Deuce

*curl of the monkey’s paw*

Over a decade ago ffs

He’s nee Bruno Fernanch creatively but we were at one point talking about him as one of the most complete midfielders in the world. He’s got that Schweinsteiger-esque dog in him.

I know he’s struggled with long passes this year, but I swear we’ve seen him consistently deliver pinpoint accurate passes in the past.

Talented player but dumb as rocks.

He’s just not an out-and-out defensive midfielder. He naturally wants to push forward, which is partially why we’ve been caught out on the break with huge amounts of space between midfield and defense. In a perfect world I think he works best in the Big Joe role, as a workhorse, ball-winning central midfielder. But one who can also hit a nice thru ball and will have a decent whack from 30 yards out. Feeling like the dude in the Rockwell painting at this point, but dropping a true holding midfielder into the XI would let Tonali and Bruno cook. Those two are creative enough to mitigate the need for an advanced attacking midfielder.

Perfect

He’s second fiddle to Kane and doesn’t get consistent extended playing time.

Hope we have a good go of the CL but I’m ready to close the book on the rest of it.

Wasting good thread bandwidth here

Missing that Patrick Zabi touch out there

this one hurts.

2022 brought us Tripps, Bruno, and Burn, but 2013’s French Revolution still might be my favorite January window for the absurdity of it.

Areet crumpy

I’m in the “happy, but w/ gripes” camp. There are enough extenuating circumstances (CEO/DoF turnover, Isak ratfuckery, etc.) that he deserves a flyer on this season and a chance to have a fully-functioning front office in place over the summer to manage transfers. And I think we’d have to be in dire fucking straits to even entertain the thought of sacking him next season. My gripes are mostly limited to tactics and game management. While he’s shown that he’s capable of making tactical changes on occasion (e.g. PSG away), I do think he’s entirely wedded to hard-pressing, direct football, with a flat midfield three and athletic, speedy wingers. Which has its obvious limitations (difficulty in breaking through a low block, acres of space between midfield and defense). Maybe at full strength and with a refreshed squad, we’ll be back to our old ways. But there’s a lingering doubt in the back of my mind that he can evolve us to not only progress, but even to sustain our current level of success. I really don’t know why our away form has taken a nosedive this season, or why we’ve generally looked better in the cup competitions than in the league. It’s a strange season overall.

Only 28. Coulda sworn he was well into his 30s

Lascelles salary off the books.

You’re telling me we had the chance to sign a Coupe de France runner up, and failed?

Unpopular opinion: professional football contracts should be publicly available.

The trick is replacing Burn, Schar, and Trippier in the starting XI while maintaining the leadership and mentorship they provide.

Been a faithful servant for more than a decade. Wish him nothing but the best.