No newsletter today. (Happy belated Labor Day. Shoutout to labor.) So, instead, let’s do a chat. Post whatever questions you have in here, and I’ll answer as many as I can from 12 to 1 pm EST. Wanna know whether I think the USMNT will ever win another match? Fair game. Interested in my thoughts on the late-career evolution of French crime novelist Jean-Patrick Manchette? Sure, why not! Ask whatever you want. See you in an hour.
All right -- gonna wrap it there. Thanks, as always, for all the thoughtful Qs. We'll do it again soon. And if you wanna be involved in more stuff like this, we have a Discord server for all premium subscribers. I think it might be the only Internet forum for soccer discussion where nearly everyone agrees on two things: United shouldn't have signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Timo Werner is a really good soccer player. Have great days, all.
Why don’t soccer teams make more of an effort to exploit mismatches, like has become so common in NBA playoff basketball? I could see teams having success isolating a player with a serious speed or strength advantage and letting him go to work exploring that advantage?
How panicked should USMNT fans be about the team's performance? Seems like they have an inability to play direct, attacking soccer in moments when they could use it.
I think the USMNT's biggest issue against Canada was that they ... couldn't defend. They had 70-plus-percent possession and gave up a number of high-quality opportunities. The CP chance and the goal were both really good sequences! Given what they created and how much of the ball they had, it should've been enough to win.
What's the soccer equivalent of sending a kid out to right field in Little League? What position is associated with the worst soccer player on the team?
It's right back. Gianluca Vialli has a theory about this. If you're good enough to create goals, you're an attacker. If you're a great passer/can cover a lot of space, you play midfield. If you're relatively large and good in the air and a good defender, you play center back. If you happen to be one of the few left-footed players, you'll fill the left-back slot. And so, the worst players on the team play right back. Not always true anymore, I don't think, butI like the theory.
You’ve written in the past that how much managers matter is difficult to determine, but also that subs during z a game early and often tend to give a team a better chance of winning, correct? Taking that into consideration, how do you approach Berhalter and the latest USMNT performances? Is there anything you can specifically say he could’ve done better or worse? Trying to look for a sobering assessment of his coaching. Lots of vitriol out there pointing him as the one to blame for the past two lackluster games. what do you think?
Thought the approach against El Salvador was weird; as I said below, it was Red Bull, overdosing on Red Bull. Not sure why you wanna turn that game into a track meet when it's against the least-talented squad in the Octagaonal (?)? The approach against Canada, imo, was generally the right one, and it worked really well -- save for a brainfart from one of your players who starts for a Champions League team -- right up through the US going up, 1-0. What came after that was terrible, though. I'm not sure GB could've done much about some of the mistakes that led to the equalizer, but he also, as you said, definitely could've subbed more often. He has a history, now, of not being good with his subs.
I look at it like this, there are four ways to create goals:
-From settled possession
-From counter-attacks
-From turnovers in the attacking third
-From set pieces
Each one has its downsides and its knock-on effects on the other end. The team isn't great at the first one, though I think that's been overblown. They probably would be very good at the second one but that might feel like a step backward. They have the players for the third one, but int'l soccer doesn't really lend itself to that style of play. And anyone can be good at the last one. No. 1 can work, but they really need to be able to pair it with no. 4.
I'm a Barcelona fan so my questions pertain to them.
1) Is the sale of Emerson a mistake? Do you think he has potential to be a world class fullback? Between Dest and Emerson who has a greater chance of being better at their peak?
2) Which coach would you like to see at Barcelona next year? Are there any hidden gems out there (besides Ten Hag, Xavi or even Gallardo) who could help Barca compete again at the highest level?
3) Finally more of a general question. What all books/resources would you suggest for someone who wants to get better at "seeing the tactics" during the game and analysing play like you do? And what other blogs/newsletters would you recommend?
Thank you btw for the high quality content you put. I'm a student now. As soon as I land a job, I'll subscribe to your premium membership.
Ha, thanks Alfred! Just gonna get to no. 1 so I can answer some others. Seems like they may have had to sell Emerson for financial reasons. I don't really see him as a world-class left back; he didn't do much attacking at all at Betis. Would've been a solid one-two combo with Dest, who doesn't really defend, but I don't think it's a big deal that he's gone. Dest, in my opinion, has a much higher ceiling b/c of how good he is going forward.
Thanks for the answer! If by chance you get time after answering all the questions, do answer the 2nd one. It's something I've been wondering for a while. However I do understand if you won't have the chance to reply.
