Cohesion and the exclusion of Leitner and Drmic

[Petriix 2,834]

All the talk about what we do after our inevitable promotion (ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but you can get some seriously good odds if you want to bet against it) has got me thinking. The togetherness of the current squad - the absolute trust and respect they have for each other - is the result of some incredibly skillful management.

When did you last see two of our players having a disagreement on the pitch? When do you recall one of the players not working their hardest for the team? When did we last look less than the sum of our parts?

I'm not party to the ins and outs of what went on between Farke and these players, but I can safely say that cutting them completely from the first team squad is absolutely part of the overall success this season. By creating a cohesive unit of players all on the same wavelength, who all know their precise role and exactly how it interacts with the rest of the team, Farke and his staff have pulled off a masterstroke.

We can all fantasise about which players we'd like to sign or who we'd drop for who. But the job of building a team, getting them to gel and put in the workrate week after week is an incredible feat.

At the start of the season I was struggling to imagine a midfield without Leitner being anywhere near as effective as our previous promotion campaign. I had no idea.

[FenwayFrank 2,450]

The pair of them are in for a nice pay rise if we go up, could make them harder to shift

[BroadstairsR 2,136]

Farke seems to have a strict code concerning what he looks for in a player's attitude and he adheres to it without fail.

He is so rigid about this that he has often seems to put it above on-field requirements. Drmic is the obvious example, but Amardou and Farhmann both came and went in rapid succesion whilst not really failing in footballing terms. Amardou was mostly used as a make-shift central defender and wasn't bad despite being bought as a defensive midfielder. He seemed a useful addition and I was surprised when he went.

Quite a list of players have come and gone in quick succession.  Oliveira was probably the first to fall short of the manager's requirements.whilst Franke was the first of the many in/outs to have been shown the door one way or another since Farke's appointment. 

You often get the impression that when a player fails at City these days it's not always just about footballing ability.

Perhaps DF was a psychiatrist in a previous incarnation. Perhaps he has a secret degree in psychology.

He seems very particular and very rigid, but it works.

Edited March 4, 2021 by BroadstairsR

[Petriix 2,834]

I suppose you can call it a kind of rigidity. I initially thought it was a kind of stubborn inflexibility, possibly ego driven. But I was very wrong. It's more an absolute clarity about what's required and a ruthlessness when the highest standards aren't met.

It's not that players are always permanently excluded. Both Buendia and Cantwell were temporarily removed from the team but found their way back in. Both returned as better players with renewed focus and have been central to our success this season.

[hogesar 9,611]

I do remember the criticism Farke got for how he dealt with Emi and Todd at the time.

The treatment of Leitner and Drmic and how Farke should be using them came up at the start of the season too.

Not a massive shock hes been proven right on both...again.

[Six Pack 91]

Cohesion ???!!! exclusion ???!!

Why not use terminology posters on this forum can relate to ?

Farke has changed the team into a bunch of happy clappers ! - Leitner and Drmic are scapegoats !

 

 

[BroadstairsR 2,136]

3 minutes ago, Six Pack said:

Cohesion ???!!! exclusion ???!!

Why not use terminology posters on this forum can relate to ?

Farke has changed the team into a bunch of happy clappers ! - Leitner and Drmic are scapegoats !

 

 

'Happy clappers' who are pissing the Chumps.

 

Put me down as a happy clapper then.

[Petriix 2,834]

20 minutes ago, Six Pack said:

Cohesion ???!!! exclusion ???!!

Why not use terminology posters on this forum can relate to ?

Farke has changed the team into a bunch of happy clappers ! - Leitner and Drmic are scapegoats !

 

 

To be fair, I put the big words in the title in the hope that it would scare off anyone who didn't understand them. There's plenty of other threads to get your fill of cliché and hyperbole.

[kirku 1,332]

2 hours ago, Petriix said:

 

When did you last see two of our players having a disagreement on the pitch?

I agree with the OP, and it's a good post, but the answer to this question is yesterday.

[hogesar 9,611]

2 hours ago, Six Pack said:

Cohesion ???!!! exclusion ???!!

Why not use terminology posters on this forum can relate to ?

Farke has changed the team into a bunch of happy clappers ! - Leitner and Drmic are scapegoats !

 

 

Whaaaaat

Edited March 5, 2021 by hogesar

[Petriix 2,834]

2 hours ago, kirku said:

I agree with the OP, and it's a good post, but the answer to this question is yesterday.

Ok, I didn't see that.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

5 hours ago, Petriix said:

All the talk about what we do after our inevitable promotion (ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but you can get some seriously good odds if you want to bet against it) has got me thinking. The togetherness of the current squad - the absolute trust and respect they have for each other - is the result of some incredibly skillful management.

When did you last see two of our players having a disagreement on the pitch? When do you recall one of the players not working their hardest for the team? When did we last look less than the sum of our parts?

