Manchester City with Jonny Pringle | Correspondent Week ep. 11 | Planet FPL 2026/27

Ehee, anamautan! Aaaaah! Halo, hetä se yksi voit tollaista määrän osta penkistä. Mä tiesin, että sä tuut. Miks meidän kelläinä, että tämä kuntosalilta? Näko ajattelin, että tästä näes on uudet kuntonukamat? Tänä kaikki kamalt säid varmataastosi halva. No, itse asiassa! Itse asiassa! Viltä emosta löytyy eduliset välinet, hoommaakuin, hoommaan. Olikysymä sitten omasta tai kaverin projekista. Hee, heee! Heee, heee! Ihanaa! Elämä tuntuu taas vähän kevyemmätä kun laitoin tarpeetonta kiertoon. Joten sen huolettomasti Toridiililla. Ostoja myynti Toridiililla on helppoa, nopeaa ja ennen kaikkea turvallista. Tavarat eivät ole rahaa, mutta niistä voi tulla rahaa Toridiililla. Mutta he on tullut his tästä kertaa, mutta ei ole seuraavaa, että joten ei ole saa joten kertaa. Hello everybody, myhän jäämään, jäämään on pelkäri. Ja kun tullut his tästä kertaa, kun tullut his tästä kertaa. Ja on tullut his tästä kertaa, mutta onko se, että jäämään pitäisi olla, että jäämään pitäisi olla. Ja se on tullut his tästä kertaa. Se on tullut his tästä kertaa, ei ole kertaa. Se on tullut his tästä kertaa, mutta niitä on tullut his tästä kertaa. he may take it his own way, but we've seen him at Chelsea as well and lester, so we've got an idea. Tactically, can we expect anything different stylistically, it might look quite similar. Are you expecting anything tactically different from some of the things we saw from Pep? I think certainly different. I think the foundations of sort of like Pep's philosophy, that positional play, I think Merescar will keep. It seems like Merescar is a little bit more rigid in the formations that he plays, like he seems to want this sort of free-to build-up. We just talked pre-recording about different variations of that. Pep did seem to sort of land on different tactical variations from periods to periods, season to season, he managed to rebuild different teams, so I think initially it's difficult to say. I remember going back to the start of Pep's era where we were all talking, I was speculating about what he was going to do, the player's traditional 4-3-3, one inverted fullback, but obviously over the years it turned out that he does so much, but yeah it looks like Merescar's going to play a very similar style and similar formation, but if he is here for years to come, you don't know what he'll do. What I'd said to you off camera, which I'll repeat is I think, and I spoke about it around about sort of February time, and I said what you're seeing from city now isn't necessarily what you'll see in the running, and then during the running it evolved more to have docu and cementio kind of back out in wider areas. So I feel like we've Pep used to get almost like 10-12 game blocks or something quite similar, with little tweaks from games to game, but it evolved. Teams know how to play against this little operation. Now we're going to go in the direction and do this. We're going to change one aspect of this makes slightly different. Merescar I feel might change more games to game, so there's been a lot of talk in preseason in terms of what's happening, particularly with say the left back moving into an inverted or moving into kind of a left turn half-slave position. My view more on Merescar is though that we might get Game Week 1, he moves left back into midfield, and Game Week 2 he might move right back into midfield, which makes picking the FPO assets a bit of a nightmare potentially. Yeah, so proceed the rest of the podcast. Basically Johnny's going to tell you what you're always telling me, I don't know, yeah, basically. I didn't track Merescar sort of like games again much at Chelsea, but from what I've heard is that he's just as prone to rotation as Pep if not more because of like you said, he likes to do this. So yeah, should be fun if he does. Yeah, it's going to be a challenge for us to read. We've gone from one ball draw to another one potentially. I think Merescar will be difficult to read as well. I can say that you can't Johnny. Fictures at start. Your top of my ticker actually over the first five despite the trip to United in Game Week 4, but you've definitely had easier opening fives than this historically. There's been some occasions I think we've gone into the season. It's been like we have to start with three managed to see it. He plays. Doesn't quite feel like at this time, I don't think. What'd you mean despite me United fixture? That's some pick of lunch, isn't it? Might remind you about after Game Week 4, mate. Have nothing spanked us off yet. Yeah, that obviously has to stand out tough one. Yeah, it's a good run to start. Yeah, the Palace away one Game Week 2 looks a little bit iffy, but yeah, you can't deny the three out of five home fixtures are good. Yeah, and unknowns on Bournemouth and Palace obviously changing managed to be very difficult fixtures last year. They may still be, but there's an unknown. They may be easier this year. I'm going to talk to you. You'd already mentioned Roderoy. Yeah. Are we at