***Official*** English Football Season 2018-19

[flibbertyjibber]

Everton didn't pull any punches in their opening friendly, just the 22 goals....

Probably took them 4 months under BFS to score that many.

 

[cpr]

I'm never going to remember Dalot's name, he sounds like a PES master league generated player

 

[Uppercut]

Valencia is the least shite non-Bailly defender we have, and I’m fine with keeping him around while Dalot grows into the role.

All others need binned ASAP. They’d all struggle to get in a lower mid-table team.

 

[Tangles]

Valencia is the least shite non-Bailly defender we have, and I’m fine with keeping him around while Dalot grows into the role.

All others need binned ASAP. They’d all struggle to get in a lower mid-table team.

So Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Shaw, Young, Blind, Darmian and Lindelof? I don't disagree on some of them but if they haven't been moved on yet and Jose doesn't have the budget for 4-6 defenders he won't see other options. He is highly unlikely to play a kid in a competitive game. I think Shaw is going to wait out his contract so he can leave on a free. Not sure how many others are on their last year and may go the same.

 

[Niall]

Valencia is the least shite non-Bailly defender we have, and I’m fine with keeping him around while Dalot grows into the role.

All others need binned ASAP. They’d all struggle to get in a lower mid-table team.

He's offers nothing going forward whatsoever, Young is the inferior defender but at least he can create a chance or two, Valencia kills the momentum constantly, gets the ball and cuts inside and passes it backwards, its astonishing how limited he is attacking when you remember he was a fine winger in his day. You don't win leagues with mediocrity like him and Young as full backs. But heh they are work horses and keep there head down so Jose loves them.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Fullbacks is probably the biggest United issue. It may seem obscene to have spent over 120m on 3 fullbacks last year but boy did it work out for City (even if Delph played a lot of LB he was surprisingly good at it).

The CB's at United aren't that bad, and a good set of fullbacks would really go a long way to helping that issue IMO.

 

[sledger]

Fullback is one of the most important positions in any team imo. Teams with crap fullbacks don't win stuff.

 

[Uppercut]

He's offers nothing going forward whatsoever, Young is the inferior defender but at least he can create a chance or two, Valencia kills the momentum constantly, gets the ball and cuts inside and passes it backwards, its astonishing how limited he is attacking when you remember he was a fine winger in his day. You don't win leagues with mediocrity like him and Young as full backs. But heh they are work horses and keep there head down so Jose loves them.

Yeah I prefer Valencia. Much stronger and faster so he gets us up the pitch a bit. Really noticeable when he isn't playing. They do both badly need replaced though.

I think the way Mourinho plays requires better CBs. Citeh can get away with average ones because they never try to soak up pressure. If we're going to be sitting back all the time Jones/Smalling/Rojo/Lindelof won't come close to cutting it. I've tended to think of them as serviceable but if we're being brutally honest none of them would get in the Burnley or Bournemouth team. Obviously we can't bin them all at once but the more of them we replace the better.

 

[sledger]

Yeah I prefer Valencia. Much stronger and faster so he gets us up the pitch a bit. Really noticeable when he isn't playing. They do both badly need replaced though.

I think the way Mourinho plays requires better CBs. Citeh can get away with average ones because they never try to soak up pressure. If we're going to be sitting back all the time Jones/Smalling/Rojo/Lindelof won't come close to cutting it. I've tended to think of them as serviceable but if we're being brutally honest none of them would get in the Burnley or Bournemouth team. Obviously we can't bin them all at once but the more of them we replace the better.

They're the kind of players who if one of them had to come into an otherwise good defence to cover for a couple of games you'd probably think "yeah fair enough", but any situation in which you regularly need to resort to more than one of them at a time is pretty unsatisfactory indeed.

Trying to work out how many of them would get into Arsenal's defence now. None better than Koscielny probably, but the rest of Arsenal's centre backs are fairly untrustworthy or unproven. Will be interesting seeing what impact is had by Sokratis.

 

[Uppercut]

They're the kind of players who if one of them had to come into an otherwise good defence to cover for a couple of games you'd probably think "yeah fair enough", but any situation in which you regularly need to resort to more than one of them at a time is pretty unsatisfactory indeed.

