22 Jul 2026 12:43:33
I sighed when I heard Iriola wants Macca to stay and stating we're light at cb/RB. We have Virg, Gomez, Leioni (Italian kid) and the newcomer Jaquet. I can understand a versatile cb/RB option but we do not need two players. Move Gomez on then if you're getting another cb. Ridiculous though he's a great guy having him and he's never available.
I thought our priority would be midfield. We've got ran through and were weak there. Macca was slow and appalling in the final. The same Liverpool Macca, slow on the ball, dithering then losing possession.
You can forget about competing for anything next season if we put the same midfield as last. We need two top midfielders.
22 Jul 2026 13:57:11
I think most of the issues from last season defensively were structural and I’m hoping Iraola will fix them by fixing our pressing.
The same midfield we had last season, we had the season before when we won the league.
22 Jul 2026 14:01:30
Crazy how a coach as good as Iraola is, he seems to be defending Macca and wanting to use him. Unless he's lying.
22 Jul 2026 14:02:44
Why would Iriola tell the press we want rid of Macca? Keeping his cards close to his chest. Pretty sure the club will be looking to move Macca on and bring in a more mobile talent.
22 Jul 2026 14:05:12
@Ron, It seems that your thought might have been at odds with what the club are thinking.
22 Jul 2026 14:05:49
Italian kid is coming back off a serious ACL tear and won't be available for the start of the season; he'll need his minutes managed on return, and we don't know how long it might take him to find form if everything does go well. Jacqut, too, is coming back from 4 months off with a shoulder injury, less concerning for sure, but still has to be taken into consideration. Gomez spends more time on the physio table than the pitch.
We could definitely do with a reliable senior CB.
Same goes for RB, both of which are coming back from missing half a season due to injury, Bradley, with serious knee damage, won't be available for the start of the season and Frimpng with repeat hamstring issues that are more than likely to flare up again. If we don't do something about it now we'll be looking for 2x new RB's next Summer.
22 Jul 2026 14:19:19
I thought Macca had a good World Cup, and was a good player pre Slot. I would give him until Jan before thinking of getting rid.
22 Jul 2026 14:42:29
Agree, apart from final, had a very good World Cup, and covered most ground. Had a bad year last year, as did most teams, think with tactical changes he improves massively next season.
22 Jul 2026 14:51:18
Macca was a victim of Slot messing the midfield up by allowing Grav to go further forward and leaving Macca isolated. We know he doesn't have great pace, and clearly wasn't 100% fit for part of the season, so even more reason not to make the changes that were made.
22 Jul 2026 15:01:47
Macca is so slow and immobile, even in the World Cup, he's just not suited to a dynamic style of play. Argentina were ponderous, hardly created any chances, and stifled the opposition with the dark arts and breaking the flow. That's not what we need, surely.
22 Jul 2026 15:13:48
We don't need 2? VVD is 35 and is declining. Leoni had a season out injured, and still is. JJ also had half a season out, new to the league, both inexperienced. Joe Gomes is almost always injured. Bradley is months away, and again another bad injury. We need 2 or 3 tbh.
22 Jul 2026 18:49:00
What do you want Doni to say? That Macca is crap and he will get shot of him even if he thinks so? Seriously, when has a manager ever said something like that to a player they don't even rate? People need to wake up and stop hanging on to every word a manager says.
At the end of the day, we will see what happens with Macca under Doni.
Doni may actually like him and have an idea how to use him. Or he may not rate him and would like to get rid but prolly feels he can't do that this season and will hence make do. Again, no one knows. We are gonna have to wait and see, as said above.
22 Jul 2026 20:14:11
"Iraola wants rid of Macca"
You're never going to see a headline like that.