Are we a better team now than the 2018/19 one?

[Mullet 293]

Is this squad better than the one that got promoted. Would this current squad likely fare better in the premier league?

[sgncfc 1,228]

Bit premature I think after 13 games - but we are certainly stronger defensively than the 2018-19 team because we are playing a different system and our centre mids (Skipp/Rupp) are better. Even with a 3-0 lead and 11 players, Tettey and Skipp didn't keep it as tight tonight as there is less mobility. Also, Gibson is a much better defender than Godfrey, Klose or Zimmermann.

But we have lost some forward impetus as a result and the reliance on Pukki is just the same. We desperately need Idah and/or Hugill to step up once fit. Or we splash some money on a striker in January.

[Midlands Yellow 3,985]

15 minutes ago, Mullet said:

Is this squad better than the one that got promoted. Would this current squad likely fare better in the premier league?

On par perhaps but thankfully still being run by the genius Daniel Farke. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by Midlands Yellow

[Branston Pickle 3,659]

I think the overall squad is potentially a bit better - we didn’t seem to have this level of injury issues two years ago but are still managing to pull the results out.  It has to be a bit of a concern that this might change with, I believe, 11 players now missing.

Edited November 24, 2020 by Branston Pickle

[chicken 2,625]

13 minutes ago, Mullet said:

Is this squad better than the one that got promoted. Would this current squad likely fare better in the premier league?

I think we are arguably more balanced, but better... the proof is in the pudding.

We lost Lewis and Godfrey of the crop we would have kept if we could so to speak. Leitner, Trybul and Drmic also on their way.

In came Placheta, Quintilla, Dowell, Hugill, Gibson, Mumba, Sinani, Sorenson and Skipp.

On top of that Rupp has had time to settle into English football and has hit the ground running this season after joining last January.

Last season it has to be said we were short all over the pitch. Folks point to the defence but in reality, midfield didn't give us enough and without Hernandez we were pretty devoid of pace and we relied heavily upon Buendia as the creative player.

Now we have Placheta who offers pace to push teams back a bit as well as Hernandez. Sounds silly but defenders knowing the pace they are up against will sometimes sit deeper, that gives us more space to play, but also a quick outball if under pressure.

Creatively we have added Dowell, though sadly injured. He looked very good at the start of the season.

We needed freshening up at the back, Godfrey out and Gibson in is a hard one to measure. Right now you would have to say that whilst Gibson doesn't have that same potential or pace, what he does know is his role and I feel that at times last season Godfrey was still learning to be a centre back in the harshest of environments with few experienced heads around him to guide him. Mumba and Quintilla offer more depth in wide areas. Obviously McCullum is on loan too. Gibson and Quintilla would both sign upon promotion so we don't have to worry about their loans in that regard.

I think we have more depth, though at the moment even that seems to be being tested. It has to be said that Rupp probably gives us that same high energy work rate as Tettey. Though what he lacks, perhaps in defensive comparison to Tettey, he makes up for going forward. Skipp is also very good, especially for a youngster, he really is fearless and intelligent. You'd have to say those two are probably better than Trybull/Leitner and even McLean. Problem here is Skipp is on loan.

The younger players are another year more matured, more experienced.

I think on the whole you would have to say yes due to strengthening and balance.

You would still have to point to some areas if promotion is achieved.
- GK: I think McGovern is out of contract in the summer isn't he? Even if not, ideally we would need a better option to push him and offer good back up.
- CB: We have three senior CB's. So we'd either say that it is Sorenson's best position, Rocky or Famewo are ready to play understudy, or that we would need another experienced CB.
- CM: We could have a Skipp shaped hole come next season. Again, much depends upon Sorenson's role really. But also, with Leitner and Trybull gone, Tettey retired, and I think Vrancic out of contract, that would leave us with Sitti, Rupp and McLean as the three options in there.
- Str: Perhaps harsh, but we would have to ask ourselves if we felt that both Idah and Hugill are really premier league worthy options right now? Part of me feels Idah needs to go out on loan and get regular games to prove himself a bit. At the moment he is reminding me of some of the youngsters we have had in the past that have shown real promise but the lack of competitive game time early on in their careers meant they didn't develop and kick on (Ryan Jarvis). Still unsure about Hugill at that level. Pukki will be another year older. 
 

[First Wazzock 902]

Is this squad better than the one that got promoted. Would this current squad likely fare better in the premier league?

