The Manchester United Thread

[zzeezzy]

God Young was ****** awful last night. Caught up the pitch, caught to narrow, not knowing where the oppo player was. Had a nightmare. And was even more blatant without Lingard not there to help him out!

Don't even get me started on Young, ****** **** if we are serious about doing anything next season then we seriously need an improvement on FB's. He had a 0% cross completion yesterday and when you just see him on that right side with no one else, realistically you know something is wrong.

Everyone thinks I just want these players gone for no reason whatsoever, but now you see that they are not good enough and won't be long-term especially. Keep Young for 1 more season great that only works if we actually invest and don't see him playing much.

But as we know with our board that they love to keep all these and recycle all these players like Jones/Smalling as well. Just so they don't lose money on them, but realistically unless we sign a CB in summer then we'll be seeing them too much next season once again as well.

I'm just annoyed with this squad more than anything, take the first 11 bar Young away and it's decent, as soon as we miss one or two players from starting 11 we will get exposed.

Next game vs Chelsea and especially Liverpool if we're missing Martial I give us a very small chance of winning those games simply because who is going to replace them and actually have any sort of productive game. Sanchez is more useful playing a piano at the moment than doing anything football related.

I watched some parts of that game again and I have no idea what Sanchez was doing, pointing to Pogba telling him to go on the left side and then the midfield gets bypassed with him losing the ball and bang, one goal down. Solskjaer really needs to sort that out, I'm all for a bit of flexibility but we looked a mess at times yesterday especially in second half. Sanchez can't be dictating telling where other people should be when he isn't even in the position he is meant to be.

 

[Mike.]

So who would you have played last night? Dalot?
We only have 3 full backs since Valencia is finished. You get rid of young we have two.

Reactionary nonsense again.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Marqinhos job was clearly man-marking him from the get-go. You were struggling to play out from the back first-half as you’d no focal point in midfield to hit.

Surprisingly to me sat neutrally watching, as I’m far from a fan of Tuchel (and keep scratching my head as to how he’s landing these gigs?), he tactically boxed the midfield off superbly. Very impressive, disciplined display for a team thats often not a team.

Rh’s point of lacking a controlling playmaker in there was well founded.

 

[Mike.]

I'd agree about a deep playmaker. Centre mid needs more depth. I'd make Mata a central rotation option and look to signed a deep lying playmaker. Oddly, the much maligned Jorginho would fit perfectly.

 

[zzeezzy]

So who would you have played last night? Dalot?
We only have 3 full backs since Valencia is finished. You get rid of young we have two.

Reactionary nonsense again.

Valencia and Young are not much good lets be honest, problem, we have is Dalot still learning but would probably do a better job. Dalot needs a run of games and why not give him it I say, he was great vs Brighton and grew into the game vs Fulham. In the second half of that game he was getting down that side and crossing some really good balls in.

But the real question is what our aspirations are next season because my worry is that the board are just keeping all these players because it's the safe option and they don't really want to invest what's needed if we are to compete at the top next season. It's all well and good keeping these players, but only if they are not going to play much, but we need signings for that to be the case.

 

[Mike.]

Valencia and Young are not much good lets be honest, problem, we have is Dalot still learning but would probably do a better job. Dalot needs a run of games and why not give him it I say, he was great vs Brighton and grew into the game vs Fulham. In the second half of that game he was getting down that side and crossing some really good balls in.

But the real question is what our aspirations are next season because my worry is that the board are just keeping all these players because it's the safe option and they don't really want to invest what's needed if we are to compete at the top next season. It's all well and good keeping these players, but only if they are not going to play much, but we need signings for that to be the case.

Young is perfectly good for the covering the vast majority of the games we play. Which is literally the point of his extension for a year. It's called having depth. And we've only resigned Jones and Young for obvious rotation

Fulham and Brighton are not PSG

The board are nailing down existing rotation option so they know whats needed to improve the first team, and most of that will be from coaching, not just chucking out lots of money

 

[Theatre of Dreams83]

Young is perfectly good for the covering the vast majority of the games we play. Which is literally the point of his extension for a year. It's called having depth. And we've only resigned Jones and Young for obvious rotation

Fulham and Brighton are not PSG

The board are nailing down existing rotation option so they know whats needed to improve the first team, and most of that will be from coaching, not just chucking out lots of money

Exactly. We have already seen what Ole and his staff has done with this lot in a short space of time. With a change of atmosphere and a change up in coaching ideas. With more time he and the squad will only get better. With the right few signings and the development of youth coming through we won’t be far off imo next season. Maybe not ready to win the league but challenge for sure. Think Rabiot would be a good option to look at.

