... and then Hoijlund came on.
11
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 48
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 2
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Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
Every player gets tackled and occasionally have a loose touch. Having a better 9 and 10 next him would help him release the ball quicker and link up better. The good thing is he is improving game on game, especially in terms of physicality.
Should certainly play before Hojlund, but hardly anything worth mentioning. Looks like a crap finisher with questionable shooting ability.
In his current run he has been one of the worst if not the worst for losing the ball via being dispossessed or a loose touch going to an opponent. Particularly the game against Fulham with being dispossessed 10 times and 3 unsafe touches in 120 mins and yesterday's performance 2 and 5 in 75 mins. Its a him problem but its the same problem 19 year old Mainoo has however Mainoo also has more successful dribbles which explains why he's going for them. Zirkzee averages twice as many failed dribbled attempts as successful ones.
He played better against Sociedad because in the 2nd half he improved his passing accuracy, didnt give the ball away as much, put more effort into helping the team and won the ball a lot, got his shot on target which resulted in a goal. Against Arsenal he was mostly back to the same as previous games although obviously they are tougher competition than most of those games.
Garnacho is the other one who loses the ball a lot, but the difference is you want him to get the ball and run at players because thats where his successes come from and he constantly looks our most dangerous player doing it and its using his pace. He's also 20 not 23 so slightly more understandable if he gets it wrong. Against Arsenal he was dispossessed once with 0 unsafe touches which is one of the reasons he played well.
He's no goalscoring record or seemingly the mindset to score goals.
That's quite a fundamental basic he's lacking.
I say let's not waste time on a 50/50 project. Move him on in the summer if possible.
I dont think ive seen him take a shot, certainly dont remember anything of note.
Hes overtaken Hojlund as the starter for me though. After Hojlund didn't even shoot when he had that sitter, i dont want to see him come on before Chido Obi again either.
I don't think you are prepared for the next couple of seasons.
We're probably going to be limited to one premium signing and a few projects like Zirkzee/ Dorgu per season for the foreseeable..
We cant move him AND Hojlund on in the summer and i think Zirkzee is growing into our matches where as Hojlund is fading and getting worse.
He is surely improving and almost scored a cheeky goal. Its his first season at the club and playing under a dysfunctional team. I wouldn't judge yet.
There are projects and then there's a forward who doesn't have goals in him.
The latter can't be a thing at United.
Sane post. Ban incoming
And that's why he'll likely be repurposed as a 10 and then phased out if he doesn't develop or reach the required level (or opportunities to upgrade emerge in the market that make sense economically)
The trouble is we paid £37m for a 'project', and one its hard to see what he is really good at. We don't really have a need for a floating 10, also one who lacks physicality for the PL and cant even head the ball. He didn't suit ETH and he doesn't suit Amorim, who needs players that can link play but also drive into the box, either with the ball or to get on the end of crosses/ pull backs. You also need to press hard in that position, which he doesnt really do either. Zirkzee doesn't do any of these things.
For certain games I think he'll end up being quite useful but he's nothing more than a squad player. He lacks too much pace and an ability to dribble.
I actually really like him, he has a lot of unique skills, he is strong, holds up play very well and can see a pass quickly.
He should definitely be part of the squad next season but needs to work on his shooting but I think he is on of the few positives from this season.
He should definitely be part of the squad next season but needs to work on his shooting but I think he is on of the few positives from this season.
Needs to get a clearer picture of the passing lanes available to him to really be effective for us. But it can happen.
That left 10 with pace around him could be a killer when we're playing higher up the pitch
I like him. The kids a baller. The premier league is a war zone. The players are so strong and fit and fast even with the bottom teams and the pace is relentless. You could see when he first came in he was doing the right things but he was off the pace. The fact that he has managed to somewhat come to terms with the pace and physicality from when he started is a really good sign. He's not quite there yet but he's getting there. You can see even when he fks up what he was trying to do and its always positive he just doesn't quite pull it off. Which is different to Garnacho for instance where he is making the wrong decisions. He will never be a 20 goal striker but I can see him getting around 10 goals and 5-10 assists in a functional team. It all depends on how Amorim decides to build the team. If its suits Zirkzee with getting runners off him and players with a bit of technical skill to bounce balls off him then he could turn out to be a really good player for us.
They way he pushes the ball forward when he runs with the ball you would think he has some pace to burn.
He's winning on average 1 in 4 in the PL this season, 13th percentile for all forwards in the league despite being 6'4" which is woeful.
His general lack of intensity is a real issue overall and why I don't see this working at for him at OT. Plays every game like he's having a Sunday morning kick about in the park with his mates.
The first half he was losing to Saliba the second half he had more success against him. There was multiple occasions where he rolled him and was able to pass or dribble the ball forward. One thing is for certain Zirkzee has much better balance then Rasmus, Hojlund holds off his defender well but because he lack athleticism and agility he's never able to turn off his opponent.
I'm not a fan of football where the ball is played into the single centre forward but Zirkzee has proven to be effective at times with this approach. However United will still need to recruit an individual who's more suited to this style of play.
Course we can and we absolutely should. Maybe one of them just a loan out. How can we go into another season with two forwards who barely score? Asking for trouble.
He still needs to score goals as a 10.
And that's assuming he's got the other qualities a 10 needs, which he hasn't.
We all know it deep down. He's not good enough. There's no point delaying the inevitable if an opportunity to sell comes up this summer.
