We did it with Ighalo.
Better than we think? Some optimism
- Thread starter SER19
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How are we going to get through the season, playing 2 high intensity games per week with only 2 fit center halves and Bailie?
My sentiments exactly. I don't belong in the 'we're not good enough' camp, we're clearly good enough (crap manager aside, but that's a topic for another day) and on our day we could beat anyone. What we're severely lacking is depth and, like you said, an injury to the likes of Fernandes or Pogba in the deep end of the season when everyone is knackered would probably mean we're fecked again.
As for Rashford, I'm worried because I just don't think he belongs in the very top bracket of wide attackers. I'm actually more concerned with Martial and Greenwood losing form (and at some point the latter definitely will, being an inexperienced youngster).
Drugs and more drugs! Also Fred and Matic to cover our defense too.
It is crazy that it needs cover given how many players we got in that area.
I’m normally very very optimistic and had such high hopes that we would add several quality signings to our squad. I wasn’t really that bothered about getting Sancho. Amazing if we could but not to the detriment of squad depth.
A drop in form (Rashford at the end of last season) to key players and/or injuries and we’re screwed for top 4.
All getting a bit depressing when you see today that rivals have signed players we were linked with.
A drop in form (Rashford at the end of last season) to key players and/or injuries and we’re screwed for top 4.
All getting a bit depressing when you see today that rivals have signed players we were linked with.
As much as it is frustrating and not as ideal to not have our signings done yet, we have shown in the past that we are fully capable of bringing in players quickly and under the radar. We definitely need at least 2 more signings with one of them hopefully a RW to consider this summer adequate but there's no point in getting upset when the window is still open. We've got all season to whinge and moan if that is the case and our fans need to chill out and stop being spoilt brats. Its frankly embarrassing to see fans losing their minds because they haven't got a shiny new toy yet with the window still open.
Perisic plays LW so it makes no sense
Is 2 footed and can play either side and even through the middle in a pinch. It makes perfect sense. Anyway, LW, ST, RW... we have no usable depth. Dan James basically can't be used in the CL as he's not good enough for anything more than the occasional rest, not actual competition.
Yeah we only need a Shaw injury and we would be back to Williams in his unnatural position again
We would have had the LB if Madrid weren't obsessed with that buyback clause,now unfortunately we are back to square one
May happen but after today I am just tired of waiting for us to do something else in this window
We didn't have to spend so much time on players like that (Sancho and Reguilon) when we know signing them is not as straightforward as it can be.
Excellent post. I haven't gone through the whole thread yet, but I'm curious if you've been shouted down and criticized for the bold views.
I disagree with this. Is it not the manager's responsibility to coach up the squad players, or to encourage them, or to give them a tactical platform that optimizes their pros and limits their cons?
Instead you have Ole saying he can't trust them. And it must be so incredibly frustrating to not be given a chance even when the starting 11 lads are clearly running on empty, or in a serious decline in form. We struggled for weeks during the bubble, yet the same 11 would play no matter what. Then often they would remain out there struggling, dead on their feet until late in the match, when substitutions would finally be made reluctantly.
How about creating an atmosphere of competition for places? What motivation does James have when he must know that Rashford is going to start and play if healthy, no matter how poor he performs, and no matter how long his run of poor form lasts. Same for Igalho, Fred, and McTominay. Pogba can look disinterested, and unfit, and be robbed of the ball 25 yards from our goal five times a game but we all know he will start the next match and play the full 90, no matter what. And similarly, what motivation does that give Rashford, Martial, Bruno etc? They aren't fighting for their places, they are secure that they are the special players that "can be trusted" so its not a big deal if they are poor, they know they will get a chance at redemption the next match.
The only exception to this is with LB. There actually isn't a sufficient LB other than Shaw, so he has to play every week. Instead we have multiple RBs that can "do a job" at LB and not embarrass themselves, but they aren't offering anything in creativity, possession, or width.
I'm not saying the second string players are actually hidden geniuses. I just don't think we are getting the most out of them.
Agree with you. There is so much more that could be done with our fringe players in terms of coaching.
I hope it will be better this season as they will given more chances. Also CL games will motivate us more than Europa league.
Injuries is a concern though and many of our players are injury prone. It makes it harder to trust them no doubt about it.
He might play there mainly but I think he started the second half of the Champions League final on the right side. It might not be his preferred or best position, but I think he has the ability to play there.
I get what you are saying about creating competition defo and Ole is well aware however the competition for the starting 11 is so poor there just was no competition and the starting 11 know that. The only player that was under utilised imo was Ighalo, he did very well when he did play but after lockdown did not get a sniff even though Rashford was clearly detrimental to the team. There was a huge pressure and focus on us getting top 4 so he had to burn the players out and trickle over the line to get it, in fairness to Ole he said he would give every player a chance, players we all know from seasons previous were not up to it or interested etc, I would expect a lot of players to leave before the window closes as they had their chance and failed and we just about achieved top 4 and had to burn out players to achieve it.
