MEN: Fred identifies Manchester United's biggest problem this season

roonster09

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I’m a bit surprised at the reaction, for me it doesn’t look like Fred disassociates himself from the team and from the negatives that he’s listing. Especially since he’s listing creativity in midfield as one of the main issues. I actually like that he’s talking openly about them and hopefully we’ll address this.

It’s more like “we’re shit and we have to do better” than “we’re shit because A, B and C are not good enough/don’t care about the club” etc., at least that’s what I’ve got from the translation.
Yeah, he pointed we need more creativity from midfield, also implied players should trust each other instead of trying to win the game on their own.

It was a good interview, without pointing fingers at any individual he listed all the problems well.
 

UmbroDays

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Based on what players said themselves and Deschamps. The established leaders are the likes of Matuidi, Mandanda and Griezmann, Pogba is a work in progress in that department he grew during the world cup but he wasn't the leader, what he absolutely is, is an important member of the locker room with his positive attitude.
So why were the other guys not made captain?
 

JPRouve

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So why were the other guys not made captain?
Because Lloris was made captain a long time ago before these players became leaders in the team. Varane and Matuidi are his deputies.
 
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Valuedrug

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So unsurprising really. It’s all right there for anyone to see on the pitch. No chemistry and patchwork initiative.

From the way Fernandes has been described in fairly credible sources like The Athletic, we need to add more players like him. Some more ambition, drive and willingness to speak up along with actual talent (apologies to Ashley Young) would do this group a world of good.

Especially if Woodward brings in a proper manager to give the players some hope of not being the butt end of half the jokes in the European football community anymore.
 

fps

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I think that some players don't care much about winning, they are not necessarily bad apples but they simply have no experience of winning and don't have the taste for it.
Very much so especially the lack of hunger
 

MartinRed

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What he said is obvious for seasons now.Anyway he shouldn't go public with that,because it's obvious.Hope to be proven wrong but I can only see bad impact on the team after his words.Right before such a big and important game that is coming this may cost us.
 

Relevated

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Good he said this because now the spotlight is on everyone who puts in a half assed shift
 

Fortitude

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I like Martial. I think he's very talented and some of the goals he scores are absolute worldies but I've had mixed feelings about him ever since the stories of him being upset and hurt that Zlatan took his number 9 from him.

Such a childish thing to get upset about.
You can't be serious - numbers are treasures! Why do you think so many star players coming into new teams claim their favoured number? Even at school level, kids want their number!

Try telling a player who has idolised a #10 and goes on to become a #10 that he can't have that number! Same for a Cruyff and the #14, which Henry held as a pride and joy; imagine that being taken off him. In turn, any kid playing for Arsenal who has the potential to be another Henry and is desperate for the number... it won't go down well for him to be denied it.

Then there's this:



Perhaps the most extreme example of the devotion to a number. An excerpt:

"Zamorano and Ronaldo dovetailed brilliantly that season, but Roberto Baggio signed in the summer of ’98 and insisted on taking the Brazilian’s No.10 shirt, with Ronaldo duly handed Zamorano’s No.9.

Bam Bam had a rather unique solution to that problem. He had successfully fought for everything else he had wanted in life – it should have come as no surprise that he found a way to get what he wanted this time.

Well, sort of. He decided to take the No.18 shirt, adding a + sign between the two numbers. This was a man who knew what it meant and what it took to be a No.9.
"


In short, numbers are a huge deal in football for a lot of players. Perhaps that might change in the future with how extended the selections are in the squad game nowadays, but Martial being bent out of joint not only because of having the number taken off him, but also in how it was done, it would be a bee in the bonnet for any number of players from the best out there to semi pro's.


I’ve read a good article about Macmanamanaman yesterday, how he came to a very disjointed Real Madrid side (Hierro & Seedorf had literal fights multiple times per season, Raul called their dressing room a trash full of treachery and lies) and managed to unite it with his communication skills, work ethics & general likability. We really need someone like that. Interestingly, Macmanaman wasn’t even considered such a player in England.
Ha!

"Alright, alright youse! Calm down, calm down! We can't be havin' da and daa in teh dressing room, soft lads! Are youse gonna make up or wa!?"
 

Charles Miller

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Pathetic how Pogba has bribed all his teammates to say good things about him. Get him out of here.
Pogba has not "bribed" him. Pogba is a friend of Brazil, and Brazilians like him. Many of those French players are popular in Brazil because they are linked to the country due to music, culture, or because they are friends with great Brazilian players from the last decades.
 

el3mel

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Finally an honest interview showing the club's current state as it is. Enough of this clichéd narrative BS our players say in public to convince everyone everything is good.
 