On the topic of tactics/ playing styles/ shifts in philosophy , I’d suggest Inverting the pyramid by Jonathan Wilson, and Zonal Marking by Michael Cox which I’ve just begun to read, but so far it’s great
Hey Ryan, big fan of the show. What do you think is the way Thomas Tuchel could most effectively utilize Callum Hudson-Odoi? His rate stats are on par with some of the best creators in the league (he briefly had ~15 prog carries p90 last year, more than Messi) and he's still incredibly young and raw. At the same time, he's barely gotten any minutes, and when he has it's been as a wingback, which isn't really his best position. Do you just keep running him as a super attacking wingback and allow for his defensive deficiencies? Is there merit for forcing him into the front 3 in some capacity? Or should Chelsea loan him to get minutes and/or cash out on him? He's far too good a player to be getting the fewest minutes of the Chelsea attackers
I'm not really sure there is a way to utilize him more effectively. The "wide attackers" in Tuchel's set-up aren't really wide players. They're in the half spaces between the CBs and the FBs (Mount and Havertz), or they're making runs behind (Werner), or they're getting on the ball in the penalty area (Pulisic). CHO seems like more of a classic-ish winger-type. Seems, to me, that playing him at wing back against weaker opponents would be the best way to get him more minutes, and honestly it seems to me like that role on this team best suits his skillset. My guess is he eventually leaves the club, which, well, would put him in pretty good company.
As Michael Caley says, international football makes the best armchair managers... so can you play armchair manager for the USMNT? If you could change 2 things about our set up / approach to these WCQ games, what would it be?
I think Sunday's approach probably leads to a dominant win over El Salvador. Against ES, they played psychotic Red Bull ball, when dominating possession seems like it would've broken down a team that didn't have the counter-attacking threat of Canada.
As for no. 2, I think the obvious thing to do is just to sub more. I really do think the points Caley makes are tough to get around when you're playing a team in a 5-4-1, but up to the goal against Canada, the US had dominated the game ... and then pretty much completely fell apart. It wasn't only fatigue-related, but that definitely played a part.
Seems like a situation where EVERYONE fucked up to some degree, but the larger issue is: we probably still shouldn't be playing World Cup qualifiers in the middle of a global pandemic. I don't know how they're gonna find space to replay the game on the match calendar. My guess is they try to stick it onto the end of schedule and then Brazil and Argentina will have already qualified by then so no one will care about the game (and maybe they'll agree to a draw or a forfeit or something and not actually play it).
Also seems fucked up that apparently Brazilian passport holders traveling back from the UK would have been exempt from the quarantine requirement. Obviously, the EPL teams with Brazilian players held firm on not releasing them (at the consequence of possibly not having them this weekend), but, if the Brazilian health authorities and FA would have had their way, the Brazilian players would have had to have come while the Argentine players would have been prohibiting from coming, despite representing the exact same COVID risk.
There’s a geopolitical element too. UK has Brazil on a no-entry covid list (along with already strained relations with their pseudo-fascist president Bolsonaro)…and there’s an irony that Brazil authorities would go to great lengths to chase these players when their own response to Covid has been lacking with Bolsonaro repeatedly downplaying the severity and failing to offer any social safety net for those afflicted with the virus or businesses effected. So, part of this Brazil - Argentina debacle can also be read as a tit for tat political move on the part of Bolsonaro in response to England / EPL not letting some of its Brazilian players go for WCQs coupled with already strained relations
Hey Ryan! Have you read Kuper's new book on the rise and fall of Barca? I'm curious if you agree with his thoughts on their demise. The transfer spending is the obvious culprit, but Kuper points to the club's insularity/unwillingness to seek new ideas elsewhere. Did a lack of data analysis play a role? Kuper mentions that Barcelona didn't employ analytics until way more recently than other big clubs.
Also, what are your favorite soccer books? Which ones have you read while working on yours?
I'm reading it right now. Barca has an incredible analytics/research hub that's the exact opposite of insulated. Problem is: club never really used it.
Two of my lesser-known favs: The Away Game by Sebastian Abbot and The Italian Job by Gianluca Viallai (and Gab Marcotti).
I recently saw that Bielsa was reportedly interested in taking over the USMNT in 2016. What do you think a Bielsa-led version of the current USMNT would look like, and which player would benefit the most?
He'd probably be the perfect coach for this group of players: a ton of pressers and dribblers who don't really know how to pass. The system would probably overcome the lack of a true goal-scorer, too. Brenden Aaronson, in particular, would be a perfect Bielsa player, an insane presser without a clear role in a more traditional set-up.
