Edit: I have rewritten this post in order to clarify the point I am trying to make, since a lot of people have misunderstood it. The original post is contained in the spoiler tags at the end.
Continuity is key. We have seen teams try to buy instant success, and typically have failed to do so without long term investment/planning. My opinion and argument is that success is bred from having players with an understanding of both their role, and the roles of the other players in the team - and this comes from consistency and continuity.
The prevailing opinion on here seems to be that we need to go out and spend hundreds of millions of pounds overhauling the squad, and that by doing so, we will be challenging for the PL next year. I do not think this is the case at all.
Great teams are built, not bought. Please note, this does not mean we should be spending only x amount on players, or that we need to have y amount of academy players in our XI. What it means is that we need consistency, year on year, in the playing side.
Over the course of this season, we have seen - in my opinion - some really promising signs, as LVG's much-mentioned philosophy finally seems to have taken root. We dominated Chelsea at Stamford bridge (despite losing - I will get to that), we slaughtered City at Old Trafford, and when we have been on form, we have looked more or less unstoppable. This is after less than a year under LVG, and with definite room for improvement in the squad.
Based on the above, it seems to me that the best policy here is to stick with the majority of the current playing squad/first XI. Over time, as the players grow more used to each other and develop a better understanding, as well as mastering LVG's system, I would expect our quality of play to improve even further - look at what we did to some of the top teams this season, there is no reason why we cannot build on that and replicate it over the course of the season, if the players are given time.
As I said before, this does not mean we cant buy players. We should be looking to add 1-2 high quality additions in key areas. For me, that is the wings (Depay) and RB. We can add depth in other areas if we really want, but I would prefer seeing some of the youngsters be given a chance if injuries hit.
To illustrate my point, some examples;
Long term success comes from consistency and continuity in the playing side. There have been enough promising signs over the course of this season that we should be prepared to stick with the current core group of players and see what they can do next season, having had further time to grow/develop under LVG, and with a couple of quality additions.
The 'Original' OP:
Continuity is key. We have seen teams try to buy instant success, and typically have failed to do so without long term investment/planning. My opinion and argument is that success is bred from having players with an understanding of both their role, and the roles of the other players in the team - and this comes from consistency and continuity.
The prevailing opinion on here seems to be that we need to go out and spend hundreds of millions of pounds overhauling the squad, and that by doing so, we will be challenging for the PL next year. I do not think this is the case at all.
Great teams are built, not bought. Please note, this does not mean we should be spending only x amount on players, or that we need to have y amount of academy players in our XI. What it means is that we need consistency, year on year, in the playing side.
Over the course of this season, we have seen - in my opinion - some really promising signs, as LVG's much-mentioned philosophy finally seems to have taken root. We dominated Chelsea at Stamford bridge (despite losing - I will get to that), we slaughtered City at Old Trafford, and when we have been on form, we have looked more or less unstoppable. This is after less than a year under LVG, and with definite room for improvement in the squad.
Based on the above, it seems to me that the best policy here is to stick with the majority of the current playing squad/first XI. Over time, as the players grow more used to each other and develop a better understanding, as well as mastering LVG's system, I would expect our quality of play to improve even further - look at what we did to some of the top teams this season, there is no reason why we cannot build on that and replicate it over the course of the season, if the players are given time.
As I said before, this does not mean we cant buy players. We should be looking to add 1-2 high quality additions in key areas. For me, that is the wings (Depay) and RB. We can add depth in other areas if we really want, but I would prefer seeing some of the youngsters be given a chance if injuries hit.
To illustrate my point, some examples;
- Barcelona. A lot on this thread have argued against this one, but I think it is valid. Barcelona had a great crop of youth prospects it is true, but I would argue that the reason these players looked so good was because they had played together for years, under Guardiola, using his system. Their understanding was/is on another level to even the top teams, and it showed on the pitch. The players knew innately when to press, how to pass and move, and when another player would be making a run. This level of understanding and teamwork does not come overnight, regardless of how many superstar signings you make - it is developed over years of practice and playing with the same group of players.
- Liverpool. Rodgers' first season started off pretty poorly, but as it went on there were clear signs of improvement. Over that summer (2013) they added a couple of key players, and then challenged for the league last year, for the first time in 20 years. They were of course helped by Suarez, but even without him they played some scintillating football. Fast-forward a year, they sold Suarez and reinvested the proceeds in 5-6 first team players, and have looked a shambles for a lot of the year as a result. The teamwork, the system and the understanding simply hasnt been there for them this year (especially at the start of the season).
