CB, DM and Semenyo
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Wirtz can play on the left in a 4-3-3, but thats irrelevant really as Slot's preferred formation is 4-2-3-1. But Wirtz can play in any formation. Left or central.
Wirtz was brought to play 10. He has been playing on the left because he was ineffective in the number 10 role. Wirtz lacks the pace to play the left channel at a high level in the PL. He also lacks the in-your-face, intense, lightning-dribbling ability on the ball that Diaz and Suarez have.
Yes, his dribbling compilations in the Bundesliga are impressive. But that is where defenders respectfully stay 3 feet away from you and don't chase you back once you go past them. If we wanted someone to play on the left, we shouldn't have spent 125 million on Wirtz. We should have looked at someone with a Barcola profile - intense dribblers with pace that frightens defenders. Or better still, saved the transfer fee and handed Diaz a new contract.
The point is that we did not seem to have a clear identity or a plan when we splurged out all that money. Diaz may have played as a number 9, but he will be far more effective on the left channel compared to Wirtz.
Wirtz was bought to play as a 10 and he will play as a 10 in the future. I'm just saying he can play anywhere, if needed. I also think that even though his starting position has been out left at times its obvious that he's more involved centrally in games.
Our future left winger will be another profile obviously. Thats not the topic of discussion here.
I wouldn't talk down Wirtz ability to dribble. Its one of his best qualities, and we saw against Brighton that he was starting to transition that gliding movement to the PL as he adopts.
Thats moot though. Wirtz wont play on the left and giving Diaz a new expensive contract with his age was a big N O.
I would not spend any more money unless we figure out what we want to do. We could have Dantes invent a youth serum and inject Baresi, and he would look like a confused mess in our current lineup. Isn't one of Slot's strengths the development of youth? Tell him to use our academy to figure out solutions.
I agree with the theme of peekays post, but I don't think any of that prevents us from signing a CB that we desperately need, or a pacey, direct, goal-scoring winger. No matter what style or system we play, those are key gaps in position and profile within the squad that would lead to quick improvements, IMHO.
One of the most remarkable things Jurgen Klopp taught me was that spending money is not always the solution. I remember the League Cup final, when we beat Chelsea with a VVD goal in extra time. He bought on young Quansah, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, and Jayden Danns in place of experienced pros like McCallister and Gakpo. I thought we were shutting up shop. In a few minutes, I realized we were not shutting up shop or waving the white flag. The mad bastard was going for the win with a brilliant combination of tapping into their youthful enthusiasm, legs, and sheer clarity of vision on how we wanted to play.
We just spent a significant amount of money. Trust me, we get Guehi and Semenyo on January 1. Unless things change in the background, we will need XXX and YYY by February 15. We are going into "need this player to complete the final piece of the jigsaw" mode that has plagued us for years, until Klopp came.
I still disagree with Hansern's points, but I will give it a rest. I have remained not convinced by what I see in front of my eyes since the middle of Spring, and I have not posted consistently, as I did not want my pessimism to affect the discussions. I will also read the mood of the posts and avoid posting in positive threads. I have done that for the past few months, but somehow lost it in this thread.