[wub1234]

One thing is obvious to me. Sanchez has made an absolutely terrible footballing decision. If he'd gone to City then he would by now have won the league for the first time and also the League Cup, and be playing in a much better team. It really should have raised alarm bells when he moved to United over City, as there was absolutely no logical reason to do this whatsoever other than money. Particularly as he could clearly have stayed at Arsenal, where he was loved and had been one of the best players in the division. His sole reason for leaving Arsenal was to go to a bigger, better club and compete for the highest honours, so to then turn his back on City was a dreadful decision.

You have to wonder whether, rather than losing his pace and going over the hill, he's just lacking motivation, playing in a relatively unimpressive side that scores less goals than Arsenal and certainly doesn't play to his strengths, and just isn't putting in a shift the way that he did in the past as he now knows that he's made completely the wrong move. He could be a temperamental player at Arsenal, and could be guilty of haemorrhaging possession, but he always showed for the ball, he always ran at defenders, he always closed people down, he was always a goal threat.

He does none, and is none, of those things currently. Even his performances for Arsenal this season, when he clearly wanted to move, were better. Why? I would conclude that he is largely disillusioned by the team he's playing in, and the manager he's playing under, and is probably also demotivated by the massively disproportionate salary that he's getting, and is just going through the motions.

 

[Jazz]

Whoever is identifying these players for us needs to fecking be fired straight away.

I think that would be Jose
I don't believe he listens to our scouting department to be honest. Just does his own thing.

 

[SpyLuke10]

One thing is obvious to me. Sanchez has made an absolutely terrible footballing decision. If he'd gone to City then he would by now have won the league for the first time and also the League Cup, and be playing in a much better team. It really should have raised alarm bells when he moved to United over City, as there was absolutely no logical reason to do this whatsoever other than money. Particularly as he could clearly have stayed at Arsenal, where he was loved and had been one of the best players in the division. His sole reason for leaving Arsenal was to go to a bigger, better club and compete for the highest honours, so to then turn his back on City was a dreadful decision.

You have to wonder whether, rather than losing his pace and going over the hill, he's just lacking motivation, playing in a relatively unimpressive side that scores less goals than Arsenal and certainly doesn't play to his strengths, and just isn't putting in a shift the way that he did in the past as he now knows that he's made completely the wrong move. He could be a temperamental player at Arsenal, and could be guilty of haemorrhaging possession, but he always showed for the ball, he always ran at defenders, he always closed people down, he was always a goal threat.

He does none, and is none, of those things currently. Even his performances for Arsenal this season, when he clearly wanted to move, were better. Why? I would conclude that he is largely disillusioned by the team he's playing in, and the manager he's playing under, and is probably also demotivated by the massively disproportionate salary that he's getting, and is just going through the motions.

One thing is obvious to me. Sanchez has lost a yard of pace and he is not the same player he was at Arsenal. Even for Arsenal this season he was relatively shit and the warning signs were already there. People always try to find these daft reasons to excuse poor form like "his head isn't in it anymore, he has been poor cos he wants to leave", and it frustrates me that its often almost like not even considered that maybe the player has actually dropped off. Maybe he isn't playing worse because he wants to leave. Maybe he has actually lost a yard of pace. Maybe Sanchez 2017/18 is the equivalent of Rooney 2014/15 (the steepest decline for Wayne Rooney, imo). This should always be a consideration when signing players aged 27+ who have been poor recently.

At City he wouldn't be 1st choice, Sane would start ahead of him, so I still believe that for Sanchez did make the right choice coming to United (but United made the wrongest of wrong choices signing him). Getting paid more is just a bonus. Sane is a better player than Sanchez nowadays.

You make some valid points though, United definitely doesn't play to his strengths as it stands. We are also relatively unimpressive offensively. Although, from what I've heard from Arsenal fans this season, he wasn't playing like this this season: "he always closed people down, he was always a goal threat".

 

[Ahsan_6386]

He has been so underwhelming and shocking except for one half against City and a little against Spurs . He has lost quite some speed and his decision making is so out of place . He seems to play on a different field with all fancy flicks and ambitious through balls all of which end up at the feet of opposition . He has affected our team play a lot and in a way stopped Rashford and Martial's development by permanently occupying the left flank . He keeps running inside onto Pogba's position and offers no width . If it wasn't for his name and salary I doubt he would be starting so many games for us . He has completely ruined our team's chemistry . I hope he works hard on his fitness in the summer and plays better next season .

 

[wub1234]

One thing is obvious to me. Sanchez has lost a yard of pace and he is not the same player he was at Arsenal. Even for Arsenal this season he was relatively shit and the warning signs were already there. People always try to find these daft reasons to excuse poor form like "his head isn't in it anymore, he has been poor cos he wants to leave", and it frustrates me that its often almost like not even considered that maybe the player has actually dropped off. Maybe he isn't playing worse because he wants to leave. Maybe he has actually lost a yard of pace. Maybe Sanchez 2017/18 is the equivalent of Rooney 2014/15 (the steepest decline for Wayne Rooney, imo). This should always be a consideration when signing players aged 27+ who have been poor recently.

