How good is Cavani?

Paul_Scholes18

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Only me feel he has been disappointing for us? He was so good before he joined us, but we have not got the best out of him. Probably due to his fitness. Hopefully that improve next year, but he is getting old. He did end the season strongly though so hopefully that is a sign of things to come.
 

kthanksbye

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Only me feel he has been disappointing for us? He was so good before he joined us, but we have not got the best out of him. Probably due to his fitness. Hopefully that improve next year, but he is getting old. He did end the season strongly though so hopefully that is a sign of things to come.
I think I get what you're saying, he has missed a few sitters early in the season. But I think the reason he took time to get into rhythm was the lack of pre season and then the 14 day quarantine.
His sharpness and understanding with teammates was visibly improving as the season progressed.

I'm still not convinced if we can go into next season with him Martial and Greenwood as #9 options but if I had to put my money, I'd say that the form he showed towards the end of the season, is his true level and I expect him to maintain that next season, and he will have a better goals/min ratio, if not more goals, than the two names I mentioned.
 

Raveneye

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I think I get what you're saying, he has missed a few sitters early in the season. But I think the reason he took time to get into rhythm was the lack of pre season and then the 14 day quarantine.
His sharpness and understanding with teammates was visibly improving as the season progressed.

I'm still not convinced if we can go into next season with him Martial and Greenwood as #9 options but if I had to put my money, I'd say that the form he showed towards the end of the season, is his true level and I expect him to maintain that next season, and he will have a better goals/min ratio, if not more goals, than the two names I mentioned.
And even beyond that, my understanding is that Cavani had had a difficult time with injuries and being played out of position for years at a time leading up his leaving. I don't understand why PSG kept trying to buy someone else in the no. 9 position and let Cavani waste away on the wing. Surely they could have invested that money in parts of their squad in more urgent need. Even after Cavani proved he could lead the line PSG brought in Icardi and froze Cavani out, and I don't see how Icardi is that superior a striker if at all.

Anyway, Cavani was massively out of practice and needed to get back to fitness without preseason in a foreign country. Now that he's valued in his ideal position again and as a mentor, and has the opportunity to see his drive and commitment bear fruit, I suspect he'll be even better next season.
 
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People just pretending Bamford doesn't play CF or something? Guys got 17 goals and 7 assists in a newly promoted team.
Probably a hot take but I don't rate him. Guy was bang average (if that) in the Championship for ages wasn't he, missing chances left right and center playing for an exceptionally well-drilled team. Can see him reverting to type and struggling to hit half his tally next season.

Cavani is up there with most strikers in the league if he keeps playing like has for the last two months of the season, but it's worth waiting to see if that happens before declaring him the second-best or whatever.

I know this isn't specific to the PL, but in the list of great modern strikers who played for major European teams, I'd rate Cavani above Benzema tbh. Even in that Real Madrid team and in La Liga, Benzema didn't get close to a 40 goal season even once. Cavani did that multiple times for PSG (albeit in a much weaker league, but also in an arguably weaker club side).
I used to have the same opinion of Benzema but at this point you just have to hold your hands up and say it's completely wrong.

Benzema spent his prime years as the center forward in a team built around a goalscoring wide man - two of them, after Bale came in. It was never his job to score 40 goals a season, he was the support player drawing defences out of position and making space for his teammates. Man did that while still putting up a couple of 20-league-goal seasons, and since Ronaldo left he's shown what he's capable of when he's given the responsibility of carrying the attack. His goalscoring record for the last three seasons speaks for itself.
 

Paul_Scholes18

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I think I get what you're saying, he has missed a few sitters early in the season. But I think the reason he took time to get into rhythm was the lack of pre season and then the 14 day quarantine.
His sharpness and understanding with teammates was visibly improving as the season progressed.

I'm still not convinced if we can go into next season with him Martial and Greenwood as #9 options but if I had to put my money, I'd say that the form he showed towards the end of the season, is his true level and I expect him to maintain that next season, and he will have a better goals/min ratio, if not more goals, than the two names I mentioned.
Yeah he was one of the few that played well in the final. Also brilliant in the semi final.

