grumpy-bob.bsky.social
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Seems strange unless Myles is moving into MF on a more permanent basis.
Right side has had zero cover all season.
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Including the Jan window, they must be nearly at 350m now.
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So throw in the Euros and WC & that means probably zero break every summer for top European based players.
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Not sure how it will translate but looks like they want people who can beat people 1v1 in every part of the pitch.
Would explain Ait Nouri and Cherki at least
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Ah nice, I’ll check out the rest of the piece. Thanks
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It’s the way he suddenly accelerates play that really stands out. Often considered and calm in possession, he’ll suddenly burst forward taking out 2-3 players with a direct carry or a pick a piercing vertical pass after a few simple sideways passes to control
tempo.
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Filtering out the sane candidates. Solid idea.
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99% of international football
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Which never seen before punishment will be meted out to Arsenal?
Tune in for Oliver’s next appearance.
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Feels a bit like the Odegaard waiting game.
It’s why, contrary to beliefs, you actually don’t want to do all your business early.
Sometimes you need some dominoes to fall.
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Everyone demanding a 30 goal striker would do well to look at the second half of Kai’s opening season and the start of this one.
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It’s already become so divisive rather predictably.
Gyokeres is supposed to be the “win now” option but I don’t see that.
My big worry is committing to him and realising his numbers are heavily based on a weak league and watching Sesko turn into another Isak at another PL team.
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Not sure the backward opinions around patriotism over here are going to make that particularly straightforward. Look at the reaction around Ben White.
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It’s like the group stage at the WC will become an extension of the meaningless qualifiers.
You could already see the level in the PL declining last season.
Clubs were hugely affected by the late finish to the Euros.
Players managing themselves at 70% & lower quality matches will be the norm.
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I could see zubimendi and the striker maybe being early & then a wide forward running until late in the window.
Although you don’t necessarily want all the business early. Sometimes dominoes present opportunities later on.
Ozil and Odegaard for example.
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Hopefully it’s the tears when they find themselves kicking off the season in League 2
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Love to have been in that design brainstorm.
“So yeah, can you make it look a bit more like a pile of vomit after 4 cans of Monster”
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Maybe their fans will wind their necks in about how little they’ve spent after dropping 200m on 3 players
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It’s more about having 18 genuine first XI guys for me.
The overall number isnt going to help if you have a few Sterlings in there
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I’d say as soon as the first big money signing goes to a rival.
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Gets transferred to Arsenal.
I have £50 that says he’s red carded inside a month.
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He’s only got a year left on his deal right? I imagine Utd steam in with a 50m+ offer
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You can’t keep going for second choices or compromises. We’ve already been there with Trossard.
If we’re serious about the big prizes you need to have some of the best players in the world.
Sesko might not be that immediately but has the potential, Watkins although solid isnt getting to that level.
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He’s interesting. I just think we can’t potentially miss out on another Isak again.
All the big PL teams need strikers, if we put our money down on a declining Watkins as our striker purchase, I think it’d poison the relationship with the fanbase and hand our opponents a huge gift.
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All the “gotta win now” people don’t seem to realise there’s no guarantee that Gyok gives that anyway.
And a lot of them are the same people complaining we didn’t spend 70m on Isak 3 years ago.
Sesko is that guy right now.
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Yeah. No one’s going to match the 250k+ wages he’s sitting on, so maybe a high level rotation will suit both parties for a while.
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Will literally say whatever the money tells them to.
My contempt for these people knows no bounds.
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And would more than likely mean Ethan wouldn’t renew.
I’m all for depth but he’s got to have more than junk minutes against L2 teams in the Carabao.
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Can’t believe we’re painted as lucky with injuries when his career woth us was basically over at the peak level after 4 months.
If he can be 75% of that he’d be a great forward line option for 18 months
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We also need a backup GK and right sided defensive cover, it’s just too much to do to spend 100m+ on strikers
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They won’t sign two big money strikers (Watkins won’t move for less than 40m) because Havertz would immediately consider his position.
Arguably whoever comes in will be rotating with Kai anyway, it won’t be a straight replacement.
We’re also going to spend 100m+ on Zubimendi and a wide forward
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Great shout, the intensity of the PL def hurts the their chances.
Even against the supposed weak teams, you still need to put a serious shift in.
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Always surprised why people are so quick to demand we get rid of players.
Martinelli is a great option, albeit none of the wide forwards should be playing 50+ in a work rate heavy Arteta system.
Look at what we’re competing against in City.
They have about 8+ genuine “first XI” options.
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Exactly. Look at what we have to compete against with City. Their non CF options include
Marmoush 65m, Doku, 65m, Savinho (well under market value) 35m, Grealish 100m, Bernardo 50m (almost a decade back) and Foden.
We need 5-6 first team options not backups, genuine first XI choices to change games
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Striker has become so binary now, it seems like people think “second place Arsenal” + striker = PL & CL.
Whoever we sign, low blocks will still be a challenge and big chances are still going to be missed.
Is our fanbase ready for this level of nuance?
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Alright maybe just for tonight.
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Huge deterrent for Newcastle buying the PL every season knowing they’ll get a swift punishment only a decade later
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Incredible narrative isn’t it when you contrast with ours.
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Seems like so many people don’t think for themselves and just parrot media driven talking points.
Tiresome and disappointing when there’s more info than ever available.
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Who actually listens to his bollocks outside of the Liverpool fanbase?
The guy offers literally nothing insightful.
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Sounds like an expensive deal at first but then look at what we’re up against.
City spent that on a defender two seasons ago.
Would be a huge statement of intent.
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There are City fans out there that still believe the Haaland deal cost them 50m…
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For sure. Gordon is a weird one, always seems good but numbers look ver similar to Martinelli with less defensive work.
Would def improve depth up front but doesn’t seem worth anywhere close to 80m. His numbers struggle to justify much more than 50m tbh
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It’s not even quarter final quality. Ridiculous that one of these teams will go into next season’s CL off the back of this campaign
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If you’re going to have any kind of shot at breaking through to the men’s game before you’re fully physically developed, that skill is vital
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They seemed ok with Evanilson banging one in with his arm last week
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A shit show of bent decisions from Hooper.
He’d literally get killed at a Sunday league match if he’d done that
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The advantage played when all Arsenal’s breaking players had been taken out after the ball had gone was text book PGMOL fuckwit levels.
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Great article. This really fits with your whole piece about re-evaluating what it means to win in light of nation state money.