / Kenny
CB -- Mina / Keane / Jagielka / Holgate
My idea
GK -- Pickford / Virginia + 1
LB -- Digne / Tierney
RB -- Coleman / Tierney / Militao / Kenny
CB -- Mina / Militao / Keane / Holgate
All the defensive positions are stacked with the addition of 2 players.
This enables us to send Kenny on loan for game time and perhaps Holgate also depending on the younger players being suitable for 4th choice while playing u23s
Jagielka + Baines + Williams + Pennington + Browning + Galloway + Connolly + Robinson leaving would more than cover the wages needed.
It would just require the transfer fees. Even if we didnt specifically go for Tierney and Militao i think the principle is the same...2 players to come in to complete the defence.
I think the point is that there are teams who are flamboyant and can score copious amounts of goals (Liverpool last season), but the difference is their defence.
The team who wins the league is typically the team who concede the least, or are only one or two off the best figure; most league will follow this trend I presume.
Zatara
Player Valuation: £100m
Its always been that way. Many have said that Schmeichel cemented united at the top table just as we saw with Southall coming in for us.
When theyre out theres a huge difference and the same can be said for defenders.
We still employ these 17 players? Good god, looks like a lot when you look at that list
Baines' left foot
Player Valuation: £90m
It’s getting worse too. Every thread is full of utter guff saying the same garbage over and over.
I’d put him on ignore but he posts so frequently I wouldn’t be able to understand a single thread.
For me games are won and lost in midfield, not all the time and not every team, some teams are built on strong defences, Jose has won titles that way, some teams are built on strong attacks, wow, my memory is bad, but I cant instantly think of a team that was built solely to attack and was successful, but anyway, then theres other teams, like the Leicester team, that was built on pure workrate, teamwork and a desire to win.
For me Citys strongest area is midfield, David Silva and the boy KDB are just peerless, they have of course AGUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERO up top and Scrappy Doo on the wing, but I wouldnt say any of their defenders are top class, the Keeper is very good of course.
Last season City won the title, they conceded the least goals, they scored the most goals.
The season before Spurs conceded the least and scored the most to finish 2nd.
The season before Utd finished 5th while conceding the least, City 4th scoring the most.
Chelsea won the title, conceding the least, City finished 2nd scoring the most.
Anyway, I was just interested, of course a good defence and a good keeper helps, as does a good striker, but for me games are won and lost in midfield.
Zatara
Player Valuation: £100m
The top sides have quality all over but the defence is the platform to build from.
Would Wenger had achieved so much success at Arsenal without the solid defence and keeper he inherited?
Could Juve and Bayern have dominated Italy and Germany for so long with a weaker defence which are now coming to the end of its cycles?
Fergusons United sides had amazing midfields but the defences were always top class...they struggled abit between Schmeichel and Van Der Sar and then as De Gea was bedding in.
The famous Italian sides always did well through their defences and keepers...
Currently id say we have;
Pickford
Digne
Mina (potentially)
Coleman (if he gets back to his old form)
Were not far off having a top defence with a couple of signings from Brands.
Just no
catcherintherye
Player Valuation: £80m
I think the point about adjusting for the club makes a big difference as well and bodes well. That is in many ways what separates good from great in that role. Being able to be adaptable and reading a situation as well as just being able to see a player. It's quite clear for his many faults, Steve Walsh couldn't really adjust. It will be interesting to if we still try to add the odd talented younger players ah la PSV or whether he views this as unnecessary now.
The other point is, that the more of these players we bring in, the easier it gets.
bilyaletdinov_
Player Valuation: £35m
Having a back up for our defenders is essential, but i don’t like the fluidity amongst positions that Zat is suggesting. For me a first choice back four, each with an assigned position and an able deputy is the way to go - the best teams have stability at the back.
Pickford (Virginia)
Wan-Bissaka (Coleman / Kenny)
Mina (Keane)
Zouma (Holgate)
Digne (Baines / Robinson)
Two signings, Zouma and Wan-Bissaka and we have a very strong back line with good back ups for each position
Pickford (Virginia)
Wan-Bissaka (Coleman / Kenny)
Mina (Keane)
Zouma (Holgate)
Digne (Baines / Robinson)
Two signings, Zouma and Wan-Bissaka and we have a very strong back line with good back ups for each position
Zatara
Player Valuation: £100m
My thinking was that Baines will be off soon and Robinson doesnt seem good enough.
So what player will sign to get splinters behind Digne...
I also like Kenny but if hes not getting games then if we had a player who could play both sides it sorts left back and right back + allows kenny to go on loan (returning when coleman is on the way out).
The starters you listed look very good in Pickford, Wan Bissaka, Zouma, Mina and Digne...
I wonder if Zouma would be attainable but also whether we may be able to find better for the fee.
justladouxit
Player Valuation: £50k
I think that along with Lozano we should also be looking at David Neres as some to come in and improve our RW.
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