Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The more I watch him the more I realise his world class tackling comes about because of his amateur level positioning.

If he was to have the positioning of a proper defender he probably wouldn’t need to make 60% of the tackles he makes, so his heroic last ditch gangly leg tackles distract you from the reason he’s doing that in the first place.

I’m itching to see us get some competition for this lad or have Laird get a chance because I genuinely cannot see a successful united team with AWB init.

He was not in the right mood at the beginning today. But, he grew into the game gradually. He did very well since then.
The best thing is that over the last few games the teammates start showing more trust on him in attacking play. In the past, most just simply ignore him even when he is in a really good position with the space to attack.

VeevaVee said:

He's very dopey. Caught out of position multiple times again, seemed a bit clueless in attack (that one-two springs to mind), and played them on for the goal. It really wasn't as fine a performance as people would like to make out.

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It made worse that he had Greenwood on RW. Greenwood wasn't strong enough defensively to help AWB, and AWB wasn't able to help Greenwood much offensively. It's a mismatch.


ALthough since we won the game, I'd look into positive things. I like that AWB at least varied his attack, and he always tried to make himself available for passes. His energy level was really good.

After his initial mistakes, which didn't help as they made the backline nervous to start with, he grew into the game and sent in some good crosses. I was impressed with his attacking play and he actually made a few good overlapping runs where Greenwood could've passed to him. Incidentally, Greenwood just ignored him, turned, and passed it inside each time.

kundalini said:

Terrible first 5 mins, gifting Fulham the ball leading to a shot from distance that was saved by De Gea and then managing to play Lookman onside for their goal. After that, I thought he was decent, retained possession reasonably well, put in a few crosses, one of which Martial should have done better. Blocked a shot from a tight angle late on.

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The problem with that block late on is that he's the one who let Lookman go in the first place. He was able to make up for it and get the block in but on another day he doesn't. He needs to pick up that runner sooner. It should have been a lot easier to defend then he made it...

I like AWB because when he's playing I enjoy watching us defend as well as watching us attack.

Whenever I open this thread I feel like I'm reading about a different player. Thought he was good and you can see how he's improving and gaining confidence all the time. He also just shut down one of the best wingers in the world 4 days ago so maybe we can cut him some slack.

Looks and plays like a fish.

He's getting ballsier in attack.

He looks physically drained to me. We really should have kept Dalot to have someone to rotate with him.

But in the long run we really need to buy another good RB to provide some competition.

His post-match after the Villa game was enough for me to see he’s a little. . . unhurried.

I don’t get it with him, versus a direct opponent he’s colossal but his off ball positioning is nothing short of sh*te.

I hope Laird fairs well at the Dons.

VivaObertan said:

Whenever I open this thread I feel like I'm reading about a different player. Thought he was good and you can see how he's improving and gaining confidence all the time. He also just shut down one of the best wingers in the world 4 days ago so maybe we can cut him some slack.

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Just another thread where the majority of posters seem to have decided what he is, what he can do and how he performed before the kick off.

He made a mistake for the goal and a poor pass before that, other than that he did well down the right. So not good overall but worked hard to make up for his mistake

SadlerMUFC said:

The problem with that block late on is that he's the one who let Lookman go in the first place. He was able to make up for it and get the block in but on another day he doesn't. He needs to pick up that runner sooner. It should have been a lot easier to defend then he made it...

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You're right. Most parts of his defending are brilliant and he's improving greatly his attacking work and his press resistance but tonight he showed his biggest flaw again and again. He nods off and gets caught out by movement off the ball. He's young though and if he cuts out this part of his game and keeps improving on the ball and going forward he can be a great defender.

Think he would really benefit from some competition on that side but won't be happening in January

Ekeke said:

Just another thread where the majority of posters seem to have decided what he is, what he can do and how he performed before the kick off.

He made a mistake for the goal and a poor pass before that, other than that he did well down the right. So not good overall but worked hard to make up for his mistake

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This. He was fine and it was not only him that fecked up for their goal.

The CBs are the ones responsible for defending the middle and they were high up and left a massive gaping hole in the middle

VivaObertan said:

Whenever I open this thread I feel like I'm reading about a different player. Thought he was good and you can see how he's improving and gaining confidence all the time. He also just shut down one of the best wingers in the world 4 days ago so maybe we can cut him some slack.

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Yeah me too (see below), I thought he had a really good game last night and even his attacking play was better, a couple of fantastic crosses.

parkthebuslads said:

Looks and plays like a fish.

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Is this a serious post?

croadyman said:

Think he would really benefit from some competition on that side but won't be happening in January

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I would like to have more options in that position, but that makes it sound like he's not trying. Lack of competition isn't the problem. He is trying and works harder than just about anyone out there. He just doesn't see the play build up around him. If his off the ball marking was half as good as his 1 v 1 tackling he'd be amazing...

Bobcat said:

This. He was fine and it was not only him that fecked up for their goal.

