ChRiStOpHe
It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake
- Dec 14, 2004
- 12,813
- 331
2 months ago, I would have shouted down anyone with the audacity to suggest a summer overhaul of our playing staff. The domestic season was impressive, a few slip ups aside, and we were on the verge of the Champions League quarter-final after a truly wonderful performance in the San Siro. 2011 seemed was going to be a good year.
With the memory of Crouch’s scuffed effort finding the corner of the Milan net still fresh in our minds, we’ve managed to self destruct at completely the wrong time. Hope of the now visible cracks being covered have all but been ended by Man City’s impressive form post-Kiev, and we’re now left wondering if we’ll be playing European football at all next year.
In light of our slump, I feel it’s gotten to the stage where we should be scrutinising our players to a greater extent – to the extent of taking off our rose tinted Spurs specs and really debating the merits of keeping each and every one at the club. A few shorts month ago, I was struggling to see where we could improve. If I can put any sort of positive spin on our loss of form, it’s that certain players have now lost the indisputable confidence and trust that they only recently had, and we can now improve areas that would not have been improved on before.
Anyone can see that we have a squad far too big for it’s own good. Not only are we spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a week on the wages of fringe players (admittedly many are currently out on loan), but discontent among those on the sidelines seems to be increasing.
CLICK SPOILER FOR MASSIVE, BUT LARGELY POINTLESS SQUAD IMPROVEMENTS
Do you think we need a squad overhaul, or would be benefit from stability? Are we indeed still only a few players from success, or are the problems more deep rooted.
With the memory of Crouch’s scuffed effort finding the corner of the Milan net still fresh in our minds, we’ve managed to self destruct at completely the wrong time. Hope of the now visible cracks being covered have all but been ended by Man City’s impressive form post-Kiev, and we’re now left wondering if we’ll be playing European football at all next year.
In light of our slump, I feel it’s gotten to the stage where we should be scrutinising our players to a greater extent – to the extent of taking off our rose tinted Spurs specs and really debating the merits of keeping each and every one at the club. A few shorts month ago, I was struggling to see where we could improve. If I can put any sort of positive spin on our loss of form, it’s that certain players have now lost the indisputable confidence and trust that they only recently had, and we can now improve areas that would not have been improved on before.
Anyone can see that we have a squad far too big for it’s own good. Not only are we spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a week on the wages of fringe players (admittedly many are currently out on loan), but discontent among those on the sidelines seems to be increasing.
CLICK SPOILER FOR MASSIVE, BUT LARGELY POINTLESS SQUAD IMPROVEMENTS
GK: Manuel Neuer
GK: Carlo Cudicini
RB: Gregory van der Wiel
RB: Kyle Walker
LB: Fabio Coentrao
LB: Benoit Assou-Ekotto
CB: Mats Hummels
CB: Younis Kaboul
CB: William Gallas
CB: Michael Dawson
CB: Bongani Khumalo
DM: Sandro
DM: Andrea Pirlo
CM: Luka Modric
CM: Rafael van der Vaart
CM: Tom Huddlestone
CM: Ibrahim Afellay
CM: Steven Pienaar
WG: Alexis Sanchez
WG: Gareth Bale
WG: Giovani dos Santos
WG: Andros Townsend
ST: Radamel Falcao
ST: Romelu Lukaku
ST: Johan Elmander
1
Goalkeeper
IN: Manuel Neuer (£23,500,000)
OUT: Heurelho Gomes (£8,600,00), Ben Alnwick (free), Stipe Pletikosa (end of loan)
I love Gomes. I’ve been his biggest fan since day 1, and have defended him against everyone from Gooners at work to Spurs fans inside White Hart Lane. However, I’ve finally accepted that as brilliant as I think he is, he can be improved on (just about). Manuel Neuer is, at 25, the perfect investment. He has proven himself on both the European and World stage, and though his stock will never be higher, we simply won’t get another chance to sign him. While his heart is clearly set on Bayern, we should be looking to capitalise should the move fall through (and it may well do, with Bayern seemingly not too keen on what would be a massive fee for a keeper). The money is admittedly on the high side, but we’d essentially be securing ourselves a World class keeper for the next 10-15 years. Neuer’s injury record is good, and though some will disagree, I am not a fan of stifling a young keeper’s progress by benching them. I feel older goalkeepers are better suited to sitting on a bench for 36 games a season and coming in when needed – which is why i’d keep Cudicini as Neuer’s back-up.