I'm not party to the ins and outs of what went on between Farke and these players, but I can safely say that cutting them completely from the first team squad is absolutely part of the overall success this season. By creating a cohesive unit of players all on the same wavelength, who all know their precise role and exactly how it interacts with the rest of the team, Farke and his staff have pulled off a masterstroke.

We can all fantasise about which players we'd like to sign or who we'd drop for who. But the job of building a team, getting them to gel and put in the workrate week after week is an incredible feat.

At the start of the season I was struggling to imagine a midfield without Leitner being anywhere near as effective as our previous promotion campaign. I had no idea.

When things are going well, as they are now with us top of the league, you get good team spirit and positive relationships. 

When you are rock bottom there is obvious tension and stress, and you get arguments and blame. 

To single out and attribute this to Leitner and Drmic is possibly a bit silly. Why have you left Trybull out for a start? He was number 3.

And the last time I saw a disagreement on the pitch was at the end of the last game, against Brentford, when Buendia and Aarons were having a right go at each other about something. 

Lewis was hardly engaged in his last six months, always had the right hump (clearly rejected a January bid), and Cantwell threw his toys out of the pram after we rejected his summer move, and Buendia started this season looking like he wasn't very happy to be here either. So its not just those two.

The group is about to probably win a trophy, get a pay rise and have a crack at the Premier League... Of course things are going to be pleasant. 

Wouldn't be surprised if we wanted to force Drmic out because of his wages rather than attitude, he's been a bit of whinge merchant since but could be justified? 

Leitner probably is petulant and disruptive when not getting his own way (so regular football), but I can't see that being the case with Trybull and so I'm not going to just assume that it's the case with Drmic just to fit a narrative! 

I should imagine that Leitner will be getting a lump sum to clear off in the summer. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by TeemuVanBasten

[Petriix 2,834]

8 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

When things are going well, as they are now with us top of the league, you get good team spirit and positive relationships. 

When you are rock bottom there is obvious tension and stress, and you get arguments and blame. 

To single out and attribute this to Leitner and Drmic is possibly a bit silly. Why have you left Trybull out for a start? He was number 3.

And the last time I saw a disagreement on the pitch was at the end of the last game, against Brentford, when Buendia and Aarons were having a right go at each other about something. 

Lewis was hardly engaged in his last six months, always had the right hump (clearly rejected a January bid), and Cantwell threw his toys out of the pram after we rejected his summer move, and Buendia started this season looking like he wasn't very happy to be here either. So its not just those two.

The group is about to probably win a trophy, get a pay rise and have a crack at the Premier League... Of course things are going to be pleasant. 

Wouldn't be surprised if we wanted to force Drmic out because of his wages rather than attitude, he's been a bit of whinge merchant since but could be justified? 

Leitner probably is petulant and disruptive when not getting his own way (so regular football), but I can't see that being the case with Trybull and so I'm not going to just assume that it's the case with Drmic just to fit a narrative! 

I should imagine that Leitner will be getting a lump sum to clear off in the summer. 

So, are we just lucky to be top?

How did we turn things around from the disastrous end to last season?

Surely Farke has weeded out the players who weren't showing the right attitude?

Cantwell and Buendia were left out until they pulled their socks up. Look at the outcome: they've been crucial to our success.

I haven't mentioned any players that have left or been loaned out, but it's all part of the same pattern. It's proven to be excellent management.

[TheGunnShow 5,909]

I think I can sum this up in one word. The word is "integrity". Farke remains true to himself and his principles at all times.

[hogesar 9,611]

3 hours ago, Petriix said:

So, are we just lucky to be top?

How did we turn things around from the disastrous end to last season?

Surely Farke has weeded out the players who weren't showing the right attitude?

Cantwell and Buendia were left out until they pulled their socks up. Look at the outcome: they've been crucial to our success.

I haven't mentioned any players that have left or been loaned out, but it's all part of the same pattern. It's proven to be excellent management.

Exactly. To turn around the mindset etc from where we were at the end of last season has been exceptional and you only have to look at the amount of teams that come down and don't come straight back up to see just what an achievement that is

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

9 hours ago, Petriix said:

So, are we just lucky to be top?

How did we turn things around from the disastrous end to last season?

Surely Farke has weeded out the players who weren't showing the right attitude?

Cantwell and Buendia were left out until they pulled their socks up. Look at the outcome: they've been crucial to our success.

I haven't mentioned any players that have left or been loaned out, but it's all part of the same pattern. It's proven to be excellent management.

I'm not denying that he has excellent man management skills. 

I'm just questioning your assumption that the 'bomb squad' is a group of players who were determined to be disruptive or have a bad attitude. 

You probably note yourself that you left Trybull out, not sure whether that is subconscious or a conscious decision? 

Drmic just seems to be a bit of a whipping boy on here, but there hasn't been any suggestion at all from Farke or Webber that he has a bad attitude? 

Trybull clearly just found himself down the pecking order. 

