Fix the midfield and we'll fix the team

[Desert Eagle]

The primary issue with our shit offense and our leaky defense is our lack of a cohesive midfield. We have gone from world class players like Robson, Ince, Keane, Scholes, Carrick to past it players like Matic, Casemiro, Eriksen or homegrown crap like Mctom, Lingard and Cleverley. Even forgetting individual talent, our midfield is always disjointed and easy to pass and move through.

We concede so many goals because our midfielders lose 50/50s and are too slow to recover. We resort to long passes because they aren't comfortable taking care of the ball. We can't attack because we lack midfielders who can dribble past the opposition or have the patience to build a attacking sequence.

Our best football has come when Casemiro, Bruno and Eriksen have been playing well. I don't trust all three of them to be consistent performers at the level we need in the years to come. We need an entire new midfield and until that is fixed our football will continue to be shit on a stick as they will make our defenders and attackers look worse.

 

[M Bison]

thread title reminded me of “save the cheerleader save the world”!

but yeah, agree, midfield is shocking, I think a combination of structure and personnel. I think Bruno needs to play a bit deeper so we have a 3 rather than 2 personally, like Liverpool.

 

[Slevs]

Nah. Fix the entire team, getting an F1 engine while the front and back are a broken up 1970s Volvo isn't magically going to solve anything.

Just check our team last night

Onana - Better than Dave at least but not lighting up any trees

Dalot - Terrible, still don't know what he is good at in his footballing "ability". Failed on loan at AC Milan, rewarded with a 5 year contract here 1 season later
Maguire - Nuff said
Lindelof - A central defender who doesn't defend, being passive is his main trait
Reguilon - On loan emergency 3rd left back

Casemiro/Amrabat
Hannibal/Eriksen
Mount/Fernandes

Garnacho - Still a kid, had a bad game. However his main rival for the position isn't lighting up any trees either.
Martial - Rewarded with starts here and staying at the club after a failed loan at Sevilla ffs. Body has been done since 2 years yet we still persist with him
Antony - Useless

So you're saying if we fix that bolded part, suddenly the defense and attack will know how to play football?

I'm sorry mate but getting a good, high quality midfield will not result in Dalot magically developing a football IQ, or transform Lindelof from a wet napkin to prime Nesta. The entire team is just full of has-been and toxic players, all waiting for the manager to go so that they can reset under the new manager and throw him under the bus 2 years later. Just look at Sancho ffs

 

[JPB]

Nah. Fix the entire team, getting an F1 engine while the front and back are a broken up 1970s Volvo isn't magically going to solve anything.

Just check our team last night

Onana - Better than Dave at least but not lighting up any trees

Dalot - Terrible, still don't know what he is good at in his footballing "ability". Failed on loan at AC Milan, rewarded with a 5 year contract here 1 season later
Maguire - Nuff said
Lindelof - A central defender who doesn't defend, being passive is his main trait
Reguilon - On loan emergency 3rd left back

Casemiro/Amrabat
Hannibal/Eriksen
Mount/Fernandes

Garnacho - Still a kid, had a bad game. However his main rival for the position isn't lighting up any tree either.
Martial - Rewarded with starts here and staying at the club after a failed loan at Sevilla ffs. Body has been done since 2 years yet we still persist with him
Antony - Useless

So you're saying if we fix that bolded part, suddenly the defense and attack will know how to play football?

I'm sorry mate but getting a good, high quality midfield will not result in Dalot magically developing a football IQ, or transform Lindelof from a wet napkin to prime Nesta. The entire team is just full of has-been and toxic players, all waiting for the manager to go so that they can reset under the new manager and throw him under the bus 2 years later. Just look at Sancho ffs

Agreed with what you said but the Manager has been awful too. Realistically everyone needs to go, all the players and Ten Haag too for the terrible mistakes he's made.

 

[TMDaines]

People really need to move beyond buying players the cure our ills. No amount of players bought is going to address anything when we continue the same way on the training field and in match preparation.

 

[Snoopygossip]

Nah. Fix the entire team, getting an F1 engine while the front and back are a broken up 1970s Volvo isn't magically going to solve anything.

