StriderHiryu

Yep fair points! Deeney Day moulded those boys into men!

Very nicely put. I think that's the point I was trying to make, but not so eloquently. Even the best teams will get unlucky at some point, or put in a stinker. But it does seem that just one thing makes us give up. This is still pretty early in the Enzo project, but for example, after we conceded I thought the loss was coming. Heads dropped instead of having the warrior mentality. When we won the title, we had an away game at Arsenal, which we lost! But in that game, despite going a man down and then conceding for 1-1, the team played like lions. Players literally throwing themselves at the ball, Schmeichel in full brick wall mode. Even after the game Thierry Henry an Arsenal legend said that Leicester were the team that played like Champions, despite losing. Today for 44 minutes I felt we also played like Champions, going away to a local rival in amazing form and a raucous atmosphere, kept our heads and took the lead through playing our way of playing. But afterwards, we didn't play with belief. Enzo himself looked like he was shitting bricks on the sideline. All that said, to instil such belief is extremely hard. I do a lot of coaching myself and I can't say it's something I'm able to instil, and I have tried it! Is it more a case of building a team of the right mental characteristics, like Simeone at Atletico? I am sure wiser men that men will have an opinion!

Yes of course it's easy to say. But in the Championship we don't need to be scared. I felt like we sat on the lead against Wednesday, West Brom (but got away with it), Millwall and Birmingham. I'm picking at scraps, but I see a similar issue with Arteta at Arsenal. For the most part a fabulous team, but they don't seem to do well with adversity. Klopp on the other hand wherever he goes tends to get that out of his teams. It doesn't always work out and Klopp himself has had bad season, see his last one with Dortmund and I would argue last year too. But there's something about him. And I feel it's getting his team used to attacking is one reason why. I would say the same about Fergie at Man United too. Man City maybe not so much, they are more of a machine, though today they did it themselves too! In this division WE are the team with the unfair advantage. Hence I don't think we need to so passive in seeing the game out. But as I say statistically it makes more sense to control it. I just don't like it in prinicpal!!!

They had Salah, KDB and Lukaku who they then brought back for 97M and got rid of again. In a parallel universe somewhere, they have the league's most unstoppable team, but instead became the laughing stock. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

Football is a simple game where 22 men kick a ball for 90 minutes and the team with Kevin De Bruyne wins

Coventry City 3 - 1 Leicester City Haven't posted here in a while, but want to give some thoughts on the Coventry game. This was the most "Premier League" style game we've had in a while, with others being Ipswich, Southampton and Leeds. What I mean by this is in terms of the often frenetic nature of the game, the end-to-end and not always having it our own way. Shame about that second half, because I really enjoyed the first half. Not just for the scoreline, but it was a really exciting game to watch. A Story of Two Halves The first half was very even Coventry really looked to expose us on the transition, sometimes they attacked with 6(!) players, which is clever because they know we defend with 5. This made for some dangerous moments. Sakamoto got the better of JJ on a few occasions. I expected JJ to play this game because Doyle is a bit slower, but fair play to the Japanese player, he was very good. Our playing through the press was beautiful! That's they style Enzo is trying to develop, and when we did, we looked very good. That Casadei chance was brilliant to watch. Harry Winks was fantastic in this game, I really admire him as a player so much after this season! In this half I thought Faes was very good. Which shows the nature of him as a player. When he's proactive, high up the pitch and can use his pace and strength, he looks great. When he has to concentrate and sit deep, he's poor. You have to give Coventry their dues. Not the fanbase but the team on the pitch! Their manager is a very good one. They dared to play out from the back and tried to attack us. Their gameplan was interesting because it both caused us problems and left them exposed. This is what to expect in the Premier League. Expect a lot of games like this next season. Most teams will attack us. We may not have created much in the first half, but I thought we were good. We took the sting out of the game and although it looks like Coventry made a lot of chances, I don't feel they were that threatening after the first 15 minutes. Second Half Obviously, the sending off changed the game: We parked the bus, but we had as many shots in the second half as the first. Albeit the quality of the efforts was much worse. Coventry scored 3 times, but the XG says we weren't getting battered. We ceded possession, but largely kept the ball out of dangerous areas. I thought for 25 minutes of that half we looked OK. However, as we have done to other teams, Coventry did to us. Concentrating for long periods of time and chasing the ball tires out players. Tired players lose concentration and... I feel we were poor defensively and could have done better for all 3 goals. As stated above, when the team has to sit in and defend, we are weak. The lack of subs was an issue for me. Putting McAteer on made sense for his workrate. Taking Mavididi off? I would have taken Cannon off and put Stephy up front so we could play more on the break with his pace. We went for a weird 441 shape. McAteer was often right back, we had a narrow midfield 4. We kept trying to play our way out of trouble which was admirable. At times, it did almost create chances, despite having a man less. But I'm not sure it was the smart thing to do. If we had Mavididi on we could have looked for the ball over the top a bit more often, which may have made Coventry not push as high up the pitch. Overall Conclusions System football has one big weakness. If something happens to disrupt the system, IE a man sending off or key injury, it falls apart. I would expect the team to have done some practice with ten men for situations like this, but this is a rare instance where I don't think Enzo has planned for this possibility. This is a bit reckless because the way we play, I think we were due a red card or two this season. We go in for tackles hard for a reason - because winning the ball back quickly opens up spaces. We also make lots of cynical play to stop the play to get back into shape. Over the course of a 46 game season, I'd expect a few sending-offs. Despite the scoreline, I thought we actually played OK in this game. I think we were much worse against Sheffield Wednesday for example. But... Our lack of mental resilience reared it's ugly head again. We've given away last minute goals quite a few times. I feel that just like under Rodgers we are flat-track bullies. When it's all going our way we are great but not good in a mental battle. That's a worry given the big turnover of players. Enzo does seem to prefer defence first in times of peril. Statistically it tends to work, but I feel that us going that way is a reason for capitulation. Liverpool under Klopp always manage to make these crazy comebacks and I feel like their mentality to attack, even when sometimes it's stupid to do so gives them a level of bravery that instils mental toughness. A bad day in the office. The red card... maybe a bit harsh but you can see why it was given. For a derby, you'd expect a few challenges like that, and it was no worse than the Coventry one in the box for the penalty. But still 1-0 in stoppage time at the end of the first half... no need to make that challenge there. I think we win that game 11 v 11. Onto the next one!

