Fullbacks for the summer

He's got the right character, he's shown he can defend, and he can put in a good cross. Getting rid of Young and Valencia is not the objective. We need to add quality to our ranks, but one truly top class fullback will help us a lot more than two good ones. Young and Valencia can rotate at right back, keep each other fresh, and making sure the other stays on top of their game.
 
JohnnyLaw said:
That obviously isn't what Pep planned for though considering he paid 50m for an overlapping fullback in Mendy who he hasn't been able to use..
The issue is that tactically they're quite obviously miles ahead of us. Young and Valencia have actually contributed almost equal numbers of goals/assist to Citys entire roster of fullbacks this season. Considering that one of those two is Antonio Valencia that's not very impressive.
Still they stand 17 points ahead of us.
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Funny how you mention tactical approach and then cite goals and assists. our fullbacks simply aren't good enough on the ball, nor do they have the stamina required to contribute in defence and attack, how many times have you seen them fail to get past their man or overlap our winger? it's usually a square pass inside, shirking any kind of offensive responsibility and congesting our attacking play. Liverpool have been transformed with young energetic fullbacks and if anyone thinks Young and Valencia are good enough to win the title, they are sorely mistaken.

The fullbacks (or lack of investment in quality ones) have been the one constant in our last 5 years of underachievement. We need to prioritise investment in these positions this summer. I see fans complain about our style of play all the time, two quality fullbacks would help us massively in this regard.
 
MUFC OK said:
Funny how you mention tactical approach and then cite goals and assists. our fullbacks simply aren't good enough on the ball, nor do they have the stamina required to contribute in defence and attack, how many times have you seen them fail to get past their man or overlap our winger? it's usually a square pass inside, shirking any kind of offensive responsibility and congesting our attacking play. Liverpool have been transformed with young energetic fullbacks and if anyone thinks Young and Valencia are good enough to win the title, they are sorely mistaken.

The fullbacks (or lack of investment in quality ones) have been the one constant in our last 5 years of underachievement. We need to prioritise investment in these positions this summer. I see fans complain about our style of play all the time, two quality fullbacks would help us massively in this regard.
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My point was that in isolation, our fullbacks have contributed more than theirs, yet you still hold on to this simplistic notion that the fullbacks are the major difference between the teams when they obviously haven't been.
How is Delph any more capable of the things you've listed compared to Young or Valencia who are both former midfielders and easily among the fittest players we have in the squad?
City finishes ten points ahead of us last season too using inverted fullbacks for most of the season. A time when Mourinho was calling Valencia perhaps the greatest RB in the world.
I'm not saying we shouldn't or needn't improve our fullback situation but to claim that it's the major thing holding us back is a red herring.
 
JohnnyLaw said:
My point was that in isolation, our fullbacks have contributed more than theirs, yet you still hold on to this simplistic notion that the fullbacks are the major difference between the teams when they obviously haven't been.
How is Delph any more capable of the things you've listed compared to Young or Valencia who are both former midfielders and easily among the fittest players we have in the squad?
City finishes ten points ahead of us last season too using inverted fullbacks for most of the season. A time when Mourinho was calling Valencia perhaps the greatest RB in the world.
I'm not saying we shouldn't or needn't improve our fullback situation but to claim that it's the major thing holding us back is a red herring.
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Well they haven't, our fullback have stifled us at times and that's clear to see every time they slow the play down and pass inside, without advancing beyond their man. There is not statistic that is going to prove that in isolation but its plain to see, though I'd rather save the fallacy of statistics for another thread.

Fittest in the squad? Well they are both 32/33 now so to expect them to play 50 games at the required intensity in both attack and defence next season is worrying, as is Jose stating that he hopes Young will do so just this week. Likely they will sacrifice attacking contribution first.

It may or may not be the major thing holding us back, but its the biggest void between the likes of City and Liverpool who are playing the exciting, attacking football that so many crave and what we are producing. In my opinion, signing a top quality left back such as Alex Sandro would be a minimum, that would at least allow Valencia and young to share the minutes on the right side.

Perhaps our other biggest issue is mentality, but I think aging fullbacks lends itself to a conservative approach, if we fail to invest in this area, I'd expect more of the same in terms of attacking shape and style next season.
 
Hellboy said:
Arguably our weakest positions in the squad are RB and FB, plus there are very high chances Darmian & Blind won't be here next season.

We have Shaw, Young and Valencia who will probably stay. The latter two are quite old and will decline even further next season.

So what are realistic targets we could sign in both position ?

On top of my head ;

Right backs :

Meunier
??

Left Backs :

Alex Sandro
Gaya
Benfica's LB
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Would PSG sell... I mean Alves is 35 and will be out of contract next summer?
 
With mourinho's latest coment on young, i dont think we will sign a world class international like Alex Sandro or David Alaba... my guess would be Kieran Tierny.
 
sun_tzu said:
Would PSG sell... I mean Alves is 35 and will be out of contract next summer?
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No, they wouldn't.

