sZola wrote:
In In Ashton and Nouble we have direct cover for Colin.
Yes, true, but =>
1 is injured, 1 is a virgin
There is the problem.
We don't need a 25 year old replacement. I'd be very happy to get a 32-35 year old replacement - a player who could start about 10-15 games and be able to give Nouble a little more competition.
So long as Ashton The England International and his wages are on the books and we have a player Chelseas made a new offer to, and who Arsenal wanted - we dont have the budget to buy a 4th player for this 1 job.
Especially as we are thiner elsewhere.
Yes Ashton is injured, and Nouble is a virgin, but thats more than the cover we have for Stanislas and Savio.
Getting another understudy for Cole is not a priority, also Zola has said he does not want a large first team squad.
FDiMcA wrote:In Zola we have a manager who is playing 1 up front. He needs some Ronaldos, Kuyts, Joe Coles, Arshavins to make it work. 1: Savio and 2: Stanislas are kids, 3: Jiminez is untested in the Prem and on loan, 4: Dyer is always going to be one game away from missing the season. 5: LBM is out.
sZola wrote:I'd also add Behrami into this pool of players, and if needed Collison. In other words there is plenty of competition.
.
This is the bit that confuses me. Behramis gig is fundamentally different from Dyer, Jiminez, Savio, Stanislas, Chamakh, Gudjohnsen, Diamntis roles.
I find it as bizzare to suggest Behrami is cover for Dyer, as it would be to suggest Kovac or Upson were cover for Dyer.
Sure if we are in an "Ian Pearce must play up-front" or "Peter Beardsley must go in goal" situation, Behrami or Collison could play behind Cole, but to suggest we intentionally go into a season like that, in order to spend more of our limmited funds on a striker who is only plan B - baffles me.
Behrami is not in the pool of players who SHOULD earn the right to play just behind Cole off Jiminez.
If we use the analogy of
Back 4
Ince
McManaman-Gascoigne-Anderton
------------------Sheringham
Shearer
If Gascoigne was injured at a stretch you would replace him with hard working technically gifted Behrami
You would not replace McManaman, Anderton, or Sheringham with Behrami.
Behrami is not IMHO in the pool of ATTACKING players Zola will rotate around his core first team.
IMHO
Back 4
Parker
MIDFIELD 4
Cole
Within the midfield 4 there is room for Collisons, Behramis. and Nobles but when blended with Dyers, Jiminez's Stanislas'.
Take my wife (please take her) she could pick a back 4 then a 4 man midfield of Collison-Noble-Parker-Behrami, then Cole and Bellamy up front.
Its feasible, and in that scenario Dyer, Jiminez, Syanislas, Savio are ample options to change things, and all she needs to do is buy a striker to replace Bellamy.
What Im saying is given what I have seen Zola try, and the type of players that it has been confiremed by club officials we are in for (Mancini, Chamakh, Gudjohnsen) my wifes line-up is not what Zola is attempting.
So as well as needing a 12th man, (Gudjiohnsen/Chamakh/Diamnatis) a plan B, a striker who is NOT like Cole/Ashton/Nouble - we still also need an attacking player who can play in midfield with limited (other than positional) defensive responsibilities, who can break down by guile or pace congested midfields (Diamantis/Chamakh/Gudjohnsen).
If you look at this through Zolas eyes - we need 2 attacking players before the window shuts, we also need a Right Back (although Faubert and Spector might see us through to January).
Once thats done these 3 jobs are filled - we have Zolas finished squad.
Getting rid of players like Etrherington and Bellamy whose style did not fit, and phasing out Mullins for Kovac or the New RB for Neil, underpinning the academy with imports (Nouble, Ledley, Dixon, Savio) will have been completed.
We will operate with a one-in-one-out like-for-like formula into eternity.
Right now we are missing a second striker, and an attacking midfielder, (and probably a right back).