What do you think of this one? Crazy window if we get Sancho and Camavinga! The stuff of football manager legend
Without wanting to be a party pooper, I’ve seen this all too many times and I must say that I’m not particularly excited by any of it. Names don’t excite me anymore, and I must confess, that my fear of these players not having the impact hoped/expected is greater than any expectation I have of them to elevate us.
I don’t think what is stopping us from winning the league is as simple as our players not being good enough, and I also feel that for all their highlight reels, the likes of Sancho, Camavinga and Varane in real terms are not going to be the same players we have seen elsewhere. Too many times over the years have what seemed to be great summers turn into more disappointing and expensive players added. As individuals, I don’t think those players are good enough to elevate us. In a balanced team playing to everyone’s strengths - of course, they have plenty of quality and I’d be far more optimistic. But I don’t expect we just take Sancho from Dortmund, drop him on our right wing (which I still maintain is not as strong as the left for him) and get the same performances. They are not players that will win us enough games on their own, and as a unit, I don’t think we are good enough to get the best that they can offer froDon’t think it’s as simple as that. Camavinga is talented, but quite young still, and already, the debate is raging about just where and what role he can have in our midfield, because there is no obvious idea of what we’re doing and how his qualities will enhance it.
I’m quite indifferent about the market. The only individual ‘on the market’ who could get me excited this summer would be Haaland if we were to sign him, as I just think he is such a goal machine that he is likely to simply score enough goals regardless of how we play to win us more football matches and give us a chance. Other than that, I reached a point last season where I said that no matter who we sign in the summer I’m not confident of them doing enough to get us over the line.
For me, I’d be much more optimistic if we went back to basics and built a unit that compliments each other first, and THEN started to look at improving the quality. We signed VDB, who is not a bad player, yet we don’t know what to do with him. To me, Paul Pogba is one of the best midfielders in the world yet even with him, you have come to the point where you have lost faith. If we can go to wanting him, the most expensive midfielder ever to leave, a World Cup winner, then the likes of Sancho are not guaranteed anything either. These players are all just talent like Pogba. Likely to be player in positions that don’t optimise them and with teammates that don’t optimise them. I just don’t think we know what we are doing, or if we do, then what we are doing isn’t good enough. Cup final against Villarreal just showed what organisation vs lack of ideas looked like. An XI of far superior players looked like they had no clue, where a battling and tackling midfielder managed to be our standout player, despite the fact that we had the fecking ball all game.