Are we a better team with Alexis?

[shamans]

Signing him was a smart move, I don't think there's any argument about that...but I think we have to admit now that he didn't produce anywhere near the level of productivity we'd expect from a player with his track record.

Not only that, but he took playing time away from Martial, who was consistently the most dangerous looking attacker we had.

Hope for much better next season.

Signing him was not a smart move and it is evident. Yes we all wanted him. I thought he would be the final piece that would just lift this Mourinho team but I was wrong. More importantly, Mourinho was wrong.

 

[TypeR]

No, no we’re not. Today’s match was emblematic of our issues ever since he came into the left wing.

He runs hard, but has no pace to get in past behind his full back at all. Consequently, the only thing he does on the LW is to check back and whip a cross in. Which Young also does. Which Pogba tends to also do in a lesser degree when played in a 4-3-3.

There you have 3 right-footed players all vying for the same space on the left, all who can’t beat a man on the outside. That is the problem why our attacking rhythm, whatever’s worth of it, has basically gone to pieces since he’s arrived. It just doesn’t work. With Martial/Rashford, at least we had that bit of pace and skill to get in behind or around the defenders, not so with Alexis.

It’s no coincidence that we look far more balanced when Martial/Rashford is occupying the left wing and Alexis gets moved right/central. We need to either stick with this, or bring in proper fullbacks who aren’t converted past-it wingers.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Signing him was not a smart move and it is evident. Yes we all wanted him. I thought he would be the final piece that would just lift this Mourinho team but I was wrong. More importantly, Mourinho was wrong.

Its too early to tell for me. We've all these wide forwards but jose just seems to suck in utuilizing them. I bet a different manager could get the best out of him.

 

[edgar allan]

Has to be the worst Pl signing of the season

 

[POF]

It definitely hasn't worked with him this season. The attack just isn't fluid and Sanchez doesn't seem to be the guy at the moment who can produce a moment of individual brilliance on his own.

His lack of pace is what worries me. I thought he was much faster when I've seen him play previously. He couldn't do what Hazard did yesterday to win the game.

That said, the attack wasn't fluid before he arrived either and in an attack that links up in an intelligent way he could still have a big impact. For whatever reason, that isn't United.

It is really concerning that 4 months in, the attacking play is getting worse rather than better. It is also concerning that signing a top class attacking player with a good attitude and a winning mentality seems to have had a negative impact on squad morale.

The signs of the wheels coming off completely next season are beginning to show unfortunately.

 

[bosnian_red]

On paper, yes. In reality, no. Or at least not however Mourinho is using them. We were far better performance wise in the first half of the season even if you ignore the first 2 months of the season. That came about mostly through Martial giving us proper width and penetration.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He’s big flop so far. His workrate is good though.

 

[pocco]

It definitely hasn't worked with him this season. The attack just isn't fluid and Sanchez doesn't seem to be the guy at the moment who can produce a moment of individual brilliance on his own.

His lack of pace is what worries me. I thought he was much faster when I've seen him play previously. He couldn't do what Hazard did yesterday to win the game.

That said, the attack wasn't fluid before he arrived either and in an attack that links up in an intelligent way he could still have a big impact. For whatever reason, that isn't United.

It is really concerning that 4 months in, the attacking play is getting worse rather than better. It is also concerning that signing a top class attacking player with a good attitude and a winning mentality seems to have had a negative impact on squad morale.

The signs of the wheels coming off completely next season are beginning to show unfortunately.

That's because his attitude is that of an annoying bastard. He's always the first to complain if somebody didn't pass to him or something like that, but then he gives the ball away more than anybody else. Plus he stifles other players.

I said this about him before he signed and I didn't want him then. He's irritating and I bet do down he annoys some of our players during the game with his antics. Him and Young are always at it.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Signing him was not a smart move and it is evident. Yes we all wanted him. I thought he would be the final piece that would just lift this Mourinho team but I was wrong. More importantly, Mourinho was wrong.

