Are the lads back in training yet?

BenitoSTARR

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I am now 100% convinced this will be our starting XI

De Gea
AWB Lindelof Maguire Shaw
Matic
Bruno Pogba
James Martial Rashford​

Edit:Swap
 
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Santoryo

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From the clips, seems like we were just missing loads of chances. It's good to see us able to create chances after chances. Pogba and Bruno already seem to have connected well. Rashford looking sharp. From the highlights, Rashford should have scored 2, Pogba should also have scored a header from that ball from Bruno and Bruno himself could have scored 1 from Pogba's cross.

Can't wait for next Friday.
 

Matst1

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Last season when he was given the chance to play, he looked like he was labouring to the ball and completely lost. I feel even Ole was surprised how well Matic done, he wanted him gone in the summer.
He was massively overplayed under Mo, hardly ever had a rest and post 30, thats hard. I think if used sparingly, he'll be massive for us over next few seasons
 

Bebestation

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I am now 100% convinced this will be our starting XI

De Gea
AWB Maguire Lindelof Shaw
Matic
Bruno Pogba
James Martial Rashford​
Swap lindelof around positionally with Maguire around and Greenwood for James and its perfect.

You could see it from the training session because Ole made our most clinical wide forwards ( Greenwood and Rashford) play together with the most predatorial central striker(Ighalo and the least accurate CAM ,Lingard) instead of Bruno Fernandes and Martial (a support striker). Matic and Pogba played together in that team too. He separated two aspects of that team to team A and Team B trying to train players weaknesses and strengths - ie Martial isnt good in a team with James and Mata crossing balls to him but played in that team even though ighalo would have been better.
 

Brightonian

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Nothing wrong with the football on show in the clips. Rashford an absolute box of tricks; beats one defender from standing with a drag nutmeg, another with some kind of roulette/cruyff hybrid I don't even have a name for. But it's good footballers enjoying themselves in an exercise in fitness-building and line-up testing. It's nothing like a real game. Results are immaterial.

Fred looking pretty sharp. I'm so conflicted about who should play behind Bruno and Pogba. Matic is the specialist DM. Fred is the man who has been in form and fit for pretty much the whole season. McTominay is the best big game player, always shows up, never gets bossed.

In my head they're completely evenly balanced!
 

PoTMS

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So I guess the only goal our first team (with first choice attackers) scored in 60 minutes was a penalty. Hope it doesn't take too long for our attackers to get back up to scratch. Play stopped exactly at the wrong time for us as we were finally becoming more clinical and putting the ball in the back of the net after struggling for large periods of the season prior.
 

Adam-Utd

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So I guess the only goal our first team (with first choice attackers) scored in 60 minutes was a penalty. Hope it doesn't take too long for our attackers to get back up to scratch. Play stopped exactly at the wrong time for us as we were finally becoming more clinical and putting the ball in the back of the net after struggling for large periods of the season prior.
Looked like we created plenty just a bit rusty, maybe the friendly aspect didn’t help with players not having the killer mood you might in a competitive match.

anyway I think all teams are going to be a bit sluggish, it happened in Germany too.
 

ShinjiNinja26

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Rashford looks like he's on fire. He's so sharp.
Yep. The worry I had was that he’d lose his form and would take a while to get back up to speed after a long lay off but he seems to have picked up where he left off. :D

He really seems to have kicked on this season, much better consistency and end product. Don’t want to get too giddy but he is starting to look a bit Ronaldo-esque.:drool:
 

edcunited1878

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Swap lindelof around positionally with Maguire around and Greenwood for James and its perfect.

You could see it from the training session because Ole made our most clinical wide forwards ( Greenwood and Rashford) play together with the most predatorial central striker(Ighalo and the least accurate CAM ,Lingard) instead of Bruno Fernandes and Martial (a support striker). Matic and Pogba played together in that team too. He separated two aspects of that team to team A and Team B trying to train players weaknesses and strengths - ie Martial isnt good in a team with James and Mata crossing balls to him but played in that team even though ighalo would have been better.
Greenwood and Rashford didn't play together. It was Rashford, Martial, James; Pogba, Matic, Bruno; Williams, Bailly, Tuanzebe, TFM - that was the main team from the first highlights available on the team website and app. The current video on the team website and app has now been mixed to show both training matches.
 

Gazza

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He's flip flopped almost the whole time he's been here, he's supposed to be an £89 million player. He only turns up when he feels like it. Don't get me wrong when he does turn up he is unbelievable and there are very few who are better. I just don't see why he gets a free pass and players like Lingard and James get a hard time.
Pogba gets a free pass?? My perception has been the opposite.
 

