The Athletic: "Man Utd coaches trying Jadon Sancho as RWB"

Godfather

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He could be a very effective tool at RWB. Similar to the way Alphonso Davies is used at Bayern Munich. He is a destructive and creative force coming down the left side for Bayern.
Davies and Sancho are as different as player types go as imaginable
 

Sandikan

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Knowing us we'll then play him left wing back instead
 

Lee565

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Why can't we just use sancho like van Gaal used robben for Holland in the world cup when he was given a free role behind van persie. Sancho could be just as devastating in free role centrally and feed Ronaldo chances.
 

Zoo

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Tuchel has looked at using Pulisic and Hudson Odoi as wingbacks, he has also openly said that he doesn’t regard James and Chilwell as defenders when they play there. The main thing is he knows and believes in that system and they practice it extensively.

Ole is throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks. He believes in the system so much that he abandoned it in the first half against Atalanta just because of one injury to Varane. It’s muddled thinking, awful management and it’s amazing that the club aren’t realising this.
 

Redlambs

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If Sancho continues to fail in foreign positions, what's next? Play him as CDM, CB, GK?

The issue is the bolded part. The bad management.

Need better coaching him in his natural position, or shouldn't have been signed if the manager didn't have a plan for him. Since the latter option is gone now, changing manager to get better coaching in is the logical decision.
Same as Southgate. No idea of where he plays or what to do with him, so leave him on the bench or shoehorn him.
 

spiriticon

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The simple solution is of course, coach our attackers to track back and defend properly rather than this half assed job they've been doing. This includes Rashford, Greenwood, Pogba, Bruno, Sancho, Ronaldo and Martial. Once they get it into their thick heads that they also have to consistently contribute to defending and pressing in the modern game, we can go back to playing 4 defenders instead of 5 without conceding a bucketload of goals.

But no. Our coaching team just refuses to do this and would rather play everyone out of position to allow the attackers to practically goal hang.
 

JPRouve

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Tuchel has looked at using Pulisic and Hudson Odoi as wingbacks, he has also openly said that he doesn’t regard James and Chilwell as defenders when they play there. The main thing is he knows and believes in that system and they practice it extensively.

Ole is throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks. He believes in the system so much that he abandoned it in the first half against Atalanta just because of one injury to Varane. It’s muddled thinking, awful management and it’s amazing that the club aren’t realising this.
That's the thing, you have managers that are known for doing things like that and they know how to make it work, so you can give them the benefit of doubt. Ole can't be trusted for the most basic development of players and that's beyond the fact that Sancho is a playmaker and unlike the players you mentioned he has actually performed at a high level in that role for several seasons.

There is a sense in trying Hudson Odoi and Pulisic in a different role since they have failed for several seasons to be effective as wingers/inside forwards.
 

Ikon

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He might’ve played there for 20 minutes or so in a 11v11 in training, the media somehow got a hold of it and made it into this.
It sounds far fetched, but honestly, I would not put anything past this club and the Carry On way its run.
 

Sarni

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So lets assume we signed Sancho and then Ole got sacked, we got Conte in, he plays 3-5-2 and Sancho doesn't fit that system. Can he still use a loophole?

Maybe if he'd actually put a decent shift in on the pitch and made more of an impact in the games he'd played, he'd be first choice on the right wing, and maybe we wouldn't have needed to switch to a 3-5-2 in the first place.
No, of course he cannot use any loophole. I agree he's been poor and I've been quite vocal about it, I was just trying to rationalize his post.

Conte switching him to RWB would be more understandable though. Ole, a manager who has wanted him for two years running, suddenly deciding he won't play with wingers must be extremely baffling for everyone though.
 

Sarni

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:lol:

It's always worth a shot to get out of this situation, but for all the time and effort, why didn't we just buy Hakimi summer 2020 when he moved from RM to Inter? That would be cheaper, and we wouldn't waste a season dreaming about Sancho and arguably wasting money on panic purchase of Amad and Pellistic.
Don't say that, Amad will get his time 6-7 years from now and you will be impressed.
 

stefan92

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No, of course he cannot use any loophole. I agree he's been poor and I've been quite vocal about it, I was just trying to rationalize his post.

Conte switching him to RWB would be more understandable though. Ole, a manager who has wanted him for two years running, suddenly deciding he won't play with wingers must be extremely baffling for everyone though.
I actually can imagine using a kind of 343 formation with Sancho and Greenwood on the right wing together, posted that idea already on here. But the issue is, to implement this effectively you need to allow Sancho to regularly drift inside and then need movement on the pitch to cover for this. Players crossing each other would create problems for the opponent's defense and give a chance to open spaces. I would trust someone like Conte to create such a role for Sancho and use him effectively, and therefore would give him a chance to do it.