In terms of optimism for the new season I think we have had a few issues over the break with Maguire and Greenwood that typically would have been managed very well by SAF so before we even begin that is a big test of man management for Ole as they proved important players for us last term, he addressed that well in his presser lets see how they get on but that is a concern. The effects of that on their mentality can be draining. Wan Bissaka's attacking contributions as a natural ball player are a concern. Rashford's intelligence levels and decision making in general, but particularly after his return from injury are a concern, he was defo making progress before the injury scoring more goals and more importantly, different types of goals. There are concerns going in with the group we had being at the same level, on the positive side, look at the impact a single player like Bruno had. Donny Van De Beek I think will add intelligence, movement, energy, goals and assists. Not easy to comment on other new signings as there are not any but, if we even just get in another key player it can make a huge difference like Bruno has done so far. I do though have a view that we lack a an option of a focal up front, somebody that can make the ball stick, draw defenders, draw fouls, bring others into the play and has a finishers' instinct in the box, we seem to have lots of "runners" from out wide with little success but even when balls are delivered there is nobody there with the movement or instinct to exploit free spaces and capitalise, Ole has mentioned this on several occasions but did not use Ighalo much after the return even though he has these qualities, not World class but he is useful, maybe he wanted to leave Rashord on in the hope of him coming good but the semi again sevilla was glaring, get Rashford off the pitch at HT and try something different.
Good summation I think. We could challenge for honours even with one more important first team addition.
And I agree on Rashford. He was shocking after lockdown. And I may be wrong, looked quite disinterested.
Martial on the other hand, looked v hungry and that is a good sign.
We really need martial to continue his good form.
If I were to choose our best front three, if Sancho was to come, it would be to have Sancho on the left, with martial central and greenwood right. Rashford doesn't get in on current form.
Yep getting in another top attacker will add competition, in terms of Rashford he had his own distractions during the break, who could criticise him for what he did, he basically took on a government and won for a great cause and made World news, however it is potentially a distraction for what he produces for Manchester United and he is still very young, after the return he was awful, you don't want to speculate what was the cause, caution after the injury or distraction with what nearly became another job that by his own admission is only the beginning, again man management for Ole there.
While you see it as a good cause and it is, his job is with the ones paying him massive money, so that's where his concentration should be and not at playing this centuries Bob bleeding geldof regardless of how good a cause it is. If he wants to feed the world good on him, but he needs to tear up his contract, as its unfair on a club paying him 200 a week if his head is elsewhere.
Also agree with Pav1878, he did have a look as he couldn't be arsed and was always looking for safe options.
So true...
Should be an interesting thread during the year
Would have said we're a lot better than people think.
Until watching that.
Until watching that.
Years away from challenging for the title
Decades
Better than we think? More like worse than we thought. We’ve been in a constant rebuild since SAF retired. Poor recruitment from top to bottom every season. We take one step forward and two steps back. No structure at the very top will never lead to success no matter who the manager is.
We can be a dangerous team on our day but the distance between our best and our worst is too far and our bottom level is shocking.
Troubling start to the season.
Troubling start to the season.
This team was close to the first-choice starters as possible, but there was simply no urgency in the team other than Bruno and VdB. Also not enough players busting their guts to get into the box in expectation of the ball coming in from a cross.
Centuries
Let's not jumping into conclusion shall we? Players lack of match fitness & even a 1 year old child can see that. I have never seen Martial took a touch so heavy yesterday, it was like watching Lukaku touch all over again which shows you the lack of sharpness. On the other hand Crystal Palace had played twice before today while we played none.
Fair enough, but I think that was the epitome of a worrying performance. I was unsure before but I think if we make no significant additions to this squad in the last weeks of the window we're in trouble this year.
That's very true. Our bottom level involves laboured attacking football any professional team should have a good chance of repelling while literally giving teams several goals at the other end. The kind of football where commentators speak in that 'this can't go on' tone of voice and the broadcast director wants lingering shots of the manager and chairman/chief exec, end times football.
I'll be worry with the defense but I wouldn't be worry too much with other things. I've seen us build up attack & play much better than today. This is clearly lack of match fitness issue which is why our movements, passing and touch weren't click yesterday. Good thing we'll have EFL Cup midweek and I won't be surprised if we end up playing full strong XI in midweek to build more match fitness.
Please change the title to “Worse than we thought”
Then why do only we lack match fitness when other teams, especially Palace played like prime Barca?
If you say we have had little time to try, wasn't it Ole himself who set the return date for the players? And we even had an extra week to play one friendly. If anything, that friendly should have shown Ole clearly that James had no business being on that right wing.
Read the last sentence of the post you quoted and it already answered your question before you even asked.
I was referring to other teams as well. Turn the clock back to last week, round 1, many teams's first match in a long time... Why don't they look as sluggish as us? We looked out of gas even in the friendly which was supposedly use to build match fitness last week too. But this week is no different from us.
If we deem the time is too short for us to train properly and regain match fitness, we could have set the return date earlier as well. No one was forcing our hands like with the congested fixture period. But we gave our answer with the exact same bad form.
Are you being serious?
Last week all teams with lack of match fitness played against each other. Today is a team who played twice professional matches against a team who played none.
The response to this defeat. I actually worry for our fans, gosh sir Alex was vital for mental health.
Some of our players had involved in International games.