The centre backs are all dumb as rocks and accidents waiting to happen & the full backs are dreadful going forward & have woeful positioning. None of them are good enough for a club looking to challenge for the league. None.
We need an entirely new defence
- Thread starter Schmeichel's Cartwheel
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The 2019 Summer Transfer window was an absolute disaster for our ambitions to be a decent team.
A ploddingly slow centre-back, who isn't a good defender, who thinks he's Baresi but in reality just stands on the ball for 10 seconds before playing a basic pass. He also has a fundamental flaw in his heading technique, as pointed out in his thread. Bottom 5% in the league, statistically, in terms of heading accuracy in his own half. Bottom 10% in headers at goal. The biggest issue is he dooms us to never, ever, ever being able to play a proper high line.
Secondly, a right-back who actively hates the ball - a pressing trigger for every team we play...who, again, isn't a good defender outside 1v1 situations and again dooms us to playing prehistoric football.
Oh, Dan James too.
A ploddingly slow centre-back, who isn't a good defender, who thinks he's Baresi but in reality just stands on the ball for 10 seconds before playing a basic pass. He also has a fundamental flaw in his heading technique, as pointed out in his thread. Bottom 5% in the league, statistically, in terms of heading accuracy in his own half. Bottom 10% in headers at goal. The biggest issue is he dooms us to never, ever, ever being able to play a proper high line.
Secondly, a right-back who actively hates the ball - a pressing trigger for every team we play...who, again, isn't a good defender outside 1v1 situations and again dooms us to playing prehistoric football.
Oh, Dan James too.
It’s criminal we haven’t signed a CB this window. 
The “British core” approach really wasn’t the best plan in hindsight was it. Thankfully the Longstaff deal didn’t happen & we abandoned that philosophy after 1 window
I’d actually say the best of the bunch is Shaw, and it looks as though we’ve signed another LB!
AWB and Telles are hopefully good enough. Maguire is not. I won't even mention the rest, they are not footballers.
We need a new one but we can't have Ole buying it can we?
He's just spent 130m on Maguire and AWB and they're playing horrifically.
He's just spent 130m on Maguire and AWB and they're playing horrifically.
If you're a shit player or in horrific form....
Why bring on trouble yourself? Suicidal football from Maguire and Bailly.
Only Telles and AWB deserve to start and one hasn't even signed a contract yet.
Why bring on trouble yourself? Suicidal football from Maguire and Bailly.
Only Telles and AWB deserve to start and one hasn't even signed a contract yet.
His positioning today has been absolutely atrocious. But yes, he probably is the best, which is sad because he isn’t good enough either.
You’re being very kind to AWB here. Very old fashioned defensive limited right back.
New CBs definitely. I'm ok with our options at fullback.
May as well get a new manager given this one has spent 130 million on the defense before the Telles signing?
Get the feeling even with VVD and Laporte we wouldn’t do much better. It ruins deeper than just personnel.
Yeah great coverage on the fifth goal. Great idea to run around in the centre defence not covering anyone and leaving the wing open. Great defending and communicating
In before the delusional ones that can't accept facts blame the fans for "moaning" and being grumpy. Been saying this for a while, this thing formed by Glazers and Woodward that they call a team is a joke.
It started with giving Dave a huge contract
Agreed. Signing young players is great and an improvement but if their British, they'll basically cost double. Maguire isn't worth 50 million nevermind 90.
Three completely unpressured headers for Maguire this half - all three given up possession.
I'm really surprised pundits haven't picked up on it. It's a glaring, and really weird, flaw.
I'm really surprised pundits haven't picked up on it. It's a glaring, and really weird, flaw.
What do you think about our defence in 2011 then? The one we beat Arsenal 8-2
“Do you understand how much money £5m is? Do you know hoe difficult it is to sign players? Covid has hurt us” etc etc all the Glazer sympathisers make me sick.
Rubbish post and misread mine.
What is up with Luke Shaws positioning? Why is he playing inside in LCB for two of the last goals?
I agree but that's fine. Reguilon or Telles on the other side would've worked. Atleast we now have Telles.
He and Rashford can push on the left to create and AWB can be a RB and at times RCB covering space.
The final piece of the puzzle is an inverted winger ie Sancho/Di Maria/Robben type player to play on the right wing.
People have been criticising Fulham with good reason, Utd's defence is no better.
In all honesty, this is a defence that would be relegation candidates if they played for a team outside the top 10 sides.
In all honesty, this is a defence that would be relegation candidates if they played for a team outside the top 10 sides.
He is already planning for the LCB role once Telles comes in. Smart
Because he's having to cover Haribo Maguire's fat arse
It's always lame to go down this route. You have to sign quality footballers who fit in a system. I like AWB but given we are a team that has 60 per cent of the ball on most matchdays does that fit in with our system? If so then what's wrong with Smalling over any of our CBs given he's our best defender at that defending thing. And then Maguire for 80 million. He only cost that because he's a English lion heart. Did Ole not realise he's paying an enormous sum of money that will impact future summer spending? And if so it should have absolutely been a huge signing for our defence. But it wasn't, becuase it's his Englishness that resulted in the fee, not his quality.
The overall quality of centre backs has dropped massively as a whole. If Maguire was playing 15 years ago he would’ve been captain of Blackburn or Bolton. He wouldn’t sniff a top 4 club.
We need to replace pogba/Matic
Our players look like they’re running though sand.
Are we actually going to give Ole another 150 million to spend on our defence given we apparently need to replace the current one and he spend 130 million on it sometime back? Madness.
We don’t - these defenders might not be world class but they’re not as bad as they’re being made too look
Tactically we’re all over the place. The defenders are exposed time and time again
Tactically we’re all over the place. The defenders are exposed time and time again
I think it's easier to change the manager.
The individual players are shit. But the entire unit is also terribly coached. Or rather, obviously not coached at all. Not drilled at all.
We know we're up against Aurier today. We know what he does in this system. But we still have Maguire running around stepping out of position to follow Kane, and Shaw coming in narrow to cover his position.
Shaw is also frequently stepping out to follow Moura/Lamela.
Why are they both doing this against Aurier? Why has no one told them not to? Why are they still doing it at 5-1 fecking down?
The coaches are morons and the players are morons.
We know we're up against Aurier today. We know what he does in this system. But we still have Maguire running around stepping out of position to follow Kane, and Shaw coming in narrow to cover his position.
Shaw is also frequently stepping out to follow Moura/Lamela.
Why are they both doing this against Aurier? Why has no one told them not to? Why are they still doing it at 5-1 fecking down?
The coaches are morons and the players are morons.
We don’t need a new defence, we need a manager and coaches to do their job and not send good players out on the pitch set up like that.
Ole has to go. Quickest and best fix
Ole has to go. Quickest and best fix
Absolutely. But with it, they may actually give it to Giggsey
Until we bring in a director of football we will always going to waste more money on players that isn't good enough for our aspirations.
We need a new owner, new DOF, new manager & new defence. So just a few changes nothing major
Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly.
I have had enough of supporting anyone of them.
All of them are crap. Feck off you all.
I have had enough of supporting anyone of them.
All of them are crap. Feck off you all.