47 minutes ago, HazardousChoice said:

Raphina is also a far better player than either of those 3 could dream of being.

All 3 have ended up at Wingback precisely because they're not good enough in their actual positions to get near the team.

You'd hope that wouldn't be the case for Raphina

He has also had one good season in the PL, good but not great imo.

Now if you ask me if you have the opportunity to join a club like Chelsea and work with TT but chose Arsenal and Arteta there is something wrong with you. Sure if it is City or Pool you pick them, they have 2 of the best managers about, amazing squads and will be fighting for every trophy, but Arsenal? Come on, you should be willing to play in goal to make it as Chelsea over joining Arsenal. Even Spurs are better than them now.

On 26/06/2022 at 00:50, axman2526 said:

Fair point, he has seen CHO, RLC and CP play there out of position.

😄😄 It is funny, I want to say no way we will play rapinha there but you are right. We have seen Ziyech, CHO, puli as wb. Pretty much all of our wingers has a stint as wb

Last year he got the benefit of the doubt re his involvement with the Lukaku deal but if the reports are true that he's pushing hard on Sterling and De Ligt then it's on him if they don't work.

How our new signings (including loan returns) get on will be how I assess his medium/long term suitability for us.

Sounds like we are pushing hard for De Ligt right now. In negotiations with Juve as we speak according to the best sources. He'd be brilliant in my view. Long term successor for Silva and a very, very good CB already at 22.

Apparently Kounde is now on our list of targets for the summer anymore. If thats true it must mean that he was another club target all along.

 

My ideal TT team come the end of summer:

Would see us switch to a 433 like TT's PSG which also played 343 in game

 

Let's utilise a 3rd central midfielder rather than starting with 5 out and out defenders every game. James and Chilwell with the right structure in place can still do what they do at full back.

If we sign Dembele and Sterling I can only see us using a 433 that shifts into 343 like at PSG. Because sticking with 3421 as the starting formation would mean only 1 of Sterling or Dembele would really be starting since im expecting TT will start Havertz and Mount.
Playing a 433 allows us to bring Gallagher into the fold whilst maintaining 3 other attacking players.                           

35 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

My ideal TT team come the end of summer:

Would see us switch to a 433 like TT's PSG which also played 343 in game

 

Let's utilise a 3rd central midfielder rather than starting with 5 out and out defenders every game. James and Chilwell with the right structure in place can still do what they do at full back.

If we sign Dembele and Sterling I can only see us using a 433 that shifts into 343 like at PSG. Because sticking with 3421 as the starting formation would mean only 1 of Sterling or Dembele would really be starting since im expecting TT will start Havertz and Mount.
Playing a 433 allows us to bring Gallagher into the fold whilst maintaining 3 other attacking players.                           

🥴

Connectors 😅

On 15/06/2022 at 20:46, Sconnie Blue said:

Mount Rice Gallagher midfield is a Lampard wet dream. 

We already saw how two attacking 8s and a DM doesn't work. 

City manage it alright. Prime Barca made it work. With the right manager it absolutely can work, especially with Mount and Gallagher's work rates.

Stuck it in the Raphinha thread but might be better in here:

I'd like to think Tuchel might be going back to his PSG 433.

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt Chilwell

Jorginho

Kovacic     Mount

Raphinha     Havertz     Sterling

Realistically you swap Jorginho for someone like Declan Rice then stylistically it suits Tuchel's PSG more as he used to have Marquinhos playing that role. Tuchel used to have Neymar playing central and dropping deep to collect the ball, seems like the perfect role for Kai too. My only worry would of course be whether T.Silva can still operate in a 4.

Seeing Longtimelurker's post too it quite easily transitions into the back three too that he used to favour, you'd probably have Kai at CF coming deeper rather than Sterling off the LW though like so:

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt

Jorginho Kovacic

Mount Havertz

Raphinha Sterling Chilwell

50 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Stuck it in the Raphinha thread but might be better in here:

I'd like to think Tuchel might be going back to his PSG 433.

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt Chilwell

Jorginho

Kovacic     Mount

Raphinha     Havertz     Sterling

Realistically you swap Jorginho for someone like Declan Rice then stylistically it suits Tuchel's PSG more as he used to have Marquinhos playing that role. Tuchel used to have Neymar playing central and dropping deep to collect the ball, seems like the perfect role for Kai too. My only worry would of course be whether T.Silva can still operate in a 4.

Seeing Longtimelurker's post too it quite easily transitions into the back three too that he used to favour, you'd probably have Kai at CF coming deeper rather than Sterling off the LW though like so:

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt

Jorginho Kovacic

Mount Havertz

Raphinha Sterling Chilwell

And Kante ?

Sold, or £290K a week bench warmer ?

11 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

And Kante ?

Sold, or £290K a week bench warmer ?

Him and Kovacic share that role seeing one of them is usually injured. I imagine we get another season out of Kante then he'd be looking to move on.

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Stuck it in the Raphinha thread but might be better in here:

I'd like to think Tuchel might be going back to his PSG 433.

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt Chilwell

Jorginho

Kovacic     Mount

Raphinha     Havertz     Sterling

Realistically you swap Jorginho for someone like Declan Rice then stylistically it suits Tuchel's PSG more as he used to have Marquinhos playing that role. Tuchel used to have Neymar playing central and dropping deep to collect the ball, seems like the perfect role for Kai too. My only worry would of course be whether T.Silva can still operate in a 4.