Just check our team last night

Onana - Better than Dave at least but not lighting up any trees

Dalot - Terrible, still don't know what he is good at in his footballing "ability". Failed on loan at AC Milan, rewarded with a 5 year contract here 1 season later
Maguire - Nuff said
Lindelof - A central defender who doesn't defend, being passive is his main trait
Reguilon - On loan emergency 3rd left back

Casemiro/Amrabat
Hannibal/Eriksen
Mount/Fernandes

Garnacho - Still a kid, had a bad game. However his main rival for the position isn't lighting up any trees either.
Martial - Rewarded with starts here and staying at the club after a failed loan at Sevilla ffs. Body has been done since 2 years yet we still persist with him
Antony - Useless

So you're saying if we fix that bolded part, suddenly the defense and attack will know how to play football?

I'm sorry mate but getting a good, high quality midfield will not result in Dalot magically developing a football IQ, or transform Lindelof from a wet napkin to prime Nesta. The entire team is just full of has-been and toxic players, all waiting for the manager to go so that they can reset under the new manager and throw him under the bus 2 years later. Just look at Sancho ffs

Difficult to disagree with any of that.

 

[GazTheLegend]

Our forwards haven't scored any goals in the Premier League. I mean correct me if I'm wrong here because it's pretty fecking grim but I don't think Hojlund has any goals (though he scored in the champions league). I think Rashford has maybe one goal in all competitions?
Garnacho has one? It's not good enough. It wouldn't be good enough for Luton.

We are about 1/3 of the way through the season. Casemiro is our top scorer and best midfielder. Bruno Fernandes has 2 goals and is still our only real chance-creator.

It was our biggest problem last season and it's our biggest problem right now. Pretending the issue is elsewhere just because we do have issues elsewhere is just delusional. It's up top, Ten Hag didn't solve it, Hojlund doesn't solve it. He signed Mason Mount instead. This season is done.

 

[jadajos]

Our forwards haven't scored any goals in the Premier League. I mean correct me if I'm wrong here because it's pretty fecking grim but I don't think Hojlund has any goals (though he scored in the champions league). I think Rashford has maybe one goal in all competitions?
Garnacho has one? It's not good enough. It wouldn't be good enough for Luton.

We are about 1/3 of the way through the season. Casemiro is our top scorer and best midfielder. Bruno Fernandes has 2 goals and is still our only real chance-creator.

It was our biggest problem last season and it's our biggest problem right now. Pretending the issue is elsewhere just because we do have issues elsewhere is just delusional. It's up top, Ten Hag didn't solve it, Hojlund doesn't solve it. He signed Mason Mount instead. This season is done.

Wow you're right, McTominay is the top scorer with 3 goals. Bruno has 2, nobody else has scored more than 1 goal, not even any of the strikers. It's closer to 1/4 of the season than 1/3 of it, but it is still shocking. No player except for Bruno has more than 1 assist in the league either by the way.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Nah. Fix the entire team, getting an F1 engine while the front and back are a broken up 1970s Volvo isn't magically going to solve anything.

Of course Lindelof and Dalot would look better if we had a solid midfield. They'd be less exposed at one on one defending which is a weakness of both. Would they become magically better players? Of course not and they might still have to be replaced but no doubt our defenders play better with a cohesive midfield in front of them.

Our forwards haven't scored any goals in the Premier League. I mean correct me if I'm wrong here because it's pretty fecking grim but I don't think Hojlund has any goals (though he scored in the champions league). I think Rashford has maybe one goal in all competitions?
Garnacho has one? It's not good enough. It wouldn't be good enough for Luton.

We are about 1/3 of the way through the season. Casemiro is our top scorer and best midfielder. Bruno Fernandes has 2 goals and is still our only real chance-creator.

It was our biggest problem last season and it's our biggest problem right now. Pretending the issue is elsewhere just because we do have issues elsewhere is just delusional. It's up top, Ten Hag didn't solve it, Hojlund doesn't solve it. He signed Mason Mount instead. This season is done.

Hojlund has definitely helped our attack, it's unfortunate that our wingers have been absolute dogshit but that's a notoriously streaky position, as long as the chances are being created, they will score. The problem is we hardly create good chances, and give up loads on the other end. The forward line is like wide receivers in the NFL , they are dependent on the ball being delivered to them in optimal areas and with good timing and pace. Fix the midfield and the attack will look infinitely better even with the same players we already have.

 

[DWelbz19]

I have been saying this for a long time - we need three central midfielders (not no.10s masquerading) who are able to pass the ball like it isn't a grenade; maintain the ball under pressure; and have some mobility in their legs.

Put 3 of those players in the middle of the park and the team elevates a lot.

All the more shocking that Hag hasn't targeted a single one since he has been in charge.

 

[Shinjch]

The midfield isn't good at all, but we are dreadful in both boxes too. It's a bigger problem than just the midfield.

