Some fans are comforting themselves too much by just focusing on the manager.
I did give Jose my backing, and really hoped he would be able to replicate his successes from elsewhere, but unfortunately it is now clear he is a manager on the decline, with both his tactics and man management not cutting it.
Beyond Jose going, there are serious problems. Yesterday was devastating on so many levels.
1. Replacing Jose with a world class manager won't be easy. Jose has no break clause in his contract, so it will cost £30M to fire him. That was likely to be our maximum net spend for this transfer window. Can we afford to pay the fee and wages for another top class manager, and who is even available?
2. There is a huge issue with the foundations of our team. All our CBs have irredeemable flaws. Toby is the best of the bunch, but already in decline and slower, which will get worse with age (already 32). Dier & Sanchez are diabolical. Rodon & Tanganga are very inexperienced and not ready for PL.
3. Our central midfield consistently fail to take control of games. This is not just due to the manager. Alasdair Gold has written articles noting the similarity of how Poch during the end of his reign, and Jose now, both bemoaned that the team aren't following instructions and allowing themselves to get dictated.
Ali Gold noted he had heard Jose and Sacremento both literally screaming at his team to press higher up the pitch and not concede so much ground. They bear some liability, but sadly for us, so must the midfield.
Ndombele is a skilful player, but does he have the energy to press and work hard to increase our possession?
Lo Celso has the technical ability to carry the ball forward and create, but will his injury record match Lamela's?
Hojbjerg is good at interceptions and tackles, but his passing and technical ability is not great.
Sissoko has lost his athleticism since his surgery, so is now a League 1 standard footballer. Winks gets worse every year.
4. Due to COVID, we don't have finances to improve our squad much this window. We need to fund our incomings with player sales. But the players we need to sell are awful, and in this financial climate will command a minuscule transfer fee. We may even need to subsidise their wages.
Some people have suggested selling Son or Kane. Sadly, the nature of yesterday's defeat may mean they want to leave the club which would damage our negotiating position if we wanted to sell them.
These sales could work in theory, if it were Fifa manager mode. But in reality, which top class attackers would want to come to us now? I asked some people on the Son thread on who can replace him, got no responses apart from a suggestion of Vinicius Jr... Spoiler alert: he's shit.
It's a catastrophic situation, and I see no quick fix.
I did give Jose my backing, and really hoped he would be able to replicate his successes from elsewhere, but unfortunately it is now clear he is a manager on the decline, with both his tactics and man management not cutting it.
Beyond Jose going, there are serious problems. Yesterday was devastating on so many levels.
1. Replacing Jose with a world class manager won't be easy. Jose has no break clause in his contract, so it will cost £30M to fire him. That was likely to be our maximum net spend for this transfer window. Can we afford to pay the fee and wages for another top class manager, and who is even available?
2. There is a huge issue with the foundations of our team. All our CBs have irredeemable flaws. Toby is the best of the bunch, but already in decline and slower, which will get worse with age (already 32). Dier & Sanchez are diabolical. Rodon & Tanganga are very inexperienced and not ready for PL.
3. Our central midfield consistently fail to take control of games. This is not just due to the manager. Alasdair Gold has written articles noting the similarity of how Poch during the end of his reign, and Jose now, both bemoaned that the team aren't following instructions and allowing themselves to get dictated.
Ali Gold noted he had heard Jose and Sacremento both literally screaming at his team to press higher up the pitch and not concede so much ground. They bear some liability, but sadly for us, so must the midfield.
Ndombele is a skilful player, but does he have the energy to press and work hard to increase our possession?
Lo Celso has the technical ability to carry the ball forward and create, but will his injury record match Lamela's?
Hojbjerg is good at interceptions and tackles, but his passing and technical ability is not great.
Sissoko has lost his athleticism since his surgery, so is now a League 1 standard footballer. Winks gets worse every year.
4. Due to COVID, we don't have finances to improve our squad much this window. We need to fund our incomings with player sales. But the players we need to sell are awful, and in this financial climate will command a minuscule transfer fee. We may even need to subsidise their wages.
Some people have suggested selling Son or Kane. Sadly, the nature of yesterday's defeat may mean they want to leave the club which would damage our negotiating position if we wanted to sell them.
These sales could work in theory, if it were Fifa manager mode. But in reality, which top class attackers would want to come to us now? I asked some people on the Son thread on who can replace him, got no responses apart from a suggestion of Vinicius Jr... Spoiler alert: he's shit.
It's a catastrophic situation, and I see no quick fix.