Vidyoyo

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Happy he said it. This kind of crap happens in workplaces all the time. When nobody speaks, nothing gets done and leadership continue to pat themselves on the back for a job well done despite not doing a good job.
 

iHicksy

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Pogba has not "bribed" him. Pogba is a friend of Brazil, and Brazilians like him. Many of those French players are popular in Brazil because they are linked to the country due to music, culture, or because they are friends with great Brazilian players from the last decades.
He's joking you sausage.
 

ManUArfa

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....and Solskjaer has won it!
Difficult in the translation but I read it that he's saying we need to improve our game management, tactical nouse as a team and winning mentality as a team.

We can play some lovely football with moments of individual brilliance but that doesn't always win games.

It does, of course, start with the manager. Look at City's antics when they're trying to carve out results. The frustrating thing is how the so called lesser teams out smart our honesty and naivety with their tactics. In pre-match pressers SAF used to be a master at playing mind games with the opposition, and at pressuring refs to deal with an opponent's antics.

I back Ole but this has to start with him....
 

Sandikan

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You can't be serious - numbers are treasures! Why do you think so many star players coming into new teams claim their favoured number? Even at school level, kids want their number!

Try telling a player who has idolised a #10 and goes on to become a #10 that he can't have that number! Same for a Cruyff and the #14, which Henry held as a pride and joy; imagine that being taken off him. In turn, any kid playing for Arsenal who has the potential to be another Henry and is desperate for the number... it won't go down well for him to be denied it.

Then there's this:



Perhaps the most extreme example of the devotion to a number. An excerpt:

"Zamorano and Ronaldo dovetailed brilliantly that season, but Roberto Baggio signed in the summer of ’98 and insisted on taking the Brazilian’s No.10 shirt, with Ronaldo duly handed Zamorano’s No.9.

Bam Bam had a rather unique solution to that problem. He had successfully fought for everything else he had wanted in life – it should have come as no surprise that he found a way to get what he wanted this time.

Well, sort of. He decided to take the No.18 shirt, adding a + sign between the two numbers. This was a man who knew what it meant and what it took to be a No.9.
"


In short, numbers are a huge deal in football for a lot of players. Perhaps that might change in the future with how extended the selections are in the squad game nowadays, but Martial being bent out of joint not only because of having the number taken off him, but also in how it was done, it would be a bee in the bonnet for any number of players from the best out there to semi pro's.



Ha!

"Alright, alright youse! Calm down, calm down! We can't be havin' da and daa in teh dressing room, soft lads! Are youse gonna make up or wa!?"
Although I shared a chuckle on your post, surely the original flow of the quote meant Raul fixed the problem with his communication, not Stevie Scouse!
 

manutddjw

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The vanity is clearly Lingard. Guaranteed nobody likes him. Most of us have played football at some point. Lingard is that guy on the team who has the most expensive boots, gels his hair before games and does stepovers like he has skills but is completely useless.
 

gerdm07

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IMO the most important things Fred identifies:

1. We lack creativity in midfield. Pretty obvious and that's why we bought Bruno.
2. Pogba is not a problem and he works hard in training. I know some folks don't want to hear this but it confirms many other reports.
3. Ole is a good coach and can win titles. Another thing some folks don't want to hear. For me the jury is still out on Ole and I want him to stay till May or December if things improve this season.
 

devilish

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Lack of unity and increase in vanity is usually down to two things ie shit training and complacency. Players may be bored with the training we do and are not afraid of showing the middle finger cause they know or do not bother that/if they are replaced. Hence the need of a top manager + the structures needed to handle a high staff turnover.
 

ManUArfa

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....and Solskjaer has won it!
That was the type of compliment one makes in order to soften a criticism. He actually said, He is a young coach and he has positives and negatives... Basically, he is attempting to respectfully say that Ole is not the best coach.I can't imagine a player getting away with saying this about Mourinho, or Ferguson or any other top coach.
Fred is right and is playing well for us at the moment but Ole should drop him and fine him for saying this one thing. It's what SAF would have done.
 

Superden

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my initital thoughts are that Freds been part of the problem since he got here (in that hes been pants - but he has recently improved) so perhaps he should focus on his own performances and his contribution, and secondly a lot of the issues he identifies wouldnt exist if the group was better managed / coached, and so that doesnt sit right with his positive opinion of the manager. but id rather players were open and honest than resort to platitudes, so there is that.
 

