I think our starting XI is top three, barring catastrophe. The problem for me is no squad depth. A long term absence from Bruno and we're toast. In terms of players, I'd say one more player of Bruno's stature/impact that's a CF or a RW. We will need to bring in new players because some in that XI are workmanlike and we can't expect City and Liverpool to keep dropping points.
How far off is this squad from a title challenge?
- Thread starter jamesjimmybyrondean
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12 months. Genuinely think this time next year we will be serious contenders. Doing brilliantly this season but just feels to soon to sustain it. But who knows
A lot depends on whether Liverpool/City return to their form of the last three years or whether that was a peak and we're now in more normal territory in the years ahead (86+ points for a title).
I don't see us putting up 100 points any time soon.
I don't see us putting up 100 points any time soon.
Ok I just had this crazy idea. Call me crazy but imagine our squad but with two additional established old heads who've been in this position before.
Add Nani and Rafael to this squad and we walk this league.
Nani's 34 and while clearly past his best I think his understanding of the right wing position at Manchester United as sort of mentor figure until the likes of Diallo and Pellistri become ready or we get a more established player like Sancho could be really useful when we are sorely lacking any sort of creativity from the right. He doesn't have to play that many minutes to be very useful either.
I think Rafael would instantly become our backup RB and give AWB some rest while also helping us in certain situations progressing the ball when our RB position becomes a build up play blackhole.
Please tell me I'm crazy because it seems almost too perfect. Almost like putting back the broken pieces of what was Manchester United.
PS: This is totally the kind of thing Fergie would do too.
Add Nani and Rafael to this squad and we walk this league.
Nani's 34 and while clearly past his best I think his understanding of the right wing position at Manchester United as sort of mentor figure until the likes of Diallo and Pellistri become ready or we get a more established player like Sancho could be really useful when we are sorely lacking any sort of creativity from the right. He doesn't have to play that many minutes to be very useful either.
I think Rafael would instantly become our backup RB and give AWB some rest while also helping us in certain situations progressing the ball when our RB position becomes a build up play blackhole.
Please tell me I'm crazy because it seems almost too perfect. Almost like putting back the broken pieces of what was Manchester United.
PS: This is totally the kind of thing Fergie would do too.
Yeah you're mate.
Still 3 players short - RW, Striker and DM
I’m the opposite - I think we’ve got really good depth and squad it’s going to be crucial if we want to stay close to the top of the league. Ole is just choosing to stick to what’s working, it’s not that we need more players.
I think most people would agree we don’t have the ‘best’ player in any one position (arguments can be made for some like Bruno or Shaw) but what we have is a lot of solid 7/10 and 8/10 players across pretty much the whole team now. Realistically I can’t think of any position where we wouldn’t need to be spending £50m plus to improve what we have already (I’m assuming Alaba isn’t coming here on a free). RW is a conundrum but let’s hope Diallo settles well.
Best depth is City, United and Chelsea.
Our squad is top-3 quality. We lack a couple of players to have the same quality as LFC and City, but fortunately it’s no rule saying best squad=winning PL.
It should be City, Liverpool, Spurs then United. In that order I think. Chelsea are stacked with forward and midfield options but their defence is quite meh. Let alone depth.
I like the idea of Raphael coming back provided he can do a job (as backup). Not sure that Nani would be a good enough addition to bring him in over other options but even with his age he'd be an upgrade on James
We are title challengers already, but we don't have the best team or the best squad. To truly be in that conversation we need a DM, CB and RB in the summer. The RW i think we'll give it a shot with what we have in Mason and Diallo, and both have great potential. We'll need a striker as well, but since we have Cavani, we can wait for one more year and try Haaland in summer 2022.
Saw a pal declaring arrogantly on a fb chat that he has City, Liverpool and Leicester as his top 3. Not even a mention of us.
Long may people totally underestimate us.
We'll just keep doing what we're doing, and hopefully win a big game that makes people stand up and notice very soon.
Long may people totally underestimate us.
We'll just keep doing what we're doing, and hopefully win a big game that makes people stand up and notice very soon.
A tight well organised squad is what we want just now, we're all over the place at times
Leicester are tidy and workmanlike
The team that can keep as many top players fit, covid free and hungry will be there or thereabouts, we're top lets stay there
Leicester are tidy and workmanlike
The team that can keep as many top players fit, covid free and hungry will be there or thereabouts, we're top lets stay there
You'll win feck all with shite defence.
