The College Dropout

We could genuinely rotate Isak ands Osimhen though for a season. Then Osimhen can finally get his Saudi move. Even then I think we go 2 uptop, Isak drops a bit deeper.

If the game is in the balance, he's not getting 20-30 minutes regularly. More like 5-10 as fresh legs if we are winning by a single goal. Maybe 15-20 if going 2 up becomes our chasing option. He only gets 20-30 when a game is handily won imo. Pre-Christmas there will only be a maximum of 2/3 League Cup games right? He could start a PL game against a promoted side but even then i'm not confident. Rather give Isak 45-70 minutes to win the game. He would be an ok understudy for the Isak injury though. But like would he have started Everton, knowing Isak was at 70% - I think Isak starts. I agree with this. But I also think your teams best player - as a lone striker - is almost always going to get flogged. Less than Isak aye but he's getting flogged regardless. Salah - 4.5k minutes this season Kylian Mbappe - 4.6k Lamine Yamal - 4.5k We should work on his stamina - and it has gotten better this season when fully fit. But we should also adapt our tactical approach to be less intensive for him. And as you say, we need to lower the threshold of when he's subbed/benched by having better bench options. But.... he's still going to get flogged to some degree is my point I guess. It's the nature of being a star man. You can't then also flog your entire midfield 3 on top.

I agree with this. I just don’t see the value in a fee for a backup striker alone. Alvarez/Marmoush types that can play with the star striker is the way to go. Either 10 or wide.

Point is when is he actually going to play? It doesn’t make sense to spend £25m on a player who will only play when a single player is injured or when a game is already won. It’s not like he’s a kid with massive potential either.

I don’t see the logic of paying a decent fee for a player that will be strict backup. Isak will still start every game he is 80% fit for and the other player will be on the bench. A worthwhile understudy needs to be able to play with Isak either at 10 or RW. That way you can get a higher calibre of player.

I think a 10/striker hybrid and a change of system is on the cards. It probably means we could get away with a free/cheap CM as effectively 6th choice CM. Id take JP for £60m + Gomes/Doucoure for ‘free’. If we planned to play with JP at the 10 a lot of the time. Both would be backup in that system. And next up in a 433 if needed. That should still allow us to buy a RW and CB imo.

I has to watch the game on a stream. Only Amazon were showing the game for a fee!

There are question marks about him mentally/physically. Pep is probably the best manager for him. If he can’t respect and work hard for Pep, he’ll never do it. Either Pep or Carlo.

Wonderfully gifted player. Cherki is one of the best players in the world to watch

Think he’s good tbh. Was stellar at the euros.

He’s on the peptides

Yeh - unfortunately. It's a bit late but they should've insisted we were invited to the CWC. I've long thought Saudi should throw their own competition pay megabucks to 8 clubs and invite us. But I don't think they care about us to that extent.

And Ekitike apparently. No club should be allowed to spend what Chelsea have spent and will spend over the last few seasons. They already had the deepest squad in the league and they’re adding 2 top quality strikers to it. The overall squad is already crazy good talent wise. Thats how they’ve gone 5th, 4th - it’s still a fairly bang average team but the sheer number of quality players they can call on is crazy

IMO we were shopping him on the sly. Assume that release clause is no more too. That's partly the purpose I guess. I feel like I was one of the first to point out how slow he is before he joined. It largely doesn't matter, he's so aggressive and committed. I now think it's overblown on here. Someone like Jonjo Shelvey literally couldn't run. He couldn't get up and down the pitch physically so he had to play a fairly rigid role. Bruno is now tasked with going box to box and he does it manfully - he's just a bit slow and tired. He's not got that super athlete gene but he's plenty mobile and runs the hardest yards.

Not true. Villa play a variation of 4231 - 3 5 2 in possession, mostly 442 out of possession. Similar with Alvarez era Man City. Liverpool often play with 2 behind a more attacking midfielder. From memory Slot rarely has them flat it’s usually 1 sitting and 2 going or the inverse. 4-2-4 in a high press which we sometimes do as well. If you have a genuine attacker as a 10 he’s going to struggle positionally in a flat misfield 5 often. I use formation a lot. But in reality modern systems are fluid. There’s nothing default turgid about 2 central midfielders and an attacker/midfielder between the lines and a striker. Same with back 5 - it just comes with some concession in certain spaces and different profiles.

Typically playing 3 games every 8 days. Tuesday weekend wednesday weekend tuesday etc. At least one of those rounds is league cup. But you play 6 CL games before New Years. Most likely 4 after new years (2 group stage and 2 play off or R16), plus Fa cup and league cup hopefully. If everyone’s fit Bruno G and Tonali would sit out… 3 games? 2 in the league cup. 1 in the Fa cup. Every league game and CL game they would start if fit.

NONSENSE

Guessand passed the 5 minute scout test

We don’t think Tonali joined as a highest earner or close?

Is it? I'd expect Bruno with a CL bonus to be close to 200k. Any Isak extension would be there.

£120m would be less than £50m in amortised cost net. I would double that spend and sell next June if necessary.

More than semi decent. He's good and composed. When Arsenal tried to press him he passed it out calmly. Doesn't shank em like the Chelsea GK does all the time.

Big advantage of Elanga is that he's two-footed. Only scored 11 PL goals, but 6 with his left, 5 with his right or something like that.

We play with 3 midfielders. You only need 1 player of 3 to get injured, suspended or need a rest to play. We will play 3x a week, every week from September to January excluding international breaks. That's loads of starts and minutes of the bench for another CM. I like the idea of signing a JP/Cunha/Alvarez type. Could drop a CM and play as a 10. Or play instead of Isak in our current setup.

Why would we sign Matt O'Riley? Onana level minimum. Aye Krafth and Lascelles are injury crisis players. That's fine.