 

[Bujakaa92]

Think Rabiot would be a good option to look at.

This would be so United buy...
If you want change, keep your hands off him. You will overpay his wages, his mother fee and will probably get a prat who will complain when thigns dont go like he/she wants them.

 

[RhQQ]

Yeah we definitely need a CM who can help control matches.

I feel with our current squad, we're only really suited to open, end-to-end games vs. the big sides (e.g. Arsenal FA Cup) because from we're filled with ball carriers, runners & direct passers... which isn't the worst thing, as most big matches generally tend to be end-to-end in England, but when it comes to the elite level and you meet a Tuchel/PSG, they can do a tactical number on you like that with the quality they have. We had little-to-no answer for it - all they had to do was box Pogba off (the only man who consistently picks holes and hits runners) and doubled up on Martial's wing with Alves (for the first half) to stop us. We had nobody to get us playing & get them chasing us around the middle of the park for some sustained periods like a Kroos, a Modric, a Pjanic, a Verratti (who done it brilliantly last night) would, or a peak Scholes/Carrick would've done.

Not too many on the market, but Neves wouldn't be the worst shout in the world as someone suggested here a few weeks back. Robust enough for the championship, showcased the quality in the PL.

Definitely wouldn't want Rabiot. He's just a solid, jack-of-all-trades balancer like Herrera who thinks he's the next second coming of Zidane or something. Wouldn't add much more, if anything at all, in these type of elite matches.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

..... Everyone thinks I just want these players gone for no reason whatsoever .....

I can’t speak for anyone else but the more you post, the more it seems you can’t distinguish between what you can do with little to no consequence on something like ‘Football Manager.’ And how the actual football World works in reality. And all the time and stages that go in to squad building.

Either that or you just have no paitience for the process.

Baffles me even more that you’re a champion of Pochetino, who lives for teaching and improving his players, as any good coach does, yet want to go down the Mourinho cheque book manager route who you now hate with a passion?

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

For what it’s worrh Rh, if we needed another player lile that, I’d be all over Neves for L’pool.

Great shout.

 

[zzeezzy]

I can’t speak for anyone else but the more you post, the more it seems you can’t distinguish between what you can do with little to no consequence on something like ‘Football Manager.’ And how the actual football World works in reality. And all the time and stages that go in to squad building.

Either that or you just have no paitience for the process.

Baffles me even more that you’re a champion of Pochetino, who lives for teaching and improving his players, as any good coach does, yet want to go down the Mourinho cheque book manager route who you now hate with a passion?

Probably more that mate because when you see these same old players going through that process when new managers come and go it gets ****** frustrating because you know that some of them aren't good enough. Klopp has developed but also ousted most of your squad that he inherited under Rodgers bar a few that wasn't good enough. Solskjaer or whoever needs to do the same and I realise it's a process but if we're keeping all these players who are not even good enough to be in first team 11 now then I don't see where the room in the squad will actually be.

I perfectly take Mike's point about depth, but our problem right now is that they are most like first-teamers because we have no other better options. Which will stay the same unless we improve, all this will not be fixed in the summer anyway. Which means that next season we will still see too many games for some of these players and they will get found out in the bigger games when they shouldn't actually be playing.

Pochettino won't be able to develop players like Young, Mata, Sanchez anyway because they are pretty much all at the latter end of their career. We'd be daft to think otherwise, he needs to be able to work with players that still have a higher potential to get better. Same goes for Solskjaer as well really.

 

[zzeezzy]

Lets move on from this anyway, we've retrieved an 11 point gap in the league to now be in the top 4 which is a great part of our season. The real test for Solskjaer and the players is now how we bounce back from this because the fixtures aren't getting any easier.

If you had of said to me 2 months ago that you'd be in top 4 win 10 games out of 11 and then lose to PSG I would of snapped your hands off. Try and have a run in the FA Cup and most importantly finish secure top 4 finish.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Probably more that mate because when you see these same old players going through that process when new managers come and go it gets ****** frustrating because you know that some of them aren't good enough. Klopp has developed but also ousted most of your squad that he inherited under Rodgers bar a few that wasn't good enough. .....

Right now, you’ve got Gomez, Lovren, Henderson, Milner, Firmino all key players/ important squad players he inherited. Along with the likes of Lallana, Moreno, Origi and Sturridge playing a role throughout the season as part the squad.

