Manchester City - Off the back of a fantastic domestic season, Pep's attention is sure to be on signing more top talent to ensure City's European campaign is more prolonged next season. I wouldn't expect to see more than 4 signings arriving into a squad already seeping with quality but they will undoubtedly go big again in key areas.
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Yaya Toure
Manchester United - With only the FA Cup available to stop a trophy-less campaign littered with dull performances and big players not quite hitting the heights expected of them plus a horrendous Champions League surrender, big things will be required next season. Jose will know another season like this one and he'll face the exit. The back line needs refreshed with talk of a new LB, RB and CB. Midfield still seems unbalanced with a replacement for Carrick/Fellaini required that can compliment Pogba and Matic. Big question marks over the futures of talented young players like Martial remain. Another striking addition to replace Ibra maybe needed or will Rashford take that role?
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Luke Shaw, Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini, Daley Blind
Liverpool - Champions League Finalists Liverpool look best positioned to challenge City next season with Klopp doing some incredible work this season whilst losing Coutinho. The important additions of Salah, Robertson and Van Dijk cannot be underplayed in their improvement. Likely to be well backed in the summer and already have one of Europe's brightest midfield talents en-route in Naby Keita. A goalkeeper is a must, no team wins the league without a very good one. Alisson Becker of Roma seems to be the 1st choice and rumours of interest in him haven't died down, apart from one sketchy moment he looked very assured the other night. Another top class CB and an attacking option and Liverpool will be a frightening prospect at home and abroad.
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Simon Mignolet, Alberto Moreno, Ragnar Klavan, Emre Can, Jon Flanagan, Daniel Sturridge
Tottenham Hotspur - Another season that looked highly promising will end without silverware, something that is beginning to blot Pochettino's record and next season he should face some serious pressure to deliver. Spurs will be in their immaculate new ground and it would be the ideal time to see a sizable increase in investment in a squad which it could be argued has stood still for a season. Possible exits for Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld will leave big gaps that need plugged, holding onto other key players is a must and adding a top central midfielder will be top of the list, how much work they are left with will depend on who goes and who stays.
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Moussa Sissoko
Chelsea - The FA Cup is still available to save their season from one of almost complete misery but they will go into next season knowing a major overhaul is required. Conte is almost certain to leave, who replaces him is anyone's guess at the moment. Big questions around who is in charge of transfer policy and the mistakes of this season cannot be repeated, they will find it difficult to shift Bakayoko, Drinkwater and Barkley for anywhere near what they cost. Morata's not fulfilled the hype either and could be moved on. There are questions around David Luiz's future along with rumours Courtois wants out and a decision on Fabregas' ability to continue at this level will be needed. A huge job for whoever is given it in that essentially a change in formation might call time on Moses and Alonso both of whom would struggle in a back 4. The centre midfield area only has Kante worthy of a Chelsea shirt and more options required in attacking positions.
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley
Arsenal - A season in which the Europa League is what is all comes down to after an appalling domestic campaign only lightened by the news Wenger has been sacked hopefully allowing the club a new lease of life. It would be fitting for him to go out on a high and seal CL and a European trophy but the mammoth task of Atletico Madrid in the semi will likely be a step too far. New manager and new ideas in might revitalise a few within the squad but a new keeper is required, the defence needs major surgery, Xhaka's time is up in the central area as he's flopped badly looking more like a 3.5m player than a 35m one and Arsenal must replace him with a top player, options from wide also required. The quality of the players coming in will answer a few outstanding questions of whether it was Wenger or the board being tight. Rumours of only 50m to spend do not bode well but alas they are just rumours.
Players they need to move on/are leaving - Petr Cech, Per Mertesacker, Shkodran Mustafi, Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla
Bring on the transfer mayhem!
Who has the most work to do in the Summer?
posted on 26/4/18
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 51 seconds ago
There could be an interesting discussion about this if it didn't descend into tribal ranting (both inter-club and pro-/anti-Mourinho factions).
