Depends on how motivated, as a squad, they are...last season was a warning shot; not sure if they heard it, despite what they say. Proof's in the puddin'...8th to doom.
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Other than the reason that literally half of the eleven is relegation standard in those positions. There's that reason.I think a huge amount depends on how Tarkowski beds in.
I think last season, the wheels started to come off when the opposition realized that our center backs couldn't connect with our midfield. Keane and Allan were two huge culprits. I think by playing 3 at the back we can give one of the CB's license to carry the ball a bit further out of defense and just hope that we either buy a holding midfielder or hope that we can coach the existing ones to pick up the ball and get up the pitch.
Either way, we cant be any worse at this than we were last season.
I think Dele will slot in well behind DCL and we'll likely see Iwobi and Myko at wing back.
I'd say Mina might be moved on so I'd expect a starting line up from the existing squad to be something like
-----------------Pickford
------Holgate, Tarkowski, Godfrey
Iwobi-------Allan-----Doucoure-----Myko
-----------Gordon---Dele--
----------------DCL
If that team could stay fit and hit a bit of form, no reason they couldn't be comfortably mid table.
Need a Gareth Barry type desperately tho.
FFS it's grim when I can't even see us winning that dog-fight table ?I'll do tiers because it is hard to split hairs on some:
Elite:
City
RS
CL level:
Chelsea
Tottenham
Arsenal
European competitors:
United
Leicester
Wham
Filling out the midtable:
Wolves
Palace
Brighton
Newcastle
Villa
Should have enough to stay safe:
Saints
Dogfight:
Everton
Leeds
Brentford
Fulham
Forest
Bournemouth
I would rate the situation as pretty bad. And since the teams around us seem to want to try and improve it could reach very bad.
Saints only finished 1 point ahead of us and have signed a load of unproven kids for relatively big fees for their ages. They will be in the dog fight.I'll do tiers because it is hard to split hairs on some:
Elite:
City
RS
CL level:
Chelsea
Tottenham
Arsenal
European competitors:
United
Leicester
Wham
Filling out the midtable:
Wolves
Palace
Brighton
Newcastle
Villa
Should have enough to stay safe:
Saints
Dogfight:
Everton
Leeds
Brentford
Fulham
Forest
Bournemouth
I would rate the situation as pretty bad. And since the teams around us seem to want to try and improve it could reach very bad.
Ok move them it's still grimSaints only finished 1 point ahead of us and have signed a load of unproven kids for relatively big fees for their ages. They will be in the dog fight.
Thats not true,Other than the reason that literally half of the eleven is relegation standard in those positions. There's that reason.
I disagree. All 3 CBs are relegation standard, Iwobi I like in midfield but will be about the 15th best RB, Doucoure painfully terrible, Gordon and Myko can both take a jump but weren't anything special last year and Alli has never played well in any position that isn't directly off the striker. I rate Allan but he's coming off of major surgery the wrong side of 30 so what are we really getting from him?Thats not true,
Every single one of that XI have shown at one point or another that they are good players. All of them.
Now Allan is not a holding mid,
Dele needs to find form,
Gordon needs to avoid the second season yips,
Godfrey needs to find his pre covid form.
there are lots of reasons they might be in a relegation battle, but the main one would be coaching and organization.
The management team have the players to finish mid table comfortably. Can they do it? I hope so.
ok, so in the team I posted, Dele is behind the striker.I disagree. All 3 CBs are relegation standard, Iwobi I like in midfield but will be about the 15th best RB, Doucoure painfully terrible, Gordon and Myko can both take a jump but weren't anything special last year and Alli has never played well in any position that isn't directly off the striker. I rate Allan but he's coming off of major surgery the wrong side of 30 so what are we really getting from him?
I'm confident from that team that DCL and Pickford are PL standard. It's rough.
that's ridiculous.Lack of quality additions says it all
Moshers is planning for the championship
I think it's well worse in a lot of areas than you've said and would be in the mix to go downok, so in the team I posted, Dele is behind the striker.
Doucoure was outstanding in his first season with us.
Gordon, for a 20 year old in a pressure cooker environment did great.
Allan is not a holding mid but does better further up, (hopefully Warrington can offer something at 6)
Godfrey, again excellent in his first season.
Iwobi did well at RWB
Myko improved every game he played and was well above relegation standard by the end of the season.
this could go on and on but, seeing what lampard got out of Iwobi gives me hope that a full preseason he might be able to get a few more to find their form.
One new centre half does not change us into relegation scrap avoidersthat's ridiculous.
We brought in a good center half.
We're clearly trying to get deals done but we're just out of a relegation scrap and not in Europe as well as being constrained by FFP.
Coming to Everton is not the easiest sell, add to that we've clearly learned our lesson from past seasons.
Be glad we're keeping our powder dry and not throwing gobs of cash at the next davy klassen.
I'd be really worried if this is the squad that we have an hour after the window closes but it won't be.One new centre half does not change us into relegation scrap avoiders
Fpp and the lack of business clearly shows what a mess we are in
Time will tell if we get any quality in to improve what is a wafer thin squad in areas