I just don't get why he's so rough around the edges? Reminds me of a 20 year old Rooney but safer and with less explosiveness. He tries a lot of shit which doesn't come off. Seemingly doesnt have a proper burst of acceleration to create space. I never knew he was such a 10/hole type player. Either that or he's having to play this way because he's lost something.

I'm a tad worried that he's going to be our main man for the nezt 3 years and another one whose salary will be grossly disproportionate to his performances.

 

[Bastian]

It definitely hasn't worked with him this season. The attack just isn't fluid and Sanchez doesn't seem to be the guy at the moment who can produce a moment of individual brilliance on his own.

His lack of pace is what worries me. I thought he was much faster when I've seen him play previously. He couldn't do what Hazard did yesterday to win the game.

That said, the attack wasn't fluid before he arrived either and in an attack that links up in an intelligent way he could still have a big impact. For whatever reason, that isn't United.

It is really concerning that 4 months in, the attacking play is getting worse rather than better. It is also concerning that signing a top class attacking player with a good attitude and a winning mentality seems to have had a negative impact on squad morale.

The signs of the wheels coming off completely next season are beginning to show unfortunately.

Given that he immediately took Martial's position and was earning 2-4 times what most our players are earning whilst not playing great, it's understandable. I share those worries with the lack of pace.

 

[davidmichael]

I want to say that he’s only had half a season with us but we look so disjointed and all over the place with Sanchez on the left ahead of Martial, when Martial plays or even Rashford on the left you have pace and power and directness whereas Sanchez slows everything down as he’s nowhere near the same explosive player he was at Udinese and Barca and maybe his first season at Arsenal.

I just don’t get why Sanchez can’t play on the right hand side ? I don’t care if he doesn’t want to play there as I doubt Mata does either BUT if it’s best for the TEAM then that’s what you go with. We are so horribly unbalanced and slow without Martial and/or Rashford and it’s no coincidence that both of those two have regressed horribly since Sanchez arrived, in reality we’re better and much more potent without Sanchez starting.

 

[Bastian]

I want to say that he’s only had half a season with us but we look so disjointed and all over the place with Sanchez on the left ahead of Martial, when Martial plays or even Rashford on the left you have pace and power and directness whereas Sanchez slows everything down as he’s nowhere near the same explosive player he was at Udinese and Barca and maybe his first season at Arsenal.

I just don’t get why Sanchez can’t play on the right hand side ? I don’t care if he doesn’t want to play there as I doubt Mata does either BUT if it’s best for the TEAM then that’s what you go with. We are so horribly unbalanced and slow without Martial and/or Rashford and it’s no coincidence that both of those two have regressed horribly since Sanchez arrived, in reality we’re better and much more potent without Sanchez starting.

I agree, but if he were to start there wouldn't he just drift all over the place like some haphazard quarterback? It's not that I want to see Martial leave, but I've kind of accepted that's where we're heading which means Sanchez needs to have one hell of a season next season. If he fails to deliver I can't see the club wanting to retain a 30 year old declining player on 350K a week. Would likely try to offload him at an embarrassing cost (supplementing his wages like we are doing with Rooney apparently).

The player who suffers most IMV is Pogba. He's kind of nullified in the attacking third having Sanchez running around him there. It worked for a few minutes against City (the first goal coming from Sanchez operating on the right) but other than that, I think they crowd each other. It's then compounded by having no threat on the right, asking the opposition very few questions.

 

[f_to_z]

So far Alexis has been very poor we can all agree on that. To be fair to him though I would give him one more season just to remove the "adaptability factor" from the equation.

I know its not a very good excuse but lets at least give him that then if he doesn't deliver he deserves the stick.

 

[Utd7]

He was definitely piss poor this season but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he moved midway and needed to adjust.

