The Manchester United Thread

greenall90 said:
If he is on a personal training plan to regain full fitness I doubt that will carry over to the England setup which could course problems. Can see him being pulled from the squad to be honest.
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Don't think he will. Southgate checked with the club and player and both said he was fine to play.
 
ninjaskill said:
He had to pay a world record divorce settlement if I remember correctly, also think they have to sell a bit each year to pass FFP
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Yeah the FFP thing is true! They will sell 3-4 players for huge cash this Summer and replace them with more quality youngsters on the bench or coming through.
 
how nice of boro to axe karanka,watch them raise their game on sunday.
 
Confirmed United team
United XI: Romero, Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Rojo, Blind, Pogba, Herrera, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Ibrahimovic


Intetesting Blind in the holding DM role.
 
I was gonna' swerve what should be a comfortable Utd progression but as the 'Iranian Messi' fella' is starting I'll have a look and see what the hypes all about.
 
Not a great deal to say tbh. Doing fine, in complete control, no signs of trouble on the break... same again and get a goal or two.

Not a fan of this Chelsea like formation, but I do think when you're playing against a team who shapes up like it, matching it is effective.
 
What I will say is that if you take one player from the usual front 4 (Mata, Mkhitaryan, X & Ibra) then it seems to take so much of the fluidity and inventive thinking out of it. In this case there's a player missing from it for formation purposes. Zlatan looks like a frustrated figure at times when he hasn't got a #10 near him with runners off him, especially against deep defenses like this. Ok, Valencia and Blind are doing well to stretch the game and fire crosses in, but it's going to take one **** of a ball to be a goalscoring one with Ibra a lonely figure in there. I still think we're at our best in a 4-2-3-1, playing quick one touch football in and around a front 4, with plenty of bodies in and around the box.

Something simple like Rashford for Smalling/Bailly/Rojo, go 4-2-3-1 with him, Mkhi and Mata playing off Ibra would add so much I feel. But against this oppo, with the control we currently have, I wouldn't argue with Jose letting it play out and try get the goal(s) from somewhere.
 
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Job done. In the draw. Ideally would like to avoid Lyon but I suppose if you're going to win it, you beat what's in front of you.
 
Job done still in the hat. Nice goal. Dominated apart from a couple of good saves from Romero. Shame about injuries.
 
Jose Mourinho has said he would never have sold Angel di Maria, Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck, or signed some of the players his predecessors did, as the Manchester United manager claimed he inherited a “sad club” that is not yet “ready to be Manchester United, to be a dominant force”.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Premier League Show, which airs on BBC2 on Thursday night, Mourinho admits he cannot understand why United bought and sold some of the players they did and warned “there is a space between the general ambition of such a giant club and what we are in reality”.

Asked if United are bigger than Real Madrid and Inter Milan, two of the previous clubs he managed, Mourinho said: “I am not saying bigger. It was easier to get the objectives at the other clubs than here. I found a sad club [here]. Man Utd sold players that I would never sell, bought players that I would never buy. I would never sell Di Maria, Chicharito [Hernandez], Danny Welbeck. Never. No chance.
“I am enjoying every moment of it. It is hard. It is difficult, but I knew that before. Manchester United has a name and a prestige and something magical in football that attracts everyone.

“The relation between our true potential and the expectations we create, there is a gap. We are not ready to be Manchester United. We are not ready to be a dominant force. We are not ready to try and win everything.

“Because of the nature of the club, and of myself, we are ready to fight for every game, every point, of that there is no doubt. But there is a space between the general ambition of such a giant club and what we are in reality.”
Forget it, it is not possible, don’t try to go 10, 20 years ago because it is not possible any more,” Mourinho said, in reference to Ferguson’s 13 titles. “I have many, many doubts that dominance is going to get back to the Premier League. So win titles, try to get back to the Champions League, win in Europe, but the base has to be the empathy with the fans. That is based on the quality of our football.”

On his own future, Mourinho said: “I’d like to [stay], I am really happy. I will stay here until the owners and the board don’t want me
Man Utd is very powerful,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be in the Champions League to attract the best players. Last summer, we got players who could be playing in the Champions League. Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] could be in Paris [with PSG], [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan could be in Borussia [Dortmund]. [Paul] Pogba could be at Juve. We were able to attract the players because they know Manchester United sooner or later will get there. If any player decides not to come because of that I am happy that they are not coming.

“I don’t [want to be in the Europa League next season] but I prefer to be in the Europa League than not in Europe. If we don’t play Champions League, we play Europa League and we have to try and win it.”

Mourinho believes Pogba needs time to readjust to English football but is unsurprised by Ibrahimovic’s success.


“It isn’t easy for Pogba,” he said. “The country is so different than Italian football. It is hard for him. I’m not disappointed at all. The most important thing is his personality. He is professional, he will improve for sure.

“Zlatan is not a surprise for me. I know the personality, I know the body, I know the ambition that brought him here. Could he do it in the best league in the world? He has done it everywhere else. He’s doing amazingly well.”
Many other teams in England are going to finish the season without a trophy and we have one-and-a-half which is good,” he said. “But we have to fight for the top four, we have to fight for the Champions League. The League Cup is not enough to say that the season is over at the end of February.

