nottsblue wrote:iwasthere2012 wrote:Realism would also tell us that Chelsea will need a new backup Keeper, a replacement for Drogba, they'll want a real quality striker to back up Costa and tthey need to replace Terry as well who, despite the good season he has had, is showing signs of his age, I would say.
Certainly their two CB's showed that they can't hack been ran straight at by younger exuberant players.
I would go a long with the stance of us only buying in about 4 A-List team improvers (Pogba, De Bruyne, Bale/Reus/Sterling etc. take your pick) and Put Denayer, Lopes, and Iheanacho straight into the squad and perhaps a few like Maffeo, Ambrose, Barker, Bryan getting game time over the season.
I think our starting eleven would have maybe only three-four changes in it but it would make such a difference to the dynamism of the centre of the park.
I don't think Arsenal will be any different than they were this year. They were typical yesterday, where they look like world beaters when they are up against nothing and they have no pressure on them. When it gets down to the business end of things they always cave in.
United will spend, we are told, but they certainly need to. I think they were way of the pace and can count themselves lucky to be 4th. I would like to see them spunk another 100 million on two players possibly and still not address their weakness in defence. De Gea going will cost them games as well.
Wishful thinking but it would not surprise me if LVG gets found out next season in much the same way Rodgers has been found out at Liverpool.
United will have to contend with European football next year if they qualify, which they didn't have this season. United will do nothing in europe and it will only act as a hindrance to any league campaign that they think they will mount.
So realism suggests to me that any of the others who think we can be written off are only fooling themselves and let them take comfort in their own delusions.
We are going nowhere. I for one expect it to come down to us and Chelsea again, with us having more scope for improvement than them.
Roll on the summer madness.
Very good post. All true re Chelsea et all. Given that we have argued all season long we are as good as Chelsea and we have had a shocking amount of refereeing decisions go against us, I also don't think major change is needed. Change is needed, without doubt, but not wholesale. Two or three world class players and I mean proper world class and we are set to go
I think we've got to buy very carefully this summer, with regard to the ultimate formation and style that Pellegrini wants to play.
Although he has put out a team with only Aguero up front for the last few games, I still don't think he's a dedicated convert to having a five man midfield, irrespective of how fluid that would result in being.
I'm convinced that, next season, he'll revert to his preferred option of playing with two main strikers and his track record also seems to bear this out. Moreover, I don't feel he will be able to resist the temptation to pair Bony with Aguero, so that means the midfield area behind them will have the biggest requirement to change and be changed, if we wish to improve there and also to lessen the burden, a little, on our problematic defence.
I wouldn't be surprised if we actually bought in four new midfielders, in the summer, to provide the new energy and athletic drive needed for this function of the team and the pressing aspect that Pellegrini will require of them. Whether, or not, this would leave any funds available for another striker, or any replacement defenders, remains to be seen.
I just feel we're going to be very busy in all aspects of the transfer window, but carefully so, in order to make the money we will have go as far as possible.