If Liverpool win the CL, they'll obviously have had a far more successful season than us. If we finish 2nd, we can legitimately claim to have had a more consistently successful league campaign, but I don't think we can extrapolate that to say 'we've been better', because we won't have been able to exhibit superiority at key moments that could have taken us further in the biggest two competitions.
The original question was around what strengthening needs to be done to prepare for next season, and what expectations teams can have for next season.
There are a few logical fallacies being thrown around. Some are arguing that United are less likely to close the gap because they have a better head-to-head record this season. It's a bit nonsensical to use superior results this season to support the contention that we can expect inferior results next season. Obviously, if we end up finishing second, by definition we will have dropped fewer points and therefore mathematically have smaller scope to improve. It doesn't follow that Liverpool will improve more than United in accumulation of points.
Some have taken the opposite logic: Liverpool have played better football this season, therefore United have more catching up to do, therefore United is likely to 'stay' behind Liverpool after a summer of spending. I think the truth is more that United and Liverpool have different developmental tasks. United need to improve in terms of balance and domination of games. Liverpool can improve in terms of efficiency and (as Robbing put it) game management. United probably have more to do in terms of bringing in personnel. In terms of resources, we have the money to fix the personnel requirements with top class talent. But we all know it's hard to get the mix right, and it's as much about the coach and players being exactly on the right wavelength so that Mourinho's system gets us playing on the front foot the way his best teams have been. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think Liverpool can still improve quite a bit. United probably have a higher ceiling for improvement but achieving it is a tougher challenge.
Oh, and the 'Mourinho always stuffs things up in his third season' is classic football fan superstition. Why do you lot identify patterns from the past and religiously believe they will be replicated in the future? It's something that has happened at two of the five previous clubs he has managed, incidentally both clubs with a chairman who likes to butt into squad recruitment. It's irrational reasoning. It's embarrassing. Stop it.
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Well said Sir
posted on 26/4/18
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 13 seconds ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 4 minutes ago
Stretty, why do managers rest big players in league games ahead of Champions League ties rather than the opposite?
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usually because they have already lost the league
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Still happens even when they're in contention for both titles.
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No it doesnt.
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Even bread-and-butter Fergie did it.
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No we just had good squads we made use of. we very rarely had a strongest eleven.
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"Yet with so much to play for it was a subdued start to the game, with United seemingly paying the price for resting the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick as they struggled for any fluency against an Everton side looking to extend an eight-match unbeaten run."
BBC reckons it was 'resting' players ahead of a CL semi.
posted on 26/4/18
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 26/4/18
Hilarious how you write...
' if it didn't descend into tribal ranting '
and then come out with this sheight...
'United probably have a higher ceiling for improvement'
Everyone talking about how manu aren't performing as well as they should is nonsense. Manu ARE performing as well as they can, this is their level.
posted on 26/4/18
comment by Manc Python (U17527)
posted 4 hours, 1 minute ago
comment by If anyone can, Emre Can (U3979)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Manc Python (U17527)
posted 16 seconds ago
comment by RonaldVilliers (U21490)
posted 6 seconds ago
They are a better team than you are though, anyone who's seen Liverpool on top form and United on top form will tell you that.
You have a deeper squad, and they need to deepen theirs but there's a reason they are in the CL final and United exited with a whimper in the last 16.
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Are they?
Two games against us yet couldn't beat us in either
Scored 1 goal which was an own goal
About to finish behind us in the league
We have a better record against the other top 5
Just because they play prettier football doesn't mean they are better
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One of our biggest issues is struggling against bus parking teams, and don't argue that's exactly what United do against us.
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The annoying thing was when we did attack you we cut through you with ease. We should have been 3-0 up at HT but for a shocking miss by mata. Not sure why Jose reverted to sitting on the edge of our own box second half
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That did confuse me as well. United were excellent at OT against us, yet sat back and invited pressure in the second half. A team like United should not play that, it was reminiscent of playing a League One team in the FA Cup.
posted on 26/4/18
TLDR
posted on 26/4/18
With only the FA Cup available to stop a trophy-less campaign littered with dull performances and big players not quite hitting the heights expected of them plus a horrendous Champions League surrender, big things will be required next season.
