Is it me or our players don't really improve anymore?

[Bole Top]

I was just thinking about this during the Fulham game, seeing Antony being in his usual form yet again. it's always the same argument, how we need to buy player x and how we need to buy player y. but what about coaching and improving what is already at the club? maybe even retraining them in new position?

you know how sometimes certain players simply "explode"? Arsenal sell Fabregas, but then Song plays better than ever before (and after). soon after that Arsenal sell Song but this time it's Ramsey who is playing better than ever before. he wasn't scoring for fun before that, he became that type of midfielder under Wenger but never replicated that form elsewhere. Di Maria was winger early in his career but later under Ancelotti proved his can be effective in central midfield as well. our own example of course include Giggs who was pretty good central midfielder once he lost his pace. Joelington failed as a forward and went from flop to Newcastle's player of the season - as a midfielder.

I mean, we pretty much established that both Antony and Sancho will never be effective wingers here. ok. but why do they need to remain shit wingers? who says you can't unlock in them something similar to what Carlo unlocked in Di Maria?

there's another thread suggesting our players are uncoachable, but it's not like anyone is trying new things. I'm not saying Antony could be prime Di Maria or even decent central midfielder, but how do we know when he's always on the wing - being shit?

it seems to me that if our winger is brainless and doesn't score goals - he's almost destined to remain brainless winger who doesn't score goals. there's very little chance of reinventing himself and actually being useful in different position.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

If anything they seem to regress. Every player this season looks worse than last except maybe Maguire, but there wasn't really any further he could fall surely.

 

[GreatDane]

I was just thinking about this during the Fulham game, seeing Antony being in his usual form yet again. it's always the same argument, how we need to buy player x and how we need to buy player y. but what about coaching and improving what is already at the club? maybe even retraining them in new position?

you know how sometimes certain players simply "explode"? Arsenal sell Fabregas, but then Song plays better than ever before (and after). soon after that Arsenal sell Song but this time it's Ramsey who is playing better than ever before. he wasn't scoring for fun before that, he became that type of midfielder under Wenger but never replicated that form elsewhere. Di Maria was winger early in his career but later under Ancelotti proved his can be effective in central midfield as well. our own example of course include Giggs who was pretty good central midfielder once he lost his pace. Joelington failed as a forward and went from flop to Newcastle's player of the season - as a midfielder.

I mean, we pretty much established that both Antony and Sancho will never be effective wingers here. ok. but why do they need to remain shit wingers? who says you can't unlock in them something similar to what Carlo unlocked in Di Maria?

there's another thread suggesting our players are uncoachable, but it's not like anyone is trying new things. I'm not saying Antony could be prime Di Maria or even decent central midfielder, but how do we know when he's always on the wing - being shit?

it seems to me that if our winger is brainless and doesn't score goals - he's almost destined to remain brainless winger who doesn't score goals. there's very little chance of reinventing himself and actually being useful in different position.

If we had to try and 'unlock' Antony then I would try him on the lw to see if he at least could cross the ball and feed our striker. But unless he improves his speed then I don't see him beat a defender and then we're back to useless.

 

[P0GBA]

Except for putting Rashford on the right wing, every other player would be worse if they changed position.

 

[Someone]

Except for putting Rashford on the right wing, every other player would be worse if they changed position.

We don't really know that, do we?

 

[P0GBA]

We don't really know that, do we?

In theory there's many things we could do such as play Mctominay as a striker or Dalot to play on the right wing but your basically writing off expensive players like Hoijland and Antony before you get to the point where you even try that.

 

[Denis79]

Since SAF left they usually regress even.

 

[Redstain]

The issue has been the managers failing to implement a cohesive system and poor coaching. LVG stands as the manager on the surface who perhaps was the closest to building something that was sustainable over a period of time. Despite the frailties with scoring goals, the team was better in possession than every United team I can recall including this current one with Eth. The performance at Anfield has been one of the few games in recent years where United have dominated the game. It's not a suprise that his system allowed many of the younger players to have opportunities in the starting 11.

The reality is the managers have been below the level required Ole, Mourinho, Ragnick and as it stands Erik Ten Hag (jury still out) it's not exactly great picks.

 

[el3mel]

That's the combination of having terrible training regimen and the players themselves being not good enough.

 

[Tap]

Regardless of the manager, They seem to get worse over time or don’t live up to their achievements at their previous clubs. It seems to be the same for young and experienced ones.

Not sure what’s going on behind the scenes

 

[Tender Teacher]

The culture of complacency that the Glazers lovingly foster inevitably seeps through to the sporting side of the club, where players lose the feeling of responsibility for their own individual performances and improvement.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Trying to think of how Antony would fare at City under Pep. He'd be the same petulant one trick pony, no? What else is he good at. His decisions have never been good and link up play criticized by Van basten who said he is often not on the same wavelength with his teammates.

 

[RedOrange]

The culture of complacency that the Glazers lovingly foster inevitably seeps through to the sporting side of the club, where players lose the feeling of responsibility for their own individual performances and improvement.

Yes this generally happens when the manager is crucified for everyone's sins every other season and everyone else gets a clean slate. Everyone from the executives to the players get to just carry on doing all the stupid shit they always do, we just bring in a new manager who takes on all the responsibility for everything while nobody else changes what they're doing, and then everyone wonders why we appear to be following the same cycle over and over again.

 

[JimiboyX]

How many non-academy players have come in and materially improved whilst at the club in the last decade?

There have been maybe a handful who have improved a bit and then regressed again (far sooner than the age you would expect them to) or just never been consistently convincing.

Shaw is the only major exception I can think of, but he was about 19 when he signed.