Damn before that red card I was loving the game. End-to-end stuff high on excitement and high quality play. The move for the Casadei chance was outstanding! Faes and Winks have been outstanding for me so far. The red card changes everything, because now we won't dominate possession. At the same time it might make things harder for them, their best moves are coming from Sakamoto who looks like a really good player, but now with fewer gaps in behind they are going to have to fashion the opportunity. I have been really impressed by both teams. I don't like Coventry, but Mark Robbins is a good manager. Their gameplan has caused us problems. It's a shame we don't have Daka right now because he would be the change I would make, to make counter attacks more dangerous.

Wow he really name dropped Sensi there. I feel it's inevitable we get him now, be it now or in the summer. I can see Praet playing some part tomorrow, he was excellent against Coventry in the first game of the season when he came on.

That's the first time I've seen Mavididi smile! Well done to both!

Ric Flair for DOF!

Let's say he wants 60K a week, and we give him a 2.5 year deal: 60k * 52 = 3.12M yearly salary before tax 3.12M * 2.5 = 7.8M total wages over the duration of the contract. Add in a £2M transfer fee, and then 10% (£200K) for a signing-on fee and you've got £2.2M Add all that together and it's a £10M deal. How much in total did Soumare cost? Dennis Praet? Harry Soutar? If you put it into that perspective, then if he was a total bust that played as much football as Ryan Bertrand, it's still not a total disaster. So overall, you could see why we might gamble on him. It could also be a 3.5 year deal, but on lower wages, etc. With this deal, you just have to accept that you are NOT making that 10M back even if the player smashes it. PS: I am waiting to see how bad my maths is as other people check I've done the arithmetic correctly.

It’s the English speaking part of one of their forums. But yeah I know what you mean!

I think @Ric Flair's suggestion of 18 month deal with performance based bonuses sounds like a good idea. So expect a 5 year contract on 60K a week from Rudders.

Some comments from inter fans around the web: https://forzainterforums.com/index.php?threads/stefano-sensi.14738/page-143 when he came to us he played the first 7/8 games and looked like he was the second coming of christ, the player is undoubtedly there but his body is made of glass ahha imagine plastic sensi in the championship.. he will need one month to recover after each game Lol he'll die in England. No way he can play there, he'll lose both legs in his first 45 minutes. Its crazy how overrated this guy is here. The dude was at Monza and wasn't even one of their better players. He was so mid there that they even considered Gagliardini an upgrade over him and they were entirely right to do so. Too bad the guy is such injury magnet, he is a very talented player as we saw in his first conte days here, i still have very little hope that maybe he still can do something here.. There are transfers that are marred with bad luck and bad transfers because the player isn't good enough for the money that was paid. Sensi is clearly a good enough player for Inter, sadly his body isn't. Why be non-ironically mad at a player because his legs failed him I will not understand. Also rewriting history how Sensi isn't even a good player. Sheesh. Sounds a bit worrying tbh... Luckily we have a world class medical record with proven history of keeping players fit and healthy

Oooof, this is pretty bad I must say. Yeah it has "being stuck with another player on high wages that barely plays / gets loaned back to Italy but we pay 50% of their wages" all over it. Depends on the price though. If Soumare cost 24M and this guy cost 10M, it would put things into perspective. Soumare I think was on high wages too, so they might not be too different in that regard.