the moment of the understanding that is it every chance here that he's going to go? Yeah, I think it's now more likely that it'll go in the state, which it's sort of slowly meandered towards across the summer. I've been always adamant that we have to keep Roderoy. I think our chances of winning the league massively diminish with him going. You can't understate how good he is, and I think he reminded everyone of that at the World Cup, and I think he's probably the reason why Majryden Basel and I came back to the table. I suspect that they'd probably made the minds up, but he's 30. He's had a big injury. He's probably not worth going, going in for, but I think these performances at the World Cup have obviously brought them back. His performance at the World Cup are exactly why I think we should keep him. In a season where we've lost Gwadiola, lost the captain, Bernardo, lost other players like stones. I think you need as much consistency from the previous teams as possible, and Roderoy not only as the best midfielder in the world, he's also such a big leader. I think I'd be not holding him hostage, but I'd be saying, "Listen mate, we get it. You want to go back to Spain, but you need to do it on our terms. See out the rest of your contract, and then you can go. I'd be rejected anything south of 80 mil." Wow, he could have lost you a contract, isn't he? I think he's just that important. It was this year to win it back. But yeah, sadly, I do think City can sometimes play charity FC a little bit, especially with Baselona, and I can see them I can see them settling for something about like six years. Are you one of their levers, are you? They call on you when they want to. Well, the selling Ferrant Torres to PSG, so quite how Ferrant Torres has ended up being the demise of Roderoy at City, I don't know, but. Something interesting with Ferrant Torres, we carried some one of our money and football podcasts a couple of weeks ago that apparently there was a clause in the deal that if a Baselona offered Ferrant Torres a new contract, they had to give you circa another 10 million or so. So that's why they're trying to move him on? Yeah, so if a selling him and then just buying Roderoy off us, this is what I mean because the city's owners are not City's owners, the people who run City, but others got such good relationships with Baselona. Like I say, sometimes they do think they are a little bit too friendly to Baselona, but I would like. Okay. Big signing is Elliot Anderson. Yeah. Brilliant for Defconz, etc. And FPO last year, gone up to 6.5. I guess first and foremost, would he just be the Roderoy replacement? Or. Or. But Wadi's been linked, for example, you expecting that sort of deal to progress forward if Roderoy went. Yeah, I think the reports have been that like even on top of Anderson and Baudi, that we'd want to sign more midfielders, we've been sampling linkeders with Enzo Fernandez, again this morning, who Merezka seems obsessed with, who we might push hard for if Roderoy leaves. And that's the first question. I envisioned Anderson playing alongside Roderoy. I was actually quite excited to see that, but yeah, if Roderoy leaves, I think Anderson is going to have to be the main man in midfield. And I think the plan would have been play with Roderoy for a year, and then you can play for 6 by yourself, but yeah, he's going to have to step up if Roderoy goes. That's different maybe if Baudi joins though, because he's more that, isn't he? It's more closer to Roderoy's profile, I would say. Yeah, but he's still 18, I don't think he can expect him to replace Roderoy. I think Anderson's the closer fit, isn't he? Okay. That is question Martin, him as a FPLW, how do you feel about him? Some people are absolutely desperate to get there. Yeah, I don't mind it. Obviously, I think FPL have priced him really well. There's this question Martin about his death cons, whether they'll go down at City. I think the majority of his death cons, or the thing that made him stood out was his recoveries. The fact that he just crunches into tackles all the time. I can see him still doing that. It's difficult to predict. I think the question people are asking is how many set pieces will he be on? How much will he get forward? I think with this system we talked about with that almost like Box Midfield that gets formed with a full back and the sentiment field behind almost two more advanced midfielders. I think he'd probably more likely to be one of the deeper two. I'd be surprised if he was one of the more advanced, I suspect that be taken up by players like Foden or Cherokee. I think he's probably capable, but I think he would probably be more likely to play the deeper of the two. I think he'll have a decent share of set pieces as well. He's a good ball striker. He can take corners as well as we've seen for Forest and I'm trying to think about who the previous set piece take is, were it was Cherokee, Foden. I can say it's probably impact by Yosu on the pitch quite a bit, they're able to fault. Yes, so depending on who's playing I can see him taking