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The Future Squad

The forwards are the one department in the team where we haven’t been decimated with injuries other than Solomon. We’ve upgraded the CM’s and the CB’s, the one area we can upgrade on is the forwards.

Do you think Ange has made the mistake of believing the arrivals of Johnson and Werner have upgraded the forward posistions?
 
Arsenal challenged with a similar level (I’d argue inferior but don’t wanna sound biased). They had Martinelli there and he is a flat track bully. Jesus who doesn’t score and saka who isn’t as great as the hype but still very good
Pool won the league without a goal scoring CF
The system can cover for and allow other things to happen
Arsenal didn't win.

Liverpool had WFs that scored and scored a lot. The system can't compensate for no goals from the left and right. 2 of the three need to be scoring as shown in your Liverpool example. Saying Liverpool didn't have a goal scoring striker is a little disingenuous when they had Salah and Mane.
 
Arsenal didn't win.

Liverpool had WFs that scored and scored a lot. The system can't compensate for no goals from the left and right. 2 of the three need to be scoring as shown in your Liverpool example. Saying Liverpool didn't have a goal scoring striker is a little disingenuous when they had Salah and Mane.
They had 2 goal scorers
Son and Maddison can score
And we spread it around more than anyone
Richy is scoring a goal a game currently
I think it’s possibly a reacrion to last night where we didn’t score or create enough combined with the extra depth we do need
We will get there imo but the goals under Ange will be shared around more
 
The forwards are the one department in the team where we haven’t been decimated with injuries other than Solomon. We’ve upgraded the CM’s and the CB’s, the one area we can upgrade on is the forwards.
Not decimated

We have had many games where we literally had no option but to play the only 3 we had fit…

We have had loads of issues in those roles which is why, as a team, we haven’t played the same line up back to back since late september

Solomon injured
Kulu ill
Son… away with his country
Richy… operation
Perisic… injured and then sold
Johnson… head injury so would have missed a game but we didn’t have an option
Veliz…. Injured
It got so bad we had to play Gil
The injuries meant we could never change up the team and never refresh.
 
Then I think we will have to accept there is a ceiling on what we can achieve then. I’m not saying we should sell the likes of Johnson for example but if it’s clear we can sign better players then we should do that.

I've been extremely harsh on Johnson but only because I know he can do so much more. He's proven at PL level and in theory an extremely good signing.

I have to remind myself though that he's only 22 and will likely get a lot better. Like with many aspects of our club at the moment, we need to be patient and the improvement will come.
 
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I've been extremely harsh on Johnson but only because I know he can do so much more. He's proven at PL level and in theory and extremely good signing.

I have to remind myself though that he's only 22 and will likely get a lot better. Like with many aspects of our club at the moment, we need to be patient and the improvement will come.
And he will need periods of watching from the sidelines to learn more
 
They had 2 goal scorers
Son and Maddison can score
And we spread it around more than anyone
Richy is scoring a goal a game currently
I think it’s possibly a reacrion to last night where we didn’t score or create enough combined with the extra depth we do need
We will get there imo but the goals under Ange will be shared around more
My comments are related to the last game but instead to the last 3 or 4 matches where we really haven't created much. It stretches back to the West Ham match tbh.

Son does score if he's playing CF, Maddison will get a few but not like a goal scoring winger and yes we spread the goals around but all good teams do that. We need to get more directly from the players in the final third. The the goals of Maddison will be a bonus.
 
My comments are related to the last game but instead to the last 3 or 4 matches where we really haven't created much. It stretches back to the West Ham match tbh.

Son does score if he's playing CF, Maddison will get a few but not like a goal scoring winger and yes we spread the goals around but all good teams do that. We need to get more directly from the players in the final third. The the goals of Maddison will be a bonus.
We are averaging 2 goals a game I believe and have set a record for consecutive games scored
Scoring isn’t the issue IMO
It’s tempo control to kill games off
 
We are averaging 2 goals a game I believe and have set a record for consecutive games scored
Scoring isn’t the issue IMO
It’s tempo control to kill games off
Only Liverpool and Emirates Marketing Project have scored more goals than us, and that's with us missing our playmaker and arguably most important attacking player for the past couple of months....
 
And he will need periods of watching from the sidelines to learn more

I would bench him for the rest of the season and use him as an impact sub with his pace. Take the spotlight off of him and work with him in training to improve his end product. He has time to improve but I can’t see for any part why we spent so much on him. But I’ll give him time see how he develops.
 
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I would bench him for the rest of the season and use him as an impact sub with his pace. Take the spotlight off of him and work with him in training to improve his end product. He has time to improve but I can’t see for any part why we spent so much on him. But I’ll give him time see how he develops.
Can only do that if we have options
We will have them soon
 
I would bench him for the rest of the season and use him as an impact sub with his pace. Take the spotlight off of him and work with him in training to improve his end product. He has time to improve but I can’t see for any part why we spent so much on him. But I’ll give him time see how he develops.
I think we’ve been wanting to, but not had the options to be able to. Maybe with Maddison back now we might be able to.

To be clear, It’s not really been an option until now.
 
Do you think Ange has made the mistake of believing the arrivals of Johnson and Werner have upgraded the forward posistions?

I believe he took a punt like most transfers. I won’t go as far as saying they haven’t worked because that would be premature and silly but I think we all know when a signing hits the ground running and it’s immediately obvious that they are upgrades I.e. Van De Ven and Maddison.
 
Not decimated

We have had many games where we literally had no option but to play the only 3 we had fit…

We have had loads of issues in those roles which is why, as a team, we haven’t played the same line up back to back since late september

Solomon injured
Kulu ill
Son… away with his country
Richy… operation
Perisic… injured and then sold
Johnson… head injury so would have missed a game but we didn’t have an option
Veliz…. Injured
It got so bad we had to play Gil
The injuries meant we could never change up the team and never refresh.

We’ve had issues with depth but for the most part the first choice forwards have been available until Son went to the Asian cup.
 
But we have been playing with an injured richarlison…
Kulu being moved to play 10
And everyone being run into the ground
So I can’t agree

Veliz only got injured on New Year’s Eve. Richarlison missed what 3 weeks or so? Granted Solomon and Perisic would have been useful options but it’s not even debatable that the first choice forwards; Son, Kulu, Johnson have been largely available besides the Asian cup
 
We are averaging 2 goals a game I believe and have set a record for consecutive games scored
Scoring isn’t the issue IMO
It’s tempo control to kill games off

But you need your forwards to rack up goals. It’s great being able to spread the goals around but the towards are more often than not the ones who kill off games for you.
 
Maybe but I look at what areas of the team can be immediately improved on and the forwards are the obvious ones that jump out. Are you disagreeing that the forwards can be upgraded? What area what you upgrade in the summer if not the forwards?

Striker for sure for first team. TBF I've said that a while.

If we then work on the theory we sign 4 in summer it would be a CM and a LB and RB cover critically.

That's also the fact HG will be critical so most of those signings will have to be potential youngsters so any real upgrades will be limited to maybe 1 signing so for me that a Striker
 
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