I would not mind us buying another striker, but a winger will do. Not fully certain Sancho is as good as the hype, but bloody hope he is. He certainly have many years to grow. Hopefully Martial can comeback so we got good options up front with him and Greenwood giving us options. .
 

tomaldinho1

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Probably a hot take but I don't rate him. Guy was bang average (if that) in the Championship for ages wasn't he, missing chances left right and center playing for an exceptionally well-drilled team. Can see him reverting to type and struggling to hit half his tally next season.

Cavani is up there with most strikers in the league if he keeps playing like has for the last two months of the season, but it's worth waiting to see if that happens before declaring him the second-best or whatever.
No I actually agree on Bamford. He is a weird one because I watch him and just think he misses too many chances and isn't particularly amazing at any one thing - he's not that fast or strong, he's not a dribbler, he's not a clinical finisher....but he's got a shed load of goals.

Agree on Cavani as wellbecause, though he has been solid for us, he's not actually scored that many/assisted a lot and another poster pointed out he doesn't really affect our xG when he's on the pitch versus off it. I really like him as an option but I do think Greenwood needs to move centrally now.
 

11101

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@11101 feck me, give it a rest mate. You were wrong, so wrong about Cavani. It happens man, get over it and enjoy him for fecks sake.
Yeah, I said I'd be amazed if he scored 10 goals for us. He scored exactly 10. He was far better than I expected but we are talking as though he is up there with Harry Kane and hes not. If we go into next season expecting him to be or main striker we will be in trouble.
 
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Yeah, I said I'd be amazed if he scored 10 goals for us. He scored exactly 10. He was far better than I expected but we are talking as though he is up there with Harry Kane and hes not. If we go into next season expecting him to be or main striker we will be in trouble.
hmm…..


I'll be amazed if he gets 10 goals in all competitions this season
You know just how wrong you are when suddenly you start shifting the goalpost that much. He got 17 in all competitions and his goals per minute ratio once he settled into the team was excellent.

That’s 70% more goals than a number that would have “amazed” you.

Don’t let it stop you though, you’ve been wrong for a year now, may as well carry on and triple down.
 
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11101

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hmm…..




You know just how wrong you are when suddenly you start shifting the goalpost that much. He got 17 in all competitions and his goals per minute ratio once he settled into the team was excellent.

Don’t let it stop you though, you’ve been wrong for a year now, may as well carry on and triple down.
If you're going to quote me, quote the whole post.

Let's see shall we. He's been best of the rest this season just gone, let's see if that's enough next season.
 
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Let's see shall we. He's been best of the rest this season just gone, let's see if that's enough next season.
Even a broken clock and all that. Maybe next year you can quadruple down and eventually age will tell and you’ll be right.

As things stand right now though you’ve got this monumentally wrong, he scored 70% more goals than a figure that would have amazed you.
Just as I suggested back when you made the original post, it would be proven to be every bit as stupid as Wummy’s Zlatan prediction.
 

Berbasbullet

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Cavani has been brilliant, his influence on others, his infectious effort on the pitch, etc. He’s a winner and I was against his signing and couldn’t be more wrong. Well done El Matador!
 

Lay

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He’s been brilliant. 6 months of no football, quarantine, unjust ban, adapting to a new country and was 33/34. And he still scored 17 goals and even in some games he didn’t score, his work rate and general play was very good. If we had him more often in the group stage of the UCL, we would have gone through.
 

hubbuh

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If you're going to quote me, quote the whole post.

Let's see shall we. He's been best of the rest this season just gone, let's see if that's enough next season.
We don't need him to necessarily be the best next season, assuming this summer goes to plan. Sancho coming in will allow Greenwood to play upfront more and give Cavani adequate rest period. He wasn't signed at 33 to be the main man. Goals should be well distributed throughout the attacking players and if Cavani gets anywhere near to replicating last years take he'll have had another really good season.
 

kthanksbye

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And even beyond that, my understanding is that Cavani had had a difficult time with injuries and being played out of position for years at a time leading up his leaving. I don't understand why PSG kept trying to buy someone else in the no. 9 position and let Cavani waste away on the wing. Surely they could have invested that money in parts of their squad in more urgent need. Even after Cavani proved he could lead the line PSG brought in Icardi and froze Cavani out, and I don't see how Icardi is that superior a striker if at all.