 

[eire-red]

Like many others have said, we have one goal from our forwards in the prem.

We've been creating chances too, but the conversion has been absolutely awful.

Let's face it, every facet of our game has been terrible. Obviously a world class midfield would help, but we still can't score and our defence is just a litany of individual errors, time after time.

There's no quick fix here. I think we're going to suffer a lot more before we turn a corner.

 

[davidmichael]

The entire squad is, as has been for years, bloated and unbalanced and full of fecking dross that no other top level team in the league would want so just fixing the midfield wouldn’t do anything in reality.

Our keeper has struggled to adapt and the back up bought in the summer is worse than what we already had. In defence Dalot is no better than what had in Laird other than fitness, Martinez has struggled since the injury, Varane is Varane, Lindelof is the weakest centre back I’ve seen here since Prunier and our left side is lost without Shaw.

In midfield Casemiro’s legs are on the way to being gone whilst Eriksen’s have gone, McTominay will never be good enough in the roles we use him in and the one role he is decent in is the one he’s rarely used in, Fernandes has become Pogba in being good in 1 out of 10 games and a liability, VDB is VDB and Mount was a pointless signing which leaves Mejbri and Mainoo who I think I’d rather see start.

Up top Rashford has reverted to type now he’s got his new £300K a week contract, Sancho is spineless, Martial is Martial, Antony is the worst right winger I’ve seen at United and horrifically one dimensional, Garnacho is still a kid, Pellestri is weak, Diallo is never given a chance which leaves Hojlund who’s a work in progress.

 

[Mickeza]

Nope. We have one attacker - who is currently completely out of form - that would start at another top 10 club. We’ve also been starting spurs’ 3rd choice left back and Jonny Evans who was heading for championship in the last 6 weeks. This isn’t difficult - we can’t score even when we do create great chances and we have defenders that would struggle for games at the worst teams in the league - I wonder why we’re not very good?

 

[NZT-One]

People really need to move beyond buying players the cure our ills. No amount of players bought is going to address anything when we continue the same way on the training field and in match preparation.

Amen. People complain about ETH being onedimensional but seemingly have an idea of how teams improve of a 1998 football manager game for the PC.

In todays game you can't really separate defense and attack, they have to work together because your opponent will do exactly that and if you don't match that, you'll have a disadvantage. Also clouding your eyes of our performances in the last year doesn't make sense - the results were better but the issues were apparent just as well. We just setup a little deeper most of the time. But we still didn't have a working way of reliable chance creation and our pressing was out of sync. Having Casemiro and Rashford in form helped to cover up soem short comings.

 

[Woziak]

Nope. We have one attacker - who is currently completely out of form - that would start at another top 10 club. We’ve also been starting spurs’ 3rd choice left back and Jonny Evans who was heading for championship in the last 6 weeks. This isn’t difficult - we can’t score even when we do create great chances and we have defenders that would struggle for games at the worst teams in the league - I wonder why we’re not very good?

We don’t have one striker whose out of form the whole squad options are out of form, Antony has no goals or assists in over 500 minutes but Rashford has 4 GI in 1100 minutes, he’s shite right now but he’s not alone, Garnaucho 1 assist in nearly 500 minutes, and Hojlund can’t score in the PL.

Let’s stop assuming this is just Rashford and Bruno, the whole attacking unit is stinking the place out!

 

[sect2k]

Yes, midfield is the biggest issue this year as Casemiro is badly of form and Eriksen is showing his age. It doesn't solve all of our issues, but it's the a major factor in the difference between performances this and last year. It was obvious last year when Casemiro was suspended/of form and our play turned crap, that this is a glaring issue. That it was poorly addressed over the summer, with the (late) addition of only Amrabat, and not a top priority along with a striker, should really have been a glaring red flag and a warning of things to come.

 

[Dans]

Fixing the midfield does not help fix Rashford, Lindelof, Dalot, Martial, Antony etc etc

 

[11101]

You are correct, but in 10 years we still haven't done it. Not sure if it's the 'United Way' or Ed's Disneyland but we've spent a fortune on shiny attackers and flagship signings but neglected the basics in the most important area of the pitch.

Ten Hag has recognised it at least but our signings have been scattergun. Without a true football man running the recruitment we're hopeless. We had two good options we could have bought this summer but instead we got Mount.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

Nah our attack is abysmal and the biggest issue.