Seeing Longtimelurker's post too it quite easily transitions into the back three too that he used to favour, you'd probably have Kai at CF coming deeper rather than Sterling off the LW though like so:

Mendy

James Silva De Ligt

Jorginho Kovacic

Mount Havertz

Raphinha Sterling Chilwell

Havertz has to play as a 9.

On 27/06/2022 at 08:47, axman2526 said:

He has also had one good season in the PL, good but not great imo.

Mané was also just a good player at Soton but he was something else entirely when paired in the right system. Hope we can replicate that with Raphinha

20 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Havertz has to play as a 9.

He is the number 9 per se, it just transitions differently in the build up with the number 9 dropping deeper and runners getting in behind, the same role Neymar took up at PSG.

Please be true. TT is a troll! 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10968209/Theres-daddy-Tuchels-joke-Lukakus-bond-Conte-broke-relationship.html

6 hours ago, Jezz said:

Please be true. TT is a troll! 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10968209/Theres-daddy-Tuchels-joke-Lukakus-bond-Conte-broke-relationship.html

Oh it's definitely true and it's so like him 😂

 

Is this the options for the back 3 we are likely to see?

 

Ake or Colwill

Silva or De Ligt or Chalobah

De ligt or Chalobah or James

 

 

16 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Is this the options for the back 3 we are likely to see?

 

Ake or Colwill

Silva or De Ligt or Chalobah

De ligt or Chalobah or James

 

 

I wouldn't bank on De Ligt just yet

8 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

I wouldn't bank on De Ligt just yet

Aye I don't, however I do think Juve are desperate for us to buy him, which is why the higher ups at that club keep making noise about it.

They want to offload their top earner and get the 80mill euros to replace him with Koulibaly from Napoli and Bremer from Torino at no addition cost.

On 29/06/2022 at 23:22, Deino said:

Mané was also just a good player at Soton but he was something else entirely when paired in the right system. Hope we can replicate that with Raphinha

Mane scored 25 goals in his two seasons at Southampton and was unquestionably their best player, Raphinha's scored just 17. Granted he isn't expected to be as much of a goalscorer but I don't think they're comparable.

37 minutes ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Mane scored 25 goals in his two seasons at Southampton and was unquestionably their best player, Raphinha's scored just 17. Granted he isn't expected to be as much of a goalscorer but I don't think they're comparable.

There are plenty of other comparisons to be used if you don't agree with the Mane one. Fact is, Raphinha scored 11 goals from the wings playing for Leeds producing more than Ziyech in the same league from the same position. 

My initial point is taking the best talents from lower clubs in the same league is a strategy that has worked a majority of time. I see Raphinha as that good of a player with the right tactics and personnel around him. 

20 minutes ago, Deino said:

My initial point is taking the best talents from lower clubs in the same league is a strategy that has worked a majority of time. I see Raphinha as that good of a player with the right tactics and personnel around him. 

It's hit and miss but you're only remembering for the hits.

For every Mane and Cahill

There's a Maguire,  a Lukaku,  a Benteke, a Carroll.

Lots and I mean Lots of players perform well at small clubs that often have a lot of space to play in or sit back deep and then struggle massively to adapt to playing at a top club.

Having performed well in the league previously is a big bonus but it's not even close to a guarantee of success.

10 minutes ago, HazardousChoice said:

It's hit and miss but you're only remembering for the hits.

For every Mane and Cahill

There's a Maguire,  a Lukaku,  a Benteke, a Carroll.

Lots and I mean Lots of players perform well at small clubs that often have a lot of space to play in or sit back deep and then struggle massively to adapt to playing at a top club.

Having performed well in the league previously is a big bonus but it's not even close to a guarantee of success.

Mane, Cahill, Fabregas, Lampard, Ashley Cole, Sterling, Kante etc2

Benteke, Lukaku, Carroll and Maguire are awful examples. They aren't the top talents in their team at that point in time at all. The only ones I can remember of the top of my head that can be used for your example is Grealish and even he was simply Pep stockpiling talented midfielders

Edited July 3, 20224 yr by Deino

30 minutes ago, Deino said:

There are plenty of other comparisons to be used if you don't agree with the Mane one. Fact is, Raphinha scored 11 goals from the wings playing for Leeds producing more than Ziyech in the same league from the same position. 

My initial point is taking the best talents from lower clubs in the same league is a strategy that has worked a majority of time. I see Raphinha as that good of a player with the right tactics and personnel around him. 

I see what you mean now and I agree with that! Historically, we've had amazing success with the strategy (Torres the only real flop while Lampard, Cahill, Kante, the Coles, Duff etc. all being among our best-ever players) but if there's one giant hole in our transfer strategy over the last 4-5 years, it's been a lack of targeting domestic players.

13 minutes ago, Deino said:

Mane, Cahill, Fabregas, Lampard, Ashley Cole, Sterling, Kante etc2

Benteke, Lukaku, Carroll and Maguire are awful examples. They aren't the top talents in their team at that point in time at all. The only ones I can remember of the top of my head that can be used for your example is Grealish and even he was simply Pep stockpiling talented midfielders

Lukaku absolutely was the top talent at Everton just as Carroll was at Newcastle when Liverpool signed him and Benteke was at Villa.

Fellaini was Evertons best player when United signed him,  Barkley one of their best when we signed him.

The moral isn't just don't sign players from Everton but being premier league proven at a smaller club is no guarantee of success.

Even Klopp has found that out with Oxlaide Chamberlain.  They're not all hits.

It's about identifying the right attributes in a player what league he plays in is irrelevant.

Edited July 3, 20224 yr by HazardousChoice