Alex Sandro and Mukiele are good options. Both are strong, fast, good in the air, and dangerous going forward.

Mukiele is still young (20), but very talented and we can afford to take a bit more risk there with Valencia still at the club. We need a starting leftback though, and should therefore get the best player we possibly can. In my view, that's Sandro.
 
Manutd1990 said:
With mourinho's latest coment on young, i dont think we will sign a world class international like Alex Sandro or David Alaba... my guess would be Kieran Tierny.
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As usual, I would take anything and everything Mourinho says with an almighty pinch of salt.
 
Manutd1990 said:
With mourinho's latest coment on young, i dont think we will sign a world class international like Alex Sandro or David Alaba... my guess would be Kieran Tierny.
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Sandro is nowhere near being a world class player.
 
I'm wary about Sandro, he's been meh every time I've watched Juve this season, and a lot of the Juve fans on reddit would be happy with him being sold.

Much rather not have the reincarnation of this year's Valencia on the left, if that's what Sandro is.
 
Alex Telles of Porto (left back) looks going forward and delivers a good cross but Jose would beat that out of him.
 
Stick with the same team next season, they are still gelling in. Sell Martial tho. And let fellaini go.
 
I think the key will be having proficient attacking full backs that have scope for development defensively. Not sure there are many out there that are the full package defensively and going forward - and available.

I think there are a lot better options for LB in that sense. Sandro being the most expensive. Grimaldo was pretty good, but I think he’s already agreed a transfer. Tierney of course could also be a shout. It’s a shame Mitchell got injured when he did, as he looked great for hearts.

RB for me is the struggle. Cancelo is probably the only one I can think of like that, maybe Sidibe but not seen much of him.
 
beingshe7don said:
Alonso
Marcelo
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Alonso is not lb and he is poor when you play 4 at the back. Go to any Chelsea forum and see the opinion of people who watch him on a regular basis.

Alex Sandro is not playing well this season. When in form he is far better than Alonso.

But you could say Marcelo, Alaba and Jordi Alba as better LBs in the moment. Tbh i would not bench Young to play this current Alex Sandro.
 
Are we even going to sign new fullbacks? Mourinho seems happy with Young and Valencia for next season. I think he's happy with their contributions this season and doesn't see it as a priority which is very worrying indeed. All these top names being mentioned... I actually don't think we will sign fullbacks.
 
SS said:
How many LBs are better?
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Have you actually watched him play this season, and I’m not talking about the Champs League, he’s the definition of mediocre, someone on the Caf mentioned he’s the left sided equivalent of Valencia which is probably a bit harsh, but it closer to the absurd suggestion that he’s world class.
 
If shaw is gone the we need to sign a LB for sure. Cant figure out whats the transfer strategy for us this year but I am pretty sure we wont sign more than 2 players ( 3 max if Martial is out of the way ). People who are expecting us to sign 4-5 players this summer will be disappointed very much.

As many suggested I think Jose is planning to Use Valencia/Young as right back option for another year. I guess TFM will be allowed to leave on loan for another year. Not sure people will agree with me but I believe we should start putting O'connor in the first team soon. The kid has all the talent and mentality to be one of the very best right backs if nurtured properly. Valencia/young as right back choices with O'connor getting his chance during league cup is the way forward for me for next season.

To me Shaw is gone this summer and he needs a fresh start too for the sake of his career. If thats the case then we definitely need a LB for sure but I hope we don,t bring the over hyped and over rated ones like Rose ( his injury record is worse than Jones) and Sandro ( Not sure how much he will improve us ) and when I looks across the whole Europe I cannot find one who is attainable and will improve us dramatically. But I fully expect us to go for Sandro if shaw is moving out.
 
Crashoutcassius said:
No point speaking sense in here mate. These guys need a simple reason why we aren't too. It has to be fixable by change of formation or by transfers in obvious positions.
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To be fair a lot of City movement in full backs benefits other area of the team. Not sure stats fully pick this up but I would not just measure a full back in assists or tackles nowadays. So getting an upgrade who is able to get up and down the park more than Valencia and Young is certainly a start and will hopefully benefit us.
 
reddevilzZ said:
If shaw is gone the we need to sign a LB for sure. Cant figure out whats the transfer strategy for us this year but I am pretty sure we wont sign more than 2 players ( 3 max if Martial is out of the way ). People who are expecting us to sign 4-5 players this summer will be disappointed very much.

As many suggested I think Jose is planning to Use Valencia/Young as right back option for another year. I guess TFM will be allowed to leave on loan for another year. Not sure people will agree with me but I believe we should start putting O'connor in the first team soon. The kid has all the talent and mentality to be one of the very best right backs if nurtured properly. Valencia/young as right back choices with O'connor getting his chance during league cup is the way forward for me for next season.