 

[Mickeza]

We don’t have one striker whose out of form the whole squad options are out of form, Antony has no goals or assists in over 500 minutes but Rashford has 4 GI in 1100 minutes, he’s shite right now but he’s not alone, Garnaucho 1 assist in nearly 500 minutes, and Hojlund can’t score in the PL.

Let’s stop assuming this is just Rashford and Bruno, the whole attacking unit is stinking the place out!

How have you read what I’ve put and concluded that I’m criticising rashford and Bruno? I clearly stated outside of Rashford we don’t have a single attacking player that starts for another top 10 side. And then went further - saying the defence currently has two regulars who would struggle for games at bottom half sides. Nowhere have I even slightly intimated that our form is down to Rashford or Bruno who are the only two players we have that would get games for clubs of the same reputation as us.

 

[marktan]

Nah the attack is just as big an issue, has been since SAF left. The fact that Rashford, an academy product who is hit and miss, is our best attack still so long after 2016 says it all.

 

[The Hilton]

I have been saying this for a long time - we need three central midfielders (not no.10s masquerading) who are able to pass the ball like it isn't a grenade; maintain the ball under pressure; and have some mobility in their legs.

Put 3 of those players in the middle of the park and the team elevates a lot.

All the more shocking that Hag hasn't targeted a single one since he has been in charge.

Ten Hag targeted De Jong, so that isn't true, although there's a good argument to be made that we should have had a similar backup rather than bringing in such a different profile in Casemiro.

Midfielders being better at retaining the ball would help us, no doubt, but there would still be a huge gap between them and our front pressers and our defence, we'd still be wasting all the high turnovers we generate by not scoring any goals, and we'd still have amateurish defenders because our good ones are made of glass.

 

[Grande]

Of course Lindelof and Dalot would look better if we had a solid midfield. They'd be less exposed at one on one defending which is a weakness of both. Would they become magically better players? Of course not and they might still have to be replaced but no doubt our defenders play better with a cohesive midfield in front of them.



Hojlund has definitely helped our attack, it's unfortunate that our wingers have been absolute dogshit but that's a notoriously streaky position, as long as the chances are being created, they will score. The problem is we hardly create good chances, and give up loads on the other end. The forward line is like wide receivers in the NFL , they are dependent on the ball being delivered to them in optimal areas and with good timing and pace. Fix the midfield and the attack will look infinitely better even with the same players we already have.

I agree about the midfield being important. I think last season showed that the players we have there are good enough to play at a high level when things work, what we see now is that they struggle when plyers are out of form and there is little cohesion.

Casemiro has abilities we lack, and something has happened to his physical form during the last 9 months or so. He has probably been overused by United and Brazil, not so strange considering ladt season’s world cup madness and Utd being so dependent on him to achieve PL goals.

Bruno is a fantastic no 10 for many teams. As an 8, his strengths are less utilized and can even become weaknesses (balance between directness and possession retainement). He works hard defensively, but is an instinctual player who’se instincts makes him vulnerable as an 8 sitting back (overcommitting, being dragged out of formation, risk taking on the ball). Maybe he can learn it in a strict and well-functioning system, but it’s not his force.

Amrabat, Mount are players who I think are good enough to play at a high level when they are allowed to play to their strengths. That demands a cohesive team and time to build relations. Per now they’ve had neither. Neither are match winners.

Eriksen has big strengths and huge weaknesses. He is dependent on the team working to cover up his weaknesses. That demands a well functioning team.

McTominay is an okay player with a good mentality, a few nice strengths and few glaring weaknesses. He can cover a hole in a functioning team, he can never himself lift a team above relegation level, I don’t think.

Mejbri and Mainoo can become good players, hard to say how good. One has tenacity and the other press resistance and passing range above the other midfielders, but there are a lot of weak areas, as is to be expected. Neither can be expected to help settle an unsettled team, IMO.

It doesn’t look bad on paper, but it only looks good if you assume all players are allowed to play to their strengths and cover their weaknesses. ATM our system is not integrated enough to cover them, and there are just too many weaknesses and too few strengths to handle a bout of injuries, new players adapting, lack of form etc.

It would look a whoooooole lot better of the defence wasn’t a complete sequence of chop-and-change B and C options though. Alot better. But for consistent top runners, the midfield lack quite a bit.

 

[GMoore23]

The manager got 4 midfielders in, he's just not good enough.

Also, I'd take 2 class attackers ahead of midfielders.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

The manager got 4 midfielders in, he's just not good enough.

Also, I'd take 2 class attackers ahead of midfielders.