To win the league a solid defence is necessary.
We've conceded 25 goals so far. None of the teams in the top 11 have conceded more.
Think you can maybe throw in a fully fit quick CB to that mix as well
Yeah still hoping we can do a smooth transition from Cavani to Haaland if we can win this race of course
I agree with this bit.
Just because we’ve shipped some goals doesn’t automatically mean our defence is shit.
We’ve got two of the better fullbacks in the league and one of the better CBS in the league. Our defensive record last year was one of the best in the league. I’m not denying we need another CB to partner Maguire bit to say our defence is shit is nonsense.
shipping goals and scoring goals is all relative, points make prizes and we're on top of the pile, Unlucky the dippers tonight...not
Because it can be misleading in the context of individual games.
A team can score a couple of really hard chances or deflected goals in the first minute, then sit back and allow the other team to have pot shots the rest of the game, that would then give the expected goals a false showing of the game.
It's a stat thats designed to be used over the course of a season NOT in individual games or a handful of games.
So could this be the 20-21 season?
If Bruno gets injured Lingard steps in and takes up the role of talisman..
Jokes aside. As awful as it would be, if Bruno was to get injured. I think Pogba as a 10, with DVB stepping into the Pogba role would work. Pogba might not get as many goals as Bruno but it won’t be a drop in quality.
I know Cavani scored last game but, it's imperative our strikers find some goal scoring form. It would make such a huge difference in the second half. I feel we have to be almost perfect from here on out because I see:
1) City as a team that will not drop many points from here on out.
2) 6 points on Liverpool is good but, I don't think they are far from getting back to scoring, they are still creating constantly, just can't find the back of the net. Just a matter of time I think.
3) Leicester City - very much like their Championship season, I kept thinking no way they maintain that consistency but, they seem to be doing it again.
Time we start winning a bit more comfortably and our strikers are central to that.
1) City as a team that will not drop many points from here on out.
2) 6 points on Liverpool is good but, I don't think they are far from getting back to scoring, they are still creating constantly, just can't find the back of the net. Just a matter of time I think.
3) Leicester City - very much like their Championship season, I kept thinking no way they maintain that consistency but, they seem to be doing it again.
Time we start winning a bit more comfortably and our strikers are central to that.
Our next 6 league games are Sheffield United, Arsenal away, Southampton, Everton, West Brom away and Newcastle which with our away form are all genuine maximum point games for us.
Liverpool have got Spurs and West Ham both away then City at home so if we manage to get maximum points from our next 3 games and Liverpool beat City, which they might need too to stay within 10 points of us, then we’re in a genuine title race especially with City in the Champions League and wanting to win that more than anything else.
Liverpool have got Spurs and West Ham both away then City at home so if we manage to get maximum points from our next 3 games and Liverpool beat City, which they might need too to stay within 10 points of us, then we’re in a genuine title race especially with City in the Champions League and wanting to win that more than anything else.
Absolutely. It's important to stay as close to the first place as possible (since City have a game in hand). The longer we stay in the race anything is possible. But we really need Rash and especially Martial to step up
It's a metric that's most useful when considered in aggregate, yes. But that's not the same as saying giving up lots of shots after taking the lead in a game (which isn't even something United have done in any game I remember this season, really - more of a Tottenham thing) is a reason the aggregate figure can be distorted.
The numbers for an individual game aren't a simple "who should have won" indicator because of the need to account for game state, but they're still insightful - if a team goes 1-0 up early by scoring from a low-percentage chance or error, then sits back and lets the other team have 15 potshots for a total xG of, say, 1 or 1.5 and ends up winning 1-0, it's not wrong to say the other team should have scored once - they're more likely to score than not score if that same game with those same chances happens repeatedly. And a team that consistently sits back and invites pressure, even if it's comparatively low-quality chances, will give up goals and points over the season if it lets the opposition have enough of them.
The xGD numbers in that link the other person posted are an aggregate measure across half a season anyway. Although yeah, I don't think the difference (2 goals above XG for, 2 below XG against) is huge enough to suggest the numbers are saying anything about where the team should be in the table.
