Riyad Mahrez

by Strange Blue Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:57 pm

So its finally official I'm wondering what everyone else on here thinks about the signing. He's got some impressive stats from the last couple of seasons & I think he gives us something different. If I'm honest I think its a position that didn't really need reinforcing that much, but when you are playing in so many different competitions over the season then injuries & suspensions take their toll. Probably also true that our B team was not quite as strong as some of us thought, I mean you can only play so many of the kids in a cup game before you weaken the side too much & that dents their confidence.

by Blue Radley Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:08 pm

Always felt when we signed Mendy that Pep wanted to play 3 at the back with the width coming from Mendy and Walker as wing-backs. Mahrez and Bernardo are likely to get more game time when we play with a 3, and Sane and Sterling more likely options as genuine wingers with a back 4. I'm sure Mahrez will fit in perfectly, his first touch is incredible and looks like a real Pep player. The problem comes trying to keep everyone happy, but not a bad problem to have!

by Strange Blue Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:23 pm

Blue Radley wrote:Always felt when we signed Mendy that Pep wanted to play 3 at the back with the width coming from Mendy and Walker as wing-backs. Mahrez and Bernardo are likely to get more game time when we play with a 3, and Sane and Sterling more likely options as genuine wingers with a back 4. I'm sure Mahrez will fit in perfectly, his first touch is incredible and looks like a real Pep player. The problem comes trying to keep everyone happy, but not a bad problem to have!

Will be interesting to see if he does opt for a back 3 from the get go or reserves it for use against particular teams. How close is Mendy to being 100% fit anyway?

by Blue Radley Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:59 pm

Mendy should be fully fit. He made the France World Cup squad and even got a bit of game time at one point. 3 at the back gives us another option, but I remember Mancini trying it the year after winning the title and it was a disaster. We have better players now, a better coach and a clear vision. Even a back four is more like a 3 or even a 2 the way we play so high up the pitch. We only saw snippets of Mendy last season, but his balls into the box were fantastic so there's not much chance of the goals drying up any time soon...

by Guest Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:27 am

I do think he will be a good player for us. While 60m does sound like a lot of money it's refreshing that we were not taken for a ride again and played hardball over the price. Especially with 10m from Roberts going the other way, and you could almost count the Itchy money too making it an even better deal.

I'm worried about the start of the season though, a lot of the stars will only just be back in training and to go straight in at the Gooners might just start us a little on the back foot if we don't win.

by **leopold** Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:29 am

He's a better option on the flank than Bernardo. He's faster, will take on a player and can put in a decent cross, which is what we are a bit short on.

I think Bernie is better suited to playing in the centre and I'd assumed from the start that his signing was more to provide cover for Spanish Dave - he's getting on a bit and despite playing the best I've ever seen him last season, he's not got many years left in him yet.

by **leopold** Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:33 am

blisteringblue wrote:I'm worried about the start of the season though, a lot of the stars will only just be back in training and to go straight in at the Gooners might just start us a little on the back foot if we don't win.

I don't think we're going to be that short on our first team. Yes, we could be finding ourselves without Stones, Walker, Sterling, KDB and Mendy. But neither Ederson nor Sané took part in the WC, Sergio's time in the competition was minimal, and a lot of the other players haven't had a game in over a week. Arsenal are going to have similar issues to us and aren't likely to be at full strength either.

by Strange Blue Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:07 pm

Good chance Mahrez will start both the Community Sheild & the Arsenal game for this very reason. Glad that he’ll get a full pre season too.

by **leopold** Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:53 am

Well, we got him in early enough to factor him into pre-season training so I'd expect him to be taking to the field in at least the tin plate.

by **Topdawg** Fri Jul 13, 2018 11:08 pm

Who didn't play at all, or not much, at the WC:

Ederson
Danilo
Otamendi
Laporte
Mendy
Delph
Gundogan
Silva
Bernardo
Mahrez
Aguero
Sane
Foden

Think we might just be able to put a half decent team out

by **leopold** Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:19 am

If we can't field a team that can't put up a decent showing in the CS with that lot then someone needs to have a word.

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