Sylar
Full Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
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Think he didn't really start until after the city game right ?It was the same last season with us. I'm not worried at all. I have no doubt he's still a brilliant player.
Think he didn't really start until after the city game right ?It was the same last season with us. I'm not worried at all. I have no doubt he's still a brilliant player.
The problem is these signings are championed so they will continue.It was foolish signing an ageing player from Real, they know when to sell, and bought Bellingham with the money and suddenly their midfield is sorted for the next decade.
Same for Varane, meanwhile solid young CBs like De Light and Gvardiol have moved to rival clubs.
Our lack of squad planning is shocking, it’s why every summer we need to sign 5-6 players just to keep keep in touch with top 4, never mind challenging Ciry
Casemiro and Varane aren't poor signings at all it's just we do them without any sort of succession planning and in the former's he doesn't even have a reliable deputy/cover/competitor. What we need to nip in the bud is this tendency of paying 70 - 80m for project signings or gambles we hope to convert to new roles.The problem is these signings are championed so they will continue.
They're terrible and short-sighted. Our last successful team was based off of good young signings in the mid 2000s that lasted to the early 2010s. Van der Sar was the exception.
I mean, we went for Bellingham and he didn't choose us. There is nothing wrong with signing Casemiro in and of itself, provided that you also look to bring in midfielders who are younger. I'd say as long as we bring in another younger CB by next transfer window, I would not classify the Varane situation as shockingly poor.It was foolish signing an ageing player from Real, they know when to sell, and bought Bellingham with the money and suddenly their midfield is sorted for the next decade.
Same for Varane, meanwhile solid young CBs like De Light and Gvardiol have moved to rival clubs.
Our lack of squad planning is shocking, it’s why every summer we need to sign 5-6 players just to keep keep in touch with top 4, never mind challenging Ciry
I honestly don`t see a DM when i see him play. More like a regular box to box mid. He is very rash in his tackling and loves to bomb forward. Like he is enjoying himself a bit to much to care about the other boring parts of being a midfielder. Maybe a stretch to make comparisons to Pogba, but that is where my mind took it when watching the game yesterday. He is actually as good as any player when he goes forward imo. He is creative, has a good eye for a killer pass, he can shoot from distance, and he is great when running into the box. Just NOT the player i expected when we got him..We definitely need someone behind him that actually loves the other stuff.He’s a fine player but the cracks in his defensive game are very apparent. He’s lunging in and getting caught out a lot not to mention failing to track runners. We need someone else to rotate with him and take over eventually. Maddison exposed him last weekend and I can see more of that this season. Hopefully once Mount and Mainoo integrate he’ll get more support.
In the short term he was a quality signing but in the long run a pure DM who is losing his legs needs to be complimented with additional signings / promotions that fit.
He is coming back to form. I think I agree with most of what you’re saying here. He is certainly very able to play DM to an elite level but he has to be fit and he has to be focused. At this stage of his career he needs competition for his place imo.I honestly don`t see a DM when i see him play. More like a regular box to box mid. He is very rash in his tackling and loves to bomb forward. Like he is enjoying himself a bit to much to care about the other boring parts of being a midfielder. Maybe a stretch to make comparisons to Pogba, but that is where my mind took it when watching the game yesterday. He is actually as good as any player when he goes forward imo. He is creative, has a good eye for a killer pass, he can shoot from distance, and he is great when running into the box. Just NOT the player i expected when we got him..We definitely need someone behind him that actually loves the other stuff.
Yeah, I don’t think he is 100% match fit but, also, I don’t think he is following his rules perfectly. That is true of most of the team and should improve with games.The incident in the first half when he just let Gibbs White run into the right channel while gently jogging back is an example of the frustrating moments. That and the constant lunging in, think he went to ground 4/5 times yesterday, won the ball once and was beaten and out of the game on the others. Focus not completely there on the defensive side of the game, he still has amazing moments of reading the game, teleporting to the perfect position to win or intercept a ball, still an elite tackler when he stands up.
Not really having a true playmaker alongside him, especially without Eriksen alongside him expands the requirements of his role too much. Given our defensive struggles and how wide open Utd are getting back to the basics of the role, at least for a period, could be valuable.
In 2000s we had a team full of experienced winnners with winning mentality who could show the youngsters the way forward. Fast forward to 2020’s and we didn’t. With buying Varane and Casimeiro you are not just buying good players you are buying high standards, wining mentality, experience and role models for those younger players. Both players are still outstanding. Casimeiro If he scores twice yesterday gets man of the match. He won’t miss a chance like that too often. His fitness and sharpness is coming back.The problem is these signings are championed so they will continue.
They're terrible and short-sighted. Our last successful team was based off of good young signings in the mid 2000s that lasted to the early 2010s. Van der Sar was the exception.
That’s where we missed out on Lavia, a young player we missed out on who could have became a great player here. We need to stop signing over 30 year olds who we have to replace in a few years time.He’s a fine player but the cracks in his defensive game are very apparent. He’s lunging in and getting caught out a lot not to mention failing to track runners. We need someone else to rotate with him and take over eventually. Maddison exposed him last weekend and I can see more of that this season. Hopefully once Mount and Mainoo integrate he’ll get more support.
In the short term he was a quality signing but in the long run a pure DM who is losing his legs needs to be complimented with additional signings / promotions that fit.
The problem is these signings are championed so they will continue.
They're terrible and short-sighted. Our last successful team was based off of good young signings in the mid 2000s that lasted to the early 2010s. Van der Sar was the exception.
It is okay to sign 30+ year olds as stopgaps. The issue is that his fee and wages are not on a 30+yo stopgap level.That’s where we missed out on Lavia, a young player we missed out on who could have became a great player here. We need to stop signing over 30 year olds who we have to replace in a few years time.
That’s where we missed out on Lavia, a young player we missed out on who could have became a great player here. We need to stop signing over 30 year olds who we have to replace in a few years time.
That lunge when he tried to stop Elanga on the wing wasn't pretty. He was way off and crazy to even attempt it. If he'd have connected with the player it would have been a red and he's out again for important games. He's becoming a risk. However I still want to see him on the team sheet as his overall contribution out on the pitch is paramount imho.
Yeah Lavia is a good prospect but no more at this stage, imo.I really don't get the fuss about Lavia.
Can see Chelsea selling him to Italy in a few years time.
All good points.He's a very good player. Just an aging one. But not actually old or lacking performance. If he went to a team like Bayern or City there wouldn't ever be a question about him. He can still do all the things he did at Madrid for my money.
What exposes him is a couple of things. We're not actually that good or structured, which creates a lot of gaps and ground to cover. Some of it simply isn't possible for one player. He also will have too much work to do over a season due to our deficient squad and that will catch up, and then people will blame him for a forseeable problem. He's a man not a machine.
The second thing is that we spent 60 million on him at that stage of his career and we're not actually ready to compete. Nobody is going to get excited about Casemiro "propelling" us to a top 4 position. When viewed through the lens that the likes of him and Varane are supposed to be players to win trophies, it will appear like he's underperforming. But he's not really, he is capable of doing a job at the required level but if the team is not at that same level it isn't happening. Then eventually he will age, probably that process is starting to begin, or it's on the cusp and then it looks kind of shortsighted and people will say we should have gone for younger. But we still do need to keep getting in the CL or we're stuffed, so least he helps provide the quality to do that.
I don’t think that is EtH’s plan. Mount was the right signing for the plan. The Plan might not work but we won’t know that for a while (months probably).You need a DM who is disciplined…and give licence to Casemiro to do box to box. I think Mount was probably the wrong signing and you should have got Amrabat instead.