My thoughts are that he's probably not going to get to the level required to be a key starter in a United side that is challenging for the league, but we need time for squad development and replenishment so we need to find use of him.
Did you watch the Europa league game? He was pressing hard and tracking back helping out the team. He is the type of guy who links play, that’s his style. He’s the short type dribbling type where he beats a player and passes or if in the box shoot. You don’t sit Saliba twice and have no talent.
Now whether he’s good for the manager, that’s another thing. He’s in a new league playing for a really awful United team, there’s not many players shining here.
Exactly - Its a project. If you want quick fixes, you are in for a huge disappointment. we don't have the money or hierarchy willing to do that .
50/50 is what you can say for all of our signings-
He was never those things though. If you sign Zirkzee you are not signing a goal scorer, and he never will be.
Every club would have known this when looking to sign him last summer.
You say quick fix but I'd rephrase that as someone with the actual qualities we need. Even if those qualities need some patience to become consistent etc.
He simply doesn't have goals in him.
If that's the case signing him was a big error. We didn't score anywhere near enough goals last season so signing a forward who doesn't score goals shouldn't have happened.
Best thing to do? Admit the error and quickly move in.
There were very few options, especially that wouldn't limit our budget with other signings.
Besides, I'm sure the hope was that Højlund and Garnacho would kick on, and that Rashford would recover some of his form. That looks flawed now, but they had to work within the scope they existed at the time.
Also, at this point I'd argue the error was Højlund, not Zirkzee. He's starting to actually do what he was signed for. It's not his fault everyone else decided they can't score anymore, or wanted to leave the club.
Think he will be great in a 2 striker partnership with the other one being the poacher and he being the target man. Too bad not much teams prefer to use two strikers anymore nowadays.
Every club but ours.
Finances will likely dictate that Zirkzee is the one to go. Hojlund cost more and is at rock bottom right now, we cannot moved him on without taking a huge loss and both from a PSR and cashflow perspective that is simply a non starter for us right now. Zirkzee is not much better but he cost a lot less and still has admirers back in Serie A with Motta in particular making noises about wanting to bring him to Juve.
He is technically very good. Great control, seems to shield the ball well and make a pass sometimes but sometimes is easily disposed. Lacks pace and is very poor with his finishing ( goal vs RSO was straight at the keeper )
In an ideal world Id love to give him time to develop via some loans or bring him on as a sub when our other attackers are firing on all cylinders. But we need instant improvements now and I doubt he has the tools to make it in a strong and fast league like EPL. Seems to me like he would be a great fit for a spanish team in a AM role
In an ideal world Id love to give him time to develop via some loans or bring him on as a sub when our other attackers are firing on all cylinders. But we need instant improvements now and I doubt he has the tools to make it in a strong and fast league like EPL. Seems to me like he would be a great fit for a spanish team in a AM role
He wasn't signed to score 20+ goals. In his actual unveiling interview Zirkzee described himself as a 9 and half.
You should only be surprised he's not scoring more goals if you're one of those ignorant fans on here who didn't bother to do their research when he signed. I would have been happy with 10 goals, and he's on 6, despite his struggles and those of the team.
Which should have been the red flag to stop to the deal.
Personally, I don't really rate him, I can't see anywhere in this system he actually fits in.
His hold up play was poor, a bit frustrating really, it was like watching Rasmus. He was on the floor alot of the time.
Off the ball, he is poor as well, the intensity just isnt there. We should really look to sell him in the summer.
His hold up play was poor, a bit frustrating really, it was like watching Rasmus. He was on the floor alot of the time.
Off the ball, he is poor as well, the intensity just isnt there. We should really look to sell him in the summer.
I do like Zirkzee and his silky touches , but he is missing the sharpness to sprint into space during off-ball. That's really the key to score goals in modern games.
I still recalled C. Ronaldo first couple seasons that he obsessed with ball control and dribbling, and until season 06-07 he became the sprinting monster that allowed him constantly cutting through defense line during off-ball and he always can harvest 4-5 good shooting chances in a game and bang in 1-2 goals. There must be a woke moment for CR to really understand the game and make such transformation. I hope Zirkzee learn this sooner rather than later.
I still recalled C. Ronaldo first couple seasons that he obsessed with ball control and dribbling, and until season 06-07 he became the sprinting monster that allowed him constantly cutting through defense line during off-ball and he always can harvest 4-5 good shooting chances in a game and bang in 1-2 goals. There must be a woke moment for CR to really understand the game and make such transformation. I hope Zirkzee learn this sooner rather than later.
As I recall it he was obsessed with stepovers!
And did much better! Yes, he squandered opportunities, but he got to them, and before that held the ball well, whereas JZ threw it away all game.
I think they can both become good, but there’s no need to make Hojlund’s performance worse than it was - he did better than Zirkzee as Zirkzee has done better than Hojlund most season.
Excactly. He has to lie a bit deeper with Hojlund or Chido in front
Who will play up top? We wont get many bids for either players and who will we buy that wont want an absolute fortune on wages? Do we pool the money for them both into one player? What if he gets injured?
Thats the problem, the one who seems to be a bit better at the moment is likely to be the one sold.
Feels to me as though he needs a full summer camp with the team and that he has been playing catch-up in that regard since he got here. There's a likelihood after that that we see a refined version of the game he has, with tighter touches and a more assured execution within the confines that attackers are afforded in the PL.
Wouldn't be at all surprised if things clicked for him and we see him go up a few levels because of that.