When I said ‘it isn’t about players’, I’m not saying that it isn’t XI footballers that go out there and pass the ball and score goals for Pep and Klopp. I’m saying that the difference between our teams is not that they have top footballers and we don’t. Give or take different interpretations of squad depth, I’d say all three squads are roughly at par in terms of quality, if this were a computer game with stats on a card.
Of course, they buy football players. Every team buys football players, because they literally need football players. They do NOT go and necessarily buy Kane, Pogba, Sancho, Varane, Falcao and the rest though. So in theory, I don’t see why would need to. We only feel that we need to because we don’t have a clue, so have to just assemble an all star XI and hope that they figure it out.
And I’m almost certain that if Andreas Periera had been at City in recent years he’d be considered a better player than he is today.
I suspect we will buy Sancho, and I expect that he will disappoint, relatively speaking, and the same conversation will be had about us needing better.
You saying that it’s about players would suggest that the reason City are better than us is simply because they have better footballers, which I disagree with, personally. City are the best team because of the on field relationship those players have with each other. It is far better than the relationship ours have with each other. Speaking of Donny - the Ajax team that he left had a fantastic relationship with each other too, which in turn made the apparently not good enough VDB look a very good player. They, Ajax Amsterdam, were able to play Spurs, Real and Juve off the park with Donny, Tadic, Neres and Ziyech upfront. I can guarantee that each of these players would be considered not good enough for United by our fans. They aren’t the world’s best. But if a coach can get them playing like that, then even though ours are not Kane, Sancho and co - why can we not be gotten to pass and move a fecking football with what we have? If we play better than our opponent more often than we do, then we can start looking at player quality. But teams like Burnley, Brighton, Fulham, West Ham, Just-about-anyone often play us off the park, irrespective of whether Bruno scores a penalty or Cavani scores a header to get a result in the end.
Sorry for the late response, been out!