Agreed. We had some average midfields at the end of Fergie’s time and still won things. You can’t say Tom Cleverley and 38 year old Giggs were any better than we have now. Carrick was good but not best in the world level. Do you think we’d be in the same hole with peak Rooney and Van Persie? Probably not.

 

[DWelbz19]

Ten Hag targeted De Jong, so that isn't true, although there's a good argument to be made that we should have had a similar backup rather than bringing in such a different profile in Casemiro.

De Jong isn’t the only player in world football to possess those traits. He targeted de Jong then signed 4 midfielders in 3 windows (Casemiro; Sabitzer; Amrabat; and Mason Mount) who are completely different types of midfielders to De Jong.

To me, this suggests that the interest in De Jong was more down to familiarity than it ever was his specific profile and the traits our midfield massively lacked.

 

[RedIan]

Play Casamiro amrabat and erikson together, all are class players And we just havent had all 3 fit together. Now we have lets see if they can actually control a midfield.

Bruno plays as an attacker or not at all.

 

[hobbers]

We cant fix the midfield in ETH's suicidal system.

He needs to have his eyes taped open and be forced to watch every single match of Klopp's prem winning team. Then maybe we'll see a Casemiro/Bruno, Eriksen, Amrabat midfield where they actually play as midfielders.

 

[GazTheLegend]

People really need to move beyond buying players the cure our ills. No amount of players bought is going to address anything when we continue the same way on the training field and in match preparation.

I don't entirely disagree, but it was pretty clear we were going to have some serious issues given our personnel. That isn't absolving the coaching team of their failures: it's all a part of the same shitcake they serve us on a weekly basis, but Jonny Evans is starting for us at centre back. Anthony Martial has been a complete disaster at every club he has been loaned to, but he's still our second choice number 9 right now. Would it be acceptable at Liverpool, City, Bayern or whoever to be starting a match with an aging, declined Jonny Evans as part of your back four? Or even Christian Eriksen, who admittedly is our best midfielder - wouldn't get touched by a club with title winning aspirations.

It's part of the same malaise that turned AC Milan into a joke for so many years. Aging, has been players struggling around to prop up the reputation of a team dying on its arse. That lack of investment in suitable replacements has killed us as much as our awful coaching ever did.

 

[Woziak]

How have you read what I’ve put and concluded that I’m criticising rashford and Bruno? I clearly stated outside of Rashford we don’t have a single attacking player that starts for another top 10 side. And then went further - saying the defence currently has two regulars who would struggle for games at bottom half sides. Nowhere have I even slightly intimated that our form is down to Rashford or Bruno who are the only two players we have that would get games for clubs of the same reputation as us.

Hojlund would get as much time as either of them he might actually start for Arsenal. Chelsea or Villa, Bruno as an 8 doesn’t start for anyone and Rashford needs Luke Shaw to be at his best or an elite full back, no surprise he was good for England with Trippier backing him up.

 

[Tincanalley]

Just look at Sancho ffs

I am beginning to wonder about the Sancho situation. What is REALLY going on there? At first he was being offered support. Then it seems ETH lost patience. I wonder if somewhere during that process the magic touch - improving so many players, great substitutions - lost its early lustre.

 

[Tincanalley]

I agree about the midfield being important. I think last season showed that the players we have there are good enough to play at a high level when things work, what we see now is that they struggle when plyers are out of form and there is little cohesion.

Casemiro has abilities we lack, and something has happened to his physical form during the last 9 months or so. He has probably been overused by United and Brazil, not so strange considering ladt season’s world cup madness and Utd being so dependent on him to achieve PL goals.

Bruno is a fantastic no 10 for many teams. As an 8, his strengths are less utilized and can even become weaknesses (balance between directness and possession retainement). He works hard defensively, but is an instinctual player who’se instincts makes him vulnerable as an 8 sitting back (overcommitting, being dragged out of formation, risk taking on the ball). Maybe he can learn it in a strict and well-functioning system, but it’s not his force.

Amrabat, Mount are players who I think are good enough to play at a high level when they are allowed to play to their strengths. That demands a cohesive team and time to build relations. Per now they’ve had neither. Neither are match winners.

Eriksen has big strengths and huge weaknesses. He is dependent on the team working to cover up his weaknesses. That demands a well functioning team.

McTominay is an okay player with a good mentality, a few nice strengths and few glaring weaknesses. He can cover a hole in a functioning team, he can never himself lift a team above relegation level, I don’t think.

Mejbri and Mainoo can become good players, hard to say how good. One has tenacity and the other press resistance and passing range above the other midfielders, but there are a lot of weak areas, as is to be expected. Neither can be expected to help settle an unsettled team, IMO.