 

No and No

[Yellow and Green Man 13]

I think the team is roughly comparable, but if we go up we'll be in a better position, both because we've got some money in the bank to strengthen and because Farke and the players know what they're up against in the prem

[Yellow and Green 334]

Here are the major changes since then:

Out: Godfrey, Klose, Pinto, Lewis, Leitner, Trybull, Rhodes

In: Gibson, Quintilla, Byram, Mumba, Rupp, Sorensen, Skipp, Placheta, Martin, Dowell, Idah, Hugill

It's hard to judge this season's squad when the new guys haven't had a proper chance to settle and show what they can do. 

From the main comparisons:

Gibson vs Godfrey/Klose - They're all excellent options at this level. Klose is injury prone and, whilst having better attributes and more potential, Gibson offers more experience and reliability than Godfrey.

Quintilla vs Lewis - I prefer Lewis as a player. He seems to be a more complete footballer than JQ. Whilst Quintilla's crosses are excellent, Pukki ain't connecting with them and he is suspect defensively. 

Rupp and Skipp vs Leitner and Trybull - I love the latter pair but I think Rupp and Skipp offer a more complete midfield partnership. Leitner in particular was a classy operator but had his flaws.

Idah and Hugill vs Rhodes - Early days tbh, as Pukki has dominated the minutes. Hugill is yet to show his best and Idah has shown flashes. 

Overall, I'd say they're pretty equal, however this season's squad has more complete players - which is probably reflected by our defensive record.

If we go up, we will certainly need to learn our lesson and invest properly in key areas.

[Capt. Pants 4,234]

Not yet they're not.

[king canary 7,607]

I think we've got better depth and more balance but I don't think the first xi is better.

18/19 we could only play one way, this season we seem to have enough nous at times to hold teams at arms length. 

I also think the 18/19 team missing its first choice left back, number 10, left winger and several backups would be struggling more than this team.

[First Wazzock 902]

The gulf in class between The Championship and the Premier League is vast. The Championship games I have seen this season look a mile away from even playing the poorest teams in the top flight.

Although we went up two years ago the squad was relatively inexperienced. And the majority had no experience of playing at the higher level, so with no experienced players coming in we were always likely to struggle. What we are seeing is a rinse wash and repeat, an influx of mostly inexperienced players who may prove to be good enough to get us up, but not keep us there.

I see more money in the bank and us going up and down like a lady of the nights underwear.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Hard to say. We haven't won the league yet. And how weak or strong is this season's Championship.

We are better with Skipp in the team is one plus.

[canarydan23 4,060]

Defensively we look a lot better.

So far, we've conceded 10 goals in 13. Only 8 when we've had 11 men on the pitch. When we went up we conceded 57 in 46, comfortably over a goal a game.

Krul has to take a lot of credit for that, as he is markedly improved from his first season, when he was getting used to becoming a number 1 after several seasons as a backup. Seems ridiculous to say it now, but he was a number two to Matt Ryan. Now he's one of the best keepers in the world, and whilst I have to admit there is a little exaggeration in that, it really is only a little.

[Midlands Yellow 3,985]

Odds on now to be promoted, joint favourites with Boscombe to win it. 

[sonyc 5,519]

I'm not sure we are. That 18/19 team was lovely to watch. This team haven't clicked anywhere near enough yet for me even to think we look like an automatic team. I think you recognise one when you see one.

That said, we look stronger than many teams in a poor division and we do look a top 6 side, one that might get in the play offs. 

Sorry for all the negativity especially after two fantastic away results. Posters will know I am a strong supporter who rarely complains. 

I think I'm still recovering from yesterday. We looked like rabbits caught in the headlights for those last 20 minutes and I saw a team consumed with panic not a team game managing.

We at least have had a massive share of luck these last few games and I appreciate that after last season.

[canarydan23 4,060]

There's no way this season's team are anything like the attacking threat of 18/19, though that could come. They just look more solid as a defensive unit.

[astro 360]

I think Farke has looked at why Sheffield United stayed up last season and we didn't, and has tried to combine some elements of their promoted side into our style of play.

So while we don't look quite as exciting, I think our more steely edge compensates, and may prove more successful should we get promoted.

Edited November 25, 2020 by astro

[East Rider 551]

Difficult to be concrete in a decision on this. Two of our best players are both loans and they play down the spine and are first on the team sheet almost.

With both Skipp and Gibson out we are weaker in my opinion than last time, but with these two and the likes of Rupp, Sorensen and plachetta (plus others) we look stronger right now.

