Pre-Season Fixture thread (22/23)

[Tredman]

Changing to 4 should free up an extra player in midfield to go forward and join the attack or be part of a fluid front 4.

Sadly, Lage is playing Donk in a 3 and no striker. That’s just fucking bizarre.

At least play Hwang up front and the fluid 3 in behind or buy a striker and ball carrying midfielder.

The squad building has been disgusting for a few seasons now.

That again comes back to ambition though, all very well deciding we are going to play 4 at the back but then wasting the additional player we have makes it all pointless.

 

[Johnny75]

That again comes back to ambition though, all very well deciding we are going to play 4 at the back but then wasting the additional player we have makes it all pointless.

We are so close to getting it right.

Literally one striker at a minimum.

We should be selling Donk to do it.

 

[Tredman]

We are so close to getting it right.

Literally one striker at a minimum.

We should be selling Donk to do it.

We should be selling Donk regardless if someone will buy him - I’d much rather play Cundle

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

You can only sell what someone will buy. For what he offers he is too expensive unless you get some moron club who thinks 'oh he plays for Belgium, he must be good'.

 

[The Bear]

You can only sell what someone will buy. For what he offers he is too expensive unless you get some moron club who thinks 'oh he plays for Belgium, he must be good'.

I'd imagine there'll be a fair few of those about. There always are. We'd easily get £20m for him if someone was serious about buying him.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Nope.

We can't get £10m for Adama.

 

[Carsy]

Just seen highlights. Some promising stuff, but Neto’s decision making was awful!

 

[Tony Towner]

I'd imagine there'll be a fair few of those about. There always are. We'd easily get £20m for him if someone was serious about buying him.

Wages would put people off even if they are prepared to pay that, same as Adama

 

[Carsy]

We should be selling Donk regardless if someone will buy him - I’d much rather play Cundle

I get people aren’t fans of dendonker, but surely the Cundle comments must be tongue in cheek?

 

[Tony Towner]

I don’t feel sorry for Donck, he's paid too much for that but I do think he's a victim of being asked to do things he can't. There's a competent PL DM in there, we just so rarely ask him to be one. I would rather Cundle played in the role he had yesterday, as a replacement for an injured Neves or Moutinho in a 4231 I'd rather have Dendoncker. He's not an 8, 10, 7 or whatever other contrived thing we try and ask him to be

 

[Johnny75]

I get people aren’t fans of dendonker, but surely the Cundle comments must be tongue in cheek?

Why? He might lack the physique of Donk but as Donk doesn't win any tackles or headers that doesn't matter.

Cundle is a far better footballer than Donk and a genuine goal threat.

 

[Carsy]

Why? He might lack the physique of Donk but as Donk doesn't win any tackles or headers that doesn't matter.

Cundle is a far better footballer than Donk and a genuine goal threat.

Honestly, unless you’ve watched a lot of u23 or followed his career, I’d imagine none of us really have a clue what cundle is like, apart from a handful of cameos?

He may well turn out to be a decent player, he may not. I just think the ‘he’s far better’ etc is basically a punt.

Following on from what TT said, I pretty much agree with his assessment of donk. His flaws are exposed more with how we are trying to play him. I don’t however believe the ‘he’s robbing a living’ brigade are fair.

 

[Johnny75]

Honestly, unless you’ve watched a lot of u23 or followed his career, I’d imagine none of us really have a clue what cundle is like, apart from a handful of cameos?

He may well turn out to be a decent player, he may not. I just think the ‘he’s far better’ etc is basically a punt.

Following on from what TT said, I pretty much agree with his assessment of donk. His flaws are exposed more with how we are trying to play him. I don’t however believe the ‘he’s robbing a living’ brigade are fair.

I have watched a lot of the U23's and technically Cundle is far superior.

 

[Carsy]

I have watched a lot of the U23's and technically Cundle is far superior.

If only being a competent premier league CM was just about how good young lands are technically Ey. Just think it’s a pint saying he’s nailed on. I hope you’re right, he ends up getting a lot of game time and excels. But it’s not as much as a dead cert as people insinuate IMO

 

[Tony Towner]

Definitely a 4 at the back team now if we are fudging this game like Keen says

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553784503780401154

 

[Alan]

I have watched a lot of the U23's and technically Cundle is far superior.

Cundle's shown he isn't overawed by the Prem so I wouldn't be against giving a midfield of Neves - Moutinho - Cundle a try.

 

[Del Woppio]

Expecting fans to pay a fiver to watch is just pure cringe

 

[PuntsWolf]

I don’t want a single one of those players starting a game for us.

In the first season of the PL Nuno has about 13 players he actually wanted to use. We have less than that now

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Expecting fans to pay a fiver to watch is just pure cringe

Could be worse. It's €15 a ticket if you're actually there!

 

[Tony Towner]

I don’t want a single one of those players starting a game for us.

In the first season of the PL Nuno has about 13 players he actually wanted to use. We have less than that now

As an ideal first 11 no, but Coady, Boly and Gomes are all reasonable backup centre halves. Cundle an option in CM if needed. Bueno has a future, to be seen at what level, ironically our U23 wing backs actually suit the position. Hwang we've done to death