a decent amount of corners and free kicks as well. So he mentions, I have a name that we've mentioned, but I didn't mention that. So for now, that's kind of like a central midfield area. Are you expecting anywhere else in the squad to be beefed up at all? Because I'm trying to take Savinio off your journey and I have been for like a year and we keep getting and sell to white. So. can you probably just buy a winger because I'm desperate for someone. I would drive him down right now and drop him out. Yeah, but what we waiting for. I think because, well, when you ask about positions we want to be for, I think Winger is one definitely. I think Savino sounds like he wants to go to Tottenham. It sounds like a deal that we're happy to do. I was astonished we didn't sell him last year. It sounds like Marmouche might be off as well, which again weakens the forward line. I think he's driving with Savino by chance. Johnny, I take both. Yeah, I think some men can cover that striker role. I think it again, it increases the argument for a winger. At the moment, my feeling is that probably nothing will happen. I imagine we probably would let Marmouche go, but I think we would keep Savino without signing a replacement. We've been linked to Pedro Netto, who I think is a little bit underwhelming. You would rather sign like a real big name, Winger, if you're going to sell Savino. I think the other area that we might be for is still sentiment field. I think it's like looking likely Rinders might leave. I think he flopped massively after that infamous Game Week 1 performance of Walls last year. I think we might be looking at. I say, "Cut our losses." It looks like we might be making a profit on him. Forest has been mentioned. Forest has been mentioned, yeah, which you're surprised about. I keep hearing reports that we want to beef up on midfield if Roderie and Rinders leave, but then we've still got players like Nico Gonzalez, Covertich, you're right, we're signing Anderson and Bawardi. What the reasoning is behind that beefing up, I don't know, but there were reports where we seem to have given up on the chase for a right back and settled for Nunes and then a combination of well, centre backs that can play at right back like Cushionov and Vito Rice and Rico Lewis, I don't think I can't hear any links. So, yeah, that's a bit of a rundown, but whatever. That was a long winded way for me to find out. I might not be getting Savino in any case, but yeah, if you could drive him down Johnny, I'll pay the petrol money because if you've got any kids I can take or something, I'm just getting a bit desperate here. I don't suppose you'll let me have your number nine, let's talk Harland. I'm not going to ask you if you're going to start with me in FPL because I'm fairly certain that I know the answer is yes because you don't like personal pain and I get that. But would you think of the price at 15.5 first and foremost? Yeah, it's good. It's obviously asking questions. People go round in circles with the drafts, don't they? And people land on no Harland drafts and see how nice it is and I think it does pose that question. I think a lot will come down to his fitness. I think some of notice that he's not back in training yet until Wednesday asking what role he'll play in the community shield and then what role he'll play against Bournemouth the next week. I would be very surprised if he doesn't start against Bournemouth. I think he is just a bit of a fitness freak machine, isn't he? It wouldn't surprise me if he'd started against Barcelona, to be honest. Yeah, I agree with that, she as well. I think we look at him as a world class player and most of them tend not to, if they get ease back in, it's probably a take-off 60-year community shielded. It feels like it's probably more that sort of thing. What would have to happen Sunday if you'd be concerned about it? Probably a start on the bench with maybe like less than half an hour coming on and maybe some comments from Maresque are saying, oh, he needs a bit longer. Because you know what the narrative fallout will be if you're only plays 15 minutes on Sunday. It's going to leave people in an indecisive spot. So you think it would probably need that plus Maresque to say, he's still, we're still building him up. Something that would create a alarm. Because obviously most of you are taking me game with one, we'll also want to captain him. So that changes the narrative, right? Yeah, I mean, I'd had a look at some no-haw and drafts myself and I don't mind it. I can see the logic behind it, particularly when paired with a game week free hit. So I can see some people going, you know what, I quite fancy this anyway. The answer is, he's not for me, but yeah, I think for me to be, if you were to decide not to go down that route, I think, yeah, it'd take that to convince me not to start with him. 73.9% at the time recording. He's absolutely monstrous. I am visitious and I know some have planned to take him on and maybe free hitting him in game week free, wild card, like quite quickly afterwards and it's fine