Squad depth chart summer 2018

[bond85]

Its all a waiting game at the moment...sadly a few fans are losing their minds...no dunkirk spirit.



Its a cliche these days but this is a season to bring through the young players. Last season we didnit a little (stats would say a lot) but we really need to ensure that the squad can be filled with these kids so we can;

1-- Build a new squad and ethos.

2-- Jettison the older / poorer players from the squad

3-- Mould a team and style together.

2 great examples you have highlighted.

Gana: Class player but only useful as a DM. If he played alongside a deep lying playmaker then it works but otherwise i cant see him fitting in either...gone in a season.

Daviea: Im not concerned about his gametime in terms of quantity. Hes the youngest of the young group and just needs quality games and to be morphed into a position.



The defence can actually look very strong IF

1-- Coleman performs to his old standard and Kenny keeps improving.

2-- Holgate is first choice and continues developing.

3-- A star partner for Holgate is signed, a youngish player so they can build a long term understanding.

4-- Robinson comes through this or next season...also a top Baines replacement (again young) is signed.

The key is consistently getting the players together and focus on defending as a unit, like Arsenal used to do.

With Pickford behind them then its a great opportunity to really form a sold backline.




It isnt so bad though is it?

We simply had Koeman and Allardyce last season.

Pickford is now feeling like a star
Coleman is back with a full preseason
Holgate can be trained
New CB + LB incoming

Lookman is back feeling like a star
Dowell should get his chance
Davies now has a suitable system
Tosun is used to the players

Etc etc...lots of positives.

Focus should be on selling.

You're absolutely right, mate. Our youngsters seem to be a tight-knit and cohesive group, and they are all used to playing together (and, more importantly: win together). I think the recent World Cup, as well as England's performances in youth tournaments, shows that the reward for giving (good enough) youngsters a chance can be quite high. And our current crop of youngsters are the best in their age group in the country.

This alone will of course not be enough, but I hope the club will be pro-active in their development. Play Kenny, not Martina. Play Lookman, not Mirallas. Play DCL, not Niasse. Play Holgate, not Williams. Play Dowell, not Bolasie. Even if only some of them develops into senior England players of a high level, we will be in an exciting position going forward. The essential thing is playing them, so I couldn't agree more with you.

Add the 23 year-old with potential instead of the 29 year-old ("We need more players in the right age"?), buy the Calvert-Lewin and Lookman (or the Werner and the Lozano - before they are stars) instead of the Kone and the Bolasie.

 

[bond85]

From a tactical viewpoint it's nice to see Silva going with much of the same vs. Bury as he did against Irdning. Not very surprising, bearing in mind how bad the Austrians were. Another chance to see if we're shaping up in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 (guess it will shift throughout the game, though - formation is not much more than a number these days).

Mirallas for Lookman is, at least on paper, a like-for-like substitution, since both are direct, fast and can beat a man (though Lookman can also beat good players). Jags for Holgate the same.

Will try to keep an extra eye out for four things this evening:

- Does there seem to be a tactical difference in how our left and right wingers are positioned, and how they operate when in possession? Or are they both given the same tactical instructions?

- Who are providing the width - the full-backs, the wingers or both?

- What are the right central midfielder's role when not in possession, and how does he operate when we win the ball in our own half (counter-attacks)?

- Is there a difference (and if so, how big?) in how much the central midfielder (Schneiderlin) and the left central midfielder (Davies) are supporting the attack?

Feel free to join in!