12OunceEpilogue

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Yep. The worry I had was that he’d lose his form and would take a while to get back up to speed after a long lay off but he seems to have picked up where he left off. :D

He really seems to have kicked on this season, much better consistency and end product. Don’t want to get too giddy but he is starting to look a bit Ronaldo-esque.:drool:
You're doing a great job of that :lol:

I'm excited too haha
 

ShinjiNinja26

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You're doing a great job of that :lol:

I'm excited too haha
Haha. Obviously he’s got a long way to go before he reaches that level but the way he strikes the ball and fronts players up is quite similar to Ronaldo. Can clearly tell how big an influence he is on Rashford, I remember Ronaldo being very skilled and flashy but inconsistent early on at Utd before really knuckling down and concentrating on his end product. Hopefully Rashford is on a similar trajectory. If he ends up half as good we’ve got some player.
 

Adam-Utd

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Any info on the WBA friendlies?
We lost the first game 2-1, won the second game 3-1

First game was a Fernandes penalty, second game X2 Pereira and Chong
 

Mickson

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Last season when he was given the chance to play, he looked like he was labouring to the ball and completely lost. I feel even Ole was surprised how well Matic done, he wanted him gone in the summer.
We had B*jan Djordj*c in our podcast recently. He told us that Matic had been playing with an injury for a while under Mourinho and that he never got a break. He needed a clean start and got that time and worked hard to come back stronger, which he eventually did. Also that he's that kind of player who needs time, who needs game time and rhythm, which makes sense.
 

0le

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Nice bit of skill by Rashford in the video as well. I really can't wait to see how Brunu links up with Rashford.
 

Redo91

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He's flip flopped almost the whole time he's been here, he's supposed to be an £89 million player. He only turns up when he feels like it. Don't get me wrong when he does turn up he is unbelievable and there are very few who are better. I just don't see why he gets a free pass and players like Lingard and James get a hard time.
Pogba gets a free pass? I’ve heard it all now! :lol:
 

12OunceEpilogue

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Haha. Obviously he’s got a long way to go before he reaches that level but the way he strikes the ball and fronts players up is quite similar to Ronaldo. Can clearly tell how big an influence he is on Rashford, I remember Ronaldo being very skilled and flashy but inconsistent early on at Utd before really knuckling down and concentrating on his end product. Hopefully Rashford is on a similar trajectory. If he ends up half as good we’ve got some player.
Agreed mate
 

flappyjay

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We had B*jan Djordj*c in our podcast recently. He told us that Matic had been playing with an injury for a while under Mourinho and that he never got a break. He needed a clean start and got that time and worked hard to come back stronger, which he eventually did. Also that he's that kind of player who needs time, who needs game time and rhythm, which makes sense.
This again shows one of José's weaker sides. The idea that you show you are fighter, a warrior by playing on with injuries is stupid. By the end of last season I really thought Matic was finished and belonged in the mls. His form before the league got suspended showed a player who could contribute for a couple of seasons if managed right.
 

Nikelesh Reddy

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Good that Pogba and Fernandez played together in the same midfield....Hopefully they can strike a rapport immediately...
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Is it just me or is Rashford more skillful now? Which is weird because dribbling Is something that can hardly be developed.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Rashford is super skilled, fantastic player.
Yeah my bad. There was a period he wasn't doing so well and I generalised it. Just remembered a youth game of his I watched where he demonstrated really good dribbling skills. He's playing like someone that has found himself if that makes sense
 

pascell

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Yeah my bad. There was a period he wasn't doing so well and I generalised it. Just remembered a youth game of his I watched where he demonstrated really good dribbling skills. He's playing like someone that has found himself if that makes sense
I think it's just a confidence thing, now he's more settled in the first team he can attempt them and he backs himself to pull them off. Basically what we're probably seeing with Greenwood were he's using his left foot as he's probably confident on that foot, as soon as he's settled, he'll be putting them in with his right foot. I'm pretty sure the same is happening with Chong, he just needs time to develop and gain the confidence.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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West Brom's goals. Poor defending from our reserves and first team defense. We've been focusing on Rashford Pogba and Bruno too much it seems like the long break might actually hurt the defense more than any other part of the team. Didn't we play 4-4 in an intrasquad match too
 

izec

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West Brom's goals. Poor defending from our reserves and first team defense. We've been focusing on Rashford Pogba and Bruno too much it seems like the long break might actually hurt the defense more than any other part of the team. Didn't we play 4-4 in an intrasquad match too
Lets hope just some rustiness. Tuanzebe was injured for a period as well