Optimistic about individuals stepping up more than last season. Pogba, Sanchez, Martial. Which in turn will improve our season. Ambivalent about the rest.
Are you optimistic about the new season?
- Thread starter Lemansky
- Start date
You're advocating that a manager should operate under no restriction whatsoever. That is not going to happen, nor should it. He does not spend his own money therefore it is entirely reasonable that those in control of financial matters have a say in how he spends money. Especially if the manager is well-known for his short-termism and his tendency to feck off after a couple of seasons, one way or the other.
We'd need to sign a younger Evra and Vidic for me to have any genuine belief in a title push
People don't realise how bad our defense is
People don't realise how bad our defense is
No I didn't say that.
I said that it's illogical for any board to sign a manager then complain about the profile of players he wants and don't sign them because you should have known already which kind of players he prefers from his previous stints at other clubs ?
"Oh he plays a defensive playstyle", "Oh he prefers old experienced players", "Oh he doesn't stay for long term". Pretty much all these were known about Mourinho before he arrived, it wasn't a surprise for anyone who actually follows football.
If the board don't approve of a manager approach why just not sack him and get another manager ? It's better than leaving a team in a nutshell.
If you're hiring a manager, you're hiring someone that you believe his approach and profile is the way for the club to go. If the board hired Mourinho then they thought he's the best around for the club.
Keep fighting the good fight brother.
How can anyone be optimistic when the manager is so downbeat?
You've just run Guardiola's name through the mud by putting him in the same bracket as no marks like Klopp and Poch. Then you've talked about how Mourinho is 'restricting' Pogba despite Pogba being a defensive no.8 for France and being heralded for his maturity on the pitch.
You aren't too negative, you just make things up.
That's a good campaign but it's not really an excited one if you knew ahead that you're not winning. A good challenge for the title will do me fine. You can never expect your team to win but you can expect a realistic challenge but at the moment I'm not very hopeful of a challenge. Squad hasn't been improved much, the pre-season is off to a mess with one player left behind and others still on vacation (albeit other teams are in the same position in that regard).
Will wait till the window shuts, but right now?
It's not looking good.
Only upside is that majority of our contingent had a good world cup whilst most of city's players flopped. Here's hoping that affects them.
It's not looking good.
Only upside is that majority of our contingent had a good world cup whilst most of city's players flopped. Here's hoping that affects them.
Nope, not one bit.
Depends what you consider optimistic. For us being closer to City or being better than Liverpool ? Nope.
To reach top 4 - fairly optimistic
To reach top 4 - fairly optimistic
Watching the world cup was definitely a refreshing experience. I'd almost forgotten how enjoyable attacking football is and playing without the handbrake on. I was glued to the TV for the majority of the games. The football we played at times last season made you fall asleep. OK not at the beginning but towards the end I became very apathetic and didn't really care. Nothing has changed in the transfer window thus far to make me optimistic.
Not optimistic at all about next season. I don´t think our squad is bad, even if it needs quite a lot of work to be able to compete with the big teams again for titles.
The main reason for me is Mourinho. He exudes so much negativity for me. Always seems to be dispirited and when he eventually opens his mouth he starts moaning about something new every time. Can´t imagine how any player or fan can look at him and feel motivated or encouraged for next season. Obviously we don´t know how he acts in front of the players in training, but in front of the cameras to me he looks like a man that has already given up.
The main reason for me is Mourinho. He exudes so much negativity for me. Always seems to be dispirited and when he eventually opens his mouth he starts moaning about something new every time. Can´t imagine how any player or fan can look at him and feel motivated or encouraged for next season. Obviously we don´t know how he acts in front of the players in training, but in front of the cameras to me he looks like a man that has already given up.
I'm not as worried by the perceived lack of transfer activity from the press because the press are full of shit and a lot of our transfer deals happen almost over night. I'm confident we are working on a couple of deals and at least one will come through and it'll be one that strengthens us.
