₦airaland Forum

But short men always want to tell tall tales.

Never forget.

I've met TuFace too.

If you're 3 inches shorter than him, you're 5'7.5"

raumdeuter:
Liverpool has Gomez which is a CB option but they are not benching VVD or Konate for him. National Team football is different from clubside. Germany is stronger than most opponents they face and will dominate possession conveniently

Julian is looking for a club role after the WC, Let us see if Liverpool can transform into a possession based side built around Wirtz. If I am to wager I will say Slot wont be able to do that successfully and Wirtz would fail at it

But Gomez isn't a CB option per se. Slot barely used him there except in fringe games. He has been the swapping option for Bradley at RB. Liverpool got that young CB from Parma & wanted Guehi. Those would've been viable options but one is out for the season & the other wasn't allowed to leave by Palace.

Like I said, they don't have CB quickfixes to deploy.

Whether Slot or Nagelsmann or whoever they hire will be able to bring the best out of Wirtz is TBD. But Liverpool weren't going to allow their £150m (they keep lying he was £116m) asset fail without doing everything they can to ensure he succeeds.

Silentgroper:
Look .. he's on a downward spiral in terms of performance.. so to me it's an inevitable good decision if he gets sold this coming tfw ... I'm fully in support of that..


Get an olive or a semenyo or better still a greenwood . We need to fortify that RW ASAP..

Bayern won't sell Olisé and even if he wants to go back to England it won't be for cheap. Think Wirtz/Isak money.

raumdeuter:
That will be absurd for a player you gave 400k a week to in May

Not really. Without that contract extension Salah could've left for free. Not when Al-Hilal still had £60m or so to pay for Nunez. He knew they wouldn't want him to leave for free so leveraged that to ask for £400k per week. Nobody was willingly going to pay that to a 32-year old depreciating asset.

Even with this fracas, a ton of Saudi clubs will still pay at least £65m for him which they can use to fund Semenyo who won't charge as much as Salah per salary.

raumdeuter:
The only point I agree with here is that Salah shouldn't have gone public, But that said, the coach should have called him and given him the respect of a Senior player why you will not be played

Salah not helping OOP is not new, Tactically he provides an outlet that is very potent and why opponents wont go full press on you cos a through ball to Salah is game over. Why Salah will feel scapegoated is that when VVD or Konate are playing bad which is almost a weekly thing, they dont get benched for Gomez but Salah who isn't doing worse than them get benched for no right winger

The summer buys are problematic and that will be the end of Slot.

1. Trying to get the best out of Wirtz who is a 10. Balls going through a 10, will slow down by 5 to 10 seconds, He is basically changing the way Liverpool plays, WIrtz might have been a better option in Citeh, I actually thought he would be the KdB replacement since Man city is not transition dependent like Liverpool

2. Buying Ekitike an Isak together is a problem. They are both 9s though Ekitike can play to the left(Gakpos position). When you have 2 9s, they want to play all the time, And when you start subbing them out by 60th 70th min because they didn't score, they will not have the time to get back in form. E.g Kane or Haaland didn't score for 4 games next 3 games they might haul a hat trick in 2. But when you keep subbing them out they wont get in the grove

If Nagelsmann is the plan then whoever bought Wirtz did not plan that properly, JN is also a counterpress and closer to the Klopp school where the 10 role will slow things down too much. Wirtz will work better in a slow build up team not those high energy quick breaks

My closest friend is a Liverpool fan and regale me with sad stories. He is team Salah and anti Slot. I have laughed so much at him that I am starting to pity him. Anyway Lets see how it goes

Liverpool don't have CB options when VVD & Konate are underperforming. Slot has admitted he's tried different things to get them out of the hump. It's the same with Neuer, Ederson (last season) or even Alisson if he was off form. The manager's will usually still keep playing them.

I agree with your analysis of their signings but not on Nagelsmann who has continued to defend Wirtz & start him regularly for the national team. Wirtz assists this season have come playing for Germany if I'm not mistaken & Julian is clearly looking for a club manager role after the WC. He's all but said so.

raumdeuter:
When you want to bench a player like Salah, you call him to your office and discuss with him, A player like Salah should not be knowing about his playing status on matchday. Its disrespectful given what he has done for the club

You are right but did he approach Slot?

Perhaps Slot was told to give him the cold shoulder as a way of forcing him out even if na to Saudi.

Kimbeast:
From Salah perspective I can understand his outrage.

I mean even if you're dropped, he could have approached Slot behind the scenes. He only said Slot hasn't been speaking to him not that he tried and was rejected.