Yep quite right and for me that makes him an even better fit. I guess my point is that for as good as I think he is, I don't see him and an 8 in our system in the Premier League because of the physicality needed. If we were talking about him when he first moved to Inter, that would be a different story! In the Championship though... yeah definitely, he's way too good for this level. The modern game requires squad depth. This is a player that is more than good enough to start, and offers some versatility too. Additionally, he has great set piece delivery and experience at a top club that is used to winning big trophies. What more can you ask for!

Wow, this is a properly good player! The Harry Winks comparison is spot on, this is a player that might not be first team but is a valuable squad player for a TOP club, which he is already at in Inter. Interestingly, I was going to say that although he's very good, he is not an attacking number 8. He scores about 3-4 goals a season, whereas you'd be looking at 5-10 for a promising attacking midfielder that we could develop. But as @Lcfcokay points out, this is 100% a player that could cover for Winks, and that is a position we 100% need if not this season, then definitely next season. He could also play box to box, but is not proven in that role IMO. This is a player that is VERY comfortable on the ball. One of those that always looks like they have time and space, even when surrounded by other players, just like Harry Winks. Football Manager stats should be taken with a pinch of salt, but I think these are quite accurate for the type of player he is: https://fminside.net/players/3-fm-23/43109319-stefano-sensi This would be a BIG yes from me. It should be noted he's 28 years old, so forget about resale value. But for me in that specific position, you need someone who is PROVEN. You are receiving the ball under pressure all the time. Taking a chance on a young player is a big risk in that position because if they have a lack of confidence, the entire team will suffer.

Great pickup for Hull! Between him and Philogene, they have a serious attack.

@Langston, players that have scored 20+ Premier League goals since 2010. Bold players are those from non top-6 clubs: 2010/11 Dimitar Berbatov Manchester United 20 Carlos Tevez Manchester City 2011/12 Robin van Persie Arsenal 30 Wayne Rooney Manchester United 27 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 23 2012/13 Robin van Persie Manchester United 26 Luis Suárez Liverpool 23 Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur 21 2013/14 Luis Suárez Liverpool 31 Daniel Sturridge Liverpool 21 Yaya Touré Manchester City 20 2014/15 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 26 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 21 Diego Costa Chelsea 20 2015/16 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 25 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 24 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 2016/17 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 29 Romelu Lukaku Everton 25 Alexis Sánchez Arsenal 24 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 20 Diego Costa Chelsea 2017/18 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 32 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 30 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 21 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 20 2018/19 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal 22 Sadio Mané Liverpool Mohamed Salah Liverpool Sergio Agüero Manchester City 21 2019/20 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 23 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal 22 Danny Ings Southampton Raheem Sterling Manchester City 20 2020/21 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 23 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 22 2021/22 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 23 Son Heung-Min Tottenham Hotspur 2022/23 Erling Haaland Manchester City 36 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 30 Ivan Toney Brentford 20

All those were pre Chelsea / Man City money. I think since 2010, the list is pretty small. There probably are a few others, but it's harder and harder to do it.

I agree, which is why it's kind of clever to take someone with a natural talent for finishing and developing their all round-game, rather than take a player with a good all-round game and try to develop their finishing. The truly elite strikers have that natural composure in front of goal that I think is almost impossible to teach!

The Cannon signing was a very interesting one, because if you look at the system that Enzo wants to play, the standout candidate for the role was Joel Piroe who went to Leeds. Their fans say "Piroe is NOT a number 9", because he drops so deep. That's exactly why I think we were interested, because his profile fit one who could link up the play. Cannon by contrast was playing for a very pragmatic Preston North End team that rarely saw the ball. But his finishing was superb, and showed a wide range of different finishes. An accomplished finisher at an early age, with real composure. But on paper, there wasn't anything to suggest that he would be good at the link-up play and all round game. However, a lot of coaches often prefer to work with younger players because they are much more mouldable. As they haven't played for other managers before, their brain is like a sponge, and they can quickly pick up new instructions, and are often hungry to show what they can do. That's the gamble I think we've taken, to develop someone with clear strengths into an all-round player that suits the system we are playing. Can he become that player? Maybe, maybe not. He's really come alive in the last few games though and doesn't look overawed at all. Already we see his pressing and movement off the ball is good. So far, his obvious weakness is that he isn't the best at playing with his back to goal, especially so deep on the pitch. But that side of his game can definitely be developed. I think he's a really exciting signing. With his composure and movement, this is a player that looks like he can score goals in the Premier League. Can he be a 20 goal a season striker in the top league? Well that is very hard for anyone to do, only a handful of players outside the top 6 have ever achieved it; Vardy (multiple times), Ings and Toney. But let's enjoy the ride! His attitude seems great and comes across as a likeable guy. At the start of the season I thought that if we got promoted we would go big on a technical striker who was proven at being able to link up play. But over the last few months I feel like you'd have to give Daka and Cannon opportunities to stake their claims.

"Welcome to Arsenal" In most of these clips he is playing as a left winger. We need backup for Mavididi, if not now, for next season. So if we were looking for an understudy / rotation option, this profile isn't the craziest to be linked with.

They are in good form so a draw would be a decent result.

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