Hightown Phil

Interesting month for our rivals and sex offences.

Sold no one of any real note. He genuinely stood up front and waited for them to get him the ball and then he’d shoot if he was somewhere near goal, and cos they’ve got decent players he scored a fair few. He’ll score a fair few, but it won’t be on top of, it’ll be instead of. It isn’t just winning the title though, if Napoli had won on the last day they’d have come fifth.

Reckon he’s decided it’s his best way of winning the Europa League.

Nah. His team, better than the one he’s signed for, and in a weaker league, came 4th last season. He scored 29 goals. He stands up front and gets the ball kicked to him. Doesn’t press, doesn’t tackle, does absolutely nothing for the team. They’re no better off than they were this morning, and it means they’ll play more useful players than him less and he’ll massively reduce Fernandes and Pogba’s effectiveness because they’ll have to do more work in behind. It isn’t some huge boost that makes them a lot better. He’s nowhere near what he once was. They’re more likely to be fighting for 4th than a title. Going off the bottom bit of this, our manager wouldn’t even let him in the training ground. https://fbref.com/en/players/dea698d9/Cristiano-Ronaldo

Debt.

Fernandes wasn’t in the Portugal team by the end. I think people would be less concerned by this if they’d been watching him regularly. His impact on Juventus has probably been a net negative and his ability to contribute to a team all round is massively on the wane.

I honestly think Declan Rice or Wilfred Ndidi would improve them more. What’s he going to do, take Bruno Fernandes’ penalties? Get on the end of Scott McTominay’s through balls? Head Wan Bissaka’s crosses in? He’ll score goals no doubt, but they don’t really struggle for that anyway. And he’s going to want to start every game. So he’ll probably just score a number close to what other people would if they were there anyway.

They’re nearing 30 yeah, but you’re treating them like they’re about 35. Salah isn’t 31 until next season finishes. Mane is 31 a month before next season finishes. Players don’t use all their use at 32 or 33 like they used to, and 33 is miles off. It’s hardly a big issue in the here and now. I’m not sure a 22 year old fifth choice forward who’ll be a bits and pieces player for a long while is amazing succession planning and better than just signing a dead good 24 year old in two years.

What are you after in terms of succession planning? Trent, Konate, Gomez, Jones, Jota and Elliott have the best part of a decade in them, in Elliot’s case a lot longer. There’s some like a Robertson, Fabinho, Alisson, who have five years plus in them.

They’re missing two games. Who knows who could be injured or suspended but if four or five players are unavailable at any time you’re just going to have to shrug your shoulders and get on with it really.

The AFCON situation has ended up in such a way we’re playing Palace away in maybe better conditions than if it wasn’t a thing given who they’ll be missing.

Could well end up in the beggars can’t be choosers category. Loads of people this summer struggling to get rid of players they don’t want may have to do some things they wouldn’t usually do in the next week.

Yeah same. Porto we know enough about, Milan are a level below Napoli and Atalanta. Had a worse draw the year we won it I reckon.

This is definitely the longest it’s taken to draw a single name isn’t it?

It’s great. But not on a Wednesday night to watch two weakened teams. Reckon it’s probably the absolute last game if I’d have picked in written them in order of preference.

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We wouldn’t be in a very different position to now if we’d done that though. Sign an attacker then, you likely either don’t sign Jota or it’s Jota. Same with Thiago. Same with Konate. Same with Tsimikas. It wouldn’t be as well as what we have now because you can only have so many players and we’ve got loads.

We got knocked out one domestic cup away at Chelsea, the other cos we had to play the under 18s. And then the season after on pens by Arsenal and away at United. Last seasons injury issues weren’t being fixed by some signings, unless we were signing Richarlison and Pickford.

Maybe we’d have won our first 27 league games the next season, and not just 26 then.

Arsenal’s owners, probably.

Be a story to tell. But to be honest I wouldn’t go to two of those three anyway cos I couldn’t be arsed with being chased by mad Russian types, Moldova I’d consider for novelty value but that is a fair point. Haven’t heard of anyone being stuck anywhere mind.

I’m tempted to book some cheap flights in the general direction and hope for the best. And maybe I just have 3 nights in Chisinau and see what happens.

St Petersburg isn’t that too bad really. And they’re crap. That definite? I heard no away fans this side of Xmas.

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Not sure he’d many score long rangers for us though given we look to tell players not to shoot from long range for the most part.