I don't trust Ole to see this issue. Sancho would instinctively do it anyway and that would mean as much trouble for United's structure on the pitch than it would for the opposition, as no one in United's team would know what to do.

Such a special RWB role would also be much different from the way other attacking WBs operate, asking Sancho to play like Bayern's Davies would be a disaster.
 

Lee565

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Why not use telles at rwb? Quite often despite his strongest foot being his right you will see cancelo being utilized as a inverted fullback on the left under pep, same with Milner in past season under klopp in the left back position.
 

Demaw

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Jesus H Christ.

So we've spent £120 MILLION on two right sided players, neither of whom can play wing-back. And now we decide to start playing with wing backs?

Just sack him already ffs.
It makes me sick to think they are considering this. How the heck have we ended up doing this?
 

Sarni

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I actually can imagine using a kind of 343 formation with Sancho and Greenwood on the right wing together, posted that idea already on here. But the issue is, to implement this effectively you need to allow Sancho to regularly drift inside and then need movement on the pitch to cover for this. Players crossing each other would create problems for the opponent's defense and give a chance to open spaces. I would trust someone like Conte to create such a role for Sancho and use him effectively, and therefore would give him a chance to do it.

I don't trust Ole to see this issue. Sancho would instinctively do it anyway and that would mean as much trouble for United's structure on the pitch than it would for the opposition, as no one in United's team would know what to do.

Such a special RWB role would also be much different from the way other attacking WBs operate, asking Sancho to play like Bayern's Davies would be a disaster.
Sancho / Rashford / Greenwood
Shaw / DM / Bruno / any right back that can attack
Maguire / Varane / Lindelof
DDG

Would IMO work great. Rashford substituted by Ronaldo could also work. In games where you have to defend more put another midfielder in there and move Bruno to false 9 or out to the wing. It could definitely work with 2 signings but as you say, not if it's implemented by Ole, neither should we allow him to mess with that when we've spend hundreds of millions to allow him to get players to play his 4231 formation.
 

Greck

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I thought we couldn't setup in an attacking fashion because we didn't have players like Sancho. As if we needed any more obvious signs that they didn't have a clue what they were doing. Always knew the excuses were just that.
 

Swedish_Plumber

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We have sub par coaches trying to develop a player who has shown world class form in a different position. Could not make it up. Get rid of these inept men who are wasting a very talented squad.
 

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We managed to Sign one of the best young Prospect in world football for a position we have been trying to fill for years for a massive amount of money whilst having a gaping hole in the centre of the park that we could have used that money on . And we are going to try make him into a wing back ? You honestly can't make this stuff up . If we keep shuffling the cards who knows we may eventually get a winning hand seems to be the way we are being run . Absolutely clueless, each passing day gets more and more absurd.
 

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It's shit clickbait. If you're going to make up a story you don't make it as bland as this.
It's not bland at all; if it's made up, what better way to make Ole and co look absolutely inept than this whilst getting a whole fanbase's collective teeth gnashing?
 

Cloud7

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Spend two summers chasing one of the most productive and promising attacking wingers in world football to then consider turning him into a wing back. Sounds about right for our genius manager. Seeing football in 4D is Ole. The fact that this article is even the tiniest bit believable tells you all you need to know about this regime.
 

ti vu

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It's shit clickbait. If you're going to make up a story you don't make it as bland as this.
When you saw AWB being deployed as RWB despite all evidence pointed previously that he can't even attack properly as RB in back 4 system, then I wouldn't be so sure about calling make up story if I were you.

The Athletic usually is not that baseless clickbait, either.
 

TwoSheds

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It's like that time we played baby Jesse as RWB and he got injured for the season after 5 mins. Except instead of someone who'd had a couple of good loan spells, it's an established Champions League winger.

feck the 532 off, it's shit and will only hasten your sacking Ole. It doesn't even make us very solid, just toothless.
 

Giggsy13

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Yes, him. So what?

The point is that if 3-5-2 was a real plan (and not just Ole throwing stuff at the wall) then he’d likely have been a better option than AWB and Sancho. Not that that’s saying much.
Wasnt clear that was your point, but OK.
 

Stig

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I think of few people might have overlooked something here.

Perhaps Sancho could play as a centre half ?
 

Stig

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Tuchel has looked at using Pulisic and Hudson Odoi as wingbacks, he has also openly said that he doesn’t regard James and Chilwell as defenders when they play there. The main thing is he knows and believes in that system and they practice it extensively.

Ole is throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks. He believes in the system so much that he abandoned it in the first half against Atalanta just because of one injury to Varane. It’s muddled thinking, awful management and it’s amazing that the club aren’t realising this.
Why would accountants and commercial bankers realise this ?
 

Oranges038

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The problem when you're in free-fall is that you're easy pickings, and if you have nothing about you to arrest the plummet, falsehoods can easily be taken as fact. I would like to think this story is nonsense, but it's not come out in a red top or dodgy Twitter account, nor do I believe it's an impossibility with who we've got running the show (not just Ole); this would just be one of many calamitous decisions made, the worse one, but one of a litany, so writing off the story as make believe is practically impossible to do.