“I try always to get the best out of my players and get the team to play the way that suits them and the way we can get the best out of them. We normally dominate matches, have the ball, create a lot of chances. But we need to kill matches and kill opponents. If you don’t kill, you are killed.

“I won so many matches and titles in my career the other way round, being safe, being in control and waiting for the mistake. I bite you, goodbye. Now we have to kill matches to have the complete pleasure. We are missing this.


“[Losing] affects my mood always. But I have found a certain balance. After a bad result at home would I make a joke 10 years ago? I don’t think so. But I have changed. I change but I keep my nature and that is [with] a bad result you are not happy.”
 
Theatre of dreams said:
Jose Mourinho has said he would never have sold Angel di Maria, Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck, or signed some of the players his predecessors did, as the Manchester United manager claimed he inherited a “sad club” that is not yet “ready to be Manchester United, to be a dominant force”.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Premier League Show, which airs on BBC2 on Thursday night, Mourinho admits he cannot understand why United bought and sold some of the players they did and warned “there is a space between the general ambition of such a giant club and what we are in reality”.

Asked if United are bigger than Real Madrid and Inter Milan, two of the previous clubs he managed, Mourinho said: “I am not saying bigger. It was easier to get the objectives at the other clubs than here. I found a sad club [here]. Man Utd sold players that I would never sell, bought players that I would never buy. I would never sell Di Maria, Chicharito [Hernandez], Danny Welbeck. Never. No chance.
“I am enjoying every moment of it. It is hard. It is difficult, but I knew that before. Manchester United has a name and a prestige and something magical in football that attracts everyone.

“The relation between our true potential and the expectations we create, there is a gap. We are not ready to be Manchester United. We are not ready to be a dominant force. We are not ready to try and win everything.

“Because of the nature of the club, and of myself, we are ready to fight for every game, every point, of that there is no doubt. But there is a space between the general ambition of such a giant club and what we are in reality.”
Forget it, it is not possible, don’t try to go 10, 20 years ago because it is not possible any more,” Mourinho said, in reference to Ferguson’s 13 titles. “I have many, many doubts that dominance is going to get back to the Premier League. So win titles, try to get back to the Champions League, win in Europe, but the base has to be the empathy with the fans. That is based on the quality of our football.”

On his own future, Mourinho said: “I’d like to [stay], I am really happy. I will stay here until the owners and the board don’t want me
Man Utd is very powerful,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be in the Champions League to attract the best players. Last summer, we got players who could be playing in the Champions League. Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] could be in Paris [with PSG], [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan could be in Borussia [Dortmund]. [Paul] Pogba could be at Juve. We were able to attract the players because they know Manchester United sooner or later will get there. If any player decides not to come because of that I am happy that they are not coming.

“I don’t [want to be in the Europa League next season] but I prefer to be in the Europa League than not in Europe. If we don’t play Champions League, we play Europa League and we have to try and win it.”

Mourinho believes Pogba needs time to readjust to English football but is unsurprised by Ibrahimovic’s success.


“It isn’t easy for Pogba,” he said. “The country is so different than Italian football. It is hard for him. I’m not disappointed at all. The most important thing is his personality. He is professional, he will improve for sure.

“Zlatan is not a surprise for me. I know the personality, I know the body, I know the ambition that brought him here. Could he do it in the best league in the world? He has done it everywhere else. He’s doing amazingly well.”
Many other teams in England are going to finish the season without a trophy and we have one-and-a-half which is good,” he said. “But we have to fight for the top four, we have to fight for the Champions League. The League Cup is not enough to say that the season is over at the end of February.

“I try always to get the best out of my players and get the team to play the way that suits them and the way we can get the best out of them. We normally dominate matches, have the ball, create a lot of chances. But we need to kill matches and kill opponents. If you don’t kill, you are killed.

“I won so many matches and titles in my career the other way round, being safe, being in control and waiting for the mistake. I bite you, goodbye. Now we have to kill matches to have the complete pleasure. We are missing this.


“[Losing] affects my mood always. But I have found a certain balance. After a bad result at home would I make a joke 10 years ago? I don’t think so. But I have changed. I change but I keep my nature and that is [with] a bad result you are not happy.”
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A good honest interview all in all, not denying the current problems at the club, and not promising Fergie like success, which, lets face it, is highly unlikely to happen again for a very long time, what with Chelsea, City,Tottenham, Arsenal & Liverpool
 
Theatre of dreams said:
Is there a better No2 in world football atm?
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Seriously? Romero is absolute *****. Ok he pulled of a few very good saves last night but he's a liability. He cant kick a ball for starters. He cant catch a ball. He's an OK shot stopper but thats it. Id rather have one of the younger lads as back up. Maybe im just being a bit blinkered but I really dont rate him at all. Every time someone passes the ball back to him to kick im expecting a **** up and a goal.
 
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