The Europeometer™ (2023/24)

[Optimistic Nut]

We need players back and fast. 

[The College Dropout]

19 minutes ago, Away Toon said:

I know that we are incredibly stretched and the squad in thread bare but even when  everyone is fit there are questions about what the  best position is for lots of our players. Hall doesn't look like a great LB prospect at this point. Is this his preferred position or just an assumption that this is the position we are buying him to grow into? Also seemingly without anyone really knowing their best position is Willock, Gordon and Joelinton.  I'm sure Bruno would be a better 8 than a 6 but until Miley is ready for the DM position or we buy someone like Phillips he'll have to play there. That presumes that Miley is a 6?

 

It's all very well having players who are flexible, but IMO Gordon will never be a CF, Big Joe never a top class  midfielder, Willock I've no idea at all what he's meant to be. Apart from being invisible most of the time. It's quite possible than Gordon, Willock, Joelinton and Barnes are all at their best in the same position which is very unlikely to be a good thing.

 

We also need to evolve our playing style if we are going to continue having top 4 aspirations every season. This rigid 433, high press, physicality is our identity, is all very well against the poorer teams but doesn't work against the best ones and if it means your players end up dropping like flies there has to be a plan B. We need IMO to evolve into a possession based team but that requires much better technical players than the ones we have. It's much less knackering having the ball than chasing around looking for it.

 

Anyhow onwards and upwards.

There are elite teams that are high press. But you need 22 players of the right quantity. We have about 18. And they need to be better technically than what we have. Dortmund are literally that side. Liverpool too.  With that higher quality technically you have players more capable of controlling a game with the ball. With everyone fit you eventually have Bruno - Tonali - another player of that quality. Then the next 3 coming in as necessary.  We have another wide option too and a higher quality 3rd CB and a better LB. 
 

we are only 1 or 2  injuries away from not being much of a technical team. With the 8-9 other injuries we lost our counter attacking bite.  
 

I do agree that the next 2-3 signings need to be better technically than even Tonali. 

[Andy]

I think top 4 is extremely unlikely now, and it shouldn't be the expectation.

 

City, Liverpool and Arsenal will finish top 3, and that fourth spot is going to be too hotly contested for such a thin and depleted squad IMO, especially when you have Spurs playing one game a week. Things may look different in January if we're out of Europe entirely and out of the Carling cup I suppose, but at the moment I'm feeling like we'll come 6th or 7th, which wouldn't be an an awful season all things considered.

[gbandit]

Certainly not going to be gutted if we don’t get top four, we did incredible last season to get there and the squad isn’t in a place where we can do CL football, challenge in the cups and finish top four. However, I do want us to fight for it all season and I hope we’re in with a chance with 8 games to go. I’d be disappointed if we finished below sixth but fifth or sixth would be amazing, with fifth being the dream due to possible CL football

[Choppy Chop Chop]

I'd settle for the FA cup 

[alexf]

Not to be a doom monger but I can't see this team..even if we can add Isak and maybe Barnes back soon being able to overturn the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Man U in the space of a week. It's possible and Eddie will have done amazing if he can get some results, but yesterday we were clearly stretched too far. 

 

All our better remaining senior players looked physically and mentally shattered (Trippier, Schar, Longstaff, Gordon, Joelinton, Willock). 

 

Add to that the need to play people like Ritchie, who have no business being on a premier league pitch in 2023 it was embarrassing watching him. 

 

Also the young lads like Hall and Miley and then Parkinson etc, who didn't disgrace themselves by any means, especially Miley who did well under the circumstances, but we are throwing them in at a rough moment and hoping they survive, which is not ideal for their development. 

 

I fear we will have a tough end to November and December. 

 

However once we start getting players back and likely drop out of europe unfortunately, maybe even the carabao. I think we will go on a strong run towards the back end of the season and it will be us chasing down the top 4 or 5 this year rather than being chased as we were last. 

[catlover24]

This team reminds me of Liverpool last season. Impacted by injuries but more than capable of a late surge. An Europa spot next season will be a good outcome in my opinion and a League Cup win will be even better! There’s a lot of football left to play.

[Likelylad]

I do think we’ll see a reaction from Eddie & the team on the 25th. 

We’ve certainly upset the established order mind. Arsenal, Man U & Liverpool fans all wildly celebrating the fact we lost. Rattled is an understatement. 

[King Billy]

Just now, Likelylad said:

I do think we’ll see a reaction from Eddie & the team on the 25th. 

We’ve certainly upset the established order mind. Arsenal, Man U & Liverpool fans all wildly celebrating the fact we lost. Rattled is an understatement. 

 

I would say Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United fans are just relieved one of their top four rivals lost to a side they weren't expected to. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Likelylad]

3 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

I would say Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United fans are just relieved one of their top four rivals lost to a side they weren't expected to. Nothing more, nothing less.

