(January window) All I want for Christmas is..

Gandalf said:
I am not naming names as we are probably looking at loans mostly unless we get an unexpected windfall so dream candidates will have to wait until we have the resources available to get them but in order of importance I want these three things;

1. an attacking LWB
2. an athletic pressing number 10
3. an experienced striker

The first frees us from Dalot on the left, aka where attacks go to die. The extent to which this will allow a proper implementation of Rubens system cannot be understated. The second is almost as essential and is an area where our current options are a very poor fit with the exception of Mount who is just never fit. The last one provides us with the ability to rotate strikers with Rasmus playing the understudy role so he can impact games as a sub and learn from someone who has real experience in the role which should have been the case from the start.
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Just pin this.
 
Gandalf said:
I am not naming names as we are probably looking at loans mostly unless we get an unexpected windfall so dream candidates will have to wait until we have the resources available to get them but in order of importance I want these three things;

1. an attacking LWB
2. an athletic pressing number 10
3. an experienced striker

The first frees us from Dalot on the left, aka where attacks go to die. The extent to which this will allow a proper implementation of Rubens system cannot be understated. The second is almost as essential and is an area where our current options are a very poor fit with the exception of Mount who is just never fit. The last one provides us with the ability to rotate strikers with Rasmus playing the understudy role so he can impact games as a sub and learn from someone who has real experience in the role which should have been the case from the start.
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Spot on. Throw in a goal keeper to challenge Onana and things would look very different.
 
Bring in a competant LWB and we'll look far more balanced and I think we'll start to feel Abit more optimistic on Amorim's ideas for the future.
 
A striker, if he is a good one, will make the biggest difference, imo. LWB is second.
 
I'd throw a cheeky bid in for Kubo. We need somebody either in that LAM role or a striker. I can't see us going all out for a no9 in Jan though. Kubo would be a decent option. Try and get him in before more top clubs coming sniffing around him.
 
Gandalf said:
I am not naming names as we are probably looking at loans mostly unless we get an unexpected windfall so dream candidates will have to wait until we have the resources available to get them but in order of importance I want these three things;

1. an attacking LWB
2. an athletic pressing number 10
3. an experienced striker

The first frees us from Dalot on the left, aka where attacks go to die. The extent to which this will allow a proper implementation of Rubens system cannot be understated. The second is almost as essential and is an area where our current options are a very poor fit with the exception of Mount who is just never fit. The last one provides us with the ability to rotate strikers with Rasmus playing the understudy role so he can impact games as a sub and learn from someone who has real experience in the role which should have been the case from the start.
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I'd swap 2. and 3. here, but otherwise very much agree. I feel like striker is such a weakness for us right now, whereas for the no. 10 positions we at least have options to work with and rotate (Bruno, Amad, Garnacho, Eriksen, Mainoo, Mount). It's not the perfect bunch, obviously, but there is something to work with. At the striker position we are pretty much forced to switch between Højlund and Zirkzee, and we have seen what that looks like. Attacks go to die on Dalot's left side, like you say, but how many attacks are not formed to begin with, because whichever striker we use can't hold on to the ball?
 
Mike Smalling said:
I'd swap 2. and 3. here, but otherwise very much agree. I feel like striker is such a weakness for us right now, whereas for the no. 10 positions we at least have options to work with and rotate (Bruno, Amad, Garnacho, Eriksen, Mainoo, Mount). It's not the perfect bunch, obviously, but there is something to work with. At the striker position we are pretty much forced to switch between Højlund and Zirkzee, and we have seen what that looks like. Attacks go to die on Dalot's left side, like you say, but how many attacks are not formed to begin with, because whichever striker we use can't hold on to the ball?
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I don’t disagree totally but to me if we get a LWB and a RWB that will open up the space for the 10’s and striker to be more efficient. I don’t disagree with the idea that we need to bring in a more experienced striker but I don’t think that would change much of what we see now.

Rasmus has shown he can finish and score in a variety of ways but the issue we and he is having is getting him in those positions and us getting people in those positions to deliver. Think we’d see the same thing with any top class striker we bring in until wingbacks are fixed.

Proper attacking wingbacks force the opposition fullbacks to react to cover, this then in theory creates space for the 10’s to operate in pulling the CB’s apart allowing a striker more room to operate.

We shouldn’t be relying on punting a ball up to Rasmus to hold especially when because of the lack of width opposition defences are so tightly packed there is nothing he can really do other than stall for time. He is someone who should be playing off the shoulder, that is his bread and butter.

1.LWB-RWB
2.CM
3.LCB

To me that should be the order of our priorities to at least get the system working. Once that’s done add more quality to it in the form of 10’s strikers and so on because doing it now would just be wasteful to me. Especially if it means we can’t sort those areas.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
I don’t disagree totally but to me if we get a LWB and a RWB that will open up the space for the 10’s and striker to be more efficient. I don’t disagree with the idea that we need to bring in a more experienced striker but I don’t think that would change much of what we see now.

Rasmus has shown he can finish and score in a variety of ways but the issue we and he is having is getting him in those positions and us getting people in those positions to deliver. Think we’d see the same thing with any top class striker we bring in until wingbacks are fixed.

Proper attacking wingbacks force the opposition fullbacks to react to cover, this then in theory creates space for the 10’s to operate in pulling the CB’s apart allowing a striker more room to operate.

We shouldn’t be relying on punting a ball up to Rasmus to hold especially when because of the lack of width opposition defences are so tightly packed there is nothing he can really do other than stall for time. He is someone who should be playing off the shoulder, that is his bread and butter.

1.LWB-RWB
2.CM
3.LCB

To me that should be the order of our priorities to at least get the system working. Once that’s done add more quality to it in the form of 10’s strikers and so on because doing it now would just be wasteful to me. Especially if it means we can’t sort those areas.
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I'd say if we did get a really good LWB to play almost every game, we also free up Dalot to play on the right. He gets a lot of shit right now, but a lot of it is because he is playing out of position. I still think he could be decent enough on RWB in a transition period. He would probably also be swapping with Amad for that position, depending on the availability for ACM.

Not saying Dalot is the long-term RWB solution, but I do think he could improve with an extended run on the right side. It's purely a matter of sequencing our acquisitions to improve as quickly as possible.
 
Mike Smalling said:
I'd say if we did get a really good LWB to play almost every game, we also free up Dalot to play on the right. He gets a lot of shit right now, but a lot of it is because he is playing out of position. I still think he could be decent enough on RWB in a transition period. He would probably also be swapping with Amad for that position, depending on the availability for ACM.

Not saying Dalot is the long-term RWB solution, but I do think he could improve with an extended run on the right side. It's purely a matter of sequencing our acquisitions to improve as quickly as possible.
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Even if he is playing LWB he should be able to understand his positioning. Maybe he can learn but even when he was playing at his best I don’t think he has the attacking instincts and ability to make it work. Doesn’t have the awareness of opportunities and doesn’t have the passing ability so RWB is also needed to make 343 work.

Fix those two positions and I feel massively confident this team would transform. We obviously still need improving in other positions but Wingbacks will see the biggest gain for me. Then midfield then a LCB and by the time that is done I would expect us to be scoring goals a plenty. But still a good attacking 10 would be great and a more experienced striker to share the burden with Rasmus.
 
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