His goal record for a midfielder was pretty amazing.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Goals
- 11
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 4
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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Hm, I wouldn't agree based on his per 90 minutes game time stats of the last three seasons. He's missing too many clear cut chances (remember the epic miss against Real Madrid in 2014's QF? Or him missing the open goal against Frankfurt last December?) and shoots too often from rather poor positions from outside the box; he has also been among he Dortmund players with most blocked shots or shots missed wide.
He is most valuable in creating chances for team mates, i.e. if you look beyond goal assists and shot assists and include the last two or three actions prior to a shot (e.g. passes, interceptions, successful tacklings). He's also attempting rather many through balls. That's why I think he could add a lot to United's game.
Thanks!
Interesting to get more opinion on him. Do you think he will fit in well or do you understand why Mourinho might be waiting?
There is nothing understandable about this treatment.
Right now Mourinho´s treatment of him is the exact polar opposite of what he got at his last club. He went from unquestioned key player and somewhat of a teacher´s pet to surplus of requirements. That alone is hard the swallow for any player, for a player highly driven by confidence like Mkhitaryan? Even worse.
There is quite frankly no (from the outside visible) justification for that.
The poor 45 minutes vs. City should never lead to be frozen out like that. If 45 underwhelming minutes would be enough to completely drop a player, every single United player would have deserved the same treatment. That sample size is so incredibly low, it is not even funny anymore.
Same with the intensity excuse and the Willian comparisions. Willian did not only miss the whole pre season in his first year at Chelsea, he also joined from a far less intense and weaker league than the Armenian did.
Instead any United supporter should ask himself, how Ilkay Gündogan, who played for the same club and in the same league, who missed the whole pre season with a severe knee injury, has absolutely no problems with the EPL´s mighty intensity and is getting full games at City. This comparision gets even harsher, because Mkhitaryan was always the superior player in terms of fitness and intensity when both played for Dortmund.
There is something else going on, which has to be fixed very quickly, because otherwise they won´t be working together longer than this season.
Because of Mkhitaryan's physique, training and work ethics - as I wrote some days ago in the post below - I don't believe these reasons for his time in the stands for a second.
However, Mourinho is not entirely off if he's questioning HM's mentality; although it's harsh to do it after one poor half time against City.
One noteworthy event to remember is the pen shoot out in the German Cup final. Mkhitaryan decided to not step forward and take a pen. Thus, a defender with known poor shooting skills needed to step up (and failed to score, of course). Mkhitaryan has the skills but crumbled under the pressure and even avoided the situation of potential failure; that was - with all due respect to players who are contrary to popular belief no super-humans - really, really weak. In my book that's worse than missing a pen.
Mkhitaryan claimed he wants to win trophies. Well, he has the skillsbut was a coward when the team needed his contribution to win a trophy.
I would have expected that Mourinho would ease HM into games against opposition like Burnley. Now where he didn't, I really wonder how Mourinho will handle him in the future.
I can definitely see Mkhitaryan cracking under pressure but the whole adapting to the PL's physicality is so much BS it hurts.
HM was the fittest BVB player last season, played almost all games, most of them full time. He was among those who covered the longest distance, had a fair amount of sprints. Below is how he arrived at 1st day of pre-season training 2015. To compare his physique to Kagawa's is laughable.
All three previous managers praised him multiple times for his training and work ethics. I trust Tuchel's judgement the most because he's infamous for demanding much more in training from players than in matches. He repeatedly praised HM as a true role model and outstanding professional athlete in that regard.
While I would be very surprised if all that had changed in just one summer, I wouldn't be the least surprised if HM struggles to cope with the pressure.
Passing on taking a penalty when you don't think you have the right frame of mind is a good decision.
The bold is so true. He was our fitest and conditionel best player by far.
But i think "something else is going on" is just the result of Uniteds transferpolitics without a plan ("hmm yeah, maybe buy him, we are talking to Raiola yet, so maybe lets get him") and/or just the logical result if you combine a player like Micki and a coach like Mourinho. I said it before: Mourinho is not capable of threating a player like Micki in the right way so that he offer wordclass again.
