In the first day at the club my assistant manager Colin Pascoe presented me the team report:
I’m happy with the available players but I feel that we lack the depth to really mount serious challenges in all competitions.
Unfortunately the board didn’t give me any money to spend at all, and I decided not to use installments to keep the finaces at a decent level,
but in the first transfer window with cash to spend the team needs strenghtning in some key areas:
-GK: Pepe Reina is a good goalkeeper but we have no back up to step in if he gets injured.
-LB: The same story as above, a good first option in Enrique but no decent back up/rotation player, Jack Robinson is
still very young and his current developement level isn’t at a level that would allow him to play Premier League football.
-AMR: The tactics that I use need good inside forwards that can cut inside and create opportunities for other players or have a shot,
Stewart Downing is simply not good enought for that.
If a bargain comes up I will try to strenghen other areas too, but the three mentioned above are of high priority.
The board set me a couple of targets: play attacking football and develop academy players; while I set the expectations to
“Euro Cup Qualification”.
To have better chances of getting better young players I have asked the board to improve the Youth Recruitment Networking, and they accepted:
The bookies don’t believe we really have a chance to challenge for the title, I intend to prove them wrong.
This was the build up, let’s get started:
Out of the first 10 league games we got 5 wins,4 draws and a loss. I’m a bit disappointed with some results, but I’m positive that results will be better as the players get familiar with the tactics and blend in as a team; the loss in the Capital One Cup is due to me underestimating Leeds, playing a very young and inexperienced team.
The first league game was away at QPR:
Surprisingly Daniel Agger got a double, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge each grabbing a goal.
Sturridge came on as a second half substitute to score on his debut, also goal of the month:
Best game of the reported period was the 5-0 win vs Chelsea:
We had a brilliant start thanks to a Luis Suarez free kick, followed by doubles of Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge
(his first match vs his former club).
It wasn’t all about scoring, the defenders did their fair share of work: 33 interceptions between the four of them and losing only one aerial duel.
Worst game of the reported period is the 3-0 loss to Tottenham:
As you can see all three goals are headers, which is particulary disappointing. In the end it was a deserved win for Spurs as they dominated the match.
The 1-0 away win at Aston Villa was a sour one, as Steven Gerrard torn his hamstring missing the next three months.
It’s been a busy transfer window for the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City:
//I will show player stats and other random facts in the next post.
//The Europa League games will come soon.
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