I really think it's as simple as having a player like Mane in the XI.
He can beat his opponent, relieve pressure, and offer us a threat on the break. We have nobody else like that in the squad. It's sad that an 18-year-old is the one with that personality and fearless attitude to lift others, but look how the likes of Hwang and Arias have looked better with him in the team (small sample size I know).
It's also another major fuck up by Vitor. Not only did he oversee an atrocious window, the one profile of player we were inexplicably lacking was in the fucking academy!
I know many will disagree, but I think the rest of our team are as good (or as bad) as the rest of the shit down the bottom. If you put Krejci, Agbadou, Mosquera, Andre, J. Gomes, and either LB in any bottom half team, I think they'd be fine. In fact, I think a few of them could play higher.
We have a problem at RB, and we had a massive problem when Johnstone was in goal, but it's been hard to accept that this lot were on course to break Derby's record.
I think the overriding problem was the balance of the team and if Mane had played from the start of the season, and Tolu ahead of Larsen, I reckon we'd be in with a sniff where January could've made a difference.
Such a shame that we're not, but we have to build around those two next season, it at least gives us some hope.
