Staffing is key.
Staffing is about terminating as well as recruiting. When SAF saw a player wasn't up to it they were gone in 6 months to a year.
The fact there's a debate about half of the squad: "Is Mata good enough", etc., tells us they aren't. Unless they're still up and coming (23 or younger), there should be no leeway. Off they go. The only players good enough to keep here are those whom rivals want. That was the reason they were on such high salaries - to ward off other clubs. Now they're on even higher pay, even when no one wants to poach them off us! Crazy.
With this injury crisis, all the players who should've left long ago get to play.