It's definitely possible that he has lost some pace and is a little over the hill, obviously it happens to all players eventually. But even playing in a struggling Arsenal side, when he wanted to leave, he scored 8 in 21 appearances this season. He's scored 3 in 18 for United, and one of those was a rebound from a missed penalty. I mean, clearly this is the worst that he's played in England.

Certainly Sane looks a better player than Sanchez at the moment, but Mkhitaryan looks as good as Sanchez currently! That seemed impossible a few months ago. Possibly Sanchez has declined and is a worse player, but I'm not so sure. All attacking players seem to look steadily worse and worse under Mourinho. We will never know how he would have played for City, but I find it hard to believe he'd have been as bad as he has been for United.

 

[Litch]

It's amazing how these world class talents that seem to be able to do it else where yet come here and turn to shite in trying to play in our expansive, attacking and creative style of football? Bloody hell, it seems to be rubbing off on our young players too like Rashford and Martial....

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

It's amazing how these world class talents that seem to be able to do it else where yet come here and turn to shite in trying to play in our expansive, attacking and creative style of football? Bloody hell, it seems to be rubbing off on our young players too like Rashford and Martial....

To be fair, he was showing signs of decline this season at Arsenal.

I thought it was just him being unmotivated, but it seems age has caught up to him.

I didn't buy his loss of pace before, but it was on full display. He couldn't sprint past anyone in the final. He's lost the ability to beat players to compensate for his erratic passing and decision making at times.

Seems a bad transfer unfortunately and we're paying him a bucket load. Even worse.

 

[Treble]

Sanchez is a very direct player and attempts too many risky passes. Nobody complained at Arsenal because they didn't compete for the league/CL. The worse part,however, is that he loses the ball too often while trying to dribble or to retain it in the final third. The complete opposite to, say, Hazard, who rarely loses the ball cheaply.

 

[Litch]

To be fair, he was showing signs of decline this season at Arsenal.

I thought it was just him being unmotivated, but it seems age has caught up to him.

I didn't buy his loss of pace before, but it was on full display. He couldn't sprint past anyone in the final. He's lost the ability to beat players to compensate for his erratic passing and decision making at times.

Seems a bad transfer unfortunately and we're paying him a bucket load. Even worse.

So you watch Arsenal then? I really don't understand how we seem to polarise the blame on our best players, when the team is generally is playing so badly. The team sets up not to lose and offers nothing to the forward players yet they are expected to do both. We are so slow in transition that the forward players are always faced with trying to create something from nothing. Jose's over reliant on individual brilliance to score goals. I'm not saying he's not on the decline just utd should not be the barometer as it's hard being an attacking player in this team.

 

[spiriticon]

Sanchez would have been perfect at destroying City's passing game because he gives the ball away so much. Pep would have no time for him.

City have absolutely dodged a bullet here.

It doesn't matter so much for us because we prefer not to have possession anyway.

 

[Litch]

Sanchez is a very direct player and attempts too many risky passes. Nobody complained at Arsenal because they didn't compete for the league/CL. The worse part,however, is that he loses the ball too often while trying to dribble or to retain it in the final third. The complete opposite to, say, Hazard, who rarely loses the ball cheaply.

Yesterday's game couldn't be any more clearer that Chelsea play as a team and we are a bunch of individuals. I find it amazing that world wide people in football would say Sanchez and Pogba are world class; and Rashford and Martial are exciting young talents yet we seem to think differently whilst playing the most negative, defensive, slow and predictable football. I can guarantee if those players were in a City, Liverpool or even Spurs shirt, we are having a different conversation. Hazard's best football as been post Jose imo.

 

[Wade3]

What a waste of money he has been so far. He has disrupted the team balance more than anything.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Sanchez is playing poorly because the team isn't very attacking as per mourinho tactics

 

[Treble]

1 league goal from open play so far. Martial was doing much better than him prior to his arrival.

 

[Member 90887]

I don't get people moaning about him, he's been here what ? 5 months, from an Arsenal team that plays quick football where the players are constantly moving to a united team that has a completely different style of play.

Give him time, he is a known quantity, he'll come good, if by next year he doesn't, then we can start to worry.

 

[Jim Beam]

Sanchez would have been perfect at destroying City's passing game because he gives the ball away so much. Pep would have no time for him.

He would never have the ball so much in his feet in the first place.

 

[ThatsGreat]

To be fair, he was showing signs of decline this season at Arsenal.

I thought it was just him being unmotivated, but it seems age has caught up to him.

