I agree, though I feel like we've been saying this about every right back for several years now. All that investment and we've not bought an actual right winger since Antonio Valencia.
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This is actually ridiculous
He's never going to be the all dominating, prime Evra style, full back. That was clear before we signed him.
Unless we sign a very good right winger, he'll ultimately fail to fulfil expectations because he's just not that player.
Unless we sign a very good right winger, he'll ultimately fail to fulfil expectations because he's just not that player.
If you have someone like Sancho ahead of him there wouldn't be any issues. Hell you could even instruct Sancho to stay forward with fullback like Aaron behind him. But as it stand we have no rw. We should have gambled on Ziyech.
A good solid fullback should be paired with a good winger.
As others have stated, we don't have one of those and haven't for a very long time. That in itself highlights the inefficiencies in AWB's game.
He is great at what he does, and that's how he should be utilised...but relying on him as an attacking outlet in every game will only serve as a method to make both him and the whole team look poor on occasion.
As others have stated, we don't have one of those and haven't for a very long time. That in itself highlights the inefficiencies in AWB's game.
He is great at what he does, and that's how he should be utilised...but relying on him as an attacking outlet in every game will only serve as a method to make both him and the whole team look poor on occasion.
Another player set up to fail with his inabilities on show for all to see.
This team is becoming a bigger joke than it already was.
This team is becoming a bigger joke than it already was.
Yes and to an extent I have sympathy with people who are tired of being cautioned not to judge certain players/attributes because of the dysfunction around them. For me the truth is we have some players starting important matches who are downright not good enough to do so, we have good players being made to look more deficient than they actually are and little else besides. AWB is firmly in the latter category as far as I'm concerned but the separation of the wheat from the chaff is a painful and complicated experience; as the likes of Blind, Herrera and even Smalling are actually wanted elsewhere while no-one with any sense is going to pay silly money and wages to take a Darmian or a Matic off our hands.
Attacking is part of coaching and tactics. We have a manager who is not very good at them.
Klopp is a great coach who improves players - he is greatly responsible for the kind of player Arnold is. AWB can improve under the right guidance.
There was a moment yesterday with Ham on the break where I thought it was impossible he’d getto the player with the ball and I started watching what James was doing in the centre and somehow Bissaka had managed to stop the ball coming in. No idea how he did it.
AWB is easily good enough for now. He's very young and already arguably the best defensive RB in the league - if over the next few years he can improve his attacking game more steadily he'll be a world beater. Also - there is no RW so he's kind of screwed from kick off as it stands given their LB will generally be free once Pereira or Mata inevitably drifts inside to do next to nothing.
It doesn't help that the right wing is non-existent. It's as if he is playing the flank by himself at times.
Would be the best RB in the world if he could cross a ball. He had many opportunities yesterday but none of them found a United player at all. I suppose he could improve on that though, Gary Neville couldn’t cross a ball until he was 26-27 and he learnt to do it
We have Shaw who is similar to AWB, sounds defensively but lack in attacking. We have many left forwards and now left winger. But still Shaw's inability to provide attacking input is blatantly hindering our attacking play.
So I'm not sure how it wouldn't happen to AWB also if we get right winger/wide forward.
Also if you see Ronaldo - Marcelo, Mane-Robertson, or Salah-TAA combo, it is actually more complimentary to have attacking FB on their side for greater effect.
Could be, I wouldn't rule it out. But I'm keen to at least give him the chance to show us his offensive qualities, and indeed to develop that part of his game as he's still young, in a functioning team rather than bagging one of our undisputed good players as the wrong kind of fullback for us at the age of 21.
There is also Walker who literally does nothing in terms of assists but occupy the centre space. It's not always about the attacking output. Different coaches can have different styles. If we can get a competent coach in , well we can hope .
Agreed. Makes you wonder why Ole broke a world record for AWB if he doesn't fit Ole's style though.
Don’t know why his performance thread is being bump up unless it’s for praise. He’s really the least of our problems in the team right now along with James
Exactly it's mind boggling. The caf has decreed that at 21 AWB is the finished article and is poor going forward.
I would say he is the player I worry least about in our whole starting XI
People love to moan about everything. What is the point of our FB's attacking when we dont have a freaking striker to get to the end of the crosses or passes!
This is what I hate about it. He's supremely talented as a defender, but lacking going forward, yet is getting hung out to dry and being asked to cover the whole wing. It will destroy his confidence.
As has been mentioned, he needs a RW infront of him. Didn't look half as bad offensively as he does now when he had James in front of him at the start of the season. Mata/Pereira drifting in side leaves him plenty of room going forward but he has no convinction or dribbling skills. His crosses are just punt it in and hope for the best.
AWB is an amazing defender. He is near unbeatable 1v1. Every match, i see the opponent on a dangerous counter and in comes AWB to dig us out yet again. I couldn't be more impressed by him.
