Can this team challenge for the title?

Stretender

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Thought I’d start a positive thread amongst the negativity brought upon by this transfer window. So, if by some chance Woodward pulls through and gets us all our supposed main targets before Tuesday ends, this leaves us with the team:

DDG
AWB Lindelof Maguire Telles
Pogba Matic
Sancho/Dembele Bruno Rashford
Martial

Subs: Deano, Bailly, Shaw, McT, VdB, Greenwood, Cavani

Reserves: Romero, Rojo, Tuanzebe, Williams, TFM, Fred, Mata, Lingard, James, Ighalo.

Instantly, you notice a top first XI and more importantly in this congested, tiring season, good squad depth, including some decent players who can’t even make the 18 on a day when everyone is fit. I wouldn’t say it rivals Liverpool’s squad just yet (although, the depth does), but if these guys hit good form like many did at the back end of last season, we can beat anybody on any day.

So, stick to the thread please. No transfer talk here. Can this squad challenge for the title?
If you take out Pogba and Lindelof yes.

Plus you will need to see Martial perform to levels he has never performed before.

I do not think United can win the league with Martial as the point man. On the wings may be.

Swap Pogba with a defensive Midfielder, sign a top centre half to play in place of Lindelof and replace Martial with Haaland. That's a title winning team.

For all his skills and all that, Paul Pogba is a liability in that part of midfield. The most overated player I can remember of in recent years. Pogba the current player is different to the Pogba that his fan boys think he is or want him to be.
 

bondsname

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Of course this team could win the title, but it's highly unlikely. If the team is high on confidence and manages to overcome set backs quickly, get a few lucky wins to get a winning streak going, it could happen. But I wouldn't bet on it.
 

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We shouldn't be looking to win the league this time, the focus needs to be on strengthening the squad, becoming consistent winners and building self belief. We should aim to win the Carabao and FA cups and place 3rd in the league.
 

K Stand Knut

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Of course this team could win the title, but it's highly unlikely. If the team is high on confidence and manages to overcome set backs quickly, get a few lucky wins to get a winning streak going, it could happen. But I wouldn't bet on it.
Are you drunk????

there is categorically no way this team, or the hypothetical team posted in the OP, can get anywhere near winning the league
 

Ollie Derbyshire

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I think we’re a top level CB & CDM away from challenging, we’d need the usual luck with injuries most title winners have though as well.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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In a word, no.

You need consistency to do this.

Take Martial for an example. The player is able to utterly destroy teams but only does this once every eight or nine games.

Then take Rashford, will have games where his guile and industry get us the three points. This is once every five games.

Maguire will look like an 80m centre back, for twenty minutes in a cup game.

Luke Shaw will seem like a fantastically, flying fullback for four games a season.

Liverpool, City, Madrid, Bayern. Their players are giving you 7s then 9s across each match. Our players are giving us 4s and 5s then an 8, then a 6, then three 4s then a 9.

The games when the majority of players are on a 4, that's when we have a Palace result.

If every player was playing at a 7 every week, we'd be so much better and closer but they don't and we aren't.
 

Web of Bissaka

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This is quite brutal. Brutal honesty. Love it.
He's also basically saying Pogba, Mata and De Gea are not leaders.

We should exclude Young and before him Carrick and Valencia, since we won trophies with those 3 experienced players and Maguire is appointed afterwards.

We got a good leader after Mag became captain though - Bruno.
Did Evra mention him?
 

Kinsella

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Thought I’d start a positive thread amongst the negativity brought upon by this transfer window. So, if by some chance Woodward pulls through and gets us all our supposed main targets before Tuesday ends, this leaves us with the team:

DDG
AWB Lindelof Maguire Telles
Pogba Matic
Sancho/Dembele Bruno Rashford
Martial

Subs: Deano, Bailly, Shaw, McT, VdB, Greenwood, Cavani

Reserves: Romero, Rojo, Tuanzebe, Williams, TFM, Fred, Mata, Lingard, James, Ighalo.

Instantly, you notice a top first XI and more importantly in this congested, tiring season, good squad depth, including some decent players who can’t even make the 18 on a day when everyone is fit. I wouldn’t say it rivals Liverpool’s squad just yet (although, the depth does), but if these guys hit good form like many did at the back end of last season, we can beat anybody on any day.

