If no more transfers, what will be the starting team.
Maybe
Music
Roberts beyer O’Shea Taylor
Brow hill Cullen
Gudmundsson cork
Zaroury weghorst
Subs Rodriguez Benson ekdal al-dakhil Vitinho bpf twine foster

Music being played to put off City in our penalty area,interesting new tactic.

Maybe playing this?

https://open.spotify.com/track/2FGH5bsx ... y%3Asearch

No idea on the system/shape that Kompany is going to use -

We will know a bit more after the Genk/Betis friendlies…

With the lack of fullback signings right now and emphasis on ball playing centrehalves I wouldn’t be suprised if we’re playing a version of Citys 3-2-4-1 that they played last season.

Kompany was really complimentary of how Pep had them setup on the overlap

---------------Muric---------------
--------Ekdal Beyer O'Shea-----------
Roberts----------------------Taylor
---------Cullen Brownhill/JBG--------
Benson----------------------Zaroury
------------Weghorst---------------

Beyer being given licence to roam up into midfield when we're attacking, with either Brownhill or Johann then also pushing a bit further on.

Subs:
BPF
Jay
Al Dakhil
Foster
Cork
Twine
JBG/Brownhill (coinflip for me which I'd play, think JBG could be a revelation in CM he impressed in that role last season)
Vitinho
Bastien/Churlinov/Obafemi/Costelloe/Whoever else

There will be more transfers but I’ll play along anyway

——————————Muric————————
Roberts —Al-Dakhil—Beyer——Taylor
—————————-Cullen————————
Benson——Brownhill—JBG——Zaroury
———————— Rodriguez———————

Enough PL exp to manage the ‘occasion’ and aside from Taylor, arguably our strongest 11 last season.

Muric
Roberts
Ekdal
Beyer
Vitinho
Cullen
Brownhill
JBG
Zaroury
Foster
Benson

Vigouroux
Al Dakhil
O’Shea
Cork
Obafemi
Bastien
Jay
Weghorst
Twine
(Is that too many?)

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:58 pm

There will be more transfers but I’ll play along anyway

——————————Muric————————
Roberts —Al-Dakhil—Beyer——Taylor
—————————-Cullen————————
Benson——Brownhill—JBG——Zaroury
———————— Rodriguez———————

Enough PL exp to manage the ‘occasion’ and aside from Taylor, arguably our strongest 11 last season.

That very well could be the team. Even if we do make a signing or two before then, given we’re less than 4 weeks away now, I doubt they’d be ready to slot in.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:58 pm

There will be more transfers but I’ll play along anyway

——————————Muric————————
Roberts —Al-Dakhil—Beyer——Taylor
—————————-Cullen————————
Benson——Brownhill—JBG——Zaroury
———————— Rodriguez———————

Enough PL exp to manage the ‘occasion’ and aside from Taylor, arguably our strongest 11 last season.

A bit harsh that Tella doesn’t make our strongest 11 for last season

Might as well have asked "What will our team be for the first game of the 2035 season?"

Assuming no incoming players will be ready:

Muric,
Roberts, Al-Dakhil, Beyer, Taylor,
Brownhill, Cullen, Cork,
JBG, Rodriguez, Zaroury

should be good enough to keep it to 4-0

Doubt Benson will be fit if he is not involved in any of the friendlies yet and the injury goes back to the end of last season

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:58 pm

There will be more transfers but I’ll play along anyway

——————————Muric————————
Roberts —Al-Dakhil—Beyer——Taylor
—————————-Cullen————————
Benson——Brownhill—JBG——Zaroury
———————— Rodriguez———————

Enough PL exp to manage the ‘occasion’ and aside from Taylor, arguably our strongest 11 last season.

Without wanting to sound dramatic I could honestly see us conceding 6 or 7 with that team against city. There’s next to no physicality in that team.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:21 pm

Without wanting to sound dramatic I could honestly see us conceding 6 or 7 with that team against city. There’s next to no physicality in that team.

When was the last time being out-muscled mattered to City?

Welcome to the PL

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:21 pm

Without wanting to sound dramatic I could honestly see us conceding 6 or 7 with that team against city. There’s next to no physicality in that team.

And that physicality is what I had hoped we'd have brought into the building by now with all these links to Lokonga, Vranckx, Flemming etc but nothing seems imminent on that front. I really hope we address it by August.

That said though, we usually get beat for 5 or 6 against City regardless of what team we put out.

ksrclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:58 pm

And that physicality is what I had hoped we'd have brought into the building by now with all these links to Lokonga, Vranckx, Flemming etc but nothing seems imminent on that front. I really hope we address it by August.

That said though, we usually get beat for 5 or 6 against City regardless of what team we put out.

I suspect Lokonga or Vrankx in midfield would make a big difference especially first game

Depends on formation but:

Muric
Roberts Ekdal Beyer Vitinho/Taylor
Cullen Brownhill
Benson JBG Zaroury
Rodriguez

Needs strengthening in the middle, up front and at LB.

No Maatsen going up and down the left, which changes things, because Taylor can't do that, but you'd ideally have a left footed defender on somewhere on the left, so for now you start Taylor. He's reliable as hell, just not a wing-back, nor is he a natural CB. Get him on the left of a three and you have somewhere where his abilities are maximised — comfortable and familiar with using the touchline to cage the opponent in as a LB, big enough to be a force centrally.

............Muric...........
Al-Dakhil...Beyer...Taylor (sorry Ekdal, you're still ace)
......Roberts...Cullen..... (Roberts basically played CDM last season anyway)
Benny....Brownhill....JBG...Zaroury
.............Jay............