I actually have high hopes for him next season because as an older player, he won’t be bogged down by the World Cup with Chile’s absence. He should be fresh and motivated for next season.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

In terms of overall quality I think it would be hard to say if you add a player like Sanchez you haven’t improved the overall quality of the team. Let’s face it he can do some pretty outstanding things at times, we know he has quality just hasn’t shown it so far.

Personally I think it’s systematic of how we play and down to Jose to sort it out. He’s basically manufactured the problem himself. Sanchez, Lingard and Mata all want to play in the same area. Problem is Pogba also wants to play in that area but he can’t because they are occupying the spaces and cutting down the size of the field.

The matter is only made worse by how poor our fullbacks are. The whole system when you sit and watch it is a complete mess and really needs a lot of work on it if we ever want to see these guys play anything like they can.

 

[Gbenger]

No. We became a worse team since he came in.

The stats and result prove it.

 

[Wallez]

We have carried Sanchez this season, but he will probably carry us for the next few seasons. He was bought in a difficult part of the season, and the entire team has been shite lately. He has shown that he has both the mentality and the abilities to be able to succeed in a club like Manchester United. Fortunately he isn't going to the world cup, so he can use the summer to get into shape for next season and find his feet in Manchester.

 

[Bearded One]

In terms of overall quality I think it would be hard to say if you add a player like Sanchez you haven’t improved the overall quality of the team. Let’s face it he can do some pretty outstanding things at times, we know he has quality just hasn’t shown it so far.

Personally I think it’s systematic of how we play and down to Jose to sort it out. He’s basically manufactured the problem himself. Sanchez, Lingard and Mata all want to play in the same area. Problem is Pogba also wants to play in that area but he can’t because they are occupying the spaces and cutting down the size of the field.

The matter is only made worse by how poor our fullbacks are. The whole system when you sit and watch it is a complete mess and really needs a lot of work on it if we ever want to see these guys play anything like they can.

This is the way I see it. Sanchez appears to be more comfortable on the left side so that he can make use of his preferred right foot to either dribble through, take a shot or cross but that's where Martial wants to play too. Now truth be told, Sanchez doesn't have the kind of pace you'd like to see in a winger (and he's really not a winger but more of an inside forward)

If we play Sanchez in middle I don't think we'd be poorly served. He loves his one-twos a lot and his lack of real pace is not likely to be exposed there.

People are looking at things in a Martial v Sanchez way, an either-or situation if you like thus creating a dilemma where there's none. I believe the two can play.

 

[Renegade]

We have carried Sanchez this season, but he will probably carry us for the next few seasons. He was bought in a difficult part of the season, and the entire team has been shite lately. He has shown that he has both the mentality and the abilities to be able to succeed in a club like Manchester United. Fortunately he isn't going to the world cup, so he can use the summer to get into shape for next season and find his feet in Manchester.

When?

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Nah, he's a good player with a cracking work ethic for us but he simply doesn't fit into this United team, he's like a sore thumb out there sometimes. Just not suited to the way Jose has us playing. I don't really see much of an improvement next season either with him, it is what it is, some signings just don't work out - it's just a nightmare when the ones that don't work out are on 400k a week or whatever.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

This is the way I see it. Sanchez appears to be more comfortable on the left side so that he can make use of his preferred right foot to either dribble through, take a shot or cross but that's where Martial wants to play too. Now truth be told, Sanchez doesn't have the kind of pace you'd like to see in a winger (and he's really not a winger but more of an inside forward)

If we play Sanchez in middle I don't think we'd be poorly served. He loves his one-twos a lot and his lack of real pace is not likely to be exposed there.

People are looking at things in a Martial v Sanchez way, an either-or situation if you like thus creating a dilemma where there's none. I believe the two can play.

