10 Apr 2026 14:20:26
Be an interesting summer. You buy two top wingers, where does Wirtz fit in? Isak or Etitike start as our central striker.
In midfield we need two top midfielders to go straight in. A proper 6 and Maccalisters replacement.
The back line needs multiple player's including a goalkeeper. How can soo much have been spent last summer and we still need several player's if we are to compete.
10 Apr 2026 14:53:59
How does Xabi play? Can't see him being enamoured with Isak or Eki's workrate either.
10 Apr 2026 15:26:57
It doesn't work. This is the main failure of the season above all.
We've assembled a squad that can play 2 formations at best. 4/3/3 isn't one of them.
Factor in how amazingly Slow and Unfit we are, how we've changed the Style to a walking pace, and refused to add anyone in January.
Just a total recipe for disaster, designed to Fail from the beginning.
10 Apr 2026 15:48:55
I don't think Ekitike is an out and out number 9.
Last season he was meant to have been very good as a support/second striker to Marmoush and apparently can play on the left.
10 Apr 2026 16:11:13
The squad is there to allow for rotation and making tactical tweaks. Then the manager can worry about how people fit into certain tactical approaches for different games. The key is to have enough variety in your squad that the manager has something to work with. It's not for us fans to worry about how he keeps everyone happy. I'm hoping we have something along the lines of the below.
Forwards: (7)
Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Diomande, Minteh, Rio*, Morrison*
Midfielders: (7)
Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, M.Fernandes, Jones*, Stephenson*, Nyoni*, Endo
Defenders: (9)
Frimpong*, Bradley*, Virgil, Konate, Jacquet, Leoni, Gomez*, Kerkez, Tsimikas
Keepers: (4)
Alisson, Mamardashvili, Woodman*, Pecsi
* = HG.
10 Apr 2026 16:14:06
Personally, I'm not sure where Ekitike features, as a regular starter, moving forward. I'm struggling to see where he, Isak and Wirtz feature in a starting XI.
10 Apr 2026 16:38:42
We've zero depth! Counting the likes of Gomez as depth is a joke!
10 Apr 2026 16:59:37
MK, if that's the squad we go into the next season with, gawd help us.
10 Apr 2026 19:12:54
I think the question you ask just goes to show the complete lack of cohesion between Edwards and Slot when it comes to the vision for the team. Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz all look like great signings on paper, but for a team that's used 4-3-3 so successfully for the last 8/9 years, they're really not the ideal signings. We're kind of in no man's land right now in terms of what's the most effective formation to deploy. Obviously, a 4-4-2 diamond or similar would be best for including Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz in their optimum positions, but nobody can deny that our loss of pace and creativity on the wings has massively affected us, and I think a lot of fans would agree that we need to fill those holes immediately. It's all going to depend on the new manager's assessment of the current situation, and how he thinks is best to move forward.
I just pray that Edwards isn't going to be in charge of transfers this Summer.
If we bring in 2 wingers and go with a 4-3-3, play Wirtz in the middle instead of Macallister, give him the freedom of a more advanced playmaker role, a sort of hybrid-CAM but with more responsibility of tracking back, Dom will have to play more of a holding role, but he won't be completely restricted and Grav (or whoever) will have to be a strictly holding DM.
Wingers will need to have intense work rate tracking back, acting as wide midfielders in the defensive phase. To start, I would hold back on having the wingers press the back line to recover the ball, revert to a 4-1-4-1 when not in possession so as to condense the middle of the park and prevent teams from just walking through our midfield as they have been.
Forget this nonsense of having 70% possession and doing nothing with it. If the opposing defenders have the ball, let them have it, they pose no threat. Force the opposition to choose between playing through an overly stacked midfield or go over the top, massively limit their ability to play through the middle, force mistakes, full-on heavy metal football on the counter-attack, lightning fast transitions, a direct high pace assault, reward players for taking chances.
10 Apr 2026 19:16:47
Mid to Lower table squad that.
10 Apr 2026 20:07:14
Alison
?? Jacquet. Vvd. Kerkez
Grav. Slob
?? Wirtz. Ekitike
Izak.
11 Apr 2026 03:37:51
We need to build a squad - picking a starting 11 can wait until we have a coach who wants to play football first and foremost.
Then, we need additions over the next couple of years that enable us to challenge for the PL, CL, and domestic cups, and allow for the youngsters to be fully integrated into the squad / starting 11.