Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing the season off yet. But that friendly left me uneasy, and to be fair we can still sort plenty of this before the league starts. There are recurring issues Martin didn't fully fix last year, and I want to see Danny tackle them properly.
Warning signs still there
For me Fernandez still looks slow with the ball and a bit of a liability off it. Rommens had an off day and you could see his frustration bubbling over a couple of times. That doesn't mean he can't play, but the system needs to cover for those moments and get his attacking side firing.
Chermiti looked off it, and putting Shanks behind him felt wrong. If the plan is a lone number nine then swap them round and let Shanks run in behind. He looks more threatening highest up the pitch.
Tochi and the squad mood
Tochi for me feels like a sale candidate. I liked him early on, but he now gives the impression he's not fully settled or enjoying life here. There are rumours about that and you can't ignore a player who looks disengaged. Dressing-room fit matters as much as ability.
Fixes before the season
We've time to sort things, but the club need real quality through the door. We didn't exactly upgrade a side that finished third, and apart from Pandur there's been no major outlay. The transfer window has to be used properly, not just to add bodies but to bring in players who change games. Defensive shape, midfield tempo and a clear striker plan should be priorities.
Midfield still looks like the area that decides our season. We need tempo, transitional speed and someone who can connect defence to attack without killing moves with slow touches. Pressing triggers have to be consistent, you can't have lads switching off and expecting individual magic to bail them out. Off the ball we need more intelligent runs, better timing and clearer width from full-backs to stretch teams. If Dm can instil a sharper tempo and a more aggressive shape, a few quality arrivals could make this feel very different by September.
To be fair, Dm has time and I've seen worse starts turned around. But talk's cheap. Make the signings and sort the shape.
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