How would you to try to stage the turnover of Liverpool's forward line? Who do you sell in which window (and do you extend players you still expect to sell soon in order to preserve transfer value)? What profile of players do you try to bring in?
It's a tough situation! Unclear to me whether they wanted to be in this situation or not -- who knows whether or not there was interest in any of the front three this summer or last -- or if they've decided its worth it to try to win another trophy or two now at the expense of added transfer revenue. To start, they've already nailed the first step of the process, by bringing in Jota, who is absolutely fantastic. Seems like they have a pretty clear profile: young, lots of pressing, and ideally someone who undershot his underlying numbers for a season. Next Q is who do you keep? Salah is the obvious one b/c he's the best one, but he'd also probably bring in the biggest transfer fee. Ultimately, I think I'd re-sign Salah and try to move the other two on. Both Mane and Firmino are due bounce-back finishing seasons anyway. Signing them to long-term deals to secure transfer value only works if the players want to leave. You can't sell a player if he doesn't.
There really has been a lot of it, across most outlets, but it feels like one of those things where the people covering it have to cover a lot of other things and so the stories bubble up and the disappear. I guess the most direct path to a result would be hitting FIFA where it hurts them the most: sponsor money. If corporations don't wanna be associated with the event, then FIFA might actually think twice about what's going on. Tim is the best; follow his advice, too.
Across two WCQ matches this international break, Italy drew against Bulgaria and Switzerland, Spain lost to Sweden, and France drew against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine. They are all still at the tops of their qualifying groups, but would you consider these results a cause for concern for any of the teams? Especially for France who haven't exactly looked like the all dominant team one would expect based on 2018 and their roster?
How worried should Wolves fans be? Underlying numbers look good in the first three games, but zero goals. Plus, they had a terrible transfer window and seem unwilling to back Bruno by bringing in the caliber of players he needs to become a more front foot attacking team.
Not worried at all. The team looks great. This was a freak-ish three-game stretch. Wolves look better than they have in a long time. The goals will come.
Seems like he's a couple weeks away from starting games again. Given the closeness in quality of the top three teams -- gonna need to see a lot more from Utd to put them in that group -- any injury to KDB makes a material difference. At the same time, he barely played in the 18-19 season, and City were arguably better than they were the year before.
No, and yes. But I'm not sure that's why Kepa is still on Chelsea. He's also getting paid a lot of money and is, from all the evidence we have, not very good at saving shots. That's a tough proposition to move on from.
The dirty little secret people don’t acknowledge with regards to Chelsea is they’ve generally bought very well over this last 5-10 years. Less of the Roman Abramovich “I want Sheva/Torres NOW” or any number of past their prime no.9s. Seems he’s learned to back off for most part and let the football folks do their jobs. As it stands they’ve essentially a squad with 2 world class-ish players in every key position. Certainly not a Chelsea supporter by any means but fair play, credit where it’s due.
I'm not Ryan, but yeah, clubs don't fail to understand sunk cost. The way that transfers work is that the fee you pay for a player is spread throughout the length of their contract, so each year the club records that cost on their balance sheet. Clubs do not want to take a loss on their books, and selling a player for less than their amortized value is recorded as a loss, whereas while you own the player (before you sell them) they're viewed as an asset. So generally the bare minimum that clubs will sell for is the rest of the players amortized value. In some cases like Ronaldo to Man U clubs will write off a loss on a player (Ronaldo's value on Juve's books was about 28mil euros) if they're desperate to get them off the books.
Your head is in the right place, but I think the length of the grass is the biggest "issue". Seems like a vacant lot in an abandoned downtown metropolis might be what we're looking for.
All right -- gonna wrap it there. Thanks, as always, for all the thoughtful Qs. We'll do it again soon. And if you wanna be involved in more stuff like this, we have a Discord server for all premium subscribers. I think it might be the only Internet forum for soccer discussion where nearly everyone agrees on two things: United shouldn't have signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Timo Werner is a really good soccer player. Have great days, all.
Why don’t soccer teams make more of an effort to exploit mismatches, like has become so common in NBA playoff basketball? I could see teams having success isolating a player with a serious speed or strength advantage and letting him go to work exploring that advantage?
I think this happens a lot more often than you're suggesting. See: Chelsea v Arsenal, Canada v USMNT.
How panicked should USMNT fans be about the team's performance? Seems like they have an inability to play direct, attacking soccer in moments when they could use it.
