Loyalblue

We've downgraded on Maresca haven't we

Hope for the best but a coach with so little experience is an incredible accident waiting to happen. In fact most of the recruitment of players defies logic and we can forget about trophies or CL qualification for next season or ever again. So sorry for all.

Hope for the best but a coach with so little experience is an incredible accident waiting to happen. In fact most of the recruitment of players defies logic and we can forget about trophies or CL qualification for next season or ever again. So sorry for all.

We will be slaughtered with that defence

If you a true footballer you can fit into any system. That's actually quite ridiculous cliche fans make of players.

Ok I will let them know

It will be a very pleasant surprise if we can manage a win, holding thumbs

We've doing that for ages though. It was Emenalo and Granovskaia who first cut the number of scouts we had in favour of an analytics-based approach, doubling down on the approach in 2019. Analytics identified the targets, and only then scouts were sent to watch them. Since Emenalo and Arnesen were brought in, we have always had sporting directors who identified young talents for long-term investment, rather than purely based on what the manager wanted/needed at the time. None of that has substantially changed, and signings like Palmer, Sancho, Caicedo, Estevao, Paez and Fernandez were not identified by analytics, but by scouting. A closer look reveals that many of our reported targets and signings (Madueke, Sancho, Palmer, Bynoe-Gittins, Olise etc...) are all well-known English academy products from its most recent 'golden generation'.
The real issue is that the club continue to believe that these products will simply develop in a vacuum, devoid of any real coaching, competition or active management. Like a computer game, they expect these players to simple be programmed to reach their potential as they age with no extraneous effort. Of course, great players are shaped and formed and mentored by senior, experienced professionals and coaches who set the standard through leadership and a culture of success. We absolutely do not have that and unfortunately our upper management do not believe it is necessary. Who will help Estevao settle in London? Who will stand up for him when he is kicked off the park? Who will model professional training habits to a pampered generational talent like Kendry Paez? I think we are signing very talented players on paper, but we do not have the framework to help them come close to their potential.

Seems like it was entirely based on data analytics rather than actually watching them play, like scouting used to work. It is fine to invest in some potential, but you are likely to find more players that fail to fulfill their potential, than those that succeed. That is why a strategy based entirely on young players with potential is unlikely to help us build a better team.

Ok I will let them know

Ok I will let them know