Rashford has been ok. Martial and Greenwood are getting much better now. But they are still far away from the best they could be. It’s possible due to the new system we currently play mostly.
However, it’s only Jan. The most difficult and critical period is the next few months. Isn’t it in some sense a great situation if they can eventually kick in the form and peak in the second half of the season? I feel they will get there very soon.
However, it’s only Jan. The most difficult and critical period is the next few months. Isn’t it in some sense a great situation if they can eventually kick in the form and peak in the second half of the season? I feel they will get there very soon.
I think we have something really valuable and thats the ability to get results even when the whole squad is not playing great, during the last purple patch after the covid break it seemed every player clicked and we got results and won matches so easily that I feared that as soon as the rythym slowed down we would enter a bad patch, just as it happened.
Right now we have players that are not at his best but still we manage to get results, that what champions do. We have AWB, Greenwood and Martial who are playing shit and still we manage to get results.
On the other side we have Bruno and Rashford who slowed down but Pogba and Shaw who have make up for it.
Thats what a team needs, when a player steps down another one takes his place on the spotlight. I now it seems unlikely but I wish we could buy a CDM and RW this window, it would definitely help us. Even a loan move for a short term solution such as Perisic or Douglas Costa.
Right now we have players that are not at his best but still we manage to get results, that what champions do. We have AWB, Greenwood and Martial who are playing shit and still we manage to get results.
On the other side we have Bruno and Rashford who slowed down but Pogba and Shaw who have make up for it.
Thats what a team needs, when a player steps down another one takes his place on the spotlight. I now it seems unlikely but I wish we could buy a CDM and RW this window, it would definitely help us. Even a loan move for a short term solution such as Perisic or Douglas Costa.
We're in a title challenge right now.
If our front 3 pick up form, we can easily win the title.
We're in 1st place without our defense and attack ever being in form at the same time.
If our front 3 pick up form, we can easily win the title.
We're in 1st place without our defense and attack ever being in form at the same time.
Someone who can play RW and cross for Cavani...an extra 5-10 goals from the right could be the difference.
Plus the usual suspects staying injury free all season.
Plus the usual suspects staying injury free all season.
a) Pogba stays in this fine form until the end of the season.
b) Maguire and Shaw and the rest of the defense stay in this good-competent-reliable form until the end of the season.
c) Rashford starts scoring again.
d) Cavani keeps scoring dramatic winners or important goals.
e) Bruno back to moments of TopTop level (not necessarily for 90 minutes). He's been average lately.
f) and obviously, City needs to drop points.
b) Maguire and Shaw and the rest of the defense stay in this good-competent-reliable form until the end of the season.
c) Rashford starts scoring again.
d) Cavani keeps scoring dramatic winners or important goals.
e) Bruno back to moments of TopTop level (not necessarily for 90 minutes). He's been average lately.
f) and obviously, City needs to drop points.
Right. It’s critical that those non-forward players can contribute goals. Bruno, Pogba, McT have been able doing it. Hope Fred can add some as well.
But I don’t think there is any need to add extra players in Jan. If we can get some impact from Diallo, it could be a massive reinforcement in the big picture of our title challenge this season.
Hopefully the kid will be a massive success but at this particular point he seems one for the future more than an inmediate impact, I doubt he'll have much weight in the current season.
That's inflated by the our result against Spurs. I actually think our defence is starting to click even with the rotation between Lindelof and Bailly. AWB needs to adjust his attacking movement and cut inside more, but he has been consistent at the back.
Yeah. We can hope and be optimistic. That’s why I think it will be a massive reinforcement if it turns out to be true.
Maybe the next game, FA cup against pool, he might get some mins? Who knows. I guess every manutd fans at the moment just want to watch him in action no matter the video comes from training or match.
Hopefully he'll get minutes if we're wining if not I think the pressure will be too much to handle and the questions marks will start, we dont need that for him at this point. I would introduce him in other games against weaker opposition, maybe in the Europa League?
I think the key is City dropping points.
Definitely. EPL is so cruel and physical. Europa games are good way to give them opportunity. I also want to see Elanga get chance there.
Need the teams like Burley to get it done.
City might blank a few games if Aguero is not fit.. they cannot expect John Stones scoring for them every week..
Shrek says we are ready now!