It doesn’t look bad on paper, but it only looks good if you assume all players are allowed to play to their strengths and cover their weaknesses. ATM our system is not integrated enough to cover them, and there are just too many weaknesses and too few strengths to handle a bout of injuries, new players adapting, lack of form etc.

It would look a whoooooole lot better of the defence wasn’t a complete sequence of chop-and-change B and C options though. Alot better. But for consistent top runners, the midfield lack quite a bit.

Enjoyed the analysis and thought process. Very good post.

 

[golden_blunder]

Joao Neves, Palhinha, Ruben Neves
Neto ————————————————-Mitoma
————————Hojlund——————————-

 

[The Hilton]

De Jong isn’t the only player in world football to possess those traits. He targeted de Jong then signed 4 midfielders in 3 windows (Casemiro; Sabitzer; Amrabat; and Mason Mount) who are completely different types of midfielders to De Jong.

To me, this suggests that the interest in De Jong was more down to familiarity than it ever was his specific profile and the traits our midfield massively lacked.

If you can't make a point without being disingenuous, it's clearly not as good a point as you think it is. Sabitzer was an emergency loan signing, Amrabat is a loan signing for cover, Casemiro was a signing worked on by the club before ETH arrived, which ETH accepted due to the De Jong transfer not happening, and because he's been a top player for years in his own right.

Mount is fair, but he's been brought in for his off the ball abilities and to lead the press, he was wanted by Klopp and Arteta for the same reason.

Just bringing in midfielders won't help us that much, our issue all season is that we've had a portion of the team playing one system, and another portion of the team either not committing to it or simply incapable of playing it. Our defence sits far too deep for our high press, for example, leaving huge spaces that opposition teams can run into.

There's definitely criticism that can be levelled at Ten Hag's targets, particularly Antony, but the greater criticism should be reserved for the club, who couldn't come up with any decent alternatives. Asking a manager to do the job of an entire scouting and recruitment department, along with the job of a manager, is just asking for failure.

 

[bosnian_red]

Nah there are different problems that will restrict real progress even if you change 1 position. I mean... Look at Chelsea. They "fixed the midfield". They've got a brilliant deep pairing on paper, and can put out Enzo, Caicedo and Palmer for years to come. They are still a shit team this season.

 

[Mickeza]

Hojlund would get as much time as either of them he might actually start for Arsenal. Chelsea or Villa, Bruno as an 8 doesn’t start for anyone and Rashford needs Luke Shaw to be at his best or an elite full back, no surprise he was good for England with Trippier backing him up.

Hojlund does not currently start for Arsenal or Villa. Arsenal have Jesus and Nketiah - and Villa have Watkins. Chelsea yes - until Nkunku returns. Spurs he could start for but they’d have to move Son from where he’s scoring lots of goals.

 

[dogwithabone]

If we are going to persevere with Anthony surely he has to switch wings ? It all looks so wrong and unnatural when he receives the ball on the right, he's trying to go past a defender on the outside using his left foot on the right wing. It's desperate, just put him on the left and at the very least there's some balance to the attack and Hojlund might get a few more crosses put in. Anthony, although looking so clumsy, was at least a bit effective when he first joined by cutting in and getting shots off and scoring a few great goals but he's stopped doing that now. He just gets it, checks, passes it back or inside and we start again. £82m looks an absolute robbery by Ajax, he looks nothing more than a £25m footballer at best.

 

[dogwithabone]

I am beginning to wonder about the Sancho situation. What is REALLY going on there? At first he was being offered support. Then it seems ETH lost patience. I wonder if somewhere during that process the magic touch - improving so many players, great substitutions - lost its early lustre.

It's mad. A £72m player just sat there fit when the team are playing the most atrocious football for decades. Whatever you think of Sancho he walks into the either of those starting elevens v City and Newcastle. Something has to give because ETH is hanging by a thread and he needs all the help he can muster. His pride or his job ?

 

[The Hilton]

It's mad. A £72m player just sat there fit when the team are playing the most atrocious football for decades. Whatever you think of Sancho he walks into the either of those starting elevens v City and Newcastle. Something has to give because ETH is hanging by a thread and he needs all the help he can muster. His pride or his job ?

A Sancho who isn't training well doesn't anywhere near the City and Newcastle squads, let alone their starting elevens. At the top of his abilities, which are tremendous, then yes, but he's had poor discipline throughout his career, and this is just the latest in a long list of issues for him.