as a strategy, but for those who have not planned that way and are taking him on, the drama going into free, if he looks great in one and two, the panic it's going to cause. Yeah. I don't want to have that fight, but I admire those who want to take that strategy. You're free hit free and make that play. You won't be an FPL, but then the same thing as everyone else. Feel for them. Has been very heavily involved in preseason for you. Get the full phone with a cut years ago at 7 million. It'd be in all of our teams. I'm not convinced personally we're going to get it and I want to flag. We was talking about it before we started. This free pillars comment that people have been using that. Mareska said the free pillars are going to be Harland, Foden and Vardial, but we don't think Mareska said it. Is that right? Yeah. I think what I've seen is just that Sam Lee reported it, that that's an opinion, Mareska holds. That's not to discredit anything. Sam is saying. No, it could be correct. People are interpreting it as a direct quote from Mareska when it hasn't been. So people are potentially overreging it a little bit. How'd you feel, Bime? Foden, man? Optimistic and hopeful for him. He signed his new contract, but also a little bit, a little bit skeptical. I'm not maybe skeptical, it's not the word, but we're at the same position again as we have been the last couple of summers where he's not had the best season. And he said he's come back fresh, he's mentally right. And then for reasons or another, he just hasn't gone on to have the season, but we expected him to. I think he has a purple patch in every season. And if you time it right, then it feels great. I managed to time it right last season. I didn't. And I think the question that people need to ask themselves, is that going to come at the start of this season? Yeah, he's played a lot in preseason. He's had a good rest. He didn't particularly get the numbers so far, but maybe he would expect from preseason, but again, the numbers obviously people might not wave him into. He's more the positions that he's getting into. And we talked about that box midfield. He's inevitably going to play one of the two further forward. He seemed to be arriving into the box, well, getting shots away. I imagine he'll quite like and Anderson being able to fizz balls into him. I think he'll start the season and I think he has a good option at seven mill. I think he could go one of the two ways. Every starts and really well gets goals and assists and nails down that spot. If he starts badly, obviously, you've got turkey waiting in the wings. It also wouldn't surprise me to see, let's say, turkey come on for 20 minutes, reminders of what he can do. And then all of a sudden, turkey's in the team and fountains on the bench, getting weak free. And it's like our shit, why have I fallen for this again? Paired about with the fact that I think there are a few unknowns about city and wanting to get the right ones. I think having more city, particularly a trip, a treble up is risky. You don't want to get stuck with the wrong city, especially with some other names that we might talk about. Yeah, I think there's an element with Foden exactly what you said on turkey that we don't know. And it bobbers me. It probably right as it stands. I mean, I think they could play together. Yeah. By the way, for clarity, that means the fallback just tucking in and not going kind of heavy high like a Nekoro Riley. And they just played with a single Anderson and you play turkey and Foden. That is definitely a formation or a setup that Mareska could use. And if Reinders is going to go, we do start looking at it. Well, one of them's always going to play. It's beginning to to fill that way. You would think there aren't huge volume of choices in the wide areas. I do think Foden was used that way, maybe in one game because you were a bit short as well. But we think he'll be you essentially. That's where you want him closer to goal. I just think it's an easy pick up. If it's looking great, that's kind of my view at the moment rather than, ah, shit, I've got him and I'm indecisive about it. That's more my take at the moment. Do you think you start with him? Yeah. Like for example, start with him. And then Foden scores against Bormas. Gose against Palace is like, I'm just getting the commentary. Yeah. You definitely could look at I think people looking at Rogers, but yeah, it might be that. Ah, yeah, it's Foden. Let's let's go in game week free. That's definitely possible. Are we ruling out turkey as an option at this moment? 