We were a million points behind last season but we were comfortably second (that's also with us chucking points away since we'd all but secured second) and it's not outlandish to suggest the following WILL happen : -
Pogba improves massively and starts to look like one of the most consistently brilliant midfielders in the game.
Lukaku will go from strength to strength now he's been at a big club for a season and took on the responsibility of being the real leader of the team that finished 3rd in the World Cup. He can and probably will score 35 or more goals provided we don't lose him to injury and he's a fit lad.
We see something resembling Sanchez' best form. He's 29, should be in his peak and for the first time in 5 years has had a pre-season rest and is now settled in the team rather than thrown in a fairly disjointed team in January.
That's three absolutely wonderful football players that will all have strong seasons IMO and if we get an extra 5-10% out of each you'd have to be extremely negative to think we will go backwards.
De Gea will be the De Gea we know again.
The following COULD happen (probably won't all happen but just one or two of these improvements can go along way) :-
Martial shows the type of form and consistency his talent is clearly capable of. That and/or Rashford also does. Let's say Sanchez plays on the right and we get more out of either/both of these we are rocking. Mourinho may be a lot of things but he's a prideful man that has a point to prove and a winner. He's not going to be oblivious to the things we see and barely any of us have managed a pub team let alone a top flight football team.
Fred settles in well and becomes an important player and integral cog in our midfield. Taking some of the workload off Matic and giving Pogba more of what he needs.
Herrera shows the consistency of his player of the season campaign. Will really help fill in when the games are coming thick and fast. Herrera was largely average last season but in a contract year and with the competition given the type of player he is I'm expecting a good season from him again.
Bailly stays fit and shows the form of his first season.
Lindelof gets better and grows into the team. Lindelof nor Bailly were the finished articles when we signed them and our manager said as much. I'm sure at least one of them will turn out to be a very good defender given Jose's record with defenders.
Those things happening are very realistic and like I said they might not all happen but they surely won't all not happen.
I'm not really expecting Shaw to grab his chance unfortunately so left-back is a cause of concern for me and I'd like an experienced quality defender but we have three weeks to go and the press aren't anything to go by so I think we'll fill one of those positions. I'd say I'll lose a little optimism if we don't address either area but I am patient since our last two transfers basically happened overnight and I'm certain they were scouted for a while.
We were a million points behind last season but we were comfortably second (that's also with us chucking points away since we'd all but secured second) and it's not outlandish to suggest the following WILL happen : -
Pogba improves massively and starts to look like one of the most consistently brilliant midfielders in the game.
Lukaku will go from strength to strength now he's been at a big club for a season and took on the responsibility of being the real leader of the team that finished 3rd in the World Cup. He can and probably will score 35 or more goals provided we don't lose him to injury and he's a fit lad.
We see something resembling Sanchez' best form. He's 29, should be in his peak and for the first time in 5 years has had a pre-season rest and is now settled in the team rather than thrown in a fairly disjointed team in January.
That's three absolutely wonderful football players that will all have strong seasons IMO and if we get an extra 5-10% out of each you'd have to be extremely negative to think we will go backwards.
De Gea will be the De Gea we know again.
The following COULD happen (probably won't all happen but just one or two of these improvements can go along way) :-
Martial shows the type of form and consistency his talent is clearly capable of. That and/or Rashford also does. Let's say Sanchez plays on the right and we get more out of either/both of these we are rocking. Mourinho may be a lot of things but he's a prideful man that has a point to prove and a winner. He's not going to be oblivious to the things we see and barely any of us have managed a pub team let alone a top flight football team.
Fred settles in well and becomes an important player and integral cog in our midfield. Taking some of the workload off Matic and giving Pogba more of what he needs.
Herrera shows the consistency of his player of the season campaign. Will really help fill in when the games are coming thick and fast. Herrera was largely average last season but in a contract year and with the competition given the type of player he is I'm expecting a good season from him again.
Bailly stays fit and shows the form of his first season.