Proof is in the later parts of this season. However so far its's looking very good. We certainly are not missing the ones we have sold, that's for sure

[HazzaJet 253]

Personally I would say we’re stronger. At the start of last season and during our previous season in the championship we had hardly any players with PL experience, only really Krul, Tettey, Klose, Byram, and Hanley. Although the squad hasn’t had a huge amount of experience, it’s still got a bit and so I think it gives us a booster for the start, though I may be wrong - we’ll see

[Jersey Canary 143]

On 24/11/2020 at 23:46, chicken said:

I think we are arguably more balanced, but better... the proof is in the pudding.

We lost Lewis and Godfrey of the crop we would have kept if we could so to speak. Leitner, Trybul and Drmic also on their way.

In came Placheta, Quintilla, Dowell, Hugill, Gibson, Mumba, Sinani, Sorenson and Skipp.

On top of that Rupp has had time to settle into English football and has hit the ground running this season after joining last January.

Last season it has to be said we were short all over the pitch. Folks point to the defence but in reality, midfield didn't give us enough and without Hernandez we were pretty devoid of pace and we relied heavily upon Buendia as the creative player.

Now we have Placheta who offers pace to push teams back a bit as well as Hernandez. Sounds silly but defenders knowing the pace they are up against will sometimes sit deeper, that gives us more space to play, but also a quick outball if under pressure.

Creatively we have added Dowell, though sadly injured. He looked very good at the start of the season.

We needed freshening up at the back, Godfrey out and Gibson in is a hard one to measure. Right now you would have to say that whilst Gibson doesn't have that same potential or pace, what he does know is his role and I feel that at times last season Godfrey was still learning to be a centre back in the harshest of environments with few experienced heads around him to guide him. Mumba and Quintilla offer more depth in wide areas. Obviously McCullum is on loan too. Gibson and Quintilla would both sign upon promotion so we don't have to worry about their loans in that regard.

I think we have more depth, though at the moment even that seems to be being tested. It has to be said that Rupp probably gives us that same high energy work rate as Tettey. Though what he lacks, perhaps in defensive comparison to Tettey, he makes up for going forward. Skipp is also very good, especially for a youngster, he really is fearless and intelligent. You'd have to say those two are probably better than Trybull/Leitner and even McLean. Problem here is Skipp is on loan.

The younger players are another year more matured, more experienced.

I think on the whole you would have to say yes due to strengthening and balance.

You would still have to point to some areas if promotion is achieved.
- GK: I think McGovern is out of contract in the summer isn't he? Even if not, ideally we would need a better option to push him and offer good back up.
- CB: We have three senior CB's. So we'd either say that it is Sorenson's best position, Rocky or Famewo are ready to play understudy, or that we would need another experienced CB.
- CM: We could have a Skipp shaped hole come next season. Again, much depends upon Sorenson's role really. But also, with Leitner and Trybull gone, Tettey retired, and I think Vrancic out of contract, that would leave us with Sitti, Rupp and McLean as the three options in there.
- Str: Perhaps harsh, but we would have to ask ourselves if we felt that both Idah and Hugill are really premier league worthy options right now? Part of me feels Idah needs to go out on loan and get regular games to prove himself a bit. At the moment he is reminding me of some of the youngsters we have had in the past that have shown real promise but the lack of competitive game time early on in their careers meant they didn't develop and kick on (Ryan Jarvis). Still unsure about Hugill at that level. Pukki will be another year older. 
 

A very good appraisal. What I would add is if Norwich got promoted I would have thought Spurs would be happy to let us have Skipp for another season. First team football at a higher level, that’s got to be tempting for Jose.

[chicken 2,625]

35 minutes ago, Jersey Canary said:

A very good appraisal. What I would add is if Norwich got promoted I would have thought Spurs would be happy to let us have Skipp for another season. First team football at a higher level, that’s got to be tempting for Jose.

Yup, unless they have seen enough to feel he is ready to be drafted into their first team squad. 

[seanthecanary 168]

It's really hard to tell.  Last time in the Champs we were something of a surprise.  We had come off the back of a very average first season with Farke and after the first few games looked more likely to be in a relegation fight than a promotion charge.  I think that allowed us to be more dangerous going forward because teams were more prepared to have a go at us.  I think back to that 4-3 home win over Millwall especially, I don't think they would come here this season and play the same way with as much attacking intent.  While I don't think teams are afraid of us as such, the majority are going to be more weary about allowing us any time and space.  We are no longer a surprise to anyone, we are a known quantity and the way teams set up against us is very different.  The only way you are going to know if we have improved is if this team get promoted to the PL and do a better job once there.

We do look much more solid defensively though and I think that's down to the midfield providing much more protection.

Edited November 27, 2020 by seanthecanary