I think the USMNT's biggest issue against Canada was that they ... couldn't defend. They had 70-plus-percent possession and gave up a number of high-quality opportunities. The CP chance and the goal were both really good sequences! Given what they created and how much of the ball they had, it should've been enough to win.
What's the soccer equivalent of sending a kid out to right field in Little League? What position is associated with the worst soccer player on the team?
It's right back. Gianluca Vialli has a theory about this. If you're good enough to create goals, you're an attacker. If you're a great passer/can cover a lot of space, you play midfield. If you're relatively large and good in the air and a good defender, you play center back. If you happen to be one of the few left-footed players, you'll fill the left-back slot. And so, the worst players on the team play right back. Not always true anymore, I don't think, butI like the theory.
I think Jamie Carragher once said "Fullbacks are either failed wingers or failed centerbacks"
Aye , this
Keeper innit ? Or maybe RB
Left backs are def worse than right backs just because fewer players are left footed
How irrationally excited are you to see Marc Cucurella play for Brighton?
I feel like I've failed somewhere along the way. I'm ... not?
You’ve written in the past that how much managers matter is difficult to determine, but also that subs during z a game early and often tend to give a team a better chance of winning, correct? Taking that into consideration, how do you approach Berhalter and the latest USMNT performances? Is there anything you can specifically say he could’ve done better or worse? Trying to look for a sobering assessment of his coaching. Lots of vitriol out there pointing him as the one to blame for the past two lackluster games. what do you think?
Thought the approach against El Salvador was weird; as I said below, it was Red Bull, overdosing on Red Bull. Not sure why you wanna turn that game into a track meet when it's against the least-talented squad in the Octagaonal (?)? The approach against Canada, imo, was generally the right one, and it worked really well -- save for a brainfart from one of your players who starts for a Champions League team -- right up through the US going up, 1-0. What came after that was terrible, though. I'm not sure GB could've done much about some of the mistakes that led to the equalizer, but he also, as you said, definitely could've subbed more often. He has a history, now, of not being good with his subs.
I look at it like this, there are four ways to create goals:
-From settled possession
-From counter-attacks
-From turnovers in the attacking third
-From set pieces
Each one has its downsides and its knock-on effects on the other end. The team isn't great at the first one, though I think that's been overblown. They probably would be very good at the second one but that might feel like a step backward. They have the players for the third one, but int'l soccer doesn't really lend itself to that style of play. And anyone can be good at the last one. No. 1 can work, but they really need to be able to pair it with no. 4.
Hi Ryan! Big fan of your work.
I'm a Barcelona fan so my questions pertain to them.
1) Is the sale of Emerson a mistake? Do you think he has potential to be a world class fullback? Between Dest and Emerson who has a greater chance of being better at their peak?
2) Which coach would you like to see at Barcelona next year? Are there any hidden gems out there (besides Ten Hag, Xavi or even Gallardo) who could help Barca compete again at the highest level?
3) Finally more of a general question. What all books/resources would you suggest for someone who wants to get better at "seeing the tactics" during the game and analysing play like you do? And what other blogs/newsletters would you recommend?
Thank you btw for the high quality content you put. I'm a student now. As soon as I land a job, I'll subscribe to your premium membership.
Ha, thanks Alfred! Just gonna get to no. 1 so I can answer some others. Seems like they may have had to sell Emerson for financial reasons. I don't really see him as a world-class left back; he didn't do much attacking at all at Betis. Would've been a solid one-two combo with Dest, who doesn't really defend, but I don't think it's a big deal that he's gone. Dest, in my opinion, has a much higher ceiling b/c of how good he is going forward.
Thanks for the answer! If by chance you get time after answering all the questions, do answer the 2nd one. It's something I've been wondering for a while. However I do understand if you won't have the chance to reply.
On the topic of tactics/ playing styles/ shifts in philosophy , I’d suggest Inverting the pyramid by Jonathan Wilson, and Zonal Marking by Michael Cox which I’ve just begun to read, but so far it’s great
As a Tottenham fan, I would also love to hear whether Barcelona made a mistake in selling Emerson :)
Hey Ryan, big fan of the show. What do you think is the way Thomas Tuchel could most effectively utilize Callum Hudson-Odoi? His rate stats are on par with some of the best creators in the league (he briefly had ~15 prog carries p90 last year, more than Messi) and he's still incredibly young and raw. At the same time, he's barely gotten any minutes, and when he has it's been as a wingback, which isn't really his best position. Do you just keep running him as a super attacking wingback and allow for his defensive deficiencies? Is there merit for forcing him into the front 3 in some capacity? Or should Chelsea loan him to get minutes and/or cash out on him? He's far too good a player to be getting the fewest minutes of the Chelsea attackers
I'm not really sure there is a way to utilize him more effectively. The "wide attackers" in Tuchel's set-up aren't really wide players. They're in the half spaces between the CBs and the FBs (Mount and Havertz), or they're making runs behind (Werner), or they're getting on the ball in the penalty area (Pulisic). CHO seems like more of a classic-ish winger-type. Seems, to me, that playing him at wing back against weaker opponents would be the best way to get him more minutes, and honestly it seems to me like that role on this team best suits his skillset. My guess is he eventually leaves the club, which, well, would put him in pretty good company.