Lindelof gets better and grows into the team. Lindelof nor Bailly were the finished articles when we signed them and our manager said as much. I'm sure at least one of them will turn out to be a very good defender given Jose's record with defenders.
Those things happening are very realistic and like I said they might not all happen but they surely won't all not happen.
I'm not really expecting Shaw to grab his chance unfortunately so left-back is a cause of concern for me and I'd like an experienced quality defender but we have three weeks to go and the press aren't anything to go by so I think we'll fill one of those positions. I'd say I'll lose a little optimism if we don't address either area but I am patient since our last two transfers basically happened overnight and I'm certain they were scouted for a while.
Could we have a poll?
We’ve been linked with Lewandowski a few times
That’s a good post. I’d probably take the “not optimistic” option in any survey but that’s about as well argued a case for the opposite opinion that I’ve read.
Just hope there is going to be 1 big unexpected signing. We had Pogba in Mous 1st year and Lukaku in his 2nd.
We need some threat from the right and somehow for the handbrake to be released. Can't see Citeh having the same season as last so we have a chance. Come on!
We need some threat from the right and somehow for the handbrake to be released. Can't see Citeh having the same season as last so we have a chance. Come on!
Right now not really, but there is still time to make moves in the market.
I think we need fullback upgrades and left winger.
I think we need fullback upgrades and left winger.
Do you mean right?
Haha yeah, no idea why I wrote left...
It's weird that so many people's answer to this topic is rooted almost entirely in whether we buy a couple more players, that's not really the problem.
What is the problem then? We have no right winger. No wingers at all actually. No proper LB or RB. No real leader at CB. No real quality in midfield aside from the starters.
Mourinho, I fully believe a different manager would get a lot more out of Pogba, Martial, Rashford and Sanchez, but they all looked shells by the end of last season under his coaching, tactics and in the case of Pogba and Martial, his awful man management. Signing Alex Sandro and another CB isn't going to alter anything.
It's both imo. Better coaching with some of the players we have like Pogba, Martial, Rashford. But also personnel. Some players are not good enough at all no matter what coaching you give. Especially in defence. Entering the new season with a backline of Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Young is basically conceding the title already. Of course Alex Sandro and a top CB would change things.
Yes. It’s about time we stop looking at the transfer market for every solution and instead focus on what we have.
No amount of new player(s) will change the dire football that Mourinho's teams play.
Hated his Chelsea and Madrid teams. I tried so hard to tolerate the boring football that we had in the last 4 years (under LVG and Mourinho). The only short period of time that I enjoyed this team was the beginning of last season when we scored 4 goals for 5-6 games in a row.
Everything went down hill when we got close to Xmas time.
Hated his Chelsea and Madrid teams. I tried so hard to tolerate the boring football that we had in the last 4 years (under LVG and Mourinho). The only short period of time that I enjoyed this team was the beginning of last season when we scored 4 goals for 5-6 games in a row.
Everything went down hill when we got close to Xmas time.
The World Cup has taken a huge chunk of my interest, I need a break before even thinking about the new season.
I think MCFC are giving Pep everything he wants. Everything.
Even when they bought players for club record transfer fees, which didn't work out, they binned those players and bought new players.
Seldom have I seen anything like what is going on at MCFC.
So much negativity in this thread (including mine I have to add) is telling. We're all going into the season expecting to finish behind City and Liverpool! Oh how the mighty have fallen! 
So you only enjoy games in which we score 4 goals?
I got news for you buddy. In most football matches, teams won't score 4 goals.
Right now their are a few things I'm excited about. Overall I think the squad plus Mourinho isn't really a recipe for great free flowing football. However there is definitely room to improve as previous Mourinho teams have been able to look more direct and exciting whilst not sacrificing defensive strength.
What excites me is potential changes with the personnel we have right now:
Firstly after the way Pogba and Lukaku played and behaved at the world cup for their respective countries would be a game changer if that could be translated into long term performance for us. Possibly Lindelof could fit into this point as well.
Secondly Sanchez having an actual pre season and not joining a massively different team half way through the season should allow for him to make a more consistent impact over the season.