The other side of the coin is a Micki who was stupid enough to not consider all these cicumstances.
No it isnt, if the only players who are left are defenders who never took a penalty. And if you are the best player in the squad and saying about yourself "i want to win trophys". Yeah sorry man you just should have taken this penalty then you would have a trophy ffs.
"The right frame of mind" is the essence: You played well, want to be the best in the squad, are in the near of winning something, and then..."ah no i dont want to" while you look in the eyes of your teammates ,knowing they have never shoot one penalty and stick to oyu opinion.
Our coach, who treated him so well and got the best out of him, was so dissapointed after that, completly understandable.
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That can be debated. My point was, however, that it is evident that Mkhitaryan has great difficulties in handling pressure. In that regard, he's the complete opposite of a typical Mourinho player, and this could therefore very well be the reason for HM's current situation.
Mourinho demands that his players have massive balls and bullet-proof confidence.
I know that the ability to finish chances isn't the most scientific way to gauge those qualities, but it does give a bit of an insight into how an individual deals with intense pressure. Ally misses like that to the reports that Mkhitaryan is a huge introvert and the way he collapsed under the pressure of starting against Manchester City, and I think you can see why Mourinho has lost faith in him.
You can't always bring the best out of every player. For every success story (Herrera) there's a failure (possibly Mkhitaryan). Mourinho likes players who can manage themselves - just look at his first Chelsea side. That team was full of leaders and, although Mourinho left them in September 2007, they still almost overshadowed United in 2008 despite having Avram Grant as manager. It can be dangerous when a dressing room full of egos clash, but it's how he likes to do things.
Mourinho's track record of winning trophies means that we have to trust his process, even if that means that 'nice guys' sometimes get thrown by the wayside.
But then United should ask themselfs for what they bought Micki in the first place.
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Given these circumstances, Willian was actually integrated into the team fairly quickly. He only missed three Premier League games after his arrival before getting a regular run in the team (alternating as a starter and substitute). He started their first CL match only about three weeks after his arrival in England and went on to play in 5/6 group stages matches, starting four of them.
The two situations really aren't that similar.
You can't always know how a player will react until you actually have them in your squad. The history of football is littered with great players who failed under certain managers.
It's quite possible that Mkitaryan was an LvG pick that Mourinho ok'ed, much like Herrera was a Moyes pick that LvG ok'ed. Perhaps mistakes were made in the scouting process, but that happens sometimes.
I find Mourinho more problematic than Mkhitaryan here, in my opinion a proper manager should be able to (re)build his players mentally. It's too easy to just abandon them to the wolves and it actually makes me think about Ibrahimovic current situation.
I simply don't buy this story that Mkhitaryan has a weak mentality. Not based on his track record and past. If there is a problem it is of our own making.
Sorry, but the whole football world knows how Micki is. How it was at Dortmund. It was a often discused and even from Tuchel openly mentioned. No rocket sience, it was obvious from the begining how Micki is and how he was able to play these top performances.
But ok, all in all, this leaves a big questionmark for United, and 40-45mio € for Dortmund.
The comparison with Willian is none, but Kagawa comes in mind. And in my eyes Kagawa never was so great like Micki was in our games. Strange.
It was a gamble that may or may not pay off. If it does, we'll have a top player on our hands. If it doesn't, we'll make a small-to-medium sized loss. Either way, it'll have been worth the risk and Mkhitaryan will have earned several million pounds.
I agree to a large extent because HM is frozen out after very few minutes of game time. I was pointing out though that Mkhitaryan does have those confidence issues, and I pointed out some days ago that prior to Tuchel, Klopp tried to build up Mkhitaryan's self-esteem - without success.
All that shows that it is very easy to demand that it is the manager' job to nurture a player's confidence when it is in fact quite callenging in some cases as Mkhitaryan shows.
@Dante
I like the bullet-proof analogy.
And I'm personally not convinced that this is what HM could ever be. However, I read your post as if you think HM is a high maintenance player, and this isn't the case; he doesn't need external motivation. You know the book 'The inner game of tennis'? That's what mainly helped him to play this last fantastic season (bar the refusal to take a Cup final pen).Interesting that you exclude his spell with Dortmund and himself admitting his difficulties from his past.