7.5? Yeah, I think you just could just come back. So like, I don't think he played all, I don't think he played a load of minutes at the World Cup. He had a bit of falling out with. they shomped, didn't they actually? So I'm slightly surprised he didn't just come back early. Do you know when you see players like all the back from the holidays early? Look how great it is, how well played they are. I, I, he doesn't strike me as that sort of character is like, I can't wait to get back to training. It's not a Christmas just this laid back nature. Yeah, that doesn't surprise me that he's not done that, but I'm not going to criticize him for it. But yeah, he's one of the late ones back from the World Cup. So you have to assume that he is further behind than the phone, for example, and will start on the bench. I got sent Naggingan my mind about him. And it's something I felt actually about Fernandez this time last year. I feel like the towards the end of the season last year, people were talking about Fernandez as a, I should have been in conversation for player of the year, but it was a lot based off what happened in the second half of the season. And that obviously carried for it to Fernandez having a brilliant season, the season just gone. And I feel like you've churky had had the first half of the season that's consistent is the second would have been putting, not necessarily to win it, but putting him more in the conversation. And I'm aware that players like that can go up our next level, I feel the next year. And I've very much got my eye on him. He has got the ability to be a man, one-on-one, look at the goal he scored against Arsenal when you beat them at Yeti had, that brilliant little jink in dribble. And I read some comments from Maresca this morning talking about how he thinks there might be an evolution away from Man to Man marking and the importance of one V one dribblers. At the same price as Ryan Cherokee is Jeremy Docko at 7.5. Now if that statement from Maresca holds true and you don't buy more wingers, Jeremy Docko's got to play a lot, isn't he Johnny? Yeah. Yeah, it only be free wingers and there's two spots. And I think he would be so glad you went Docko here with the first choice there. Any love for Docko? That's an absolute. I think a little bit. Again, I think he's coming back late, isn't he? He's not back in training yet. Yeah, I have a lot of love for Docko. I really like him. I really admire him. I think he came on leaps and bounds last season. We've regards to FPL. He hasn't been any of my drafts yet. Because I think he, yeah, because he's back late. That's over whether he'll start minutes, the classic. But yeah, I can see him picking up a key role. And yeah, being in a lot of people's minds. I think there was a towards the end of last season. There was questions. Wasn't there about which midfield should it be from city? And it turns out, yeah, the answer was probably Docko towards the end. I think with players like Docko and Cherokee, I think they're just out of everyone's minds at the start of the season because of the World Cup, because the back late. But I can see them coming into the picture quite quickly. Like I said, if even if I'm having a good game against Bournemouth and Palace, people will be scrambling to get them in for that Coventry game. As Semenya made any of your drafts? Yeah, he has. He's been in and out. He's difficult to fit in, isn't he, alongside all the other names that are popular. I think Semenya has looked really sharp in pre-season. He's caught a lot of people's eyes. He's talked to good game as well. He's clearly kept himself fit after the World Cup. He's talked well about Moresco asking him to stay wide and basically beat his man. Which is something that Pep has obviously talked about a lot in the past. People get hung up on this idea that Pep asks for wingers to stay, or what's it to be a bit boring and can be a bit more controlled, like Grelish. But he always obviously let Docko and plays like Mores and Sarni's still an off-the-leash when they wanted to. But he really seems to be attacking his full back in a way that I've not seen Semenya do so far for City. A number of assists but no goal. So I imagine being a inevitable question would be, well, how many goals is he going to score this year? Because Pep liked him to play in quite close to Harland. I think the times when he was best was when actually Harland didn't play and he got to play it in front of him and had two with Marmouche. I think it does link to the conversation about Docko. I can see the two wingers attacking their man really well and what you can tell from pre-season is that the other winger is getting into the box for those tap-ins. They probably both got to improve that aspect of their game, actually. Some of them docko's talks about Docko's talks about sterling being an inspiration for that, how he wants to pick up more goals. Which again, if it's something you start to see from Docko, then it really does make him attractive. But one of the reasons why I want to drive something you're down to talk to him is that his final ball is just terrible. I think he does attack his man really well and beats men, but he just can't find a pass or a shot. That's probably why Semenio hasn't got the goals in pre-season, but if it's Docko who provided Semenio, I imagine you might get a few more opportunities. I wouldn't say he's like absolutely nailed on. You have to pick him. For example, if you picked him and he got one assist against Bournemouth at home, would you be underwhelmed? I don't know, but Semenio