its the big delusion that this squad is good enough. We have spent 1bn and the squad lacks a proven goal scorer, leadership, physicality and PL readiness. Cant believe that people have watch PL for so long and still come up with the conclusion that these ingredients are not needed in a successful PL team. Yes, there have been some good buys like Gusto, Petrovic, Palmer, Jackson, Carney and Badiashile. The rest have either been average buys or overpriced players who are not justifying their fee. For the combined money that we spent on Mudryk, Madueke, Disasi, Sanchez and Cucurella we could have got players who are PL ready and immediately elevate us. These are bang average / poor players.
Next probably and probably more controversial thing is our midfield pivot. In time people will realize that the 200m spent on this pivot is not the optimum use of 200m. They get dominated by average midfields. Caicedo is a 40m midfielder at most and we paid 3 times more. Enzo needed a different profile alongside him not someone who looked great in Brighton's system, lacks physicality, shows rashness in tackles & get bundled over / dispossessed easily.
I agree that Poch deserves alot of blame but i think the penny will drop next season with most of these players when they fail under another manager & we have another poor season.
The issue is the squad. It's not - currently - better than a mid table squad, both in terms of the imbalance of its make up or the wholly understandable game-to-game (or maybe half-to-half) inconsistency. Pochettino is doing ok. He is asking the squad to play a pretty straightforward way, and they sometimes struggle to do that coherently. Bringing in someone else - especially someone with a more complex game model - could see the squad struggle further. There is no one out there riding to our rescue. The new ownership, through their decision making, have set us on a path of long term pain. I daresay Poch's days are numbered -and if he told us to stick it, who would blame him? - so in due course we will see. But if the new guy has largely the same squad to work with then do not expect miracles.
We've conceded 44 goals in 26 league games this season, with only 5 clean sheets. We need to return to having a miserly defence. If we're not going to win then we have to ensure that we're not get beaten! Defences, after all, win titles.
We've also only won 15 in the last 55 league games:
Crystal Palace x3
Fulham x2
Bournemouth x2
Luton x2
Leeds
Leicester
Burnley
Spurs
Brighton
Sheff Utd
For me, we need a new manager who has a track record of the following:
1) champions league qualification, ideally from the Premier league
2) has lifted silverware and, by definition, knows how to win
3) improves players. This squad needs to be coached, rather than managed
4) ideally, has a track record of promoted academy players to the first team.
These owners and sporting directors will never appointment a top level coach and quite frankly why would a high level coach even come here? The squad has effectively already been built barring a striker, they won't have any control or say in players coming or going, the owners have put a lot of them who are bang average signings barring palmer and gusto who have delivered on long term deals 7/8 years so a new coach who won't rate or fancy a lot of these players is completely stuck with them while he's manager, we need to face reality we are a mid table club now and that won't change for a few more years yet, we've consistently appointed mid level managers, employed mid level sporting directors who are completely useless in terms of player Id and have owners that have spent a billion on bang average overpriced footballers who only a couple have worked that I said above, the rest are injury prone or average at best
100%
100%
How could you say "Sam Jewell apart" when he's not even started working for us?
its the big delusion that this squad is good enough. We have spent 1bn and the squad lacks a proven goal scorer, leadership, physicality and PL readiness. Cant believe that people have watch PL for so long and still come up with the conclusion that these ingredients are not needed in a successful PL team. Yes, there have been some good buys like Gusto, Petrovic, Palmer, Jackson, Carney and Badiashile. The rest have either been average buys or overpriced players who are not justifying their fee. For the combined money that we spent on Mudryk, Madueke, Disasi, Sanchez and Cucurella we could have got players who are PL ready and immediately elevate us. These are bang average / poor players.
Next probably and probably more controversial thing is our midfield pivot. In time people will realize that the 200m spent on this pivot is not the optimum use of 200m. They get dominated by average midfields. Caicedo is a 40m midfielder at most and we paid 3 times more. Enzo needed a different profile alongside him not someone who looked great in Brighton's system, lacks physicality, shows rashness in tackles & get bundled over / dispossessed easily.
I agree that Poch deserves alot of blame but i think the penny will drop next season with most of these players when they fail under another manager & we have another poor season.
The issue is the squad. It's not - currently - better than a mid table squad, both in terms of the imbalance of its make up or the wholly understandable game-to-game (or maybe half-to-half) inconsistency. Pochettino is doing ok. He is asking the squad to play a pretty straightforward way, and they sometimes struggle to do that coherently. Bringing in someone else - especially someone with a more complex game model - could see the squad struggle further. There is no one out there riding to our rescue. The new ownership, through their decision making, have set us on a path of long term pain. I daresay Poch's days are numbered -and if he told us to stick it, who would blame him? - so in due course we will see. But if the new guy has largely the same squad to work with then do not expect miracles.
very well said. Some of these guys cant pick out the right pass in a simple structure...
give them these complex automations & they will look even more lost
If only we knew who hired the SDs, hired and continues to employ poch, and set the vision for the club.
Poch may be floundering but I bet he gets his team meeting recaps to Behdad on time.
I agree with everything in this article.
We've conceded 44 goals in 26 league games this season, with only 5 clean sheets. We need to return to having a miserly defence. If we're not going to win then we have to ensure that we're not get beaten! Defences, after all, win titles.
We've also only won 15 in the last 55 league games:
Crystal Palace x3
Fulham x2
Bournemouth x2
Luton x2
Leeds
Leicester
Burnley
Spurs
Brighton
Sheff Utd
For me, we need a new manager who has a track record of the following:
1) champions league qualification, ideally from the Premier league
2) has lifted silverware and, by definition, knows how to win
3) improves players. This squad needs to be coached, rather than managed
4) ideally, has a track record of promoted academy players to the first team.
I said this when Luke wrote an article last week.
Many teams above AND below us are better teams, have better managers & and have a clear identity.
This squad is Top 8 all day long.
We are 11th!
We keep conceding THE same goals week after week.
Brentford have the highest stats in the Prem for crossing.
What so we do?
Let them cross for fun
Both of their goals came from crosses.
They also hit the Post twice from crosses.
Absolutely pathetic!
It's been the same all season.
Allardyce said the first thing he'd do, is sort out the defence.
That's how obvious it is to see.
Poch has improved nothing.
We have always been 2 games away from disaster under him.
We need someone who can bond with the fans & the club.
You EARN that right from the fan base.
Luke you asked who my choice would be?
I'll get Anorim in and make JT his assistant.
These owners and sporting directors will never appointment a top level coach and quite frankly why would a high level coach even come here? The squad has effectively already been built barring a striker, they won't have any control or say in players coming or going, the owners have put a lot of them who are bang average signings barring palmer and gusto who have delivered on long term deals 7/8 years so a new coach who won't rate or fancy a lot of these players is completely stuck with them while he's manager, we need to face reality we are a mid table club now and that won't change for a few more years yet, we've consistently appointed mid level managers, employed mid level sporting directors who are completely useless in terms of player Id and have owners that have spent a billion on bang average overpriced footballers who only a couple have worked that I said above, the rest are injury prone or average at best