I do agree with what you’re saying but it’s not really what I was meaning. Even if Sanchez starts on the left he will often move in to that central position, where as Martial and Rashford tend to sort of stay out a bit wider than just abandoning the position.
The problem we’ve seen recently is that Lingard and Mata tend to do the same thing and drift in to that central area. So if those 3 are playing or just two of them they tend to be very close blocking off all the space and limiting their options, which then affects Pogba because that is the space he wants to be moving in to so he can influence the game. There have been a few games recently where you could throw a blanket over the 3 of them. It just makes it so easy for any defending team. It might not be as bad if we had decent fullbacks as you would hope that lot being so tightly packed would allow freedom and space for fullbacks to exploit. It just doesn’t happen.

I do think you are right about Sanchez and Martial, on the rare occasion they have both played I’ve actually enjoyed their link up. I think they are two players on a similar wave length who are quite happy to receive, give and go and look for each other and play it first time.

For me the fault for me has a lot to do with either those guys not ollowing instruction or them not getting the proper instructions.

 

[BusbyMalone]

The trouble with him is that he doesn't have a position. People say play him here and play him there, stick him on the right etc., but he's so positionally ill disciplined that he just wanders all over the place. I've said this before, but he gives off the illusion that he's had a decent game just because he covers a lot of ground, but you look back on it and realise that he was actually quite shit.

Constantly buzzing around the park and coming deep and always wanting to get on the ball is not necessarily a good thing. It unbalances the team (which is already unbalanced anyway) and he gets in the way of others. I have no idea what he does or what he's supposed to do. He also doesn't appear to know what his role is, the manger doesn't appear to know and the players around him definitely fecking don't.

Really not sure how we move forward with him at the moment.

 

[Wallez]

When?

He scored 62 goals in 134 league matches for Arsenal. Abilities? Check.

When it comes to mentality, he is exactly the guy Mourinho wants. Extremely hard working, and often shows up in the big games. He showed it for us in the semi final against Spurs, he got a disallowed goal yesterday, and he has been a leading star for Chile who has beaten Argentina to the Copa America title twice in a row. He does whatever it takes to win games, and often has the ablities to make a difference in the biggest games. Mentality? Check.

He has been shit for us in his very short period at the club, as could be expected. However, he has all the tools he need to succeed once he finds his role in the team.

 

[northender]

Seems to have unbalanced the side this season but he'll obviously be quality next season, world class.

 

[simplyared]

Sanchez is the same player we bought from Arsenal. He's not become a worse player since he came to us. He just highlights the problem we have with players having to adapt to our playing system. He's not the only talented footballer stuggling at present to make any impact. Martial, Rashford, and Pogba are all in the same boat. We have no movement going forward, they receive the ball standing still and therefore find themselves in impossible situations. Mission impossible! You can see the quality in Sanchez but he can't perform wonders going past three players everytime he gets the ball. What surprises me is there are so many on the Caf who can't see that and are now saying he was a rubbish buy and we were better without him bla bla bla.

 

[rakesh289]

He keeps the ball too long , takes 4-5 touches when he could take 1 or 2.
Runs with the ball for so long that the opposition defence is able to track back, when he could just pass the ball and run and be ready to receive it or just pass and take the defenders with him.
Just doesn't fit this team, yet

 

[golden_blunder]

The problem is that he’s lost the little pace he had so he’s not a winger. Better down the middle but we dont play like that. We’d rather have a multi-player party down by the left corner flag

 

[Distracted Steward]

We need to see Sanchez fresh and in a proper attacking system to have an idea of what he’s going to be for us.

Thank the gods he’s not playing in the World Cup this summer. He desperately needs a proper break. He guy’s jaded and overworked. It’s hard to work out what his top end is right now, but it’s going to be short of what he was three years ago I’m afraid. I just hope it’s more fatigue than washing up early from too little recovery.

He’s a square peg in a round hole at the moment. Worse yet, our attack has been pretty low functioning this season. Even in our early season tear goals came with a lack of fluidity and no clear identity. That’s a hell of a thing to come into mid-season. What’s his best position? Can he roam as much as he wants to and still really hit the heights? It makes for so much static around him that it’s hard to get a read on what he can do next season and beyond.

