Bazz
Q-School Graduate
That's basically the run we had the first 8 or 9 games, and the outcome was as expected.
That's basically the run we had the first 8 or 9 games, and the outcome was as expected.
Bazz
Q-School Graduate
Fingers crossed as we're sleep walking towards relegation.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Not sure tbh
I know they lost Rodri but that doesn’t stop the other players looking like they are running in quick sand
The Pep contract seemed to go on a bit too long and to wait until the season started to get it sorted also didnt seem right
They didn’t do too much refreshing in the summer and also there is the charges hanging over their heads
Maybe it’s just a slump and coming to the end for a few players and they need a refresh
I think that is the harder route. That batters your confidence so that by the time you play the lesser teams, the players are playing on empty. We have no excuse, we should be comfortably mid table and see these games as a free hit. Then you often pick up some points because you are playing with belief.
We need to get the new owners in quickly before they pull out
Bazz
Q-School Graduate
I think that is the harder route. That batters your confidence so that by the time you play the lesser teams, the players are playing on empty. We have no excuse, we should be comfortably mid table and see these games as a free hit. Then you often pick up some points because you are playing with belief.
We need to get the new owners in quickly before they pull out
Do you think they won't sack Dyche until the takeover is complete because they don't want to pay the compo?
PaulMdj
Well-known member
I don’t think Dyche is the problem, we need a half decent CF.
This is from Sky yesterday.
This was after half an hour, 7 minutes later were are deservedly 2-0 down and never recovered, we’ve done this time and time again.
Early on in the Season we through away a few 2-0 leads, last season our defence was in the top 5 in the PL in terms of goals conceded, same players are useless this season and need to start standing up!
Orikoru
Tour Winner
I genuinely think Rodri is that good. He is the lynchpin that makes the rest of the team work around him. If they had anyone else in the squad that could perform even a semblance of that job they'd be fine, but they don't. When they bought Phillips it was because he was doing that job at Leeds, but of course he was a level below and couldn't make the step up.
Bernardo Silva and Gundogan as a midfield two is an odd one for me, neither of them has much physical presence and in any other side they'd be a winger and an attacking midfielder. Kovacic is the closest but he's definitely not a patch on Rodri. Again he doesn't have the physical stature to boss the midfield.
PJ87
Journeyman Pro
The transfer of Phillips is one of the biggest failures of peps reign and now is showing how much they miss that strength in depth
When Pep arrived he had yaya toure and fernadinoho for that important position in his team. The position bausquttes played at Barca
Then he had fernadinoho and rodri for that position
Replacing fernadinoho with Phillips and him failing to be anything other than average was fine until rodri got injured
Now they are proper screwed
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
You cant have a team that successful being reliant on just one player
Yes he is very very good and you could understand that he would be a miss in big games but that’s 6/7 on the bounce now without a win and not all are against big teams
Surely someone of Pep’s managerial pedigree should have been able to find a way to minimise the impact - the likes of Ferguson , Mourinho , Klopp etc in the past have also lost big players for the season but have found a way around it
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Of course you can. Liverpool have done the same with Salah. Lucky for them he never seems to get injured!
Rodri can't be the only problem, for sure. But it's a major one they don't have an answer for. Another month before they can bring anyone in as well. I'm not supposing to know more than Pep of course, but I'm surprised he hasn't tried Gvardiol there. He has the presence and is pretty good on the ball for a defender. Apparently he played a bit of midfield in his youth days. Lewis can play left back.
That plainly isn't true. All teams, all managers have a flat spell at some point if they are in a job long enough. This season isn't over yet. City may not win the league this time around but there are a lot of games left to play still for Pep to turn it around.
A combination of that, not surprising to be fair, and also the new guys will want to name the new manager, again unsurprising. Also, sack him, what manager will come in when new owners are due but the deal is not cleared? They will want clarity before signing.
According to reports, they estimate the takeover should get approval during December. Unless he goes on a heck of a run I can't see him surviving long after the new people come in. He hasn't shown anything this year that suggests his deal, ends in the summer, is worth renewing.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Yes they do have a flat spell and there are issues with some of the players looking like they have lost their legs hence why it’s not just Rodri that’s the issue - but even then yesterday they were shocking in the middle and he just didn’t seem on the sidelines to be able to find a way to work around it
Right now they may well end up fighting for top 4
It’s quite a big drop and there is something happening
But if it’s just down to one player being out - that imo is poor management and recruitment to leave the team exposed like that
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
We have had plenty of periods without Salah including when he disappears to the AFCON - there will be a drop but there will be options
Other managers in the past have found ways around when it’s one major player that’s gone for a while - they have spent a lot of money over the years to look like at one point have multiple £40mil plus players per position
It’s the same when Haaland may have an issue with form or injury - who comes in for him after they sold Alvarez
The choices made since May do imo seem strange and maybe it’s something to do with the charges
The team is flat, that is not on one player missing. Too many players are not quite sharp enough, they are not flowing as they should. Whether that is a build up of mental fatigue, loss of form of too many players at once, pass
. They don't look right, no question, but I doubt that is purely down to Rodri, as good as he is.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
The team is flat, that is not on one player missing. Too many players are not quite sharp enough, they are not flowing as they should. Whether that is a build up of mental fatigue, loss of form of too many players at once, pass
Hence why I think there is more to it than just Rodri - even the manager looks flat
PaulMdj
Well-known member
Swango1980
Well-known member
In March 2021, Liverpool lost to Fulham. At that stage, Liverpool had won just once in the Premier league in 7 games, and were on a 6 game losing streak at Anfield. Klopp didn't always immediately find a way around whatever problem he was facing?
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Is that after the club lost its 3rd starting CB to a season ending injury recovering using two academy players to get back into the top 4 ?
Think in total it was 23 players through the season missing games and 52 seperate game absences
Believe it was the worse set of injuries that a club has had and still not been matched since
But of course you knew that when you went looking for something to counter the point
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Agree with you. For a team with all the money in the world, it's weird that they've stockpiled tricky wingers but have no direct replacement for their two biggest players.