is going to play a lot of minutes and he's going to get a lot of numbers. I think gone over days of where we had five or six plays it could get 10 goals, 10 assists for City. So we are going to rely heavily on Semenio to get those numbers. So inevitably he will be very, very about. I don't think he is a good option to start. I think for those who are on the free hit crowd for who are trying to avoid the manch D'Abi, you are pulled really to one free City. One benefit with Semenio of course is if you go there and it's the wrong one, he's a drop down. You're starting at the top lane, no shit, he's phoned and instead of Semenio, right great, you've got 1.5 million to play with. What I find interesting with Johnnie, I do have a bit of concern that he might end up him and D'Abi holding wide a lot, does concede. He might be one on a narrative, he would watch it and the eye and go, he's too wide. If I want Semenio, I want shop volume because obviously it's such a good ball striker. It's interesting, when the pricing come out, I thought he would be more. And yet I'm not running to him or particularly massively drawn to him yet he also could make it there for reasons that I've just kind of covered that he starts at the top of the city midfielders and if he's the one and brilliant, if he's not, it's dropped down. I do like the idea of that. Yeah, it's just one of those typical FPL narratives where it could go one or two ways, he could turn out to be a great asset and people without him again a left strumbling or yet you go without him and he does look wide like I say maybe gets an assist but shop volume isn't there and you think in feeling pretty vindicated. It can just go one or two ways. I don't think there is a right or wrong approach to take with him. In able in midfielders, is there anything from that group that we need to cover like Jeremy Manga during the club, he's obviously so young. Any of them likely to get strong minutes towards the start of sort of the 5.5s and below excluding Gonzalez and Covertich. I was going to say Gonzalez and Covertich, you can see maybe playing like a reasonable amount but they're not particularly exciting either. I get the get the midfield list of Calvin Phillips will be your guy when it you got etcher etcher very Maccassar Manga. No, I can't see any of them fine. If Erlin Harlan pulls his hamstring on Sunday afternoon, you start with mummish. I don't know whether it'll be yeah, like we said because as we discussed, I'm pretty sure we're keeping him in that position. I don't know actually, I don't know where we replace the menu up from. Right, really so you wouldn't be an auto. I mean under that circumstance, Marmo should got to start thinking about it and like if Harlan was unavailable and he's not going to apply for him. I mean, if he did play every week, he's seven, so over it. But your son under that circumstance wouldn't be a given. If Erlin was out for three months of a hamstring injury, he probably would say, okay, well, we're not sunny now. And then you would go for it. If Erlin was to pull his hamstring for two weeks, Marmo should probably still go, well, I'd like to still go actually and play a lot more. Okay, defenders, this could be a headache. If we get an eco-rily that we've had at certain periods, we all need it. One, it six point five, Johnny, are you likely to be there? I was with a very first draft, but then I've moved off it since again. I'm going to repeat myself back late from the World Cup. Not sure what his minutes would be like, but wouldn't be surprised because of how fit and young he is. If he did start against Bournemouth. Yeah, and I think the system suits him as well. We've talked about these inverting full bucks. I can see him actually. When we talk about those two banks in a box in his field, I can just see a rally being, you know what, mate, don't even worry about having to hold the midfield, just get into the box. I think that is just that. I think that is to stand out strength is his movement is ability to arrive in the box. How calm he is. I mean, he used to think people forget it. He used to be an attacker in the academy and he's been moved to life. But that's where that attacking. now comes from. We've definitely had periods of thinking of Marasco at Chelsea, where we saw this a lot with Kukarella. Yeah, by passing that, I'm not going to come inside like as in Chancuo, an old school one for yourself, would have just come inside. And obviously we've seen how Raleigh do it for Man City, did it a bit for England, again, some just disappearing into a left end and actually being a box crash on. Yeah. Now that is the knee, Coraleigh, that almost feels as close to essentials, you'll get me say, all season under that sort of circumstance. We have also seen Yosko Vardio do that as well. He can perhaps not a technically quite right if you end up in central midfield areas, but we have seen Vardio go and disappear into those areas and crash the box as well. There were two players who can do that job, who I think a lot of us would really like. Vardio at the end