RedFish
Full Member
Always better off sorting out the back first.
I think Ole is 100% going about this the right way.
Look at Liverpool - and I am a massive fan of Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool finished 7th the first season with him... a bit like us last season.
First thing he did was up the fitness levels of his players (same as Ole has done this summer). Then Klopp bought in the two glaring defensive areas they needed strengthening in: goalkeeper and centre-back.
He tightened up the defence first!
Then he had a steady season.. after tightening the back.
Next summer, he bought a new engine in midfield: Keita and Fabinho.
What happened: 97 points and a CL in the bag.
Klopp finished 7th in his first season.. but was given ample time to turn it around.
That's what we need to do.
We give Ole the time and the patience required to build a team.
It would have been foolish to try to address everything in this one summer.
He has taken the perfect first steps. Defence sorted.
Now, we are in a great position to see if kids can rise to the occasion of the Premier League.
Can Pereira prove that he is atop midfielder?
Can McTominay continue to be Ole's key player?
Can Greenwood become as great as we all think he can?
Can Gomes prove to be the top No.10 we all hope he can?
We'll know that answers to those questions by next May,
If the answer is 'no' to any of them, then we splash the cash.
Only people who obsess about Football Manager and think that's how the real sport should be played are disappointed with our summer.
I - personally - think it has been a fantastic first summer for Ole. Everything he has done makes perfect sense. But it only makes sense to fans who are willing to give him the time he needs to turn this ship back around.
Excellent post!