We have known for years how neglected the RW has been for us. It's unfair to expect one player to control the whole of the right hand side himself. Stick a proper RW in front of him and let him do his job properly. I'm not concerned one bit about his attacking play. He is more than capable of providing attacking support for us.
We have known for years how neglected the RW has been for us. It's unfair to expect one player to control the whole of the right hand side himself. Stick a proper RW in front of him and let him do his job properly. I'm not concerned one bit about his attacking play. He is more than capable of providing attacking support for us.
Full backs are the least important position in a football team. For 50 million fullback he is right now too limited
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Becks could be on our right wing and find it impossible to target anyone from his crossing. Aiming for Mata against several defenders is only ever going to end one way.
Our players are in hiding, no one is making runs. Sooner Pogba is back the better.
Not to mention the zero instincts of our forwards. Nobody actually ever makes runs like Martial did in the opening game when Pereira whipped one cross in.
He's an absolute beast in defence, able to tackle pretty much everything from global warming to world hunger and I absolutely love the fact that players can't go past him that easily, but his offensive contribution leaves a lot to he desired. He either over hits the cross or just slams it in the oppo's shin 'a la Valencia' style. Though I do agree with the notion that it would probably be somewhat different if we had a proper RW in front of him.
Let’s put comparisons with TAA aside for now. TAA is not only arguably the best attacking RB in the EPL but possibly in Europe and was Liverpool’s most creative force with 12 assists last season.
Comparisons with AWB is like chalk and cheese atm, AWB mentality last season in a side fighting relegation was pure defence where he had the 3rd best tackling stats in the league. TAA was part of a well oiled machine and system that worked almost perfectly (which helps that everyone knows their place in the side )
Unfortunately AWB has moved from one barely functioning team to another barely functioning team(where it seems like nobody has a clue what to do ) and defence mode is still top priority( he has the most tackles in the EPL at the moment)
In the premier league this is all he knows as it has been from one struggle to another. It would be interesting if TAA & AWB swapped teams as even though TAA would still be more the attacking threat between the two but in a struggling side his defensive deficiencies would come more into focus.
It is likely UTD’s fortunes this season will determine if AWB will be allowed to flourish more as a attacking RB or stick on defence mode as it is at the momient.
We shall see
Comparisons with AWB is like chalk and cheese atm, AWB mentality last season in a side fighting relegation was pure defence where he had the 3rd best tackling stats in the league. TAA was part of a well oiled machine and system that worked almost perfectly (which helps that everyone knows their place in the side )
Unfortunately AWB has moved from one barely functioning team to another barely functioning team(where it seems like nobody has a clue what to do ) and defence mode is still top priority( he has the most tackles in the EPL at the moment)
In the premier league this is all he knows as it has been from one struggle to another. It would be interesting if TAA & AWB swapped teams as even though TAA would still be more the attacking threat between the two but in a struggling side his defensive deficiencies would come more into focus.
It is likely UTD’s fortunes this season will determine if AWB will be allowed to flourish more as a attacking RB or stick on defence mode as it is at the momient.
We shall see
Why can't we play with inverted full back? A new role was introduced by Pep.
A full back who moves infield during the game to cover the midfield area & push the midfield to go forward. This will suit Pogba & McTomminay and also our full backs who doesn't offer much in attack. In fact, this will suit Bissaka's style so much.
A full back who moves infield during the game to cover the midfield area & push the midfield to go forward. This will suit Pogba & McTomminay and also our full backs who doesn't offer much in attack. In fact, this will suit Bissaka's style so much.
TAA is a much better defender than he is given credit for. Obviously he isn't as good as AWB but he is very good.
Where's the width coming from then?
Would be an awful idea to spend £100m+ on Sancho and then play him as a classical outside winger.RW, only problem is that there isn’t one
Sancho next year?
The problem with saying the solution to width is a 'winger' is that there aren't many players of that style being produced. Most players who play off-wide are more comfortable attacking the box, than they are attacking the full back and whipping in a cross. The games moved on and clubs aren't developing young attackers to play that way. That skillset is now developed in the full backs instead.
We are not really pushing him as classic winger. Pep does with Sterling and Sane . He has his FBs comes centrally and leave the winger or inside forward go against opposition FBs. Again Pep is a different league so whether we can do the same is a different topic altogether
James & whoever playing on the right.
He has to develop more and quicker to be a proper right back at club like Manutd. Right now he is not offering much in attack. He seems to be marginally ok defensively. However we don't want another Damian.
Ha. Good one.
He is a beast defensively.
Honeymoon i over. 
From having a RW. Inside forward, winger, right midfielder - whatever you want to call it and however the player plays, simply by having an attacking player who can a)take people on and b)carries a goal threat is something we haven't had since Nani. You don't need to play hugging both touchlines to have width, you just need to exploit space and currently, with the PL transitioning to many more teams using their FB's as WB's there's so much space in behind most opposition defences that we can exploit - particularly because we are so reliant on the counter attack.
AWB plus a top level RW would be excellent
Totally agree. This kid is gold.
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