The CBs are the ones responsible for defending the middle and they were high up and left a massive gaping hole in the middle

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They left a hole behind them. A hole that shouldn't matter because your FB's should never be behind you

SadlerMUFC said:

They left a hole behind them. A hole that shouldn't matter because your FB's should never be behind you

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He was slightly behind Baily, but Maguire and Baily was about 25 yards apart and high up. It was that gap they used so yeah. CBs fecked up too

Bobcat said:

He was slightly behind Baily, but Maguire and Baily was about 25 yards apart and high up. It was that gap they used so yeah. CBs fecked up too

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CBs fecked up because the opposition was played onside by the RB.
The RB is the one that caused the issues by being so deep, again, despite it not being his side. The big problem is AWB has pace to recover (as we saw in the second half with some more bad initial positioning) but he has no reason to be as deep as he was against his player.

If hes not, the narrative is then the defence held a great line (which in truth they did except for him, and its his fault as he can see across the line to match his CBs).

Thought he was much better second half, and grew into the game. But its dangerous when you have to do that having already made mistakes and hoping others bail you out. I do think he needs a rest but we really dont have anybody that can play there naturally.

Had a shaky start but gradually grew into the game, and had a few really good defensive moments in the second half.

Originally, I was fuming at AWB for the first goal, but Bailly and Maguire were clearly at fault for that goal, I don't know what they were doing. AWB could have pushed up, but I think he's right in assuming Bailly would drop deep and follow the run of Lookman, which he should have done.

AWB is having problems defensively and attacking.

Many have pointed out that he has to make challenges because his positioning is poor. So Many times he is either playing players on side in comparison to the rest of the team or he is not in line for runners behind. He is so frustrating to watch.

Going forward, he is even more frustrating, always does the same thing, go towards the touchline and get off balance, so many times there is a simple ball to better players and ignores them. His crossing ability is one of the worst in the PL.

I think we should cash in on him during the summer while he still holds some value.
Of all Ole's signings, this is the one I was against from the start. The Crystal Palace side he was signed from did nothing but defend with 11 men behind the ball in most games. Playing that archaic style of football, What could the scouts possibly have seen in him to think he was ready to play for a world class club.
He may be a brilliant slide tackler but I've said this before. World class defenders very rarely need to go to ground to win the ball. The fact he does it so often is a negative in my book.

Against the vast majority of sides we come up against we need to attack and control the game. He's far too much of a weak link in that aspect. 50m was daylight robbery.

He's a defensive full-back, so what?

I'd understand if we signed him to get 15 assists and 5 goals, but we didn't. We were notoriously weak on that right back spot. Valencia lost his legs, Young played there and lost his legs, Dalot never got rhythm and sustained form there and wasn't fancied long term, we had an obvious gap to plug and we did. We are better defensively by a mile, with him in the team than before he signed.

Too many caf posters are offended because he isn't a flying wingback which is on trend right now with certain clubs. Wake up to the fact we play with a different style. We attack down our left, we're amongst the best in the league at attacking down the left. We also attack through the middle, with Bruno, and Pogba.

Not all clubs are required to have two flying fullbacks. He's doing his job defensively, he's learning to attack, he has assisted a few times, he has scored, but its not his a-game. His a-game is defending very well. I really don't see the issue.

For all of the usual criticism on here from last nights game, he still makes a world class match winning block on DDG's near post. Not many defenders are switched on to that in the late stages of the game, he was switched on, he got no praise for that block. Bailly was crowned a king on the Caf for making the same type of block v's Burnley.

I'm quite enjoying watching his development whilst ignoring the usual negativity in here

Lassitude42 said:

I'm quite enjoying watching his development whilst ignoring the usual negativity in here

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Same. He is no where near perfect version of himself but I enjoy watching him develop and he needs that experienced competition to compete with him. The Telles or Trippier.

His crossing is getting better than Shaw's did at the same age. It took Shaw 5 years average for him to cross as well as he does now. Hopefully Wan Bissaka can learn about attacking and defensive positioning and feel a little less anxious at what he does all over.

The guy is great vs Villa.
The guy shuts down Neto from Wolves who the Caf adores.
The guy shuts down Mane.

That's just off the top of my head last 5 games or something

People act like this guy is not useful player and people act like he is constantly being carried by the rest of the team for a club that sits at the top of the league. Pure madness.

Bebestation said:

Same. He is no where near perfect version of himself but I enjoy watching him develop and he needs that experienced competition to compete with him. The Telles or Trippier.

His crossing is getting better than Shaw's did at the same age. It took Shaw 5 years average for him to cross as well as he does now. Hopefully Wan Bissaka can learn about attacking and defensive positioning and feel a little less anxious at what he does all over.

The guy is great vs Villa.
The guy shuts down Neto from Wolves who the Caf adores.
The guy shuts down Mane.

That's just off the top of my head last 5 games or something

People act like this guy is not useful player and people act like he is constantly being carried by the rest of the team for a club that sits at the top of the league. Pure madness.

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Pretty much. He’s doing well, although he had a poor start last night.

He is trying to improve his attacking output and it’s an area that is only going to improve. We need an alternative, absolutely, but he’s a great player to have around the squad.

