That’s what happens when your strategy is to ‘do everything’ knowing that you simply aren’t prepared for that. Crap strategising across all areas & heads would usually roll for this in lost serious businesses.
There's a big dissonance with the ideas that resting players in some matches is bad actually because they need to keep their motors humming, while on the other hand bemoaning too many matches overall and players saying so
My view is that all clubs overplay their players. But, if you go into a season knowingly short of depth & that situation gets much worse mid-season, you adapt & re-prioritise. You also do all you can when you can to avoid having to do that. Or your season will burn out before March.
It honestly was part of why I was pretty nonfussed the women's team lost the semi to lose another intense match close to UWCL quarters and (at least of current) seeming a stretched team.
To add to that, just to be sure, whilst it's good to be in a final and win it, I kind of don't value that this season and think making a UWCL semi is more significant.
Plus, a midday saturday kickoff in Derby is beyond Woke & my enjoyment was already 95% diminished.
Imagine had we won the shootout against MUFC. And thank goodness we comfortably made top 8 of CL. This isn’t a terrible season, 2nd in Feb and still in CL, beats the hell out of being 15th in Dec 2020, but man I’m just so jaded with this season now.
The people I feel most sorry for are the players. Think of how the injured ones must feel - especially the ones with serious injuries (Saka, Havertz) which could be attributable to workload. These can really affect a players career and stunt their growth. There is bad luck involved sure, but 1/2
There is also an element of neglect from a recruitment side. Not to mention the way some players with contract extensions coming may look at this seasons events and start thinking ‘if I stay here with no reinforcements, I could get injured and ruin my career’. Hello Madrid… so disappointed with the
I 100% agree with your oft repeated position of it being better to either go out at the first available opportunity or win it with basically no middle ground. Nothing worse than the League Cup Semis
I get that Arteta wants to win every game but there is no point winning the battle to lose the war. It was obvious we didn't have a squad to compete on all fronts. Slot threw the FA cup to aim for the big prizes.
I think with how much football there is we seriously need to rethink our feelings about the domestic cups. It takes an perfect year to have a hope whilst challenging for the things we actually want to win.
The argument is you might have to risk throwing them away to have a chance of winning the PL or CL. If this period doesn't lead to one of those its basically as much of a failure as it would be if we add a domestic cup or two.
I say it every season. It’s the most disruptive, problematic competition… the timing of the games, the two-legged semi final. Just send the kids out for every game in it, regardless of opposition (or back ups who need minutes if by some miracle you have a fully fit squad).
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Plus, a midday saturday kickoff in Derby is beyond Woke & my enjoyment was already 95% diminished.
Either this women's project has real ambition or it doesn't
That said, we make the CL semi that season and I don’t think we go unbeaten either.
Sometimes that’s how the cookie crumbles. This season it’s less crumbled, more smashed to smithereens!!
Why does England insist on 2 domestic cup competitions?