…downright exhausted!
Okay, so they’re highly paid, very fit athletes who have all the best training, physios, nutritionists, medical care and facilities money can buy.
But after such a long, long season in 4 cup competitions followed by a World Cup for many, even the cold-hearted must be able to see that we, like many other top Premier League sides, are going to have players who will need extra rest / recovery time and a ‘gentle touch’ as the domestic season begins.
Here’s my look at who might fall into what category…
The fresh
Those who have already
started in the pre-season tour, are probably in pre-season training and who
should be a contender for the Community Shield v
Chelsea on 5th August / should
definitely be ready for the start of our season away at Arsenal on 12th August:
Note: Those
in italic are less likely to be in Pep’s
plans for most Premier League games this season / will possibly see more
domestic cup action if not loaned out.
New signing, Claudio Gomes
New signing, Riyad Mahrez
The not-so fresh
Those who might be fit / fresh enough to start the
Premier League season; might even get
a run-out in the Community Shield but will likely do so having not played in
any pre-season games / just training back home in hot & sunny Manchester:
The exhausted
Finished the season as
a regular for us and was so too for Belgium,
who lasted to the 2nd-last game in the World Cup. With the need to
wrap him in cotton wool anyway, I think him-missing the start of the season
would be a good thing both for the player himself and for us in the long run.
Similar to Vinny, John
has a tendency to be a little bit fragile at times and had a long World Cup
too; finishing the same time as our skipper.
Not so fragile but did
pick up a niggle towards the end of our Premier League winning campaign. Also
lasted until the near-end of the World Cup.
If we want to see a
fresh & firing Kevin again this season coming then I think it’ll be wise to
give this fella some extra recovery time after a long season & World Cup
also.
For Fabian, read John
Stones. Some sleepless nights too,
perhaps, with his new arrival…
An almost ever present
last season for City and with World Cup appearances also; I think the 33-year
old and City would benefit from his boss
finding someone to help fill his position early on in the season at least.
Crackin’ season for
club last season and then some much-undeserved criticism from some quarters in
the World Cup. He might not like / want to sit out the Community Shield or the
start of the season and seeing Riyad Mahrez taking his place for more reasons
than one (one of those being that it will
fuel even more ‘Sterling bashing’ in the form of, “Is this the end for Raheem
at City?”). However, I think, for similar reasons to some of the above, he
would benefit greatly from additional rest and being out of the limelight for a
slightly longer time. Then he can shut up some of the critics and come back
firing; helping his squad-colleagues to even more glory.
Strongest side to face Arsenal in ‘the opener’ IF none of those in the last category were available and IF the ‘not-so fresh’ were only ready for the bench?
Fluid 4-1-4-1:
____________________Aguero____________________
Sane____________________________________Mahrez
____________Foden___________B. Silva____________
___________________Gundogan___________________
Mendy____________________________________Danilo
_____________Laporte_____Humphreys____________
___________________Ederson_____________________
Subs: Bravo, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, D. Silva, Diaz, Jesus.
I still say that’s a
strong, creative & dangerous side from Gundogan upwards, with the added
threat from Mendy on the left too. But it would lack ‘the glue’ & real
craft in the heart of that midfield with both David & Kevin out.
The defence would, in
this scenario, leave me a little jittery and if we were in the universe where
this ‘freshness theory’ became reality, then I could see the start of our
season ending in a 3-3 thriller!
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