phips wrote:Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Watching the game on Saturday i did think how the hell would it work if we signed Sanchez ( or Mbappe) when we already have this team and still Sane,Bernardo,Sterling, Yaya, Gundogan , Foden ready to bring in as attacking options.
Just makes me think Pep could be making it harder for himself as it would be so hard to keep everyone happy. He might slightly improve our best team.... or would he?
this. I've subscribed to this idea for a long time--not just about Sanchez and not just about football.
it sounds nice to want your team/club to stockpile as much talent as possible but there's only a limited number of starting spots. yes, theres a lot of matches (football = 38, baseball = 180+, NBA = 82) but big-time players dont think that way. they want to play in every single match they're fit enough to play in and sitting on the bench doesnt even sound like an option for them. if you have a bunch of guys like this then the locker room can get bad and people are complaining to the media etc and it can rot a team from the inside out.
Comparing those sports game totals to football game totals is a fallacious line of argumentation.
In the NBA the same 5 players start every game baring injury or perhaps due to a matchup issue. You cannot stockpile such high caliber backup players who will be okay with being on the bench some games like football, because they'd never accept it.
In baseball you have to rotate a lot of pitchers because their arms will fall off and will lose their efficacy. However, the primary star players mostly play every game, but do sit out once in a while for a rare rest.
With football, especially for top level PL clubs, ROTATION and COMPETITION FOR PLACES is ESSENTIAL to survival and success if you want to win in all competitions, which we do. Now, your world class players usually have their places cemented, but if you think they could still improve or are a bit complacent (Aguero, Nasri and Yaya last season) and you are a manager who has high levels of respect, like Pep, you are not afraid of competition as you believe it keeps players motivated.
Notice Pep's comments this summer about not wanting players to stay who don't want to be here (i.e. Kolarov, who Pep wanted to keep around allegedly as our 4th CB). If you want to be a part of this and try to earn your spot, then this is the reality, and I suspect all of our players at this point here on on board with. Sane and Sterling surely are aware of our interest in Alexis and yet I haven't heard anything about them wanting to leave as a result nor do I think that's where their heads are at. If they did what would that say about their desire? Isn't this the criticism I keep reading, and I feel as well, about Sancho?
Funny how I keep reading whinging about Sane Sterling and Jesus somehow not getting games....what about our new signing Bernardo? He has to compete with Silva and KDB. We also have Ilkay too for the roaming 8 spots. You worried that they won't play as well?
I don't recall hearing a peep out of those worrying about SJS regarding the backups to KDB and Silva.
As JC referred to, the game counting is off as well.
Bottom line is everyone wants young players to get time to develop, but we are not playing around, need goals from wide areas and to win trophies. This idea that they should not face tougher competition, when they are allegedly trying to get to the same level as an Alexis, who I would think should be a great role model for their development given his incredible work rate and skill, and Pep has not shown any indication he will not play the two other than speculation that this signing and 352 are surely the death knell to Sane and Sterling getting opportunities. With all due respect, it seems a bit like fortune telling to me or Chicken Little.