His achievements for Liverpool cannot be gainsaid but this crashout is bad for him IMHO.

raumdeuter:
Slot scattered the team and everyone has been underperforming on the team from Allison to VVD to Konate to everyone. Maybe only Szobozlai and Ekitike can come out with some average rating

Everyone has been pisspoor in the team but Slot chose to make Salah the scapegoat. With how VVD has been playing why has he not been benched for Gomez. So picking out Salah felt to him like he is been blamed for the losses

Salah feels slighted because he could have left Liverpool last season and got a great contract, you sign him for 2 seasons, when you could have sold him. (When you have big players you quickly sell them, you shouldn't be benching them) you made braindead buys which upset the balance of the team now you are benching him (which is half the story) but who are you benching him for? (Not Semenyo not Olise, not Eze) but for who?

I saw them last game, Gakpo, Wirtz Ekitike all scheme from the left, and the entire right was vacant just because you want to punish Salah. Who is the close sub to Salah in quality? If you are even playing better and have a sub doing better than Salah, It might justify your decision to bench him.

Salah is the Messi, Thierry Ronaldo of Liverpool and he deserves the respect Barcelona Arsenal Madrid gave them

Slot has won the league which many thinks its Klopp's fingerprint all over, His first attempt to start his own team has been poor so far

_{I didnt read through this might be filled with errors}

I think everyone can agree that the team has been poor & Slot will eventually take the blame, but dropping Salah wasn't what necessarily made him the scapegoat.

Apart from being poor, Salah doesn't help OOP so tactically, it made sense to drop him. I don't even believe he had been dropped long enough for him to crashout like this. I suspect it is the cold treatment coupled with the fact that he was promised the team will be built around him when he extended but it now looks like Wirtz was prioritized [articles from Athletic, ex-players etc making excuses for Wirtz but easily blaming Salah] so he can see what's coming.

But Alisson is his mate & friend & admitted that Salah was in the wrong for going public. The club is clearly backing Slot in the interim because Slot is executing their direction. Salah cannot win by doing this. This is CR7 & Ten Hag all over and United sided with the manager.

Nobody can deny what Salah has achieved but the club sees it as business being business. I won't be surprised if Slot is still at the helms because of the world cup year. My theory will be proven right if they hire Nagelsmann after the WC since he would most likely not leave his National team role with Germany before the WC.

If I am right, it also means Wirtz has been prioritized and they want a manager they believe can bring the best out of him.

Silentgroper:
The honest truth is , we need that younger winger ..

Salah has been docile for long and as people will say, no player is bigger than the club ..

This is where my head is at. Because it makes no sense for him to put the club & manager on blast for being dropped just for a few games that he was pisspoor in. Also read comments from Alisson who agreed that Salah was wrong & that he was taking the side of the club & manager.

Additionally, Salah's statement about "throw me under the bus". I think he feels he's been slied. They are pulling a bait & switch on him. Gave him the contract he wanted but now want to ditch him. So he is trying to pull everyone down as he walks.

I also suspect the club will still fire Slot for the poor performances but for now it is easier to get rid of Salah.

Like I said, time will tell.

Semenyo is available for £65m in January. I wouldn't be surprised if Salah has seen the writings on the wall & knows Liverpool want to sell him & his £400k per week wages so they can go for a younger winger who will help them OOP.

Time will tell.

Kimbeast:
Even tho Salah may be justified in feeling disrespected Carragher is also spot on.

How exactly was he disrespected?

Wolves is up there as one of the worst teams in EPL history. I legit think someone will beat them by 9-10 goals this season.

Says alot about United.

monerozi5590:
You are right on Donna. What he takes away from the team is way bigger than what he gives to the team.

City need a keeper that is very very good with his feet.

It's clear to anyone without a silly agenda. The way we play demands it. Today, we were relaxed in the 2nd half because he was doing it well (obviously Sunderland couldn't really press us as they had just expended their energy vs Liverpool).

One thing I'll say is, he wants to improve which is all that matters. The revolution will be televised.

Jamiuokolaa:
I am not sure Guardiola shares your opinion

https://onefootball.com/en/news/pep-guardiola-makes-major-tactical-admission-over-gianluigi-donnarumma-at-manchester-city-41651961

Pep is a sly man. You have to know when to believe what he's saying vs what you can actually watch him do. Besides, this was before the 1st game Donna played for City so Pep was always going to hide his hands. He does it alot.

Donna isn't Courtois that is a pure shot stopper. You can't watch City this season & come to a different conclusion. Today, again, he showed it.

Wow, okay. So you don't win league titles in November?

Who would've thought that though? Hmm 🤔

Haaland FC

Foden FC.

That's why I come here to laugh from time to time.

AirBere:
Okay 👍

Don't disappear like the fart of a leprous witch.