I didn't buy his loss of pace before, but it was on full display. He couldn't sprint past anyone in the final. He's lost the ability to beat players to compensate for his erratic passing and decision making at times.

Seems a bad transfer unfortunately and we're paying him a bucket load. Even worse.

No he wasn't showing any signs of decline at Arsenal. He had 8 goals and 3 assists in his 6 months here. And this despite no one passing the ball to him.

 

[Bestietom]

I am still trying to figure out why we brought him here. Martial and Rashford between them were doing fine on the left. We needed a right winger and Mahrez should have been the one brought in. I do feel we only brought him here because City were interested. Stupid, Stupid, Mistake.

 

[Greck]

Very frustrating so far for United. I wonder how he would have coped had he joined City? Pep would not have allowed him to lose the ball so consistently and be the focal point of most attacks. I also feel he's playing too deep to be really effective in our attacks. He does, however, give his all for the duration of the game.

Constantly wonder the same because these aren't aspects of his game Pep can simply correct. I think till he at least got bedded in he would seriously have disrupted the system they have at City.

 

[Backrow Singer]

I don’t watch Arsenal enough to really say what he did/didn’t do well there but would he not he not be suited to playing more centrally? He likes to come inside but in that position, you’re coming inside to a wall of players if you don’t have the speed to vary it up and go out side the full back. He looks like the sort of player who needs bodies around him to link up with and lacks that playing where he is now.

 

[Ali Dia]

I think that would be Jose
I don't believe he listens to our scouting department to be honest. Just does his own thing.

If martial blind and Darmian go then it would be pretty much be 100% of LVGS signings stinking up the place. Back to Sanchez... why didn’t we sign 2 top young RWs and split his massive wages between them. Our attacking left side is now as bad as our right. Just strange management and more terrible recruitment I fear. Like Sánchez will be probably be earning more than morata and kante combined. He’s one of the highest paid players in the world now. Bought to win games straight away. There’s clearly something not working somewhere.

 

[wub1234]

I don’t watch Arsenal enough to really say what he did/didn’t do well there but would he not he not be suited to playing more centrally?

If you watch Sanchez's goal against Villa in the FA Cup final:


Or his third goal against United here:


He did a lot of that, cutting onto his right foot from the left-hand side. He made a lot of assists from those positions as well.

I would argue that you haven't seen the best of him at United because he hasn't been given the ball where he's dangerous. He wants quick ball in and around the box, so that he can shoot or make the final pass. He isn't a winger like Giggs who wants to receive the ball deep, run at players on the outside, cross, and be involved in build-up play. He's a forward who can be quite brilliant in the final third, and doesn't really contribute elsewhere.

I don't think he fits into the way Mourinho plays at all. And I don't think he's a good match for playing with Lukaku, who wants quick balls into the box. I don't think Sanchez would have been good with van Nistelrooy. He doesn't want to cross the ball, he wants to hold it, and come inside onto his right foot. He can be frustrating at times, but if you look at his stats and highlight reels, I assure you he did some pretty decent stuff for Arsenal!

You won't see the best of him if he's picking the ball up in his own half with nine opposition players between him and the goal. You need to get him the ball when he's one-on-one with defenders, in and around the box, where he can both score and create.

Mourinho typically wants his wingers to work up and down the touchline like dogs. That isn't Sanchez's game. He won't succeed without some freedom to play his game, and it's really a waste of his talents to play him that way anyway.

 

[TheFlagStaysDown]

Based on what he showed for us lately, he's not even better than Lingard, just imagine all the moaning on Lingard if he lost the ball all the times Sanchez did that, when he tried to dribble with the ball but was dispossesed, all his hoof balls to nowhere.

However it was quite expectable that he might struggle in this ultra slow prehistoric system with players who don't know what to do. But I am optimistic about Sanchez for the next season anyway..

 

[marjen]

His performances have been depressing for us.

It seemed such a bizarre signing at the time, taking into account his preferance of playing wide left. Martial was doing a lot better than he is now until Sanchez arrived.

 

[SteveJ]

The more talented players are playing like they're a team within a team.

 

[Garethw]

Sanchez has been poor but it must be pretty hard to play in such a poorly coached attack.

We have the worst off the ball movement out of all of the top sides in Europe. We don’t press high up the pitch. We don’t break with pace and quite often you will only ever get one person in the box with no midfield runners following in. Try being a wide forward in this system, even Ronaldo would struggle.

 

[Cassidy]

Sanchez has been poor but it must be pretty hard to play in such a poorly coached attack.

We have the worst off the ball movement out of all of the top sides in Europe. We don’t press high up the pitch. We don’t break with pace and quite often you will only ever get one person in the box with no midfield runners following in. Try being a wide forward in this system, even Ronaldo would struggle.

Yet he cannot even perform to at least the level of Martial who should apparently be sold?