Right Back
IN: Gregory van der Wiel (£9,600,000)
OUT: Vedran Corluka (£8,000,00), Alan Hutton (£6,000,000), Kyle Naughton (£3,000,000)
Many will disagree, but I think we lack true class at right-back. In fact, my current first choice is out on loan. While Corluka, Hutton and Naughton are all good players, none of them are at the level we need to be aspiring for. Gregory van der Wiel is probably the most sought after right-back in Europe right now, and in the name of squad improvements, I see no reason why we shouldn’t bring him in. If we’re going to play with one up front, we need full-backs who are better offensively than the current crop, and from what I’ve seen, there aren’t many better than van der Wiel.. With Kyle Walker returning in the summer, I would be happy to cash in on the other 3.
Left Back
IN: Fabio Coentrao (£21,000,000)
OUT: none
I have a lot of time for Assou-Ekotto, but left-back, like goalkeeper, is another area that we can just about improve on. As I said, our full-backs need to be every bit a second winger when we’re in possession; which is why I’d spunk such a huge fee on Fabio Coentrao. It’d take a wonderful player to oust Benny from the left-back spot, and Coentrao seems to be right up there. I’ve also been completely seduced by the idea of he and Bale swapping positions fluidly as the game unfolds.
Centre Back
IN: Mats Hummels (£10,000,000)
OUT: Sebastien Bassong (£7,000,000), Ledley King (free), Jonathan Woodgate (free)
We’re massively overloaded with centre-backs, and are currently spending over £100,000-a-week on Ledley and Woody. As sad as it may be, I’d be looking to let both move on, as we simply cannot continue to build plans around either. It’s a horrible thing to say, but we need to move on for our own good. I would also ship out Seba, who seems to me a player whose form has suffered as a result of being regularly out of the team. He’s spoken publically about his displeasure at being benched so often, and for me, he’s been poor when given opportunities. Mats Hummels is making a big, big name for himself at Dortmund, and crucially wouldn’t cost as much as Subotic either, who seems to get more plaudits than his defensive partner. For me, it’s an area we could improve a lot in without breaking the bank.
Midfield
IN: Andrea Pirlo (free), Ibrahim Afellay (£9,000,000)
OUT: Wilson Palacios (£12,000,000), Jermaine Jenas (£9,000,000), David Bentley (£8,000,000), Jamie O'Hara (£5,000,000), Niko Kranjcar (£8,000,000)
Midfield is an area that we are totally overloaded in. What’s more is that these players who aren’t even getting playing time still hold relatively high market values. With Sandro looking more and more at home by the game, a sharped anchor role with Andrea Pirlo would do wonders for his development. With Pirlo now 31, and set to leave Milan at the end of the season, I can see a Naybet/King relationship between the 2 (lest we forget the effect Naybet had on our young centre-back). Afellay on the other hand has struggled since his move to Barcelona, and wouldn’t cost the World. A skilful and technically gifted midfielder, he’d be able to fill in on the wing if need be.
Wingers
IN: Alexis Sanchez (£23,000,000)
OUT: Aaron Lennon (£20,000,000), Danny Rose (£1,000,000)
This is one area that most will disagree with me over.
As much as I love Aaron, he just doesn’t do enough for me in our current formation. With only 1 up front, you need goals from your wingers, and Lennon just doesn’t seem to have that in his locker (to the extent required anyway). Alexis Sanchez is everything we need in a winger – goals, assists, versatility, trickery, and raw pace.
Many will think I have left us awfully short on the wings, though I will explain my reasons. Most areas of our squad will have 2 players, each fighting for the starting place. Our wing positions are not one of them. Sanchez and Bale would be the unquestioned starters in their roles, with others replacing them only when injured/in need of a rest. The team would be largely set up with Sanchez and Bale in mind, and so our others wingers would see less playing time than other ‘squad members’. That in mind, I see dos Santos and Townsend (along with Afellay and Coentrao if needed) as able understudies.