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Nice negative spin. I’ll try Man City
“Humiliating exits from the Champions League by Liverpool and the FA Cup by Wigan furrrking Athletic show that Pep Guardiola still has a ways to go before perfecting this Man City side and show the weaknesses his team still possesses. Big performances in the CL will be required next season”
Of course when describing Man Utd you leave out the 2nd place finish with victories over Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, arsenal and Tottenham. Because that goes against your agenda.
posted on 27/4/18
United obviously.
arsenal will take many seasons to rebuild. Their current squad us even worse than the one SAF left united with. They are in a far weaker position and will take longer to recover. Not helped by not being a serious football club for over a decade now.
LFC have a good manager and are playing with confidence, team intelligence etc.
cfc and mcfc both have excellent squads
spurs are in a position of relative strength (relative to themselves). And they are realistic enough to know they cannot compete with cfc and mcfc over a season.
But United are far more precariously positioned at the moment. They have a poor sense of direction at all levels - board, management, squad and individuals - that is a huge and long-term problem to overcome.
They currently only have 6/7 genuine first teamers - jones, lukaku, mata, matic, pogba, sanchez and smalling - the rest are either bog average or impact subs at best.
And it looks very much like mata (United's best player for the past 3 seasons) is off.
There is also an awful lot of detritus in the squad + nothing genuinely promising in the, joke of an, academy.
posted on 27/4/18
I'd agree united have a lot of work to do.
LB, CB, RB, 2 CM's, RW, FW
To replace Shaw, one of the CB's (i'd go for Smalling personally) Darmian, Carrick, Fellaini, Ibrahimovic and give another RW option. Plus any other work they need to do if they move someone else on. I'd make 7 signings.
Liverpool need to consolidate their progress, a first team CB to replace either Lovren, Matip of Klavan in the squad, another CM to replace Can. A first team keeper and move Mignolet on plus another attacking option. Move on the deadwood like Flanagan, Sturridge. Replace Moreno, I'd consider replacing Lallana too if it was me but not that important. - I'd make 5 signings.
Chelsea's squad is in disarray imo. Difficult to call what they need because we don't know what formation they will play. I suspect it will be a more traditional 4 at the back formation so i'd sell Moses, Bakayoko, Drinkwater and one of Barkley/Fabregas. There's a big call to be made on Morata and if someone better is available i'd be tempted to make a move but i'd say its unlikely.
I'd re-integrate Luiz, Zouma and Loftus-Cheek would stay. I'd go sign a top top CM like Savic from Lazio and another good prospect in CM. I'd use Willian as a 10 and i'd go sign 2 wingers one for either side, or if there's a good young player keep as cover for Hazard and spend big on a RW such as Leon Bailey. I'd sign 4 players but spend big money for guys who could walk into the first 11.
posted on 27/4/18
For Spurs much of it depends on who's leaving, it appears likely that Alderweireld and Rose will go. Two guys who haven't been at there best this season but will be difficult to replace on a budget. Sissoko I would also move on with Llorente and Janssen.
I'd go after Sessegnon or Tierney to replace Rose, would avoid Shaw like the plague. Someone with bags of potential to replace Alderweireld like De Ligt or the Leipzig CB Upamecano. The majority of the budget i'd focus on getting a top CM, Seri from Nice maybe...not seen much but heard great things. A replacement for Sissoko, can't think of anyone from the top of my head. As for another FW, they want a target man option, could do worse than going for Vokes or Carroll.
Arsenal need a keeper or maybe use Ospina as no1 for a season, replacements for Mertesacker and Mustafi. Another RB option instead of Chambers. Replace Xhaka and Cazorla and both a left winger and right winger option, selling or loaning Iwobi in the process. Up top they look fine with Lacazette and Aubameyang. 8 signings.....
City don't need to do a thing, they still will though