I've qualified all my thoughts on the matter with a 'hope it's not true', but there's no way I'd put money on it being made up.
These guys know if they post anything Utd related it will with get attention and clicks and they will post any old shite to get them. It wa probably just in a training game and a source heard about it and now it's a story.

Honestly if he paid 70m for him as a winger and tries to train him for right wing back he should be sacked for the mere thought of it.
 

JPRouve

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These guys know if they post anything Utd related it will with get attention and clicks and they will post any old shite to get them.

Honestly if he paid 70m for him as a winger and tries to train him for right wing back he should be sacked for the mere thought of it.
That's not really how the Athletics work they don't publish any old shite, they are a subscription based website and it's also not Whitwell style. Your point would be correct if we were talking about a paper that relies on clicks and ads like the DailyMail or the Express.
 

Oranges038

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That's not really how the Athletics work they don't publish any old shite, they are a subscription based website and it's also not Whitwell style. Your point would be correct if we were talking about a paper that relies on clicks and ads like the DailyMail or the Express.
This story was already on all the usual sites today, a quick google search brings them all up. Clickety click click click.

The only difference with the athletic is they have to try and make you feel like you are getting your moneys worth. It's all pure speculation based off something that may have happend in training. That is unless any of them have personally witnessed the events or directly name the people who were there and know what the exact plans are. Why would anyone pay for that?
 

criticalanalysis

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It's not bland at all; if it's made up, what better way to make Ole and co look absolutely inept than this whilst getting a whole fanbase's collective teeth gnashing?
That's not really how the Athletics work they don't publish any old shite, they are a subscription based website and it's also not Whitwell style. Your point would be correct if we were talking about a paper that relies on clicks and ads like the DailyMail or the Express.
That's what exactly makes this potentially click baitey. It's so ludicrous from both the fan's and Ole's perspectives that it's 'believable' to have some scope for interest and discussion. It's so easy to take conjure up a narrative from anything if you really wanted to and The Athletic will always have a vested interest to keep readers coming in.

I refuse to believe it simply because I can't imagine our coaches and Ole being this inept but it's more 70/30 for me as you just don't know :lol:
 

JPRouve

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This story was already on all the usual sites today, a quick google search brings them all up. Clickety click click click.

The only difference with the athletic is they have to try and make you feel like you are getting your moneys worth. It's all pure speculation based off something that may have happend in training. That is unless any of them have personally witnessed the events or directly name the people who were there and know what the exact plans are. Why would anyone pay for that?
They all have the Athletic and Whitwell as a source. Your quick google search didn't include reading the articles? The original story is from the Athletic, it wasn't already on all the usual sites.

Now, you are free to consider that the Athletic is only clickbait and unreliable but that's not what we have seen from them to this point. And no one in this thread asked you to pay for anything.
 

JPRouve

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That's what exactly makes this potentially click baitey. It's so ludicrous from both the fan's and Ole's perspectives that it's 'believable' to have some scope for interest and discussion. It's so easy to take conjure up a narrative from anything if you really wanted to and The Athletic will always have a vested interest to keep readers coming in.

I refuse to believe it simply because I can't imagine our coaches and Ole being this inept but it's more 70/30 for me as you just don't know :lol:
It's not the title of the article though, so the term clickbaity doesn't apply to that part of the article.
 

yumtum

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These coaches can't make footballers pass to each other effectively, can't imagine them successfully co converting a winger to a RWB.
 

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I don't know wether to laugh or cry at this stage. Can somebody help me out?
 

Champ

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That's not really how the Athletics work they don't publish any old shite, they are a subscription based website and it's also not Whitwell style. Your point would be correct if we were talking about a paper that relies on clicks and ads like the DailyMail or the Express.
The Athletic is one of the worst for posting/creating absolute nonsense content.
Their podcast is full of absolute drivel designed to ruffle the feathers of supporters of certain teams in order to generate clicks.
They have a strange fascination with Tifo videos which are absolute crap and full of nonsense.

The stories suggest that Sancho has played wingback in a few training drills/sessions with a view to playing in that role against teams who drop deep, suggesting his not going to be used for his defensive work, moreso for his forward ability.

The story is crap, it may be true but it's nothing to be alarmed at, it's designed to be a story that riles up United fans for profit.
 

Red Rash

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Such a ridiculously laughable bad idea that we are probably thinking of trying it.

Our defence is already leaking goals like a sieve even when we play five defenders at the back. If we play Sancho there he would get targeted for his defensive limitations.

We really need to revert back to 4-2-3-1 and work on solving the real issues in our team, getting our defence to work as a unit and play midfielders who are comfortable on the ball.