On the subject of Giovani, I feel that in our current system, with wingers being given a lot more freedom than in previous years, he has something to offer us. To put it another way, he is currently valued at around £4,000,000, and I think we’d get more out of having him in our squad than we would from that money.
Strikers
IN: Radamel Falcao (£19,000,000), Romelu Lukaku (£18,000,000), Johan Elmander (free)
OUT: Jermain Defoe (£12,000,000), Roman Pavlyuchenko (£10,500,000), Peter Crouch (£9,000,000), Robbie Keane (£6,000,000)
While bigger fees have been quoted for both Falcao and Lukaku, I think they will both eventually go for closer to the £20,000,000 mark. Both players, along with Elmander, are so much more suited to the role we’re asking our current strikers to play. None of our front line are good enough with their back to goal, thought Falcao and Lukaku have both excelled doing just that. Elmander would essentially come in as good squad cover with minimum outlay.
TOTAL SPEND: £133,100,000
TOTAL INCOME: £133,100,000
NET SPEND: £0
1
So what the hell was that (long winded) shit all about? Simply to illustrate that there are a lot of areas of the team that could be improved… and it wouldn’t cost the World to do it, either.
GK: Carlo Cudicini
RB: Gregory van der Wiel
RB: Kyle Walker
LB: Fabio Coentrao
LB: Benoit Assou-Ekotto
CB: Mats Hummels
CB: Younis Kaboul
CB: William Gallas
CB: Michael Dawson
CB: Bongani Khumalo
DM: Sandro
DM: Andrea Pirlo
CM: Luka Modric
CM: Rafael van der Vaart
CM: Tom Huddlestone
CM: Ibrahim Afellay
CM: Steven Pienaar
WG: Alexis Sanchez
WG: Gareth Bale
WG: Giovani dos Santos
WG: Andros Townsend
ST: Radamel Falcao
ST: Romelu Lukaku
ST: Johan Elmander
1
Goalkeeper
IN: Manuel Neuer (£23,500,000)
OUT: Heurelho Gomes (£8,600,00), Ben Alnwick (free), Stipe Pletikosa (end of loan)
I love Gomes. I’ve been his biggest fan since day 1, and have defended him against everyone from Gooners at work to Spurs fans inside White Hart Lane. However, I’ve finally accepted that as brilliant as I think he is, he can be improved on (just about). Manuel Neuer is, at 25, the perfect investment. He has proven himself on both the European and World stage, and though his stock will never be higher, we simply won’t get another chance to sign him. While his heart is clearly set on Bayern, we should be looking to capitalise should the move fall through (and it may well do, with Bayern seemingly not too keen on what would be a massive fee for a keeper). The money is admittedly on the high side, but we’d essentially be securing ourselves a World class keeper for the next 10-15 years. Neuer’s injury record is good, and though some will disagree, I am not a fan of stifling a young keeper’s progress by benching them. I feel older goalkeepers are better suited to sitting on a bench for 36 games a season and coming in when needed – which is why i’d keep Cudicini as Neuer’s back-up.
Right Back
IN: Gregory van der Wiel (£9,600,000)
OUT: Vedran Corluka (£8,000,00), Alan Hutton (£6,000,000), Kyle Naughton (£3,000,000)
Many will disagree, but I think we lack true class at right-back. In fact, my current first choice is out on loan. While Corluka, Hutton and Naughton are all good players, none of them are at the level we need to be aspiring for. Gregory van der Wiel is probably the most sought after right-back in Europe right now, and in the name of squad improvements, I see no reason why we shouldn’t bring him in. If we’re going to play with one up front, we need full-backs who are better offensively than the current crop, and from what I’ve seen, there aren’t many better than van der Wiel.. With Kyle Walker returning in the summer, I would be happy to cash in on the other 3.
Left Back
IN: Fabio Coentrao (£21,000,000)
OUT: none
I have a lot of time for Assou-Ekotto, but left-back, like goalkeeper, is another area that we can just about improve on. As I said, our full-backs need to be every bit a second winger when we’re in possession; which is why I’d spunk such a huge fee on Fabio Coentrao. It’d take a wonderful player to oust Benny from the left-back spot, and Coentrao seems to be right up there. I’ve also been completely seduced by the idea of he and Bale swapping positions fluidly as the game unfolds.