Have you seen the Twitter comments section? I will say however, that it seems to be the. How should I say, the foreign contingent. 
 

Tbf, Arsenal fans are still fuming about last week and Liverpool still seem outraged that we had the temerity to finish above them and take the CL spot. 

 

 

[South-Cheshire-Toon]

6 hours ago, Andy said:

I think top 4 is extremely unlikely now, and it shouldn't be the expectation.

 

City, Liverpool and Arsenal will finish top 3, and that fourth spot is going to be too hotly contested for such a thin and depleted squad IMO, especially when you have Spurs playing one game a week. Things may look different in January if we're out of Europe entirely and out of the Carling cup I suppose, but at the moment I'm feeling like we'll come 6th or 7th, which wouldn't be an an awful season all things considered.

 

Exactly, several years ago at this stage of the season most would have been saying 'I'm looking forward to the Derby with Sunderland', so all things granted - I'm happy that we're nowhere near being considered for relegation - that should be the first thing to be crossed off, the second is finishing in a good position, naturally, the higher the better, but events have gone against us so far, extra games, injuries.

 

To be honest I think Eddie has played the same players too often, not giving others a chance and also then resting them - it's all come back home to roost - but i think in the new year things will pick up.

 

[Optimistic Nut]

Get Bruno and Isak back and we might scrape 5th but it'll be very difficult. 

[SUPERTOON]

If we can stay relatively close come January then we still have a shot. Likely no Europe after Xmas so will have a pretty free run with no midweek games. The issue is we could well be miles off it by then based on current circumstances.

[Conjo]

3 hours ago, Likelylad said:

Have you seen the Twitter comments section?

 

 

 

Stop going on twitter. 

[wormy]

Think I've pretty consistently felt from the start that I'd be happy if we're simply in Europe next season, even if it's Conference from finishing 8th. I just want us to be able to keep building our coefficient. That remains the case.

 

I believed the club could hit higher but there's no denying that belief is taking a big hit with the current state of the squad.

[Kid Icarus]

Reminder that we're 2 points up on this point last season and 5 points up on a team-by-team basis vs last season. 

 

Having played much harder teams, played more games, and with an injury crisis.

 

If anything this season is much impressive so far than last. Dunno why anyone would draw any conclusions in November, having seen what we can do, with players to return, and 5th potentially being a CL place.

 

For all the talk of other teams improving, people seem to have forgotten those that have regressed or not improved at the same time. It's all about points total.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[Upthemags]

I think securing European football for next season, in any capacity, would be a success. We'd obliterate the Conference league with our quality if we finished that low in the table... (I believe 7th with the extra CL spot now?)

[Ronaldo]

2 minutes ago, wormy said:

Think I've pretty consistently felt from the start that I'd be happy if we're simply in Europe next season, even if it's Conference from finishing 8th. I just want us to be able to keep building our coefficient. That remains the case.

 

I believed the club could hit higher but there's no denying that belief is taking a big hit with the current state of the squad.

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

[SUPERTOON]

Just now, Ronaldo said:

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

Well Tonali won’t be going anywhere 

[jack j]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo said:

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

We will have about a billion to spend with ffp if we sold them next summer

[Optimistic Nut]

4 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

 

I think the bulk would hang around for a season if it looked like we'd finish in the top 4 again the following season, but they wouldn't if we're going to stay around 6-7th for any longer than a one-off.

[Yorkie]

5 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

 

We've said all along of Bruno that he might grow quicker than us. That could still turn out to be the case, assuming we 'regress' to a growth curve that's more realistic and less dramatic than the one we've recently been on. But none of them besides Tonali were signed with the promise of the CL; I don't think there's any certainty that they start looking for moves to avoid the awful burden of Europa football. 

[wormy]

10 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

I sincerely worry about holding on to certain players if we drop 4 places. Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman etc playing Europa Conference football isn’t right. 

 

I feel you've been scaremongering this before Botman and Isak's first season with us had even finished.

 

Yeah we'll have sold them on the progress we want to make but considering our CL return was clearly ahead of schedule I don't see them kicking up a fuss from one down year while we're clearly still a work in progress. If they do? I'll honestly be content with taking the money and trusting the club to find quality players that want to be there. 

[Likelylad]

32 minutes ago, Conjo said:

 

Stop going on twitter. 

I really should tbh. Alongside Newcastle losing and politics. It’s an awful place to peruse.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Likelylad

[Jaqen]

Really can't see anyone wanting away already. Any drop in position won't be down to a lack of ambition or fault of the team, it's just a brutal schedule with a ridiculous amount of injuries that is hurting us.

 

Our signings bought into the project and the bigger picture when they joined it would be odd if they suddenly wanted to jump ship after dropping a few places in really hard circumstances. We should be able to go pretty big in the summer window and I think we'll be in a really strong position to challenge for top four next season regardless of where we finish this one.