Yes, Van Gaal's stagnant, prohibitive tactics didn't help many of the players and several were clearly towing the line for fear of their careers, but you can't honestly believe that this squad man-for-man is anywhere near capable of challenging year in, year out in the Champions League knockout stages.
People often underestimate the impact that a really good signing can make. A top attacking player can make more difference than a bunch of defenders or midfielders. As I said before, leave that team the way it was and add someone who can create and score goals on their own without affecting the rest of the team like Bale did for Spurs or Suarez for Liverpool and we would have been champions last year. Obviously we are not getting anyone of that calibre but I am just trying to make the point that often times it is not an overhaul that is needed but merely a team that works well together with a top, top talent up front.
Sure I get that. I'm not proposing wholesale changes in a short period of time. I'm talking two or three summers - three or four players in each window and potentially the same number out and that would be considered 'turnover'.
But what would that be necessary? I mean it might and it might not, we really have no idea how these players will function in a different system? whereas the youngster will fulfil their potential or not? whereas one or two signings will have a significant effect on the rest of the team the way Carrick did on us back in summer 2006. My point is we might end up needing more transfers than what you are suggesting but we might also only need a couple to reach that level.
Bayern do definitely have a strong bench but if you look at Barcelona and Real, I'd hardly call that strength in depth. What they do both have is a very solid reliable 7 or 8 players and an out of this world 3 or 4. Not that different to us really between 2007 and 2009 with Tevez, Ronaldo and Tevez being the outstanding individuals they were, we could afford to be compact and load up the midfield behind them which was mainly constructed of selfless workers.
As I said earlier, I think people underestimate what it means to have Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldo, Bale, Müller, Robben and Lewandowski in your ranks. They make everyone around them look better. When you are a midfielder playing behind these guys, people call you "he keeps things tight and allows others to play". When you are playing behind the tier below, you "don't do enough and can't contribute as much as the best". It is my view that the top, top quality in the attacking third can carry with it a lot and transform a team. That is why I feel, even though this is unrealistic, add a top form Bale or Suarez to our team and the impact would be more than half a dozen more defenders and midfielders.
Lucky fecker. I miss the game rush of going to OT, TV just aint the sameI'm absolutely buzzing. I can not wait. Sharing a season ticket with a friend too so I'll be up a number of times this season
I don't disagree with you regarding the impact of truly world class players, but is that not where you want to see United get back too? We have one genuinely world class player in our squad - David De Gea. We have some fantastic prospects and Martial is the most exciting player I've seen in a United shirt since Ronaldo. I don't want to stunt the progression of our youth products, but this squad still isn't right. Not only are we paying for rank underinvestment in Ferguson's final season, we're paying for scattergun recruitment during the Moyes and Van Gaal tenures. We have Mata, a £37m player who can't operate in any formation other than 4231.
I think you misunderstood me mate. That is exactly where I want Manchester United to be. My point was that for us to get there, it is not a necessarily a question of overhauling the whole team but more significantly, finding a player of the calibre I mentioned. Whereas that's someone who can surprise who we already have like Ronaldo did in 2007 or through a truly top transfer in the mould of Suarez or Bale. In my view, a player like that would make the rest of the team look world class the way the players I mentioned raise the level of their defenders and midfielders. I hope I am making myself understood better this time
We're on the same page. We've already seen the impact Martial has had. Pogba and/or Ibrahimovic would have a transformative impact too. I just think we need to face up to the fact that Mourinho wants to remodel this squad as a whole. Which will include making difficult decisions - á la (potentially) selling Mata.I think you misunderstood me mate. That is exactly where I want Manchester United to be. My point was that for us to get there, it is not a necessarily a question of overhauling the whole team but more significantly, finding a player of the calibre I mentioned. Whereas that's someone who can surprise who we already have like Ronaldo did in 2007 or through a truly top transfer in the mould of Suarez or Bale. In my view, a player like that would make the rest of the team look world class the way the players I mentioned raise the level of their defenders and midfielders. I hope I am making myself understood better this time
Entertainment comes either from a manager who is a risk taker or from having world class flair players. Mourinho is not a risk taker like pretty much the majority of managers out there. He can produce exciting football when he has personnel like Robben and Ronaldo or an on top form Hazard. So unless Martial reaches that level next year or we bring in a pacey forwar/winger, not sure we will see much improvement in that department.