Trying to work out how many of them would get into Arsenal's defence now. None better than Koscielny probably, but the rest of Arsenal's centre backs are fairly untrustworthy or unproven. Will be interesting seeing what impact is had by Sokratis.

I thought Koscielny's form fell off a cliff last year, and word from Dortmund is that Sokratis is on the way down too, as you'd expect given their age. But I'd be really surprised if both aren't still better than any non-Bailly United CBs. Callum Chambers is on a similar level to our wheel of mediocrity, but at an age where he still has a reasonable chance of improving.

 

[sledger]

I thought Koscielny's form fell off a cliff last year, and word from Dortmund is that Sokratis is on the way down too, as you'd expect given their age. But I'd be really surprised if both aren't still better than any non-Bailly United CBs. Callum Chambers is on a similar level to our wheel of mediocrity, but at an age where he still has a reasonable chance of improving.

Haha yeah, it's why I rather optimistically said probably rather than definitely tbh. A few years ago he was great, but I wonder if he's close to being done. Sokratis I am not so worried about in terms of fitness and form and so on, but it sounds a bit like he is pretty limited when it comes to actual footballing. Not seen enough to really comment on that.

Apparently Chambers is now going to play in the holding role under Emery, an idea that fills me with a sense of disquiet.

 

[Uppercut]

Haha yeah Chambers as DM sounds like a comically bad idea.

 

[sledger]

Haha yeah Chambers as DM sounds like a comically bad idea.

I'm somewhat doubtful that it will happen. Probably just a way of getting him a run out during the friendly the other day.

Given that Torreira and Guendouzi have been signed, and apparently N'zonzi could apparently soon join as well, it would seem mad for Chambers playing as at DM to be a realistic prospect.

 

[Tangles]

Yeah I prefer Valencia. Much stronger and faster so he gets us up the pitch a bit. Really noticeable when he isn't playing. They do both badly need replaced though.

I think the way Mourinho plays requires better CBs. Citeh can get away with average ones because they never try to soak up pressure. If we're going to be sitting back all the time Jones/Smalling/Rojo/Lindelof won't come close to cutting it. I've tended to think of them as serviceable but if we're being brutally honest none of them would get in the Burnley or Bournemouth team. Obviously we can't bin them all at once but the more of them we replace the better.

Our current CBs benefit from DDG behind them and 2 DMs screening them. Imagine how bad it would be without DDG saving us points on a regular basis. Jose does like the team to be able to soak up pressure and defend a 1 goal lead so maybe he does need better defenders for that. I don't think we have the money for better CBs or fullbacks in the current market tbh. Might help to stop stockpiling squad players though.

 

[Niall]

Yeah I prefer Valencia. Much stronger and faster so he gets us up the pitch a bit. Really noticeable when he isn't playing. They do both badly need replaced though.

I think the way Mourinho plays requires better CBs. Citeh can get away with average ones because they never try to soak up pressure. If we're going to be sitting back all the time Jones/Smalling/Rojo/Lindelof won't come close to cutting it. I've tended to think of them as serviceable but if we're being brutally honest none of them would get in the Burnley or Bournemouth team. Obviously we can't bin them all at once but the more of them we replace the better.

Lindelof looked hopeless last season, but to be fair was very good in the world cup, I dunno if I'd be quick to bin him as the other disasters you have named. Jose has got rid of Blind which is a good thing, but so much dross that needs binned to say the least.

 

[Uppercut]

We definitely have the money, it just depends whether they want to spend it or keep it.

Lindelof was OK at the World Cup. If he wasn’t already here nobody would pick him out as someone we should sign. He’s already 24 and isn’t particularly big, strong, or fast, nor is he anything special on the ball. So even the best case scenario isn’t that great- I don’t think it’s physically possible that he’d even get close to Bailly’s level, let alone Varane’s or Boateng’s. And he was absolutely terrible in the few minutes he played, unspeakably bad. I don’t know why he was signed.

 

[Tangles]

Lindelof was 30.75M and isn't good enough for Jose. So a defender who would be good enough would be 50-60? No idea actually. So say just getting a CB and a LB would be a decent investment.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Sky saying Chelsea want Cech back. bet the Arsenal fans would drive him there themselves.

 

[sledger]

Got no beef but wouldn't be especially sad to see him go.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I look forward to Klopps' resignation