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Alonso isn't wedded to a back-three. We saw at Real Madrid that he will use a back four.Originally Posted by teesred
I don't like to make direct comparisons too much with players or managers as the wrong message is often taken from them (if we compare a physical all-round midfielder to Gerrard, people are quick to jump on and assume you're saying they are AS good as Gerrard, when you're just comparing "moulds" so to speak) but I would think of Alonso in the "Ancelotti" mould in one aspect in that I think he would come in, look at what we have and pick a system to fit the players - though Alonso definitely seems to be more of a coaching-obsessed type than Carlo.
Short version - just because Alonso joins (hypothetical) doesn't mean we would exclusively play in a back-three set-up. So that's handy to know if he were to try the 3-5-2 and quickly learn it didn't suit the League, or if he felt it wasn't the right fit for our players.
Though, centre-backs aside, we certainly do have a squad mix that might lean into it. So it would not surprise me - if Konaté stayed and we keep certain players - if we tried it.
So given that centre-back is probably the area where we are least suited, let's look - who would we have that "can" play there next season?
Van Dijk
Konaté
Jacquet
Leoni
Gomez
Endo (played more at CB than at DM in his career remember, by something like 30 appearances)
Then......
Bajcetic at a stretch (really rather not)
Grav at a stretch (really rather not)
It could prolong Van Dijk a bit (but should we really "build around" him anymore given his age?) and we seemingly have the numbers, though Gomez has injury issues, Leoni we don't know about yet and we would want more quality than Endo - but we can see that it's at least semi-plausible. Perhaps, if we went for it, acquiring a centre-back or two (or better still players who could play centre-back and DM, or centre-back and full-backs for more flexibility) could be a viable move.
We certainly have capable lads for wing-back. Kerkez on the left, Frimpong on the right, Robbo depth on the left - question marks (sorry Bradley) on the right, due to Bradley's injury record and Frimpong having his own issues. In an ideal World where Tottenham got relegated, perhaps Porro could solve a problem.
We certainly have some good midfielders - and if we wanted to we have the option of doing something like sell Mac Allister to facilitate a younger midfielder, if we so wished.
Best of all, forwards, which are typically the most expensive players on the market, we'd be looking at having four (or five, if sometimes using other formations) for depth in a front two - rather than six, for depth in a front three.
That would rather solve our issue of having -
Gakpo
Ngumoha
Isak
Ekitike
Salah
Chiesa
We'd be able to keep four lads - or five - and let one go, freeing up some wages for elsewhere. Whether that is selling Salah and Chiesa to bring one lad in, or selling Gakpo to bring a lad in, or whatever, will be subject to a lot of opinion - but we would have viable solutions and certainly any wages coming out (whether it's Salah's, Gakpo's or Chiesa's) would be a welcome top-up to the wage kitty for anyone we might target - especially if it were Salah to depart. Salah and Chiesa departing for an excellent young forward with wage kitty to spare for another centre-back etc could certainly work.
So whilst I wouldn't want us wedded to a 3-5-2 and whilst we are (currently) short at centre-back for it, I don't think it would be an impossible juggle nor require massive upheaval in the transfer market.