 

[shaggy]

Sanchez has been poor but it must be pretty hard to play in such a poorly coached attack.

We have the worst off the ball movement out of all of the top sides in Europe. We don’t press high up the pitch. We don’t break with pace and quite often you will only ever get one person in the box with no midfield runners following in. Try being a wide forward in this system, even Ronaldo would struggle.

It's so true and has been like this for years and years.

 

[Garethw]

Yet he cannot even perform to at least the level of Martial who should apparently be sold?

Martial looks lost out there most of the time too mate. All of our attackers have regressed this season and that’s on the manager.

 

[Cassidy]

Martial looks lost out there most of the time too mate. All of our attackers have regressed this season and that’s on the manager.

I agree with you, my point is Sanchez should be performing better than them all regardless, since he is so much better than them all

 

[Garethw]

I agree with you, my point is Sanchez should be performing better than them all regardless, since he is so much better than them all

On paper a front four of Lukaku, Sanchez, Martial and Rashford is incredible. I just can’t understand why our attack is so poor.

I honestly thought that Sanchez was going to be the player to take the attack onto another level. It’s just flat out bizarre how poor he’s been.

 

[luke511]

We've got rid of one past it overpaid donkey, Rooney, and replaced him with another.

 

[Cassidy]

On paper a front four of Lukaku, Sanchez, Martial and Rashford is incredible. I just can’t understand why our attack is so poor.

I honestly thought that Sanchez was going to be the player to take the attack onto another level. It’s just flat out bizarre how poor he’s been.

Which one of them is extremely creative? Its actually not very well balacned then you look behind them and only really Pogba is creative. Then add to that the manager and our play is risk averse. There are the answers really

 

[Craig Ward]

I don't get people moaning about him, he's been here what ? 5 months, from an Arsenal team that plays quick football where the players are constantly moving to a united team that has a completely different style of play.

Give him time, he is a known quantity, he'll come good, if by next year he doesn't, then we can start to worry.

Im sorry, but 5 months is a long time and when you haven't had 1 good game in that time it is telling.

Sanchez has been our worst player for some time, not only based on his own individual form but he has taken game time from martial and is so deep in pogba's area of the pitch he isn't effective at all.

Everytime he had the ball in the cup final he either misplaced a pass, or got tackled or just fell over cos he couldn't hold the ball up. Every decision he made was poor. 2nd half, Pogba was screaming at him and rightly so.

Might be drastic but I'd look to ship out in the summer - it hasn't worked out.

Give martial the number 7 - boost his confidence and give him a run - he was great prior to Sanchez coming in

 

[Pogue Mahone]

So we’re writing off new signings after half a season now? Whover said the modern football fan lacks patience? Pfft....

 

[Hawks2008]

We dropped our best attacking player in Martial for Sanchez.

We're probably going to sell Martial for some unknown reason yet keep this crap Chilean who has been garbage ever since since signing.

Yeah but Sanchez runs around more or something..

 

[Skolden]

So we’re writing off new signings after half a season now? Whover said the modern football fan lacks patience? Pfft....

Yup that how it is now. If you are over 28 you are basically dead.

Doesn't matter he was very good against Tottenham and Man City.

 

[Member 90887]

Im sorry, but 5 months is a long time and when you haven't had 1 good game in that time it is telling.

Sanchez has been our worst player for some time, not only based on his own individual form but he has taken game time from martial and is so deep in pogba's area of the pitch he isn't effective at all.

Everytime he had the ball in the cup final he either misplaced a pass, or got tackled or just fell over cos he couldn't hold the ball up. Every decision he made was poor. 2nd half, Pogba was screaming at him and rightly so.

Might be drastic but I'd look to ship out in the summer - it hasn't worked out.

Give martial the number 7 - boost his confidence and give him a run - he was great prior to Sanchez coming in

I knew from your first sentence that you were gonna talk about Martial .... the bias is talking here, you're not objective. He didn't have a single good game for us ? he has been our worst player ? Really ?

We are talking about Sanchez, why does it have to turn into a Martial situation ? You want to talk about Martial, he had a shit second season, were there talks about shipping him out in January last year (after 5 months) ? should we ship out Pogba, who had a meh two seasons and cost 89M ? Should we sell Lindelof, he's had a below average season ?

it's not FM, it's the real life, it doesn't work like that, he had a few bad months with good to excellent games here and there, it's not fair to trash him like that over those.

 

[Member 90887]

So we’re writing off new signings after half a season now? Whover said the modern football fan lacks patience? Pfft....

People would have been patient with him (or wouldn't have cared) if he didn't play in Martial's position.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

People would have been patient with him (or wouldn't have cared) if he didn't play in Martial's position.

Well people need to get over that. Martial was playing poorly on the left wing long before Sanchez started doing the same.