Anyway, Cavani was massively out of practice and needed to get back to fitness without preseason in a foreign country. Now that he's valued in his ideal position again and as a mentor, and has the opportunity to see his drive and commitment bear fruit, I suspect he'll be even better next season.
Yes. Who was the last Cavani like striker we had in our squad? I think the players are now understanding his movements, when and where to play the ball to him, a final pass is as much about when it is played as it is about where it is played. Plus the fact you mention about PSG freeing him out.
I'm not expecting a golden boot season from him, but I do expect him to carry this form into next season at least. If he's lucky with injuries, we might have a 25 goal striker in our squad.
 

Wilt

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He’s surprised me as to how good he still is. Love to see his infectious grit and determination and while at 34 he’ll never quite be the player he once was, he’s certainly worth his place in the team.

Delighted we will see him next season, and just hope somewhere along the line he’ll be rewarded for his efforts.
 

kthanksbye

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Yeah he was one of the few that played well in the final. Also brilliant in the semi final.

I would not mind us buying another striker, but a winger will do. Not fully certain Sancho is as good as the hype, but bloody hope he is. He certainly have many years to grow. Hopefully Martial can comeback so we got good options up front with him and Greenwood giving us options. .
I don't know about Sancho either, if he can make an impact and contribution in his first season, especially because I expect us to drag the transfer till very late in the window and he will not have a chance to feature in the preseason, if at all we end up getting him.

Martial I have lost all hope in. A player low in confidence can be helped, but a player not willing to put in the work needed to get out of a slump cannot be helped.
 

Bondi77

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Probably a hot take but I don't rate him. Guy was bang average (if that) in the Championship for ages wasn't he, missing chances left right and center playing for an exceptionally well-drilled team. Can see him reverting to type and struggling to hit half his tally next season.

Cavani is up there with most strikers in the league if he keeps playing like has for the last two months of the season, but it's worth waiting to see if that happens before declaring him the second-best or whatever.



I used to have the same opinion of Benzema but at this point you just have to hold your hands up and say it's completely wrong.

Benzema spent his prime years as the center forward in a team built around a goalscoring wide man - two of them, after Bale came in. It was never his job to score 40 goals a season, he was the support player drawing defences out of position and making space for his teammates. Man did that while still putting up a couple of 20-league-goal seasons, and since Ronaldo left he's shown what he's capable of when he's given the responsibility of carrying the attack. His goalscoring record for the last three seasons speaks for itself.
Good points,
Benzema is a quality footballer.
 

11101

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We don't need him to necessarily be the best next season, assuming this summer goes to plan. Sancho coming in will allow Greenwood to play upfront more and give Cavani adequate rest period. He wasn't signed at 33 to be the main man. Goals should be well distributed throughout the attacking players and if Cavani gets anywhere near to replicating last years take he'll have had another really good season.
That's what i mean. He's been excellent as an impact sub this season, but because of Martial we have ended up using him as our main striker and it's shown where the faults lie. We can't go into next season expecting him to start most of our games.
 

hubbuh

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That's what i mean. He's been excellent as an impact sub this season, but because of Martial we have ended up using him as our main striker and it's shown where the faults lie. We can't go into next season expecting him to start most of our games.
Absolutely. Relying on Cavani next season would be suicidal. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!
 

hubbuh

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I have a feeling we'll end up signing Danny Ings.
I wouldn't be adverse to that, although Cavani, Martial, Greenwood, and Ings for one spot feels rather excessive. I know Martial and Greenwood are capable of playing on the wings but they'll be second choice to Rashford and Sancho. I think I'd rather share the CF minutes between Cavani and Greenwood (and Martial, assuming he gets his arse in gear).
 

justsomebloke

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I wouldn't be adverse to that, although Cavani, Martial, Greenwood, and Ings for one spot feels rather excessive. I know Martial and Greenwood are capable of playing on the wings but they'll be second choice to Rashford and Sancho. I think I'd rather share the CF minutes between Cavani and Greenwood (and Martial, assuming he gets his arse in gear).
I would assume that signing Ings means moving Martial. Makes no sense otherwise.
 

