Zatara
Player Valuation: £100m
I think you are overrating some players here..
It was more about having quality and also having depth which we havent had in a long time.
On paper good Zat, how many goals this season have those 7 players got though?
I know, but i cant see how to best judge players under Benitez.
Leicester are 12th for example and have Vardy, Iheanacho, Maddison, Daka, Barnes, Lookman, Perez, Albrigton.. I’d take that lot ahead of ours all day.
I think DCL, Richarlison, Gordon, Gray and Dele are all better players than Leicester's aside from Vardy (35 now) and Barnes.
Overrating too many of these. All the top 6 have better options. Leicester probably do as well.
I’ve always thought we have a top ten forward line, a bottom half midfield (although improved by VdB), and one of the worst defences in the league.
Banking on our decent forwards and goalkeeper being the difference between us and the teams at the bottom.
If we were to go with 3 across the top and had DCL, Richarlison, Dele, Gordon, Gray and Dobbin then its 6 players competing for 3 positions -- which is ideal.
City, RS, United and Chelsea have better.
Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham and Villa have a couple of very good players but dont have the depth across the front.
I think what we lack are the players behind them (like you stated) to bring out the best in the forward line.
With Richarlison, he actually has everything, he's a fantastic and a wonderfully committed player.
On paper i think we 'could' be the 5th or 6th best attacking unit in the league but we need that unit to actually learn to play as a unit -- most of them are too selfish when it makes more sense to pass.
Richarlison needs to be tied down to a long term deal. I expect next season in a front foot, high pressing attacking team he'll have a standout role.
Not to elevate things too much but Suarez was hitting 1 in 3 for another 2 seasons before he morphed into a world class player.
Preseason will be critical with Lampard drilling the players on interplay and movement...our forward line can all interchange and I think and am hopeful that it will see the emergence of Richarlison as an elite player.