You simply don't buy something which is a fact?
And Mourinho usually burns those guys with a weak mentality, look at Quaresma. But I hope Mourinho is a bit more humble now and can recover the player psychologically. It would be stupid to lose Mkhitaryan in order to motivate Mata.
Not really, no. He is captain of his country, an experienced professional, and has come through some difficult experiences. He simply cannot be that weak given his record. If he is having any adjustment problems I really hope he is being supported by the club as it is apparent that he has all the tools to overcome them easily.
I read a rumour online that apparently Mkhi started crying at being subbed at half time in the Derby, and Jose decided then that he wasn't for him.
Sounds like a load of bollocks but if he isn't involved either Thurs or at the weekend I think he'll leave in January tbh.
Sounds like a load of bollocks but if he isn't involved either Thurs or at the weekend I think he'll leave in January tbh.
Big if, but IF that's true, then it's really not difficult to see why Mourinho doesn't fancy him.
This was the signing I was most excited about after watching him play for Dortmund. Ugh! hopefully integrates soon I believe he would elevate our attack if he can adjust but he needs game time to do that.. Weird!
If you're not mentally up to playing against City then you're in a world of trouble at this club. We're not a charity that gives these guys a run out when they're comfortable.
And I'm not claiming to be a psychologist but i was at the game and it was just something that i thought at the time, you don't need to be an expert to see when somebody is shit scared of their predicament. The thing is, Mourinho has basically confirmed what i thought.
Your comment about Pogba is absolutely laughable. Pogba was flimsy against Kante and probably could have done more, but he was behind him as he was entering our penalty area and clearly was trying, perhaps naively, to avoid contact and giving away a penalty/foul. Pogba has shown extreme confidence in all games, possibly even too much in the wrong situations. He's definitely not somebody that isn't cut out for this.
i hope miki wont become our de bruyne. his confidence level is so low right now and that he enter a make or break moment now.
how Mourinho treated him didnot do much favour either.
how Mourinho treated him didnot do much favour either.
He either reacted poorly to be subbed against City or he was given very detailed instructions in that game that he didn't follow. Hopefully Mourinho lets him back in the squad to prove himself.
He deserves more than 45 minutes to prove himself, especially considering what some players get.
To be fair even that is true I don't give a flying fortress. He should be judged on his performances on the pitch - a whip which he has not been given a fair crack of yet.
He can cry before, during and after every match if he wants but if he performs how he did for Dortmund then I'm happy. I think it will be an absolute disgrace and make the club a laughing stock if one of our star summer signings gets sold after 6 months with hardly any game time. It's this kind of behaviour why Sir Bobby didn't want Jose first time around.
Well I doubt he'll play against Fenerbahce on Thursday, he won't even make the bench in my opinion.
In Turkey he'll be booed just because he's Armenian and that kind of pressure won't help him a bit.
I hope he'll be involved at the weekend though, if he can find some kind of form he will improve our attack massively.
He did well against Gala last year in Turkey.
But he was playing well back then, full of confidence and in form. If he does play I hope he will show us more than he did against City.
What I mean, Turkish booing won't affect him much. I would like to see him do 30 minutes if he gets selected for the trip.
Am I the only one who kinda thinks he's not a "United" type player? I know he hasn't played much for us but even when the signing was announced, I kinda had mixed opinions on it.
He's obviously a good footballer, but not the style of player that we need, I don't think.
I still want him to get games though. But I'd prefer us to sign someone like Griezmann for the RW spot next season.
He's obviously a good footballer, but not the style of player that we need, I don't think.
I still want him to get games though. But I'd prefer us to sign someone like Griezmann for the RW spot next season.
He's the new Kagawa. **** following on the CAF without doing shit so far and all
What does that even mean?
I do wonder what it would be like if he hadn't signed from Dortmund.
I hope it works out for him at OT but he was doing very well at Dortmund, just like Kagawa before he left
Dortmund would win today's game by a bigger margin. It was sad to see the effort from our front 4 in the second half.
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