Squad Analysis 2025/26

[viktor]

 

[viktor]

 

[viktor]

 

[Topside]

Well lucky to see both the great George Graham back unit, Wenger also had some magnificent core defensive players. Terry Neil also for a few years had a good defensive unit under a very good defensive coach in Don Howe!

This is the best GROUP of defenders we have had, lots of options depth especially in the full back positions is top quality, the Graham and Wenger squads often had one or two quality rotation options at the back max.

 

[Mudi]

It is not the numbers because last year we had more defenders with Tomi, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Tierney, making it 10 in total. This year, we added 2 and lost 4. But the quality improved significantly!

 

[viktor]

 

[TinFish]

What do you mean we don't have special players in our team?

Gabriel and Saliba are world class CB's
Timber is world class RB
Zubimendi is world class DM
Rice is world class CM
Eze (maybe) world class AM
Saka is world class RW

This team is stacked with world class players and players who have the potential to become world class.

non of them are world class and have proved nothing so far. Saka is nowhere near close to the top wingers in the world - he has plateaud.

 

[Mudi]

So Liverpool signed:
Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Frimpong, Kerkez and potentially Guehi. Surely if they fail to win the league, they will have bottled it.

Secondly Man City signed:
Donnarumma, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Trafford on top of Marmoush, Gonzalez and Kusanov in January.

Surely they are second favorites and not finishing first or second is a bottle job.

We signed:
Kepa (back-up), Mosquera (back-up), Nørgaard (back-up), Hincapie (back-up), Madueke (back-up).
Only 3 players for starting position with Zubimendi, Eze and Gyokeres.

Given the transfer window, we should clearly not be favorites to win something big or even be the underdog.

It is Liverpool, Man City and then Arsenal.

But for some reason, pressure is on us ...

 

[ThlRama]

What do you mean we don't have special players in our team?

Gabriel and Saliba are world class CB's
Timber is world class RB
Zubimendi is world class DM
Rice is world class CM
Eze (maybe) world class AM
Saka is world class RW

This team is stacked with world class players and players who have the potential to become world class.

Idk how anybody argues we don't have one of the very best squads in Europe. It's all about motivation, coaching, tactics, and fitness now.

 

[Kuroske]

non of them are world class and have proved nothing so far. Saka is nowhere near close to the top wingers in the world - he has plateaud.

What do you mean by "proved"? Do you mean they haven’t won any trophies? Is that how you judge someone’s ability? Saka is 23 years old. How can you tell that he has plateaud?

 

[Tourbillion]

What do you mean by "proved"? Do you mean they haven’t won any trophies? Is that how you judge someone’s ability? Saka is 23 years old. How can you tell that he has plateaud?

His fitness and pace seem to have plateaued or worsened given his newfound injury proneness.

 

[Tourbillion]

Someone tell this Carpenter dipshit to calm down with the relentless optimism. We lost and looked like trash at our title rival's yesterday.

 

[UkrArsenal]

So Liverpool signed:
Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Frimpong, Kerkez and potentially Guehi. Surely if they fail to win the league, they will have bottled it.

Secondly Man City signed:
Donnarumma, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Trafford on top of Marmoush, Gonzalez and Kusanov in January.

Surely they are second favorites and not finishing first or second is a bottle job.

We signed:
Kepa (back-up), Mosquera (back-up), Nørgaard (back-up), Hincapie (back-up), Madueke (back-up).
Only 3 players for starting position with Zubimendi, Eze and Gyokeres.

Given the transfer window, we should clearly not be favorites to win something big or even be the underdog.

It is Liverpool, Man City and then Arsenal.

But for some reason, pressure is on us ...

Of course it’s on us — we’re the team that hasn’t won a major trophy in so many years. It’s obvious. If we had won the Premier League title even once in the last three years, everything would be much calmer.

City are going through a rebuild after years of real domination — the kind that ended the way it should, with trophies.

LFC - no one expected a trophy from them last year, and now everything around them is calm.

 

[Tourbillion]

So Liverpool signed:
Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz, Frimpong, Kerkez and potentially Guehi. Surely if they fail to win the league, they will have bottled it.

Secondly Man City signed:
Donnarumma, Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Trafford on top of Marmoush, Gonzalez and Kusanov in January.

Surely they are second favorites and not finishing first or second is a bottle job.

We signed:
Kepa (back-up), Mosquera (back-up), Nørgaard (back-up), Hincapie (back-up), Madueke (back-up).
Only 3 players for starting position with Zubimendi, Eze and Gyokeres.

Given the transfer window, we should clearly not be favorites to win something big or even be the underdog.

It is Liverpool, Man City and then Arsenal.

But for some reason, pressure is on us ...

As I've mentioned many times, we had a good window but not an elite one.

Elite means going for Isak, Ekitike and that piece of **** Wirtz. TECHNICIANS.

 

[ThlRama]

Like many in here, I was most skeptical with the Madueke transfer, but now I'm starting to think that the odd man out is Zubimendi. Don't get me wrong, he is a player I always liked, and regardless of how bad he's been so far in my view, I still have trust that he will come good. But considering that Ødegaard has become more like an #8, basing his game around pressing others and breaking the press when he is on the ball in the middle to retain possession, the system cannot accomodate another #6 or #8 with him and Rice playing. So, absolutely no chance they can both start alongside Zubimendi in the vast majority of games. Sure, we needed him for numbers, but did he come here to be backup or to rotate? And if yes, did we really need Nørgaard, since we also have Merino?