Thirdly Fred and Pereira coming into the squad should promote better midfield competition. When your second string midfield is Fellaini, McTominay and Herrera you can be a tad worried. Fellaini is too situational, Herrera seems to be in poor form and McTominay has only really played a very conservative roll as per Mou's instructions so is a little unproven. Here's hoping that Fred and Andreas offer better all purpose competition and options.
What doesn't excite me:
Firstly our back line is an issue, Mourinho doesn't have a set favourite lineup to play week in week out either due to lack of trust i.e. Lindelof, injuries i.e. Bailly, Jones and Smalling. I think Mou's lack of trust in our back line is something that really really contributes to our playing on the back foot all the time, he's literally scared to leave them potentially exposed to a counter.
Secondly our complete lack of width, whilst Dalot could be an overnight world beating revelation, that's an outside chance. Which means barring some signings we are looking at another season with Young and Valencia as our fullbacks. Not good as neither seems to want or be allowed to really push up offensively leaving us with little to no width in the final third. This allows teams to park a narrow bus and leave us a puzzle to break down which all too often we don't seem to solve convincingly.
Thirdly it really worries me at times to see Rashford and Martial being left to wither on the bench. The inability of the club to take such obvious talents and progress and elevate their play is worrisome for the long term. We don't want to become the next Chelsea losing great players to poor managent ala Lukaku, KDB and Salah.
What excites me is potential changes with the personnel we have right now:
Firstly after the way Pogba and Lukaku played and behaved at the world cup for their respective countries would be a game changer if that could be translated into long term performance for us. Possibly Lindelof could fit into this point as well.
Secondly Sanchez having an actual pre season and not joining a massively different team half way through the season should allow for him to make a more consistent impact over the season.
Thirdly Fred and Pereira coming into the squad should promote better midfield competition. When your second string midfield is Fellaini, McTominay and Herrera you can be a tad worried. Fellaini is too situational, Herrera seems to be in poor form and McTominay has only really played a very conservative roll as per Mou's instructions so is a little unproven. Here's hoping that Fred and Andreas offer better all purpose competition and options.
What doesn't excite me:
Firstly our back line is an issue, Mourinho doesn't have a set favourite lineup to play week in week out either due to lack of trust i.e. Lindelof, injuries i.e. Bailly, Jones and Smalling. I think Mou's lack of trust in our back line is something that really really contributes to our playing on the back foot all the time, he's literally scared to leave them potentially exposed to a counter.
Secondly our complete lack of width, whilst Dalot could be an overnight world beating revelation, that's an outside chance. Which means barring some signings we are looking at another season with Young and Valencia as our fullbacks. Not good as neither seems to want or be allowed to really push up offensively leaving us with little to no width in the final third. This allows teams to park a narrow bus and leave us a puzzle to break down which all too often we don't seem to solve convincingly.
Thirdly it really worries me at times to see Rashford and Martial being left to wither on the bench. The inability of the club to take such obvious talents and progress and elevate their play is worrisome for the long term. We don't want to become the next Chelsea losing great players to poor managent ala Lukaku, KDB and Salah.
All doom and gloom in here, pl hyping up liverpool as always. It is really getting tiring! Ge ta life!
Not very hopeful unless we sign a couple more players. Every chance Fred won’t settle in and be the player we’re hoping for, and Dalot is 19.
We urgently need a centre back, possibly a right winger and in my opinion another centre mid. Could even do with a left back too, ideally. Can’t see at least 2 of those happening.
We urgently need a centre back, possibly a right winger and in my opinion another centre mid. Could even do with a left back too, ideally. Can’t see at least 2 of those happening.
Liverpool have made some good signings . But and it's a big but will it all work out will city improve even more ,are Arsenal on their way back ? Spurs will they ever get it right ? New Chelsea what are they going To do ? And there's plenty of time for Utd to get some stuff done will mou eventually become the special one At OT? Football is interesting all the same .