MZX7

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Jamie Vardy needs a mention...
Yep. For sure. And so do Salah and Mane.

Interestingly, City midfielders/wingers like Foden, Mahrez, KDB, Gundogan and even Bernardo Silva score so many goals whilst with United it is only Bruno.

We need more goal scoring midfielders/wingers.
 

Raveneye

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Yes. Who was the last Cavani like striker we had in our squad? I think the players are now understanding his movements, when and where to play the ball to him, a final pass is as much about when it is played as it is about where it is played. Plus the fact you mention about PSG freeing him out.
I'm not expecting a golden boot season from him, but I do expect him to carry this form into next season at least. If he's lucky with injuries, we might have a 25 goal striker in our squad.
I'm not sure we've ever had a Cavani-style striker. Cole and Ruud had great movement around the box as well (especially Cole) but they didn't do the kind of defensive work Cavani does.
 

Ali Dia

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He’s still an animal. I can see him bagging 20 next season easy if he keeps his place. He’s more than fit enough. He’s a physical player so I think the league suits his style well. We need physical against the parked busses. He’s the only player we have who’ll head a ball although martial can do it too. I think old Cavani is still a more effective #9 than Rashford or Martial.
 

CanadianUtd

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As we all saw, he is still clinical enough to be in the running for the golden boot next year with all the service the United players around him give. And at such a level still he’ll have Martial working harder than ever - looking on the outside in - whenever Edinson is healthy/recovered enough that there will be no choice but to start him.

Only thing is Father Time as he won’t be able to start every game but even coming off the bench his goal scoring output and efficiency is insane with how well he meshes with the rest of the squad around him.


...long story short, Cavani is so good that he will be in the running for the golden boot, keep Martial on edge for his starting spot, and that United see no need to sign another striker this summer ;)
 

lex talionis

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Quite good, I would say.

Cavani buys us another season without needing to bring in a striker and to see if Greenwood can develop in an elite CF, but Cavani's contributions this year I hope ended doubt that a club like United needs a proper CF to get the most it can from its system, which really comes down to moments of genius rather than any systematic attack philosophy that breaks down low blocks. If Cavani didn't exist I'd be tempted into going all in on Haaland, but we have Cavani for another season, we have the luxury of seeing of Greenwood can develop as a CF and we have other areas that need shoring badly, such as RW, CB and CDM.
 

Sayros

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Cavani is a hit and miss striker, he does miss some easy ones but every striker does. There's no one else at United with his skill-set and runs which massively benefit the team if they can capitalize on them (Rashford/Greenwood have to take advantage of the spaces he opens up). The main concern with him the last few years is health and staying away from injuries. He's been breaking down on his own, when you see aging players injuring themselves without contact, it's a major concern.
 

Lelouch geass

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Interesting, you really think Jimenez is better?
Probably only Kane being clearly better.

Weak year for Prem strikers. Maybe the weakest it's been in a while.
Technically he is better no 9 than Kane and his movement in box is second to none. He has trophies, skills, humbleness and he is master of game who can transfer his skills to other. Overall I think some aspect of Kane's game are better but I will take prime Cavani over Kane. Its just English hype. Kane is also top player though no disrespect I just think Cavani's movement as no 9 is best.
 

JebelSherif

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He’s been brilliant. 6 months of no football, quarantine, unjust ban, adapting to a new country and was 33/34. And he still scored 17 goals and even in some games he didn’t score, his work rate and general play was very good. If we had him more often in the group stage of the UCL, we would have gone through.
Yes, I think that really effected him and I believe had he not decided to stay - his reason for leaving was his unjust treatment that was essentially a misunderstanding, due to a translation issue.

There was actually something similar just at the end of 2020 involving a PSG Basaksehir CL game, as people may recall, both teams walked off and refused to play (the fourth official allegedly abused Basaksehir coach, Pierre Webo) it had to be re-scheduled the following day with a new set of officials. I seem to remember it was confusion over a word beginning 'n' - but again due to language complications a probable misunderstanding.

Does anyone know what ever happend over that? Was there any sort of 'investigation' or was it all just forgotten about, unlike the Cavani situation.