of your last title winning season was the joke plan left back at the end of that season. So are they are in competition with each other? Like, can they play together first and foremost? Is that something we might see? Yeah, definitely. So I think what you talked about at the start with tactical tweaks about the fullbacks, maybe inverting for me, the side. Yeah, you can see a Raleigh playing left back and Vardio playing left centre back. Oh, Raleigh inverting of Envardio becoming the left of that back three in possession. But then also, yeah, they are both capable of playing left back. I could see a Raleigh being able to do that role that you talked about drifting into the box. But Vardio can very much do that as well. He was the one doing that against, let's go and Madrid in our last friendly Vardio started left back. I would expect them to play together, though, more often than not. And I would. I don't know whether one is sort of like more favoured over the other. Because we're going to drift into the centre back conversation about where D as engaged get their game time from. I think this is where it gets really murky. But if it was the nail mucullus to the mass, I would probably be inclined to say, I think Raleigh is more likely to play left back than Vardio. I also think there's little doubt that when Raleigh plays, it will be left back. Might start in central midfield, but that's not a particular problem. My issue with Vardio is if they play together, and he's not like Nico Raleigh is never going to play quite clearly. Vardio is a left side, he's just left side, he's just left side, he's just left side. Obviously, I know he's a big threat from set plays and stuff, but you want the attacking output with these guys. And that's all he would be. He's not going to pick up many defcons playing left side, he's just left side for you mate. He's been. He's been there or thereabouts for defcon. Yeah, he's not quite a defcon monster, but some games he's been massively short, some games he got there. I think he was quite good on the bonus as well, Vardio. Whenever games were tight, he was very, very about sport. Yeah, I wouldn't expect when he plays center back, you're obviously not going to get the same Vardio over a couple of seasons ago, but he is good on set pieces. I don't think he's like even at 5.5 with all the caveats that we've given. I think there is a bit of value there. But we can give it well, we'll get into another center backs now. I think he will start the season, but I am not sure what Maresca's desired center back partnership will be. And I think the further into the fixtures you get, the mercury at the cones, and you might end up with a problem. It's as Ruben Diaz been named Captain. These are the rumours, I don't think he's been made official yet, but I think it sounds like Maresca wants Diaz as Captain, which is different to how we've approached Captain's scene. Other seasons where there was this leadership group and the players elected them. It sounds like Maresca is just going, Diaz, I want you as Captain. So if that's how he feels, he wants him in the team. Yeah, you would think so, but I think Pepp sort of changed or broke that stereo typical captain of has to play every game. Going back to like the 90s and the auties. I don't particularly take notice of who sees Captain is from game to game. It wouldn't surprise me if he even if he did name him Captain, but he didn't play. But I do think Diaz has gone under the radar a little bit. I think Yehi and Kuschenov would have favoured center backs in the running last season. But I think Diaz is very underrated for his leadership and we call them intangibles. I do just think we are better with him in the team than without him. But yeah, where that leaves Diaz and Vardil, I don't know. I suppose the next question is you going to ask me about Diaz as well. Well, I showed up well in terms of like XG for defenders, set plays. Obviously scored a number of goals, but at the palace side should we know he can be a threat. Extremely reliable center back. Again, not going to get defcons for you that you would have got for palace and stuff. He's not a consideration for me at six. I'd rather go one way or the other. I feel like with O'Reilly or Vardil, my massive concern with those two though is just feels like any game it could be Gade Diaz, Vardil, a left back with Nunez or Lewis playing at right back and the right back moves. And now I've got Vardil sitting left side in center back. I rarely not play in. It all feels and I suspect you'll get bits of that we've seen in preseason right back moving or left back moving. I don't think to look at that is like stable to know. We haven't mentioned Ray and Ait Norrie who also come moving to midfield from left back, but probably not so comfortable as a left side in center back. I don't know how we look at that at the moment and say I'm certain on any of them. And I think in any case they're going to get retired. It's going to be the same old problem. Yeah, and I think you've seen it perfectly. You can't be certain on any