That he brings! Mourinho's teams are dogged and hard working with very strong spirit and character. I have no doubt that he will impose that here. If you mean imposing ourselves on the opponent in a footballing sense though, I am not sure that is going to happen unless we are playing mid table teams.
Definitely! Exciting season ahead every way you look at it.
I think Zlatan and Bailly is already good enough to have us challenging myself, unless City have a really good window or what have you. Good right winger and a CM as well and I'd have us favourites.
This is true, but don't underestimate what we've had to endure. Van Gaal ducked the life out of United's play--worse so than Moyes.
I'm not sure, people are forgetting just how bad our attack was last season, and I think it must have a fair amount to do with personnel as much as Van Gaal. Every attacking position (apart from the one Martial is playing) is a giant question mark, I don't think adding a 35 year old who's never played in the PL solves the problem. I accept as a free transfer it's an absolute no brainer that we should sign him, but would it really surprise anyone if he was a let down?
It's just a hunch I have. I think people are seriously underestimating how many new players Jose could potentially bring in this Summer. He has brought in a raft of players in his first season at both Inter and Chelsea already, my prediction of six new arrivals is really not that far fetched, not all of them would be guaranteed starters either.
I personally think as many as 6 new additions will be deemed necessary by Jose. Van Gaal really weakened our squad depth last Summer, not to mention we have unreliable players like Jones and Rojo, as well as players Jose may very well not fancy like Blind and Mata. These 4 players could very well be out the door weakening our squad even further. 6 new signings will arrive, count on it!
I am not saying he won't do it. He might very well indeed. I think our depth has been hugely exaggerated. People are still judging us on the Sir Alex approach where we pretty much never knew our starting 11. Whereas that is one approach, there are others and if you look around Europe or even at home like the Chelsea team last year, our numbers are more than sufficient. We do lack top quality up front though, that much is the one area I don't think there can be no doubt of. The rest is all dependent on Mourinho and how he wants to set us up. Anyway, that's another subject, my previous post was simply stating that this was nothing to be excited out. A large overhaul of players every year whether it is necessary or not, means the team has absolutely no identity or character, it becomes detached and is hard to identify with it. Not to mention the majority of the successful sides in the recent past have been teams that had a very stable core that grew together with one or two main additions every year. So yes, José might do it and it might be necessary for us but it will be more like a necessary evil than anything else.
Completely understand your viewpoint, and I agree with you. Signing a large amount of players every summer would be ludicrous but this Summer I think Jose will do just that. Hopefully then afterwards we can go back to just tweaking the side every summer with a few key additions.
Euros will be exciting too.Very. Wish they would just cancel the Euros and start the season early
Exactly this! If you want a team that is on the level of Barcelona that utterly dominates whoever it comes up against and is pretty much the best of modern times, then sure! It takes a lot; a whole coaching set up working in the same direction, the input of multiple footballing visionaries, a golden generation of players, etc. If you want to be competitive at home in Europe like a "normal" top team, it really is no secret, get top attackers. It is no coincidence that the teams who did well at home lately (Chelsea, Man City, Leicester and to a lesser extent Spurs Liverpool) had a brilliant forward scoring or creating for them. Same in Europe, Real are competitive every year because they have a bloke scoring a ridiculous amount of goals with Bale and Benzema not too shabby. Those players make the rest of the team work. Midfielders and defenders do have an influence but it is nothing compared to the men up front.
I can begrudgingly understand selling Mata if he does it, but Blind? It only confirms that prejudice about him that we won't even attempt to play from the back and push high up the pitch. I really hope I am wrong.
Who?I'm very excited about next season.
Pep is going to boss the PL
Thanks for asking
