You know my views on the Dutchman mate. Under the right ...... sorry,
any competent coaching, he'd go a long way to fixing one of the biggest flaws Utd have.
Whilst I wouldn't disagree if that issue was addressed you'd look better defensively, the quality of the personnel is still real questionable IMHO.
Varane, as much as I don't think he's half the player without Ramos alongside him (Young Boys hammered that home where he was all over with the other two planks alongside him), obviously is a cut above anything and improves the defence. But Shaw aside, there the quality really drops off with the other bang mediocre statues available at CH. And even frigging Southgate with his mad love for traditional, defensive FB's recognises how limited AWB is. A highly expensive version of Nathaniel Clyne. Who isn't even that good a defender. He gets madly put up when he's making yet another last-ditch tackle as some sort of defensive machine. When if truth be told, when you're having to do that and you spend more time on your **** than your feet from sliding in recovering, you've F up your job positionally to start with. I don't even know where to start with paying £50 million for a FB ...... Then people actually trying to justify signing Trippier, another old school, defensive first FB, to do what he can't!
And the goalie situation continues to be significantly below the other 3.
Which was why I was saying I agreed with what the consensus was in the vid I referenced the other day that you're in as big a muddle now with little to no progression as you were under Mourinho. For all the talk of improved recruitment, the squads top-heavy with quality forwards whilst being badly neglected in other key areas. And the signings of the past summer were so typical Utd/ Woodward, it wasn't even funny. (Giving Varane the extra £10 million a year Madrid wouldn't/ Paying the silly money for Ronaldo just to stop City- Sidenote. Ta there BTW. He was
EXACTLY what City needed. Grealish was mad to me for the money and doesn't significantly improve them. Ronaldo OTOH would have been a
'Bollocks! ' addition for them)/ Sancho, as good as he is. being somewhat of a luxury big name, like Ronaldo, to appease the fans. When even Stevie Wonder could see that wasn't the main priority for strengthening.). All still very haphazard and big-name splashy.
Now, I know you are sat joint top so folk will probably laugh at that. But it all looks totally unsustainable given the actual performances/ quality of the squad/ the PE teacher/ and the fact you've not remotely come close to even breaking 80 points since Mourinho. Let alone pushing the 90 plus now needed. I don't even know what Utd's identity is as it changes from game to game?
Which 3 years and more into his managership is beyond criminal. Whereas you know exactly what you're getting with Chelsea and L'pool. And City are capable of reeling off 10/15 straight wins at any time.
No doubt you'll now get top 4. Spending more than anyone else will ensure that and Ronaldo will flat-track bully the ***** in this league. Individual attacking quality will bale out P poor coaching.
But I don't see anything more than that any time soon under Solksjaer or anyone else with Utd's haphazard approach of making the same mistakes over and over so eerily like ourselves in the 90's it's uncanny.