So, stick to the thread please. No transfer talk here. Can this squad challenge for the title?
No.

There's optimism and then there's delusion. No club with a defence like United's is challenging for the title.
 

Nik70

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No. Not even close. Our big names don’t perform on the levels of the best players in the league. Our shite is as low as the league has to offer. Plus our manager is also quite far away from the level needed to get the points tally required to win the league.
We were the best team in the league post-lockdown. Talk about a cup half empty... :lol:
 

bondsname

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Are you drunk????

there is categorically no way this team, or the hypothetical team posted in the OP, can get anywhere near winning the league
Yeah it's highly unlikely, and I dont think this team will win the title. But more bizarre things have happened.
 

Bubz27

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Talent counts for nothing. The mentality of too many of our players is an absolute joke.
 

Tyrion

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Pogba, Bruno, Martial, Rashford and Greenwood could perform to that level with a better manager. DDG at his best could. Every other starter for us would be a squad player at best for a title winning side.

Basically City and Liverpool could lose their managers and I reckon they'd still finish above us.
 

Triple.Threat

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We should enjoy the top 4 ride this year. It doesn't matter how you dress it there are at least 6-7 teams who are much better than us.
 

RashyForPM

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I must apologise for this thread :lol: We won’t win the league with poor players like Pogba, Maguire, Bailly, De Gea, Matic, Rashford and Martial still as starters, and a bad manager.
 

#07

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We have come to the point where we have to say LVG was right to say we live in the past.

We keep judging what's in front of us as if the goal is to win the title. However, its becoming harder and harder to pretend that's the case. The players can see that too and I think that's having two affects: One) demoralising the ambitious players and Two) making the unambitious ones very comfortable. Camp one will look to leave ASAP, camp two will hang on until they outlast the manager then seek new contracts during the chaos that follows. Its happened so many times before why would it not happen now?

Lets be honest, if the goal is to finish fourth so we can keep putting our sponsor's adverts in front of Champions League audiences, we can afford a few beatings. Ideally we wouldn't want to lose 1-6 at home to Spurs. However, that's a pride thing for us as fans. If you're just an investor ultimately you don't mind if United lose 6 or 7 games by a five goal margin as long as they reach top four.

That's where we are as a club. Expecting more is just going to leave you upset.
 

Ronaldo's Love Child

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Top 4 would be an achievement. I'm pretty sure the Glazers think we are still in a rebuild phase so top 4 is a bonus and we add 1 or 2 players each transfer window before we "hopefully" challenge for the title 3 or 4 years down the line.

As we all know, that type of long termism is not popular amongst us fans as sacrificing success now for unguaranteed success 3 years in the future is very very risky for the board.

Our absolute maximum capability this season is 3rd. My worry is that I cannot call how low we might finish up and I am not one of those who just assumes that if we have a crap season then we'll end up 7th or 8th. I genuinely fear potentially we could end up a LOT worse.
 

Dr. StrangeHate

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The quality we have is ridiculous now. Our bench contains Pogba, Cavani, Greenwood and DVB usually. Pogba and Greenwood scored goals today that very few players in the league can and they aren't even starters. Title challenge is coming guys.
 

Berbasbullet

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That post someone quoted on RAWK was on point which said something along the line of how the hell do we live in purgatory? We look like we toe the line between sacking our manager and challenging :lol:
 

saivet

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The squad on paper can but performances are no where near consistent enough.
 

DancingPanda

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We always seems to be struggling and not playing well, but still we're fourth with 2p from the top.... it's weird.
 

United58

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That post someone quoted on RAWK was on point which said something along the line of how the hell do we live in purgatory? We look like we toe the line between sacking our manager and challenging :lol:
This season is strange, everyone's been largely shite.

We're ahead of City :lol: :lol:


With a better manager and a top class DM. Maybe.
We tried him back in 2013 but the scummy Glazers got rid :mad:
 

cyberman

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Yep. A lot of games this season is going to be like this and our individuality is more equipped than anyone to get those scrappy goals when legs are gone. Its how we got top 4 last year.
Great teams who are machines are at a disadvantage with the chopping and changing thats needed.