If Sanchez, Pogba, Lukaku and martial perform to what they are capable of then we are capable of challenging for anything. If they perform that good and 'gel' (such a cliche word but true) then I expect us to win the league and challenge for the CL.
We have WC players in our squad imo. We should be competing for everything.
We have WC players in our squad imo. We should be competing for everything.
Our three best players are Pogba, Lukaku, and Sanchez. If they stay free from injury and gel together from the get go we can have a very good season. Pogba and Lukaku had great world cups and really came of age as leaders in their respective sides, it wouldn't surprise me to see them really step up this year. Alexis needed a rest and he got one, it's a pity that his visa for the states was declined, but it's not the end of the world.
Hopefully Lingard continues to improve like he has done over the previous 24 months and properly cements his place in our starting XI. Matic was very good last season, but he started to look fatigued towards the end, the world cup came at a bad time for him, but hopefully he gets a month of rest and is raring to go for our first match.
Fred is a good signing, but I don't see him as that much of an improvement over Herrera, who at one point looked like a top player and future captain for us. They're both quite similar, with Fred maybe having the edge of Ander going forward, but with Herrera being a slightly better defender.
At the back it's a bit of a weird one. Statistics never paint the full picture, but we have been steadily improving and becoming more consistent over the past couple of seasons, obviously the most important aspect of that is De Gea, this is probably his most important season yet, coming into his prime and at the end of last season was finally being touted as the best in the world, ahead of Neuer, Lloris, Buffon, and Navas. However he has a poor summer with Spain, and now that it looks like his dream move to Madrid is completely gone, it will be interesting to see how he reacts. In front of him we have 4 or 5 really good defenders, but none who really inspire you with confidence.
will finish later.
Hopefully Lingard continues to improve like he has done over the previous 24 months and properly cements his place in our starting XI. Matic was very good last season, but he started to look fatigued towards the end, the world cup came at a bad time for him, but hopefully he gets a month of rest and is raring to go for our first match.
Fred is a good signing, but I don't see him as that much of an improvement over Herrera, who at one point looked like a top player and future captain for us. They're both quite similar, with Fred maybe having the edge of Ander going forward, but with Herrera being a slightly better defender.
At the back it's a bit of a weird one. Statistics never paint the full picture, but we have been steadily improving and becoming more consistent over the past couple of seasons, obviously the most important aspect of that is De Gea, this is probably his most important season yet, coming into his prime and at the end of last season was finally being touted as the best in the world, ahead of Neuer, Lloris, Buffon, and Navas. However he has a poor summer with Spain, and now that it looks like his dream move to Madrid is completely gone, it will be interesting to see how he reacts. In front of him we have 4 or 5 really good defenders, but none who really inspire you with confidence.
will finish later.
I expect us to battle it out for the 2nd to 5th positions.
We desperately need Sanchez to find his former self, also.
The bottom line is, we have an average squad with a lack of real, first-rate players. It’s been this way for years and it’s very hard for Mourinho to correct in just two seasons.
We have invested but not in the dramatic fashion of PSG last season or Real in 2009. Moves like that are the only way we would leapfrog to the top level.
We desperately need Sanchez to find his former self, also.
The bottom line is, we have an average squad with a lack of real, first-rate players. It’s been this way for years and it’s very hard for Mourinho to correct in just two seasons.
We have invested but not in the dramatic fashion of PSG last season or Real in 2009. Moves like that are the only way we would leapfrog to the top level.
The CB's we have are not top of the line I agree, but two of them can become that and Smalling is a solid performer, certainly no worse than the CB's of the team that won the PL last season. I wouldn't argue the fullback situation with anyone as it's obvious that going into the season with Valencia and Young is laughable, but no signings will alter the fact that our key attacking players do not perform to their potential due to the coaching, tactics and man management, and without them performing nothing will change, 2 fullbacks wont alter the issues with them.
Not sure if there’s an opinion on Howson on here but I watch some of his videos and thought this one might be worth a discussion.