Seriously? paying 300k a week for a 30 yr old player on a 5 year deal?The signings we made were fine, we should have retained Herrera and Lukaku, and signed a right winger.
de GeaThat's a oretty good team.
Wan Bissaka Lindelof Maguire Shaw
McTominay
Herrera Pogba
New RW Lukaku Martial
All of that isn't even taking into equation our sick note of a LB who is "good defensively" at best. I think LB is a position that we definitely need improvement on.Yep exactly. There was never going to be a 1 or 2 signing answer where if we only make 1 or 2 signings, what is the best option. We had basically 5/6 starting positions that absolutely needed replacing - RB, CB, CDM, CAM, RW and then striker if they don't believe Martial or Rashford can be that guy (personally believe Martial can, but we still need striker depth anyway). We made 2 excellent signings for RB and CB, but we still lack a proper holding midfielder, have average players at CAM, don't have anyone who is natural on the right wing, and our main striker has been injured all year while we have basically no depth. Last summer (2018) we needed a midfielder, a right winger, a right back and a center back. Our right back was a youngster who isn't ready and probably not good enough anyway. Our midfielder is looking a massive flop and barely plays. Which meant this summer we again needed all 4 of those, along with a holding midfielder as Matic is definitely not capable anymore, and a squad attacking player as all hopes for Sanchez were gone. So because we fecked up 2018, we needed 6 players last summer. We signed 3, basically playing catch up from the previous summer.
Next summer, we'll need a holding mid (again), a creative mid, a right winger (again), and a starting or squad striker (depending on Martial) and that's if we sell nobody of use. We can't ever sort our side out and get ahead of things because we're playing catch up and doing things we shouldve done 1 or 2 years ago every summer, and then addressing the new issues a year later (by which time a new issue pops up). We need a big summer sorting it all out for once.
No, we were 6th when we sacked Jose, and we finished 6th. We are 12th now and 2 points above the relegation zone. We were miles stronger last year.Seriously? paying 300k a week for a 30 yr old player on a 5 year deal?
Lukaku did not want to stay at United, ole didnt like his style..
Oh, and apart from the Cb's the same team last year was in the same position as this year..
This is it. Tuanzebe looked as good as any defensive FB, if that's we're looking for. He may not be a FB for the future, but some of the best CB started as FB: Puyol, Ramos, Thuram, Maldini, etc. And as young player, he needs game time anywhere possible.Yes 100%.
Would there have not been more logic in trying Tuanzebe, who had just had a positive spell with villa, as a first choice defensive partner for lindelof or even used as a right back considering all we did was sign a defensive full back anyway, ...
No.Did we focus on the wrong area of the pitch in the summer?
saying it was wrong now with the gift of hindsight
That being said though maybe we should have seen it coming, we sacked the last manager because he was defensive minded in an attacking age, maybe now it is all about trying to outscore the opposition rather than worrying about keeping clean sheets. The best sides obviously get it right at both ends of the pitch but when starting out now maybe you do need to fix your attack first (that's how Klopp did it at Liverpool after all)
It was fairly easy to see this coming. Some of us called it during the summer, before Maguire was bought, that we should prioritize MF and ST instead of CB. If you look up Vidic’s comments from back in March, he also said we should spend money in midfield and forwards instead of a CB. So it’s not just hindsight for some of us. But despite having seen it coming, it doesn’t make it any easier to watch the mess we are in.Easy saying it was wrong now with the gift of hindsight
That being said though maybe we should have seen it coming, we sacked the last manager because he was defensive minded in an attacking age, maybe now it is all about trying to outscore the opposition rather than worrying about keeping clean sheets. The best sides obviously get it right at both ends of the pitch but when starting out now maybe you do need to fix your attack first (that's how Klopp did it at Liverpool after all)
What's even more baffling is that we've decided to move back Pogba back, so putting an even bigger goal scoring responsibility on the three of them.For me it was so painfully, headbangingly obvious that we needed to bolster our attack, with or without Lukaku and Sanchez. Signing AWB and Maguire was great but I was seriously baffled by the decision to sell Lukaku, not replace him and persist with Greenwood, Rashford and Martial for the season - who aren't natural strikers anyway.
It was shocking. I was certain Ole would sign a seasoned striker but he didn't. Unshockingly we cant score and I expected this when the window shut. How could anyone expect Martial, Rashford and Greenwood to carry the burden that is goalscoring, in the premier league?