It probably is the case with Leitner, but why the assumption that Drmic was in that group for attitude (like Leitner probably is) rather than just being stuck right down the pecking order (like Trybull?).

Nothing the club has said or done has suggested that Drmic is disruptive or has an attitude problem and yet this seems to be consistently propagated as the gospel truth. Personally I just think we realised he wasn't very good, bought Hugill to replace him, and then decided we didn't need four strikers in the squad. Just as we did with Trybull when he he became fourth choice behind Tettey, Sorenson, and Skipp.

Edited March 5, 2021 by TeemuVanBasten

[Petriix 2,834]

35 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

I'm not denying that he has excellent man management skills. 

I'm just questioning your assumption that the 'bomb squad' is a group of players who were determined to be disruptive or have a bad attitude. 

You probably note yourself that you left Trybull out, not sure whether that is subconscious or a conscious decision? 

Drmic just seems to be a bit of a whipping boy on here, but there hasn't been any suggestion at all from Farke or Webber that he has a bad attitude? 

Trybull clearly just found himself down the pecking order. 

It probably is the case with Leitner, but why the assumption that Drmic was in that group for attitude (like Leitner probably is) rather than just being stuck right down the pecking order (like Trybull?).

Nothing the club has said or done has suggested that Drmic is disruptive or has an attitude problem and yet this seems to be consistently propagated as the gospel truth. Personally I just think we realised he wasn't very good, bought Hugill to replace him, and then decided we didn't need four strikers in the squad. Just as we did with Trybull when he he became fourth choice behind Tettey, Sorenson, and Skipp.

It's more about the togetherness of the current team than the unknown disruption (or not) from the players that have been cast aside. I haven't made any assumptions, just noted that Farke has been very particular about keeping two players away from the team and that the remaining group are all working as a well-oiled machine together. Seems like excellent management to me.

Trybull is out on loan, like a number of other players I also haven't mentioned. Maybe he would be in a similar position if he was still here.

[Ian 1,129]

21 hours ago, Six Pack said:

Cohesion ???!!! exclusion ???!!

Why not use terminology posters on this forum can relate to ?

Farke has changed the team into a bunch of happy clappers ! - Leitner and Drmic are scapegoats !

 

 

🤣

[Pukki Blinders 96]

19 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

When things are going well, as they are now with us top of the league, you get good team spirit and positive relationships. 

When you are rock bottom there is obvious tension and stress, and you get arguments and blame. 

To single out and attribute this to Leitner and Drmic is possibly a bit silly. Why have you left Trybull out for a start? He was number 3.

And the last time I saw a disagreement on the pitch was at the end of the last game, against Brentford, when Buendia and Aarons were having a right go at each other about something. 

Lewis was hardly engaged in his last six months, always had the right hump (clearly rejected a January bid), and Cantwell threw his toys out of the pram after we rejected his summer move, and Buendia started this season looking like he wasn't very happy to be here either. So its not just those two.

The group is about to probably win a trophy, get a pay rise and have a crack at the Premier League... Of course things are going to be pleasant. 

Wouldn't be surprised if we wanted to force Drmic out because of his wages rather than attitude, he's been a bit of whinge merchant since but could be justified? 

Leitner probably is petulant and disruptive when not getting his own way (so regular football), but I can't see that being the case with Trybull and so I'm not going to just assume that it's the case with Drmic just to fit a narrative! 

I should imagine that Leitner will be getting a lump sum to clear off in the summer. 

It works both ways though. Yes, the group are happy because they're top of the league and about to get promoted, but the reason they're top of the league and about to get promoted is because they're a happy, well put-together group of players who get on with each other well, have a good understanding of each other and there aren't any bad apples. That squad harmony is a big part, if not the main reason why we are where we are.

The fact is as well, if the squad felt that some of their team-mates were being unfairly excluded, there wouldn't be anything like the level of harmony in the team as what we're seeing. Obviously we don't know all the details, but clearly the players understand why Leitner, Drmic, Trybull were frozen out. 

Ultimately every decision Farke has made has turned out to be justified. He felt Cantwell and Emi weren't working hard enough in training, so he dropped them, called them out in the press, and since then they've been brilliant, performing as well as they ever have for this club and their attitude has been spot-on. Leitner, Drmic and Trybull have been left out, and we're top of the league without them. Jamal Lewis I don't know if there was any issues, but regardless we sold him for £15m and have replaced him with Giannoulis for less than half that fee, and like the others we're doing just fine without him. Before them there was Oliveira, who we replaced with Pukki. Don't think I need to elaborate on that one.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

3 hours ago, Petriix said:

Trybull is out on loan, like a number of other players I also haven't mentioned. Maybe he would be in a similar position if he was still here.

Josip Drmic is also out on loan. 

[Petriix 2,834]

3 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Josip Drmic is also out on loan. 

I didn't realise he'd actually gone, my mistake.