As Michael Caley says, international football makes the best armchair managers... so can you play armchair manager for the USMNT? If you could change 2 things about our set up / approach to these WCQ games, what would it be?
https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/1434718124142641153
I think Sunday's approach probably leads to a dominant win over El Salvador. Against ES, they played psychotic Red Bull ball, when dominating possession seems like it would've broken down a team that didn't have the counter-attacking threat of Canada.
As for no. 2, I think the obvious thing to do is just to sub more. I really do think the points Caley makes are tough to get around when you're playing a team in a 5-4-1, but up to the goal against Canada, the US had dominated the game ... and then pretty much completely fell apart. It wasn't only fatigue-related, but that definitely played a part.
Any thoughts on the Brazil-Argentina fiasco, and possible future ramifications?
Seems like a situation where EVERYONE fucked up to some degree, but the larger issue is: we probably still shouldn't be playing World Cup qualifiers in the middle of a global pandemic. I don't know how they're gonna find space to replay the game on the match calendar. My guess is they try to stick it onto the end of schedule and then Brazil and Argentina will have already qualified by then so no one will care about the game (and maybe they'll agree to a draw or a forfeit or something and not actually play it).
Also seems fucked up that apparently Brazilian passport holders traveling back from the UK would have been exempt from the quarantine requirement. Obviously, the EPL teams with Brazilian players held firm on not releasing them (at the consequence of possibly not having them this weekend), but, if the Brazilian health authorities and FA would have had their way, the Brazilian players would have had to have come while the Argentine players would have been prohibiting from coming, despite representing the exact same COVID risk.
There’s a geopolitical element too. UK has Brazil on a no-entry covid list (along with already strained relations with their pseudo-fascist president Bolsonaro)…and there’s an irony that Brazil authorities would go to great lengths to chase these players when their own response to Covid has been lacking with Bolsonaro repeatedly downplaying the severity and failing to offer any social safety net for those afflicted with the virus or businesses effected. So, part of this Brazil - Argentina debacle can also be read as a tit for tat political move on the part of Bolsonaro in response to England / EPL not letting some of its Brazilian players go for WCQs coupled with already strained relations
Have you been to that house of football spot in Eagle rock to watch matches? If so, how is it?
I have not! Let's just say that I watch fewer games "for fun" than the average soccer fan.
Salah wants 28 million euros, a 17 million pay rise. Who do you think Salah will join next as Liverpool aren't paying that.
Mo Salah's agent, welcome to the chat
.
Hey Ryan! Have you read Kuper's new book on the rise and fall of Barca? I'm curious if you agree with his thoughts on their demise. The transfer spending is the obvious culprit, but Kuper points to the club's insularity/unwillingness to seek new ideas elsewhere. Did a lack of data analysis play a role? Kuper mentions that Barcelona didn't employ analytics until way more recently than other big clubs.
Also, what are your favorite soccer books? Which ones have you read while working on yours?
I'm reading it right now. Barca has an incredible analytics/research hub that's the exact opposite of insulated. Problem is: club never really used it.
Two of my lesser-known favs: The Away Game by Sebastian Abbot and The Italian Job by Gianluca Viallai (and Gab Marcotti).
I recently saw that Bielsa was reportedly interested in taking over the USMNT in 2016. What do you think a Bielsa-led version of the current USMNT would look like, and which player would benefit the most?
He'd probably be the perfect coach for this group of players: a ton of pressers and dribblers who don't really know how to pass. The system would probably overcome the lack of a true goal-scorer, too. Brenden Aaronson, in particular, would be a perfect Bielsa player, an insane presser without a clear role in a more traditional set-up.
At the same time, the players all might die.
How would you to try to stage the turnover of Liverpool's forward line? Who do you sell in which window (and do you extend players you still expect to sell soon in order to preserve transfer value)? What profile of players do you try to bring in?