- Spurs. Similar story to Liverpool in that they sold a key player and tried to overhaul half of their squad in one summer. It didnt work, it never works.
- Fergie's last season. We won the league comfortably, despite having arguably a weaker squad than a lot of the competition. Ferguson was lauded for 'getting the best out of the players' - which is true, but is basically another way of making my point, that it was the same core group of players that we had for years.
- City/Chelsea. Neither of these clubs have been able to attain any sort of long term success, and neither have ever really invested in any sort of a long term plan, but rather went for instant success, year after year. Chelsea did enjoy a period of success under Mourinho, when he started to implement his own system and playing style at Chelsea - ironically this is probably what got him sacked the first time round. Now he is back and implementing his style again, and the result is that they strolled the league.
Long term success comes from consistency and continuity in the playing side. There have been enough promising signs over the course of this season that we should be prepared to stick with the current core group of players and see what they can do next season, having had further time to grow/develop under LVG, and with a couple of quality additions.
The 'Original' OP:
The prevailing opinion seems to be nowadays that we need to spend another few hundred mil this summer replacing most of the squad. We enjoyed the masterclass from Barcelona on Wednesday and sure enough, the caf was full of "look how far behind we are" type posts.
However, as the title says, great teams are built, not bought. Barcelona are a great team, and guess what, the core of that team for the best part of the last decade has been a group of players from their academy, which was then complemented by key signings in certain positions.
You could make the same argument about United, where the class of '92 formed the core of our side for almost two decades, and was overseen by Ferguson, who was a master at continuing to build and evolving his teams.
Conversely, look at City, who spent obscene amounts of money year-on-year, but have never quite looked like a great team with any sort of consistency.
The only team which are something of an exception to the rule are Real Madrid, who are largely regarded as a bit of a circus, badly run, changing manager practically every season etc, and who have relied on Ronaldo to varying degrees over the last 7 or so years, to carry them through bad patches.
So where am I going with this? It should be pretty obvious. We dont need to go out and spend £200m this summer on another half dozen players, and nor will doing so actually guarantee us any real improvement in our play or success [compared with spending a more conservative figure on strengthening just a couple of key positions].
LVG has come in, and he has a clear philosophy and vision for how he wants us to play. We have seen first hand this season, that it took the players quite a while to really get familiar with this system, and that when it did, we have looked much better as a team, in the sense that we have a clear playing style and system to work with. Thus, even when the results are shite, there are still positives being gained such as our ball retention and pressing.
What we need, and what LVG needs, is a few years to work with this core group of players, and take them from "good" to "great". This doesnt mean we shouldnt strengthen at all, simply that overhauling the entire squad every 12 months is no way to build a successful, title winning team that can compete at the highest levels.
However, as the title says, great teams are built, not bought. Barcelona are a great team, and guess what, the core of that team for the best part of the last decade has been a group of players from their academy, which was then complemented by key signings in certain positions.
You could make the same argument about United, where the class of '92 formed the core of our side for almost two decades, and was overseen by Ferguson, who was a master at continuing to build and evolving his teams.
Conversely, look at City, who spent obscene amounts of money year-on-year, but have never quite looked like a great team with any sort of consistency.
The only team which are something of an exception to the rule are Real Madrid, who are largely regarded as a bit of a circus, badly run, changing manager practically every season etc, and who have relied on Ronaldo to varying degrees over the last 7 or so years, to carry them through bad patches.
So where am I going with this? It should be pretty obvious. We dont need to go out and spend £200m this summer on another half dozen players, and nor will doing so actually guarantee us any real improvement in our play or success [compared with spending a more conservative figure on strengthening just a couple of key positions].
LVG has come in, and he has a clear philosophy and vision for how he wants us to play. We have seen first hand this season, that it took the players quite a while to really get familiar with this system, and that when it did, we have looked much better as a team, in the sense that we have a clear playing style and system to work with. Thus, even when the results are shite, there are still positives being gained such as our ball retention and pressing.
What we need, and what LVG needs, is a few years to work with this core group of players, and take them from "good" to "great". This doesnt mean we shouldnt strengthen at all, simply that overhauling the entire squad every 12 months is no way to build a successful, title winning team that can compete at the highest levels.
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