JPRouve

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IMO the most important things Fred identifies:

1. We lack creativity in midfield. Pretty obvious and that's why we bought Bruno.
2. Pogba is not a problem and he works hard in training. I know some folks don't want to hear this but it confirms many other reports.
3. Ole is a good coach and can win titles. Another thing some folks don't want to hear. For me the jury is still out on Ole and I want him to stay till May or December if things improve this season.
The positive thing about Ole, is that he said that he thinks that he is improving. To me it's more important than the generic "the manager is good".
 

beer&grill

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IMO the most important things Fred identifies:

1. We lack creativity in midfield. Pretty obvious and that's why we bought Bruno.
2. Pogba is not a problem and he works hard in training. I know some folks don't want to hear this but it confirms many other reports.
3. Ole is a good coach and can win titles. Another thing some folks don't want to hear. For me the jury is still out on Ole and I want him to stay till May or December if things improve this season.
Wow, seriously? What did you expect him to say? My manager is awful and I hope he is sacked? And frankly, I don’t see his description of Ole as a compliment.
 

gerdm07

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Wow, seriously? What did you expect him to say? My manager is awful and I hope he is sacked? And frankly, I don’t see his description of Ole as a compliment.
"Solskjaer? He is a good person, a good coach. His work is new to us, he is still young as a coach, he has positives and negatives, but his job is growing and he will help us win titles"

He said Ole is getting better and can win titles. That's more believable then when a player says my manager is the greatest.
 

beer&grill

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"Solskjaer? He is a good person, a good coach. His work is new to us, he is still young as a coach, he has positives and negatives, but his job is growing and he will help us win titles"

He said Ole is getting better and can win titles. That's more believable then when a player says my manager is the greatest.
He doesn’t have much choice, does he? He’s basically compelled to say something good about him. I mean sure, this could be true, but I wouldn’t put much stock into it.
 

gerdm07

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He doesn’t have much choice, does he? He’s basically compelled to say something good about him. I mean sure, this could be true, but I wouldn’t put much stock into it.
Duh. He could have said Ole is great and left it at that. Again, what he said is more believable than what most players say about their manager. Neither one of us knows the truth.
 

hobbers

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His description of Ole is definitely not very complimentary.

His job is growing and he can win titles... yeah, in Norway maybe.
 

devilish

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He doesn’t have much choice, does he? He’s basically compelled to say something good about him. I mean sure, this could be true, but I wouldn’t put much stock into it.
He is basically calling him an inexperienced coach whose getting on the job training.
 

alexthelion

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His description of Ole is definitely not very complimentary.

His job is growing and he can win titles... yeah, in Norway maybe.
I'd say the opposite, it is complimentary. It implies that he's trying new things the pklayers haven't seen/done before and that he's getting better all the time.

All managers have strengths and weaknesses, that's nothing to beat him with.
 

hobbers

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I'd say the opposite, it is complimentary. It implies that he's trying new things the pklayers haven't seen/done before and that he's getting better all the time.

All managers have strengths and weaknesses, that's nothing to beat him with.
No it implies he's doing things a substandard way and the players are struggling to adapt to it.

'Getting better all the time' :lol:
 

Stadjer

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IMO the most important things Fred identifies:

1. We lack creativity in midfield. Pretty obvious and that's why we bought Bruno.
2. Pogba is not a problem and he works hard in training. I know some folks don't want to hear this but it confirms many other reports.
3. Ole is a good coach and can win titles. Another thing some folks don't want to hear. For me the jury is still out on Ole and I want him to stay till May or December if things improve this season.
Every player who plays with Pogba says that yet the English pundits with ties to other clubs, the class of 92 (Nevilles, Giggs and Scholes) and the Pogba-out brigade will scream : 'Bad influence on the young lads, toxic, ship him out! To make it even weirder, they are saying it about the best, most talented and most valuable player in the squad.

Quite strange :lol:
 

redshaw

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What if it was Mata all along, came here in 2013, coincidence I think not.
 

iHicksy

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Is not my idiom. What you mean by "sausage", sua mala sem alça de papelão na chuva?
It's just a harmless term. He was being sarcastic because of all the people who infer Pogba is toxic. Also, not sure if you're trying to make a point by speaking in Portuguese? But it's really not the same. Since you're on an english forum where the rules are to post in english.
 

Fortitude

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Although I shared a chuckle on your post, surely the original flow of the quote meant Raul fixed the problem with his communication, not Stevie Scouse!
Think it's McManamamananananananan who came in sorted it with his comms from reading that. Might be wrong.
 

Wolfmother

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Anything surprising? Isn't what the Ole out brigade has been saying since September? He lacks ideas, capability to coach a team and make it work. These player injury is a nonsense excuse put forward by Ole in brigade to buy more time. No one cares about results, show something on the pitch and we will back him.

This is a bunch of rookies trying to steer a ship in extreme seas.
No not really surprised. You managed get to that conclusion after reading that? I’m sure you will not be the only one, with this fine institution of intellectuals.
 

devilish

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Every player who plays with Pogba says that yet the English pundits with ties to other clubs, the class of 92 (Nevilles, Giggs and Scholes) and the Pogba-out brigade will scream : 'Bad influence on the young lads, toxic, ship him out! To make it even weirder, they are saying it about the best, most talented and most valuable player in the squad.

Quite strange :lol:
Now they are slowly turning against Martial as well. The criticism these people get is beyond ridiculous and its far worse then against those who had been stealing a living for years