I don't know how it'll all work out. Havertz's role has also become even more puzzling. Ideally you'd want him to work at #10 and play something of a 4-1-4-1 with the front 6 looking something like this:

Gyok
Eze - Kai - Ode - Saka
Rice/Zubi

Where, when everyone is fit, Madueke can take Eze's place, and then Eze can in turn take Kai's place, if required by the the circumstances.

But all this looks very optimistic, and is not likely to work outside of Fifa and Football Manager.

So, for all the money we've spent, we're still gonna struggle offensively it seems, unless we get a big turnaround from one of our question marks (basically Nellie and Ode).

 

[Rasputin]

Like many in here, I was most skeptical with the Madueke transfer, but now I'm starting to think that the odd man out is Zubimendi. Don't get me wrong, he is a player I always liked, and regardless of how bad he's been so far in my view, I still have trust that he will come good. But considering that Ødegaard has become more like an #8, basing his game around pressing others and breaking the press when he is on the ball in the middle to retain possession, the system cannot accomodate another #6 or #8 with him and Rice playing. So, absolutely no chance they can both start alongside Zubimendi in the vast majority of games. Sure, we needed him for numbers, but did he come here to be backup or to rotate? And if yes, did we really need Nørgaard, since we also have Merino?

I don't know how it'll all work out. Havertz's role has also become even more puzzling. Ideally you'd want him to work at #10 and play something of a 4-1-4-1 with the front 6 looking something like this:

Gyok
Eze - Kai - Ode - Saka
Rice/Zubi

Where, when everyone is fit, Madueke can take Eze's place, and then Eze can in turn take Kai's place, if required by the the circumstances.

But all this looks very optimistic, and is not likely to work outside of Fifa and Football Manager.

So, for all the money we've spent, we're still gonna struggle offensively it seems, unless we get a big turnaround from one of our question marks (basically Nellie and Ode).

Agree re Zubi. We need a more attacking formation and not sure what Zubi brings at 6 when we already have one of the world's best in Rice. Rice at L8 is a poor idea imo. Much rather a mid combination of Rice at 6, Eze and Ode as attacking mids with Noni Gyok Saka ahead of them.

 

[TinFish]

What do you mean by "proved"? Do you mean they haven’t won any trophies? Is that how you judge someone’s ability? Saka is 23 years old. How can you tell that he has plateaud?

I judge world class based on if a player can walk into any team in the world. It's fair given the state of football. So tell me what players do we have that can do that? Oh Liverpool signed Isak, that's one on top of Salah.

 

[rotateta]

Seen some interesting (and sadly predictable) low scores for our transfer business this summer.

The main issue appears to be not moving on and replacing trossard and martinelli.

I agree the left wing has been out weak link but who has been readily available to improve it? Only Sane it would seem and that was probably not a sensible transfer anyway!

I think we have done the best business we could, admittedly we have not sold martinelli for £70m but realistically that was not going to happen.

Instead we have signed players on more reasonable wages than of late and moved on all our deadwood.

The improvements to our defence are akin to 4d chess, perhaps 5d chess when you consider the eze and hincapie deals were clearly decided on together to fix a few issues with two signings.

We could not sign an out and out left winger of quality so buy these two and provide both immense cover and a combo that should in theory work very well.

I queried the madueke deal at first, I see now the payment terms and wages were so encouraging that it does make financial sense. He is an excellent right winger too and hopefully a perfunctionary left winger too.

I would have preferred sesko, but quite clear now he didnt feel this was the right move for him.

I dont have massively high hopes for gyokeres against stronger oppo, but we do need a flat track bully against lesser teams and he sure offers that.

The only real fly in the ointment for me is giving trossard a new better paid contract. He has been a very handy player for us, but we have outgrown him to a degree. Eze is a better version of him, I see his game time going down this season, for me we should have been easing him out.

There may be a master plan, but other than that a perfect window in my opinion. We have done what we needed to do, pivoting very well when required and the likes of mosquera, Nørgaard and kepa were all absolute bargains in a window that saw wissa and his one year contract go for £55m and Chelsea somehow make 100% profit on Jackson, despite him universally being seen as underwhelming if not an outright flop.

Very happy with the balance we have this coming season, just down to arteta to have faith in our ability and never ever consider a midfield 3 of zubi, rice and merino again.

Our defence is now so strong we should be more aggressive with our midfield selections, let the defence fend for themselves. Put other teams on the back foot so we actually have less defending to do!

We are much much better than that, there are no teams in world football we should be scared of. They should be scared of us, well definitely our bench anyway this season!

 

[Topside]

Left wing all summer Rodrygo mentioned and linked huge wages, seems like type player that may feel he is doing any side he joins a favour, many do after leaving RM, Barca etc.

Semenyo to me someone who would be a more realistic target, 25 PL proven, pace, power and scores and assists.

Well window is shut now Eze will fill in there I'd expect, Martinelli and Trossard simply are not good enough.

 

[dashsnow17]

We have the best defence, they have the best attack. It’s as simple as that. Who wins the league will probably just come down to which team picks up fewer injuries to key players and retains the same starting XI the most.