5 natural defenders on the pitch should stiffen us up defensively, but Roberts' positions in possession allow Brownhill to play among the forwards, which is where he's best.

Give the ball to Benson, let him work something out. Man mark Haaland, get between him and the ball at all cost. Jay's aggression will be needed in deep positions. Your striker needs to work his nuts off in midfield. We're still gonna get beat, but let's keep it respectable.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:21 pm

Without wanting to sound dramatic I could honestly see us conceding 6 or 7 with that team against city. There’s next to no physicality in that team.

But that won't be the team so stop wetting your pants.

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:25 pm

When was the last time being out-muscled mattered to City?

Aye, you need pace all over the place more than strength to give City a game. Way I see it, when City find Haaland you need Beyer to muscle with Haaland just enough to allow Al-Dakhil to get goal side of him and stop him from shooting/close the angles for the GK, but ideally he'd never get the ball in the first place, so there's a lot of movement needed from the CB to get between the ball and Haaland, and Al-Dakhil has the legs to do that.

*I said 5 natural defenders in my team selection post, that was a mistake, there's only 4. Total brain fart. I think in my head when I was typing it out I was seeing a back four of O'Shea/AA-D/JB/CT, with Roberts playing along side Cullen. Bungled it. Please nobody put me in charge of the team In that case you'd sacrifice JBG for O'Shea.

Spiral wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 7:37 pm

Aye, you need pace all over the place more than strength to give City a game. Way I see it, when City find Haaland you need Beyer to muscle with Haaland just enough to allow Al-Dakhil to get goal side of him and stop him from shooting/close the angles for the GK, but ideally he'd never get the ball in the first place, so there's a lot of movement needed from the CB to get between the ball and Haaland, and Al-Dakhil has the legs to do that.

To be fair, this is how we started out last game...
and we did OK until they scored.

Muric
Roberts Al Dakhil Beyer Taylor
Cullen Weghorst Brownhill
Benson JRod Zaroury

JBG if Benny is still not fit.

I tend to agree that VK will play Al Dakhil ahead of Ekdal.

---------------Muric——————
------- O'Shea------Aldakeel -—-
Roberts-—---Beyer----------Taylor
--------Cullen ——Brownhill———
--JBG———————---——---Zaroury
----------—-Weghorst---------------

BleedingClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:31 pm

---------------Muric——————
------- O'Shea------Aldakeel -—-
Roberts-—---Beyer----------Taylor
--------Cullen ——Brownhill———
--JBG———————---——---Zaroury
----------—-Weghorst---------------

Swap Weggie for JR and I'd be happy with that formation.

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:40 pm

Swap Weggie for JR and I'd be happy with that formation.

I’m thinking as it’s specifically against City that Benson & Jay Rod aren’t as suited to chasing down, maybe Wout isn’t either, but both Benny & Jay Rod are a bit injury prone

If you had told me after the last game of last season that we would start our Premier League campaign with a team significantly weaker than then I would have laughed out loud.
Who has ever done that after a promotion?
There may well be a few weeks to go but then people say the new signings would need time to settle in!

CaptainKirk wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 10:58 pm

If you had told me after the last game of last season that we would start our Premier League campaign with a team significantly weaker than then I would have laughed out loud.
Who has ever done that after a promotion?
There may well be a few weeks to go but then people say the new signings would need time to settle in!

Don’t worry we won’t .

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 7:33 pm

But that won't be the team so stop wetting your pants.

You don’t really get the point of the thread do you

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:25 pm

You don’t really get the point of the thread do you

There is no point to the thread.

Based on the players we have right now:

GK - Muric

DR - Roberts
DCR - Beyer
DCL - O'Shea
DL - Taylor

DM - Cullen
DM - Brownhill

AMR - Benson
AMC - Twine
AML - Zaroury

ST - Foster

Trafford will start the city game

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 17, 2023 1:42 pm

Trafford will start the city game

Completely agree, I just selected Muric based off the players we have right now.

AmbleClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:19 pm

Music being played to put off City in our penalty area,interesting new tactic.

I recall the game after we'd had a close match against Gillingham at home 97/98 (which we would've probably won if it wasn't for Robert Taylor) we played Man City and we probably would've also won that one if the tannoy hadn't been blurting out Wonderwall to the delight of a packed Cricketfield End.

From what we have:

........................Muric
.........Al-Dakhil Beyer O'Shae
................Roberts Cullen
Benson Brownhill .JBG... Zaroury
.....................Weghorst

morpheus2 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 17, 2023 6:38 pm

I recall the game after we'd had a close match against Gillingham at home 97/98 (which we would've probably won if it wasn't for Robert Taylor) we played Man City and we probably would've also won that one if the tannoy hadn't been blurting out Wonderwall to the delight of a packed Cricketfield End.

You referring to the infamous 0-5 ,then 0-6 home games ,Gillingham followed by City ,'99 was it . Memories we can well do without.

.......................................Muric................................

...................Ekdal...........Beyer........Al Dakhil..............

Roberts...............Cullen............JBG...............Taylor....

Benson.....................Weghorst ......................Zaroury.......

No defensive duties for the wide guys with instructions to play right on the shoulder of their full back and fire no look crosses into the box as often as possible, Wout's instructions would be to not come deep and get on the end of at least one of them.

Muric
O'Shea Ekdal Beyer
Roberts
JBG Brownhill Cullen
Amdouni Zaroury
Foster

Will have to have confirmation of the teams after the friendlies but if the season started tomorrow?.. probably something like this:

————-——Muric
——-Beyer-O’Shea-Taylor
———Roberts——Cullen
Benson-Browny-Twine-Zaroury
——————-Foster

What about Trafford?