He marginally improved us so far but at a hell of a cost financially and in who he keeps from playing/developing on the left. I hope he comes back fresh and into a better drilled attack next season. If not, we are going to waste the end of his best years and be stuck with a shell of what we’re paying for.

To me it comes down to who will be Mourinho’s assistant and what will he bring. It’s gotta be a Rene Mulensteen type empowered the way Fergie did. Jose has problems he doesn’t have a great track record at fixing. Sanchez and the rest of the attackers would benefit enormously from that sort of change. I think revamping the attack and giving him a defined role would bring the best out of him. As it stands, he really can’t improve us much.

 

[ThomasEmil]

It’s the mentality Mou-Mou chased.
Obviously not oace

 

[James Peril]

Seems to have unbalanced the side this season but he'll obviously be quality next season, world class.

How have we done in terms of points with and without him then? Have you even checked?

 

[Canagel]

That's because his attitude is that of an annoying bastard. He's always the first to complain if somebody didn't pass to him or something like that, but then he gives the ball away more than anybody else. Plus he stifles other players.

I said this about him before he signed and I didn't want him then. He's irritating and I bet do down he annoys some of our players during the game with his antics. Him and Young are always at it.

Pogba was going mad at him at one point yesterday. The guy is just not a team player. The same problems he had with Arsenal players might be resurfacing here even quicker which is a big concern.

 

[Seven Seas Sardines]

All attackers look like shit in Mourinho´s system..

 

[RedStarUnited]

I agree, but if he were to start there wouldn't he just drift all over the place like some haphazard quarterback? It's not that I want to see Martial leave, but I've kind of accepted that's where we're heading which means Sanchez needs to have one hell of a season next season. If he fails to deliver I can't see the club wanting to retain a 30 year old declining player on 350K a week. Would likely try to offload him at an embarrassing cost (supplementing his wages like we are doing with Rooney apparently).

The player who suffers most IMV is Pogba. He's kind of nullified in the attacking third having Sanchez running around him there. It worked for a few minutes against City (the first goal coming from Sanchez operating on the right) but other than that, I think they crowd each other. It's then compounded by having no threat on the right, asking the opposition very few questions.

Like Mata does?

One of the weirdest things of this season is that when Mata plays on the right for us he has the freedom of the pitch.

 

[Bastian]

Like Mata does?

One of the weirdest things of this season is that when Mata plays on the right for us he has the freedom of the pitch.

Yeah, our right side is the Bermuda Triangle.

 

[Tom Foster]

I must have slept through the last 2 seasons, but when he was at Arsenal, I barely remember anything about him.

Surely he wasn’t as good as Ramsey, Giroud, even Welbeck?

And now he’s here......and I still don’t understand why we’ve got him.

 

[slir32]

I am not to fussed what he gives us this season he was bought for next season. Hopefully he beds in this season and hits the ground running next.

 

[el3mel]

The answer is clearly no so far. He disturbed any sort of coherence we were building before we got him and he only showed his quality in about 3 games. He's not a young prospect to keep patience on him so if this performance remains next season, throw him out of the window. At the moment he looks like late Rooney but with higher work rate.

 

[lex talionis]

Serious disappointment, no question. Do we gamble by sticking with him or gamble by letting him go and sticking with Martial?

 

[witchtrials]

Getting a bit sick of people saying that everyone thought that Sanchez was going to be a great signing for us.

 

[SBD]

This man has messed up whatever little attacking structure we had and affected the confidence of our younger players.

He no longer have the pace to get behind defenders, his passing is wayward and rarely comes off, he loses the ball way too frequently when we attack, which we seldom do. Defenders are not really worried about him considering he will never run past them or the skill to go past them.

If we get a blazing RB and Sanchez is willing to play on the right, his career here might still mean something. Until then, he's just on wages he doesn't deserve and playing time which could be given to others.