Did you read the highlights?

Incase you missed it.

AirBere:
This man lol okay .

At least, you're learning to fact-check yourself before posting. Kudos.

The only issue is, you clearly searched "is Donna considered a ball-playing GK"? I can point out the flaw in giving that command in your search but it won't help you. That's why I gave you the definition of a ball-playing GK vs a PURE shotstopper.

Edit: had to highlight again. We never know on NL.

AirBere:
Baba Dona is not a ball playing GK in that sense. It's not even 60:40. More like 70:30 or 80:20% shot stopping and about 30% or 20% passing. We've gone down this road before.

I explained to you that it's one of the reasons Enrique sent him away which you're equally echoing along with Godx. I also said it isn't black and white I.e he's not 100% shot stopping and 0% passing. Even Pete Chech tried to do the passing thing when he joined Arsenal, Szeny too at Barca.

There's no need to regurgitate information. I know both the financial and footballing reasons PSG didn't retain him. That I'm focusing on the latter is because of the conversation at hand.

Schlotterbeck, Dias, VVD have the same assignment playing as CBs but 2/3 of those players tend to assist their teams in playmaking because they are elite passers. In other words, because VVD can pass the ball better than Dias doesn't mean Dias doesn't have passing assignments as a CB.

In the same vein, Ederson gets the same assignments as Donnarumma. Ederson is just better at passing which is why you think that is his only assignment. He is a shotstopper too & saved City many times.

Donna has the same passing assignments as Ederson did. Donna doesn't do it to the same degree. That is all. Donna isn't tasked to just stop shots and boot the ball. Ederson too used to hoof the ball. They are both ball-playing GKs.

AirBere:
Everybody & their cat know that Donnarumma is 99th percentile when it comes to shotstopping. So you're not telling us anything new. But like GodX pointed out, there is a reason Enrique felt comfortable dumping him after a treble season. Rather than pretending you know more than him, maybe just try to ask yourself what could've justified that decision footballwise.

Don't be shy. See the attached image. I'll reattach incase you're Stevie Wondering why it was posted.

"Ball-playing Gks are SHOT-STOPPERS but also tasked with...".

AirBere:

Everybody & their cat know that Donnarumma is 99th percentile when it comes to shotstopping. So you're not telling us anything new. But like GodX pointed out, there is a reason Enrique felt comfortable dumping him after a treble season. Rather than pretending you know more than him, maybe just try to ask yourself what could've justified that decision footballwise.

Don't forget that you have to be faster than the person you're trying to get at.

Edit: had to use highlights because....comprehension.

popizaino:
This is all i needed from all your prose.

How can i sit hear for someone to tell me Ederson whom i watched for many years at city backline is a better shot-stopper than Donnaruma.

Mind you Donnaruma is yet to spend a full season with you guys and i have seen him making some jaw dropping saves that even Ederson would wish to have done.

Point to the person who told you Ederson was a better shot stopper than Donna. Not even GodX made such an argument.

He said Ederson is better at claiming crosses, dominating his box in corners which he was right about.

AirBere:


Correlation/Causation fallacy.

Donnarumma is a ball-playing GK.

https://www.nairaland.com/920248/official-chelsea-fan-thread-club/21716

Stop showing us your comprehension is checkered. I told you he's a ball-playing GK even if he's not as good as Ederson at playing the ball.

In other words, Donna even at PSG was tasked with joining in the buildup & ball progression. He even does it well when the team isn't being aggressively pressed. However, once the intensity increases, he starts making mistakes. Many times the passing angle or weight will be too difficult for Josko to control which means he will need multiple touches to control which then breaks down the buildup.

Other times, he will pass to the wrong player when and if he was a little patient, he'd have seen either Bernardo, NicoG, Nunes, Doku, Haaland or even Foden open. Against NUFC for e.g he used Doku twice in the 1st half & it led to that 1 v 1 that Erling scuffed.

I can go on and on. Sometimes just type what you want to understand in the Google searchbox so you'll be sure you know the meaning.

Donna has always been tasked with buildup, progression, ball retention, being an extra player similar to Ederson.

MorataFC:
In the modern game, a goalkeeper’s role has evolved, yes, but the hierarchy of priorities has not changed.
Shot-stopping remains the core reason why a goalkeeper is signed any other attributes is just Jara. If a keeper is elite with his feet but weak at saving shots or commanding the box, he is just a midfielder with gloves in his hands 😂 not a reliable goalkeeper.

If the role of a goalkeeper is now 30 percent passing, 30 percent sweeping, 30 percent commanding the box, and only 10 percent shot-stopping, then why is every great goalkeeper’s legacy defined by the saves they made?

