rossdapep
Well-Known Member
- Aug 25, 2011
- 22,155
- 79,696
As we are now certainly in the midst of a change around in regards to manager/coach, playing staff and potentially. but hopefully not, Harry Kane there is now a lot more talk returning towards the five-year plan.
Jose was clearly the last roll of the dice for a number of people, as well as the board, looking to squeeze that last drop out of the remains of Poch's team whilst integrating the new players. However, it's clear now that a total rebuild was needed and that Jose is not the guy to even attempt it.
So now heads turn to a coach such as Nagelsmann or a modernised coach of that ilk, and when they do people immediately associate that with a five-year plan and that the likes of Kane won't hang about for that. Whilst there are legitimate dread about what a five-year plan entails, I'm not completely convinced it has to be that way.
When Poch came into the club there was a lot of talk about the five-year project, and even in his latter years it was still being mentioned. But a lot of things happened that kind of ruined that theory that a five-year plan is painful or even a long process.
Firstly when Poch initially took over, the plan seemed to be that he was someone who could integrate the youth, get a system in place and by the fifth year have us challenging for trophies, all in time for the opening of the stadium. However, Poch actually progressed the team much faster than anyone anticipated, by his second year we were already fighting for a title and his third saw that continue. The problem with this however, is that the club clearly were unprepared, which is why we saw a flimsy attempt at strengthening the squad. Sissoko, Nkodou, Janssen and Wanyama did not represent the ambition of a club looking to go one better than the year before and even the following summer was more about looking to the future (Sanchez, Gazzaniga, Foyth) than really competing for top honours.
Klopp faced a similar situation when he arrived at Liverpool and was told he had to get them back in the Champions League quickly with the eye being on winning a title later down the line. By Klopp's first full season he had got them back in the Champions League, and by his second full season they were in a CL final. He was able to get his team playing in exactly the manner he wanted very early on but their achilles heel was their concentration and defending at crucial moments, but he'd laid the foundations down successfully. So within a short period of time Klopp had changed the whole complexion of the club from dejection and turmoil to excitement and focus. They then went on to fix their issues win the CL in his third full year, pushing City domestically and then winning the title in his fourth full year.
So whilst there is a continuous trajectory there that does follow a five-year guideline, the fact remains he still had them in a much much better place rather quickly.
The feeling is Kane and Son will want out should we return to this five-year plan, as they don't have time to wait. Yet they don't necessarily have to. Under a modernised coach with a very good system, the club could be bouncing back and looking more capable again. So whilst people say Kane is dejected and wants out, that may be the case now but an injection of positivity and focus, instilled by a new coach, may get him onside and believing it is capable.
It's also important to consider where the club were under previous 'five-year projects'. Firstly, the squad isn't as old or stale as it was when Poch arrived, nor when he left. We've signed Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Rodon, Reguillon, Sessegnon & Clarke who are all of the right age to build a system around since the beginning of our 'comedown' and it's to be argued they've not yet had a reliable system/coach to work within since they came through the door. Not to mention there's Skipp and other youngsters waiting in the wings. A lot of upcoming coaches would love to work with that blend of players.
Secondly, the club were certainly scrimping due to the stadium build so were reluctant to push the boat out. Of course, any thought of Levy throwing caution to the wind is fanciful, however we did spend 60m on Ndombele and 40m on Lo Celso, so no reason to not believe they won't spend on the likes of Sabitzer, Maignan, Andersen when we do see stadium income roll in.
Considering these three factors, it isn't so hard to believe that by next summer the new coach has changed the mood to a positive and focused camp, with the potential for a couple more additions, making it more of a tougher decision for Harry to make. That is of course we manage to keep him this summer.
Now the question comes down to getting this next appointment right.
Jose was clearly the last roll of the dice for a number of people, as well as the board, looking to squeeze that last drop out of the remains of Poch's team whilst integrating the new players. However, it's clear now that a total rebuild was needed and that Jose is not the guy to even attempt it.
So now heads turn to a coach such as Nagelsmann or a modernised coach of that ilk, and when they do people immediately associate that with a five-year plan and that the likes of Kane won't hang about for that. Whilst there are legitimate dread about what a five-year plan entails, I'm not completely convinced it has to be that way.
When Poch came into the club there was a lot of talk about the five-year project, and even in his latter years it was still being mentioned. But a lot of things happened that kind of ruined that theory that a five-year plan is painful or even a long process.
Firstly when Poch initially took over, the plan seemed to be that he was someone who could integrate the youth, get a system in place and by the fifth year have us challenging for trophies, all in time for the opening of the stadium. However, Poch actually progressed the team much faster than anyone anticipated, by his second year we were already fighting for a title and his third saw that continue. The problem with this however, is that the club clearly were unprepared, which is why we saw a flimsy attempt at strengthening the squad. Sissoko, Nkodou, Janssen and Wanyama did not represent the ambition of a club looking to go one better than the year before and even the following summer was more about looking to the future (Sanchez, Gazzaniga, Foyth) than really competing for top honours.
Klopp faced a similar situation when he arrived at Liverpool and was told he had to get them back in the Champions League quickly with the eye being on winning a title later down the line. By Klopp's first full season he had got them back in the Champions League, and by his second full season they were in a CL final. He was able to get his team playing in exactly the manner he wanted very early on but their achilles heel was their concentration and defending at crucial moments, but he'd laid the foundations down successfully. So within a short period of time Klopp had changed the whole complexion of the club from dejection and turmoil to excitement and focus. They then went on to fix their issues win the CL in his third full year, pushing City domestically and then winning the title in his fourth full year.
So whilst there is a continuous trajectory there that does follow a five-year guideline, the fact remains he still had them in a much much better place rather quickly.
The feeling is Kane and Son will want out should we return to this five-year plan, as they don't have time to wait. Yet they don't necessarily have to. Under a modernised coach with a very good system, the club could be bouncing back and looking more capable again. So whilst people say Kane is dejected and wants out, that may be the case now but an injection of positivity and focus, instilled by a new coach, may get him onside and believing it is capable.
It's also important to consider where the club were under previous 'five-year projects'. Firstly, the squad isn't as old or stale as it was when Poch arrived, nor when he left. We've signed Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Rodon, Reguillon, Sessegnon & Clarke who are all of the right age to build a system around since the beginning of our 'comedown' and it's to be argued they've not yet had a reliable system/coach to work within since they came through the door. Not to mention there's Skipp and other youngsters waiting in the wings. A lot of upcoming coaches would love to work with that blend of players.
Secondly, the club were certainly scrimping due to the stadium build so were reluctant to push the boat out. Of course, any thought of Levy throwing caution to the wind is fanciful, however we did spend 60m on Ndombele and 40m on Lo Celso, so no reason to not believe they won't spend on the likes of Sabitzer, Maignan, Andersen when we do see stadium income roll in.
Considering these three factors, it isn't so hard to believe that by next summer the new coach has changed the mood to a positive and focused camp, with the potential for a couple more additions, making it more of a tougher decision for Harry to make. That is of course we manage to keep him this summer.
Now the question comes down to getting this next appointment right.