To me Shaw is gone this summer and he needs a fresh start too for the sake of his career. If thats the case then we definitely need a LB for sure but I hope we don,t bring the over hyped and over rated ones like Rose ( his injury record is worse than Jones) and Sandro ( Not sure how much he will improve us ) and when I looks across the whole Europe I cannot find one who is attainable and will improve us dramatically. But I fully expect us to go for Sandro if shaw is moving out.
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Tierney would be an upgrade the kids a cracking player (although nowhere near the finished article) Shaw has more to his game as in pace but Tierney is not slow by no means. Tierney has an attitude to match his ability and I’m not convinced Shaw has from what we have seen unfortunately. But I rate Tierney higher than Robertson at Liverpool who’s previous coach told me he’s a rolls Royce going forward but a Skoda at defending but put him in an attacking team and he’ll flourish and that’s what he’s doing at Liverpool.
I think we will sign 3 but hopefully 4 as our squad is still a good 5-6 top quality players short of City imo at this stage.
 
Beaucoup said:
Have you actually watched him play this season, and I’m not talking about the Champs League, he’s the definition of mediocre, someone on the Caf mentioned he’s the left sided equivalent of Valencia which is probably a bit harsh, but it closer to the absurd suggestion that he’s world class.
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I've heard he's been poor this season, but one poor season doesn't automatically make him "nowhere near" world class when he's played at a fairly high level up until now. It's safe to assume you've watched him more than me this season, so what do you think has gone wrong this season? Any answers from Serie A fans would be helpful too.

@JuveGER @Nedved @giorno @B&Wandmore
 
JPRouve said:
He is far from ready and he lacks bravery, he will always go for the easy, low risk, low reward option.
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I dont watch Monaco tbh. I wonder what happened because he was exactly the contrary of that description. He was the typical offensive full back not 100% reliable in defense.
 
SS said:
I've heard he's been poor this season, but one poor season doesn't automatically make him "nowhere near" world class when he's played at a fairly high level up until now. It's safe to assume you've watched him more than me this season, so what do you think has gone wrong this season? Any answers from Serie A fans would be helpful too.

@JuveGER @Nedved @giorno @B&Wandmore
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Who?
 
SS said:
I've heard he's been poor this season, but one poor season doesn't automatically make him "nowhere near" world class when he's played at a fairly high level up until now. It's safe to assume you've watched him more than me this season, so what do you think has gone wrong this season? Any answers from Serie A fans would be helpful too.

@JuveGER @Nedved @giorno @B&Wandmore
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He was world class for the previous two seasons. Strong in defense and always dangerous going forward. This season he’s been a bit so-so in relation to the high expectations, but he’s clearly an excellent footballer (not just a left back) with a dip in form. Beaucoup has no idea what he is talking about.

He’s so complete that he can do a decent job as a winger or or even central midfielder when necessary. I hope we don’t sell him, although I think he will leave and that his poor form has been caused by a lack of motivation.
 
Charles Miller said:
I dont watch Monaco tbh. I wonder what happened because he was exactly the contrary of that description. He was the typical offensive full back not 100% reliable in defense.
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He has the tools but from the begin of the seasons, he has looked like a deer in the headlights. I think that he is playing with fear and tries to avoid mistakes which makes him do some mistakes and play with little ambition.
 
giorno said:
Wants out. Don't read too much in this season, he's fantastic
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Nedved said:
He was world class for the previous two seasons. Strong in defense and always dangerous going forward. This season he’s been a bit so-so in relation to the high expectations, but he’s clearly an excellent footballer (not just a left back) with a dip in form. Beaucoup has no idea what he is talking about.

He’s so complete that he can do a decent job as a winger or or even central midfielder when necessary. I hope we don’t sell him, although I think he will leave and that his poor form has been caused by a lack of motivation.
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Cheers, appreciate the responses. I figured the bolded made more sense than an actual decline in ability.
 
JPRouve said:
He has the tools but from the begin of the seasons, he has looked like a deer in the headlights. I think that he is playing with fear and tries to avoid mistakes which makes him do some mistakes and play with little ambition.
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I saw a report in The Guardian that Jorge had an average 3.1 tackles and 3 interceptions per game. I wonder if he is playing so conservative due to tactical instructions or he just thinks this is what europeans want to see from a full back.

He was skilfull like a midfielder since the U-20. I think he can develop into a top attacking full back. Not for United now, of course.
 
Why do so many people keep suggesting Sessegnon for left back? He's a very attacking left winger, have you even seen him play?

Alex Sandro & Thomas Meunier for me.
 
Think we can safely say Meunier won’t be happening seeing as Dani Alves just did his cruciate ligaments and is out til the end of the year, at 35 may never be the same player as seen with Zlatan.
 
I think Young and Valencia will remain as first choice, with a young replacement coming in for Shaw - either Sessegnon or Tierney. TFM will be back up for Valencia.

Both Young and Valencia are dependable in defence and can be relied upon to play every week without too many fitness issues.

I know we all clamour for the overlapping fullback, myself included, but I think Mourinho will look to improve our attack through midfield, a right winger or a defender with quicker distribution.
 
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