It's a tough situation! Unclear to me whether they wanted to be in this situation or not -- who knows whether or not there was interest in any of the front three this summer or last -- or if they've decided its worth it to try to win another trophy or two now at the expense of added transfer revenue. To start, they've already nailed the first step of the process, by bringing in Jota, who is absolutely fantastic. Seems like they have a pretty clear profile: young, lots of pressing, and ideally someone who undershot his underlying numbers for a season. Next Q is who do you keep? Salah is the obvious one b/c he's the best one, but he'd also probably bring in the biggest transfer fee. Ultimately, I think I'd re-sign Salah and try to move the other two on. Both Mane and Firmino are due bounce-back finishing seasons anyway. Signing them to long-term deals to secure transfer value only works if the players want to leave. You can't sell a player if he doesn't.
What are your updated thoughts on the likelihood of Salah getting highest goals on the prem this season?
He's currently the second-favorite in betting markets behind Lukaku. So: I still feel pretty good!
Non-tactical Q: How much coverage is there on the human rights issues in Qatar and what can we as fans do to increase it? Similar to Tim Sparv's comments (here in Player's Trib: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/tim-sparv-finland-world-cup-2022-qatar-soccer)
There really has been a lot of it, across most outlets, but it feels like one of those things where the people covering it have to cover a lot of other things and so the stories bubble up and the disappear. I guess the most direct path to a result would be hitting FIFA where it hurts them the most: sponsor money. If corporations don't wanna be associated with the event, then FIFA might actually think twice about what's going on. Tim is the best; follow his advice, too.
Is there any avoiding a 48-team biennial World Cup future?
Clubs will hate that, and the clubs are only becoming more powerful. I'm skeptical that it'll ever happen.
Across two WCQ matches this international break, Italy drew against Bulgaria and Switzerland, Spain lost to Sweden, and France drew against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine. They are all still at the tops of their qualifying groups, but would you consider these results a cause for concern for any of the teams? Especially for France who haven't exactly looked like the all dominant team one would expect based on 2018 and their roster?
I'm a little worried about France. Deschamps doesn't seem to have learned anything from the Euros.
How worried should Wolves fans be? Underlying numbers look good in the first three games, but zero goals. Plus, they had a terrible transfer window and seem unwilling to back Bruno by bringing in the caliber of players he needs to become a more front foot attacking team.
Not worried at all. The team looks great. This was a freak-ish three-game stretch. Wolves look better than they have in a long time. The goals will come.
Do you have any F1 thoughts from the Dutch Grand Prix? Do you like the decision the replace Bottas with Russell for next season?
Ha! I just watch the Netflix show and catch the occasional race. My brain doesn't have enough room in it for Formula 1 opinions.
Just how bad is Kevin De Bruyne’s injury, and what will that do to City’s chances of fending off Liverpool, Utd, and Chelsea?
Seems like he's a couple weeks away from starting games again. Given the closeness in quality of the top three teams -- gonna need to see a lot more from Utd to put them in that group -- any injury to KDB makes a material difference. At the same time, he barely played in the 18-19 season, and City were arguably better than they were the year before.
No, and yes. But I'm not sure that's why Kepa is still on Chelsea. He's also getting paid a lot of money and is, from all the evidence we have, not very good at saving shots. That's a tough proposition to move on from.
The dirty little secret people don’t acknowledge with regards to Chelsea is they’ve generally bought very well over this last 5-10 years. Less of the Roman Abramovich “I want Sheva/Torres NOW” or any number of past their prime no.9s. Seems he’s learned to back off for most part and let the football folks do their jobs. As it stands they’ve essentially a squad with 2 world class-ish players in every key position. Certainly not a Chelsea supporter by any means but fair play, credit where it’s due.
I'm not Ryan, but yeah, clubs don't fail to understand sunk cost. The way that transfers work is that the fee you pay for a player is spread throughout the length of their contract, so each year the club records that cost on their balance sheet. Clubs do not want to take a loss on their books, and selling a player for less than their amortized value is recorded as a loss, whereas while you own the player (before you sell them) they're viewed as an asset. So generally the bare minimum that clubs will sell for is the rest of the players amortized value. In some cases like Ronaldo to Man U clubs will write off a loss on a player (Ronaldo's value on Juve's books was about 28mil euros) if they're desperate to get them off the books.
Your head is in the right place, but I think the length of the grass is the biggest "issue". Seems like a vacant lot in an abandoned downtown metropolis might be what we're looking for.