Lassitude42 said:

I'm quite enjoying watching his development whilst ignoring the usual negativity in here

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I thought he had a good game going forward yesterday. He put in some good crosses. Yes there is areas to improve on but I thought did well.

Jonno said:

He's a defensive full-back, so what?

I'd understand if we signed him to get 15 assists and 5 goals, but we didn't. We were notoriously weak on that right back spot. Valencia lost his legs, Young played there and lost his legs, Dalot never got rhythm and sustained form there and wasn't fancied long term, we had an obvious gap to plug and we did. We are better defensively by a mile, with him in the team than before he signed.

Too many caf posters are offended because he isn't a flying wingback which is on trend right now with certain clubs. Wake up to the fact we play with a different style. We attack down our left, we're amongst the best in the league at attacking down the left. We also attack through the middle, with Bruno, and Pogba.

Not all clubs are required to have two flying fullbacks. He's doing his job defensively, he's learning to attack, he has assisted a few times, he has scored, but its not his a-game. His a-game is defending very well. I really don't see the issue.

For all of the usual criticism on here from last nights game, he still makes a world class match winning block on DDG's near post. Not many defenders are switched on to that in the late stages of the game, he was switched on, he got no praise for that block. Bailly was crowned a king on the Caf for making the same type of block v's Burnley.

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I get a little bit provoked by this post because it's so simple-minded. We don't criticize him because he doesn't score or assist enough (although that's, of course, a problem, but with him, unfortunately, he has bigger issues). The problem is that he's poor with the ball and he's a poor passer, which affects the whole play. He always needs an extra touch, he is always a little bit slower, he's always a little bit late. Regarding his defensive side. He's a great tackler, and no one doubts that. However, if you again look at the bigger picture, he isn't great all the time. His positional play is pretty poor, and a lot of teams have started to target him with crosses on the far post because he stays too close to his CB. The man doesn't even know the basics of defending. Yesterday was not the first time he stayed further back than the others so the Fulham player was onside. He can't head the ball (always straight up in the air) and made an excellent assist against City, unfortunately for Fernandinho... He's also lazy. Joggs back too often. So in summary: he's poor with the ball, he's poor in the air, he doesn't score or assist, he barely overlaps (which is another issue because Greenwood constantly needs to beat two men to even get a cross in), he can't shoot, he can't pass, his touch is awful, he isn't calm, his positional play is underwhelming. BUT he can tackle and is good 1vs1 in defense. But that's not enough, and it never will be. I've said this from day one, and he hasn't improved significantly after nearly two years. And he won't improve enough either. You can quote me on that in the future. He's not good enough. But mostly, I don't want to see such a limited player at Manchester United. He doesn't belong here. He belongs at Crystal Palace. Nothing against him, it's just the truth.

Red00012 said:

Fred for LB
Mc Sauce for CB

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Lindelof for defensive midfielder
Lingard for box to box midfielder
Lukaku for right wing...oh, wait

Needs come proper competition for his spot.

Look at what it's done to Shaw this season having a rival to play LB.

He is a Championship player at times. Absolutely awful in every aspect of the game. His tackling looks nice, but he overdoes it and they dont save you when you can't play offside.

He is overplayed for sure at the moment, we still overpaid massively for him. Too many weaknesses. Crystal Palace was his true level and he hasnt kicked on so far.

Will look better when we have a proper right sided forward player.

izec said:

He is a Championship player at times. Absolutely awful in every aspect of the game. His tackling looks nice, but he overdoes it and they dont save you when you can't play offside.

He is overplayed for sure at the moment, we still overpaid massively for him. Too many weaknesses. Crystal Palace was his true level and he hasnt kicked on so far.

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Championship player that keeps so many world class or young potential top talent LW'S quiet.

Bullshit.

He will get better man, where is your patience?

Just because your son isn't a doctor by the age of 4 doesn't mean you chuck him out on to the streets.

He is hardly a flop the way people talk about him.

Litch said:

Will look better when we have a proper right sided forward player.

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And that player will look better once he has a proper right back supporting him.

Even Sancho can't be expected to beat two players every time he wants to get a cross in, and if he tries to people will moan about him not being able to beat a man, they'll think he's selfish and think that he should play it safer instead of dribbling and being dispossessed all the time. And then they'll criticise him for not trying anything other than turning inside and passing it short.

I like him , he can do better but he is not a bad as people here make him to be.

No doubt his defending needs work and at times he just shuts off, jogs back or just lets people run but going forward felt kind of sorry for him yesterday. Was left with absolutely no options whatsoever at times. There were times he had to stop his run and he was looking for an option and no one was dropping in to the hole so he could pass it to them. Cavani, Bruno and Greenwood all sitting on the shoulder of the defenders and Bissaka had no chance of playing any of them in. Just needed one of them to drop out and give him the option ie Bruno.

At some point this team is all going to know it’s roles and where they need to go and be and it’s going to be glorious. Bissaka also the best tackle dribbler in the world never seen anything like it. How do you tackle and dribble at the same time.