of them. There's not one of them where I could say they're definitely going to play the first part of games. So it depends on your risk appetite. I think yeah, I think that we're not a hard avoid. I think Vardil is there, but we'll be willing to accept that he's probably going to get might get rotated further into the I can say the fixes you get but the other ones I'd be I'd be questioning. Do you do you think you'll start with any of them? I don't think so. I've had Vardil in most of my drafts, but I've have started to talk myself out of it. Does it draw you to look at Donna Ruma? No. There is a difference with him in Edison, right? Yeah, and he can't kick a ball for shit. But from a fantasy perspective, he saves more. Yeah, he does. Yeah, he gets more saves. Yeah, I don't think it's is that the smart way in? I haven't considered it at all because I've looked above five mil keepers. Although city keepers, it's never really consideration for me until the end of the season when you've got one on a wild card and then they completely shaft you. Yeah, I think I think my consciousness with city defences is I think Vardil or O'Reilly might become a real quick got to get there. Yeah. So I want to I want to make sure that I'm there. Yeah, so like I'm not massively sold on say Van Dyke at the moment, but they've got like a good opening for and then maybe the assessment after the manched to Darvi, Champions League starting to go right now I've got a clearer picture on the Manchester City defender. It feels something like that to me. Yeah. Yeah, and I think this is why there's such talk of an early wild card and I think people why people shouldn't really get hung up on fixed to swings because there might just be situations like this where from city it becomes really clear who the three are from five when the fixtures are better. And you just be like, right, I'm just going to wild card so I can just use information I've got so far and just go with this. Okay, last question. Predate the game with the one line up, please mate. Um, Donna rummer. And I wish you luck. Donna rummer, newness, Diaz Vardil, I'll go eight nori. I think it'll be, we'll do I think it will be eight, no, because now I'm starting to think about the actual who's going to do the inverting. Yeah, I'm thinking newness and it could do it. See, I mean, building that too free and the two full batches both sitting with a single pivot and your second six will eight then moves into a ten position. If you had like Roger Anderson and Anderson would become like one of your tens under that example, he could do it that way. Yeah. Yeah. Let's change on, man, now let's go where Riley. Um, I think it'll be Donna rummer, newness, Diaz Vardil, oh, Riley, I think you'll play Covertage to start. I think he prefers Covertage to Nico. I think I think you're right about that. Um, I think it probably starts Savi and you're right. If he's still there, um, some manual left. that leaves, Foden, and then I think I think Rhine is probably would play if he's still around and then Harland up from or I could see him maybe playing Marmou Shaf Harland. So headlines on that would be Anderson and Docu not start? I'd be I wouldn't be surprised if Anderson started because again a bit of a fitness machine but new system, it's not like a returning Foden for example or someone like that who just knows a system can come and slot straight in. I imagine he would want to be me over the first two games. Should we be considering Serenia then before you drive into Tottenham? If city, I'm happy with who would replace him. Yeah, I think he'll stay and I think you'll get decent minutes but he just fluts to the seat. I really, really hope he would go on to prove he's run because he does look a really good player and I think there is potential there. Hence vice versa, wouldn't to pay you so much. But I just think he doesn't have the numbers in him to be a good player. Captain Harland in one. Not definitely. OK. I think for others is it is a genuine alternative, isn't it? But yeah, I want to see how we look in the community should. We've been good in preseason, we've looked sharp. There's been talks obviously about this emphasis on the wingers and especially in the game. That's how that's going to do. How many cutbacks are on? How many tapins has been? Yeah, it means a bad reason for it but you're allude to it. First home game of the season, I've moved my season ticket. I want to have a good day that day. I don't want to be left kicking myself thinking Harland's called a heart trick and I'm the only mug that's not captain them. I wish you luck mate and for the season ahead. Thank you very much, my friend. Your first COTC is actually for Game Week 2. It's going to be really soon. That is with Rory McLaughlin, dad ahead of your trip to Crystal Palace. Rory is next up on the final episode of day 3 of Correspondent Weeks. It's Crystal Palace next on Correspondent Week. Johnny, good luck for the season. Smash her like everyone, hit the sub button. CUME is it, please? BANCH OUT. Fantastic football show. [BLANK_AUDIO]