If you want the best passing goalkeeper, why not sign Onana?

We won our second UCL because we signed a keeper who is nowhere near Kepa’s level with the ball at his feet but super too good at preventing the ball from entering the net, that is the koko of a keeper.
A goalkeeper is rated based on goals he prevents from entering to the net, not passes completed. There is a reason why Pep dissed Ederson for him, unless you want to you know better than pep.

I just want to correct some of your misinformation. Pep didn't ditch Ederson. Ederson had tried to leave City multiple times since the treble season. Pep is the one that kept convincing him to stay back. The only reason he even allowed him leave is because we saw an opportunity of signing Donnarumma. I've also posted here that Pep wanted Donna since 2017 bc unlike what many think here, Pep doesn't sign players for their current status but what he can do when he improves them.

Donna is 26 so he hasn't even reached his peak. But where Enrique was impatient, Pep is trying to work on Donna to make him an all-rounder.

Like I said to Popi, you're not telling us anything new. Donna, Allison & Courtois are the 3 best shot-stoppers in the world currently. We knew it before we signed him. However, being a shotstopper isn't enough. Ask Barcelona fans the difference between Garcia & Sczesny. Maybe that analogy will help you.

andrewbaba44:
Buy Elliot Anderson for 100M and he won’t be a bench player ,then Nico game time will reduce

Mancity and pep too Mumu

We want him but Pep & his nonsense about small squad. So I'm not expecting anything this January even though I agree with you.

Sportsweb:
Lavia will walk straight to your xi and upgrade it to the next level

Make una use am upgrade your team na.

popizaino:
Ederson kept against Liverpool last season at the Etihad and lost. I did not set this rule.

Let not hide behind plenty words when a simple glimpse into the highlight can clear all doubt.

Donnarumma has kept man city in games were Ederson would've fumbled. Think of the save from Mbuemo against man united,Madueke and Eze against Arsenal and many more.

https://youtube.com/shorts/w9A7PiWA4MU?si=dsBagJVBcywnpGUo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i5BtmRgtzQ?si=TlRq99gecWzGiYrm

Ederson was in goal last season when we beat NUFC 4-0. Use this your tail wagging the dog argument style for your fellow Chelsea fans bc it usually doesn't work on people like me that not only watch the games, but care about the team in question since it is the team I support.

Everybody & their cat know that Donnarumma is 99th percentile when it comes to shotstopping. So you're not telling us anything new. But like GodX pointed out, there is a reason Enrique felt comfortable dumping him after a treble season. Rather than pretending you know more than him, maybe just try to ask yourself what could've justified that decision footballwise.

I'll give you some leeway to dig a little deeper & perhaps course-correct. Stop giving us cliches & superficial information that anyone can glean from the comment section of nairaland.

Enzo5:
the best option for city isn't to overspend and get another CM/DM knowing they have rodri, Nico and the rest. What is needed is a top available and affordable option in lavia for 50m

Thunder fire you there.

Godx:
Are you certain of that? If he goes to the world cup and have a good tournament his price will definitely go higher and more teams will be interested. If we can get him in January for 90 to 95 then we should go all in.

He has a release clause for around that range. Nobody is certain but word on road is his agent is in communication with City. The same rumor mills said he has expressly stated City should be prioritized in terms of any transfer. He's even started following City players and granting interviews where he has been saying KdB is his idol & how he has watched him aggressively for the last 5 years.

All that to say, if we prioritize him he will come to City.

Godx:
I really can't wait to have a fit Rodri back. Nico has been playing too much this past week which explains Pep taking him out at 5:2. A double pivot of Rodri and Nico might just be the way forward if we don't go for Anderson. We are also being linked with Semenyo in January. Thoughts on that.

I want Semenyo. I'm willing to drive there to pick him up as well. We just need physicality, committed pressers & a potential RW/LW hybrid.

Yes, NicoG is being overused. We collapsed without him today. Stones came on to play 6 and it was immediately clear he couldn't do it so Pep had to move Josko to LB, Stones to CB & then move NOR to 6, which still failed.

We need Rodri.

Elliot Anderson is a must but not sure Nottingham will sell in January except for £100m which we won't pay since we can get him for £65-80m in summer.

Godx:
I have been looking for you. What's your honest assessment of reijnders so far. I really don't like his defensive contribution.

Remember I agreed with you that he's a donut in midfield especially OOP. But that he's too lethal in going forward so he has to be a 10 & in some games maybe an 8 but never a 6. He'll learn Pepball because he's smart but for now there's a lot to be desired. Rodri has to come back soon because I'm not liking us OOP. Too many training cones & lazy pressers.