Throw in Mignolet, Clyne, Ings, aside from any youngsters playing under Rodgers, and that’s a fair chunk of players still here 3 and a bit years in. The majority of who many L’pool fans would have had straight out of the door. With most all of them significantly better footballers than when he arrived through hard work the training pitch teaching them to be better players.

****, he never signed one player his first season and took another mans squad to two major finals. With players like Joe Allen and Christian Benteke key players along with Clyne, Moreno and Lallana!

Klopp’s the very last guy you want to use as an example. He’s the complete polar opposite to yourself as a fan and believes in loyalty and working and improving on what you have as much as anything.

Unless you’re City or PSG, who are few and far between financially, you work with what you have and try improve them until you can upgrade to significantly better who fit. Discarding them all in one go can do untold damage to the changing room. Before you even start on replacing them.

It is frustrating. But thats the situation Utd are in and those vets are needed not only for depth but to underpin the process of evolution and change.

 

[Mike.]

100% would take Neves.

 

[brunoh]

Dont know what people are talking about we have 2 good CBS who can play out from the back. Especially Lindelof. What we need is a top class experienced Cb a leader! The midfield wasn’t the problem last night. The problem was 2 of our quickest pressers went off giving PSG FBs more space to get forward and join in with the attacks. That never happened in the first half and there CBS or GK weren’t aloud to play out from the back.

Ww need to start playing Dalot more and gettting him ready for next season then ship Young off to backup where he is good for. Really don’t think CM is a priority. But we need to start planning for Matic replacement. Definitely need another pacey attacker and Pulisic in no way was the answer. We all know a DOF is needed.

Lindelof is fine, but he just won 3 out of 9 duels yesterday. Not a good match from our back four, that could not handle with Di Maria and Mbappe in the second half. Bailly is good most of the time, but prone to the odd mistake every now and then. Smalling and Phil Jones will always be as good as they are now.

They may be good enough for Fulham or Brighton, but not enough for the big UCL nights. A experienced CB could really take Lindelof and Bailly's game to the next level.

 

[zzeezzy]

I'm still questioning how anyone wouldn't love a player like Hudson-Odoi at United, just imagine him in this ****** side, it completes us going forward ffs. All this rumour about Sancho is pointless because City have first refusal and it will cost a bomb, even though it would achieve the same outcome.

We should be all in for Hudson-Odoi because it is more doable even though still difficult and we can blow Bayern out the water in terms of money which is what Chelsea as shown from the past, ultimately want.

 

[zzeezzy]

Lindelof is fine, but he just won 3 out of 9 duels yesterday. Not a good match from our back four, that could not handle with Di Maria and Mbappe in the second half. Bailly is good most of the time, but prone to the odd mistake every now and then. Smalling and Phil Jones will always be as good as they are now.

They may be good enough for Fulham or Brighton, but not enough for the big UCL nights. A experienced CB could really take Lindelof and Bailly's game to the next level.

I'd actually settle for someone like Koulibaly/Aldeweireld and Hudson-Odoi in the summer. They will cost us about £120m and would make a high impact on us. If I could only have two signings in the summer that's what I would do. I think we need a fullback as well but that's a different story.

Dream summer and not too unrealistic given the situation they are all in: -

Koulibaly
Hudson-Odoi
Ruben Neves

 

[brunoh]

I'd actually settle for someone like Koulibaly/Aldeweireld and Hudson-Odoi in the summer. They will cost us about £120m and would make a high impact on us. If I could only have two signings in the summer that's what I would do. I think we need a fullback as well but that's a different story.

Dream summer and not too unrealistic given the situation they are all in: -

Koulibaly
Hudson-Odoi
Ruben Neves

My dream for CB is Skriniar, but i'd settle for Koulibaly or Alderweireld just fine. I'd add to the list a FB (Alex Sandro, if Juve sign Marcelo?).

 

[Theatre of Dreams83]

Lindelof is fine, but he just won 3 out of 9 duels yesterday. Not a good match from our back four, that could not handle with Di Maria and Mbappe in the second half. Bailly is good most of the time, but prone to the odd mistake every now and then. Smalling and Phil Jones will always be as good as they are now.

They may be good enough for Fulham or Brighton, but not enough for the big UCL nights. A experienced CB could really take Lindelof and Bailly's game to the next level.

Thats why we need a top class leading Cb mate. There’s nothing wrong with the ball playing ability of Bailly and Lindelof. Do Maria wasn’t a problem for a Cbs that was all Ashley Young. Tbh Mbappe was largely out of the game except the goal. Thought they did fairly well against him. He had more joy when he drifted wide.