Centre Back
IN: Mats Hummels (£10,000,000)
OUT: Sebastien Bassong (£7,000,000), Ledley King (free), Jonathan Woodgate (free)
We’re massively overloaded with centre-backs, and are currently spending over £100,000-a-week on Ledley and Woody. As sad as it may be, I’d be looking to let both move on, as we simply cannot continue to build plans around either. It’s a horrible thing to say, but we need to move on for our own good. I would also ship out Seba, who seems to me a player whose form has suffered as a result of being regularly out of the team. He’s spoken publically about his displeasure at being benched so often, and for me, he’s been poor when given opportunities. Mats Hummels is making a big, big name for himself at Dortmund, and crucially wouldn’t cost as much as Subotic either, who seems to get more plaudits than his defensive partner. For me, it’s an area we could improve a lot in without breaking the bank.
Midfield
IN: Andrea Pirlo (free), Ibrahim Afellay (£9,000,000)
OUT: Wilson Palacios (£12,000,000), Jermaine Jenas (£9,000,000), David Bentley (£8,000,000), Jamie O'Hara (£5,000,000), Niko Kranjcar (£8,000,000)
Midfield is an area that we are totally overloaded in. What’s more is that these players who aren’t even getting playing time still hold relatively high market values. With Sandro looking more and more at home by the game, a sharped anchor role with Andrea Pirlo would do wonders for his development. With Pirlo now 31, and set to leave Milan at the end of the season, I can see a Naybet/King relationship between the 2 (lest we forget the effect Naybet had on our young centre-back). Afellay on the other hand has struggled since his move to Barcelona, and wouldn’t cost the World. A skilful and technically gifted midfielder, he’d be able to fill in on the wing if need be.
Wingers
IN: Alexis Sanchez (£23,000,000)
OUT: Aaron Lennon (£20,000,000), Danny Rose (£1,000,000)
This is one area that most will disagree with me over.
As much as I love Aaron, he just doesn’t do enough for me in our current formation. With only 1 up front, you need goals from your wingers, and Lennon just doesn’t seem to have that in his locker (to the extent required anyway). Alexis Sanchez is everything we need in a winger – goals, assists, versatility, trickery, and raw pace.
Many will think I have left us awfully short on the wings, though I will explain my reasons. Most areas of our squad will have 2 players, each fighting for the starting place. Our wing positions are not one of them. Sanchez and Bale would be the unquestioned starters in their roles, with others replacing them only when injured/in need of a rest. The team would be largely set up with Sanchez and Bale in mind, and so our others wingers would see less playing time than other ‘squad members’. That in mind, I see dos Santos and Townsend (along with Afellay and Coentrao if needed) as able understudies.
On the subject of Giovani, I feel that in our current system, with wingers being given a lot more freedom than in previous years, he has something to offer us. To put it another way, he is currently valued at around £4,000,000, and I think we’d get more out of having him in our squad than we would from that money.
Strikers
IN: Radamel Falcao (£19,000,000), Romelu Lukaku (£18,000,000), Johan Elmander (free)
OUT: Jermain Defoe (£12,000,000), Roman Pavlyuchenko (£10,500,000), Peter Crouch (£9,000,000), Robbie Keane (£6,000,000)
While bigger fees have been quoted for both Falcao and Lukaku, I think they will both eventually go for closer to the £20,000,000 mark. Both players, along with Elmander, are so much more suited to the role we’re asking our current strikers to play. None of our front line are good enough with their back to goal, thought Falcao and Lukaku have both excelled doing just that. Elmander would essentially come in as good squad cover with minimum outlay.
TOTAL SPEND: £133,100,000
TOTAL INCOME: £133,100,000
NET SPEND: £0
1
So what the hell was that (long winded) shit all about? Simply to illustrate that there are a lot of areas of the team that could be improved… and it wouldn’t cost the World to do it, either.
Do you think we need a squad overhaul, or would be benefit from stability? Are we indeed still only a few players from success, or are the problems more deep rooted.