Exactly.What's even more baffling is that we've decided to move back Pogba back, so putting an even bigger goal scoring responsibility on the three of them.
We don't have a right back since rafael left. And you know what they say, great sides start at the back. I think when Lindeloff-tuanzebe-maguire starts to click, DDG regains some form, we have more stable defensive base to build on. Defensive midfielder and a good right winger and solve midfield issue. Rashford can rotate with Martial and we are set for top 4.Thought midfield was where we really needed new players. A £50m defensive fullback we didn't need.
A striker wasn’t a priority and justifiably so. Still isn’t - Martial and Rashford are both natural forwards, and are our most established attacking players. Both can play from the left or centrally. In a team that will consistently field four attacking players, with one central striker, it’s easy to see why another central striker wouldn’t have taken precedence over other positions and still doesn’t - even if only looking at attacking positions.For me it was so painfully, headbangingly obvious that we needed to bolster our attack, with or without Lukaku and Sanchez. Signing AWB and Maguire was great but I was seriously baffled by the decision to sell Lukaku, not replace him and persist with Greenwood, Rashford and Martial for the season - who aren't natural strikers anyway.
It was shocking. I was certain Ole would sign a seasoned striker but he didn't. Unshockingly we cant score and I expected this when the window shut. How could anyone expect Martial, Rashford and Greenwood to carry the burden that is goalscoring, in the premier league?
On what basis was not signing a striker justified?A striker wasn’t a priority and justifiably so. Still isn’t - Martial and Rashford are both natural forwards, and are our most established attacking players. Both can play from the left or centrally. In a team that will consistently field four attacking players, with one central striker, it’s easy to see why another central striker wouldn’t have taken precedence over other positions and still doesn’t - even if only looking at attacking positions.
In December we were 6th, if that is good enough for you then so be it, most other United fans want minimum top 4. We were miles stronger last year? we conceded 50 goals, this season we have conceded least goals?No, we were 6th when we sacked Jose, and we finished 6th. We are 12th now and 2 points above the relegation zone. We were miles stronger last year.
Herrera didn't want £300k a week, where did you get that from?
Martial is a natural striker that's the position he was developed at, until United.For me it was so painfully, headbangingly obvious that we needed to bolster our attack, with or without Lukaku and Sanchez. Signing AWB and Maguire was great but I was seriously baffled by the decision to sell Lukaku, not replace him and persist with Greenwood, Rashford and Martial for the season - who aren't natural strikers anyway.
It was shocking. I was certain Ole would sign a seasoned striker but he didn't. Unshockingly we cant score and I expected this when the window shut. How could anyone expect Martial, Rashford and Greenwood to carry the burden that is goalscoring, in the premier league?
Absolutely.Centerback was shite for ages, and we made the signing we should have made a year ago. Absolutely in no way was it the wrong decision, Wan Bissaka and Maguire were expensive but both were exactly what we needed. The only problem was that we needed more signings.
Liverpool went from a top4 team to the masters of the universe by "building from the back" with Van Dijk at the helm. He is literally the reason they almost ran away with the league trophy last season, and won the champions league. You know, on top of having a team that suffers very few injuries.Good teams build on the idea they will have the initiative to score. So it's stupid to "build from the back"
Well he's number 9 again now. Having him actually play for us would somewhat help our scoringMartial is a natural striker that's the position he was developed at, until United.
What is your criterion for defining a striker and how does that vary from a centre forward, forward, winger?Martial is a natural striker that's the position he was developed at, until United.
He doesn't look out of place now because he learned that role at 19 years old, playing wide wasn't natural for him. And the problem for me is that you talk about a traditional centre forward and name 4 players that are very different which kind of shows that there is an issue with your idea of traditional.What is your criterion for defining a striker and how does that vary from a centre forward, forward, winger?
For me, Martial, like Greenwood and Rashford, does not look out of place on the wing. I think we need a traditional centre forward who would look out of place on the wing ala Mandzukic, Aguero, Vardy, Kane Etc etc
Even if the 3 of them identified themselves as strikers, it doesn't help the fact that we are hopeless in attack.
I basically think we should've signed a centrally forward striking attacker this summer.
Well for a lot of people wide players and #10 are midfielders.I don't understand all the people wanting more midfielders. We have a couple of good ones in Pogba and McTominay. We don't have any good #10s and no right wingers of any quality in the squad.
That explains it then.Well for a lot of people wide players and #10 are midfielders.