Exactly. My biggest worry was always he seemed to be exhausted after playing 60mins of not-so-intensive football. Was also pants defensively. If he improves on that off the ball/defensive side of game he will be a decent player as he has some skills offensively.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 0
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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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Yep he did. The big one, where Rashy skied it.
Sancho yesterday got dispossessed just once and lost the ball to 1 miscontrol. He had 90% pass accuracy, the highest in the whole team, with 20/22 passes. He should have had an assist when he played Rashy through in the chance where he skied it, so he has the 2nd highest xGA after Rashford. Defensively he had 1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 block and in total 6 ball recoveries. He attempted 3 take ons (only AWB attempted more) beating his man once.
(stats here: https://fbref.com/en/matches/96fc7983/Barcelona-Manchester-United-February-16-2023-Europa-League)
He worked his arse off yesterday, he helped maintain possession and he played some really nice passes. The only thing I hold against him is, fluffing that chance that fell on his left foot. Overall, he was very frugal with possession and the literal last thing you can accuse him of, is losing possession frequently. Did you watch the game or did you post this based on preconceptions you had of him?
Compared to Antony, he shoots less but they have the same goals. Antony has 4 goals from 49 shots and Sancho 4 from 15. So I wouldn't say Antony shooting all the time is good. And Sancho's passing is significantly better.
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Meh never rated Sancho. Literally ball was bouncing off his toes in to throw ins. I hope he gets games centraly though so he can prove me wrong.
I still have hope in him.
If Weghorst is playing a role where he drops short in to the number 10 position, couldn't Sancho do this?
He's quicker and more technical than Weghorst
That literally happened once in the game last night, in the first half. But I agree he has had problems with miscontrols a bit too often this season.
Anyway, he only has to prove himself to the manager. He doesn't have to win every single fan. It's totally fine not to rate him, we're all entitled to our opinions. It's just that criticism has to be based on what the player is doing now, as opposed to cemented opinions based on what he used to do. I felt that yesterday he did fine and he's being beaten with the stick of his old performances, which I don't find fair.
Just need to get back to his Dortmund form and he will play every game.
It would be worth getting that Dortmund manager as a coach on ETH's team just to see how he got a tune out of this lad. Difficult to stay optimistic atm.
He needs Martial or proper fast passing forward to be fully utilised. That's the main problem now.
Enough of this sanity, MadMike!
Rashford?
How much would he bring on the transfer market? Just wondering.
Trying not to sound negative here but from a personal POV I never wanted United to sign him. He is good Player but just think that he is not top top level and certainly not worth the price that was paid for him but, of course, that is the English Tax for you. This is what happens in this day and age when you have instant demand for instant reactions on things, the media bigged him up and then the online bandwagon followed.
He excelled at Dortmund because the pressure and scrutiny is less intense there, in England and at Manchester United it is relentless, only the strongest surive.
Say what you want about Pep but he does not sell you if he does not know what he is doing....The lad is clearly talented and as long as he is a United Player I will wish him all the best to succeed but as I said above, you wonder if he has the mentality to really succeed.
He excelled at Dortmund because the pressure and scrutiny is less intense there, in England and at Manchester United it is relentless, only the strongest surive.
Say what you want about Pep but he does not sell you if he does not know what he is doing....The lad is clearly talented and as long as he is a United Player I will wish him all the best to succeed but as I said above, you wonder if he has the mentality to really succeed.
£40-45 is we're lucky. Dortmund might just take him back worst comes to worst.
He needs that dog in him
dawg.
Fixed it up for ya.
Doesn’t have anywhere near the intensity of Rashford. He seems to be more comfortable when the game slows down.
He needs games and confidence. I think this soccer celebrity limelight doesn't suit all players... I hope he finds his way, because he will have to soon.
Not sure where this will end up. He needs to play with more anger and without thought... he's totally restricted in his play. Does he want to smash defenders up, score goals, cause damage.. watch Rashford, watch Haaland.. even Garnacho... no hesitation with these players. But I do appreciate that he has had some problems, and this will take time and good management, and desire from Sancho himself.
Not sure where this will end up. He needs to play with more anger and without thought... he's totally restricted in his play. Does he want to smash defenders up, score goals, cause damage.. watch Rashford, watch Haaland.. even Garnacho... no hesitation with these players. But I do appreciate that he has had some problems, and this will take time and good management, and desire from Sancho himself.
Imagine Sancho but with the personality of DMX
I’d start to consider his future personally. The opportunity cost is high too as he plays in a ‘star player’ position, but rarely looks like one. A genuine superstar instead would make a huge difference. I struggle to see him becoming a consistent world class forward who can scare defenders and put up good numbers. And that’s really what top team want from his role. If he were part of the middle three then maybe, but you can’t have a tepid, soft low intensity forward who just floats about your front 3 occasionally doing something.
I would like to see it work out for him but the good thing is we have good options with Alejandro, Amad and Pellistri so I don't think Erik will wait forever to pull the pin on Sancho if he doesn't step up.
Yea i agree. He needs that hunger and conviction. He has the talent.
Think it's clear he's not a long term starter. Being first off the bench for LW/#10/RW and a useful squad player is possible though and his best bet right now. Though even for that he's competing with Garnacho, Amad and Pellistri essentially in those 3 positions. Not ideal for someone on his wages, but not a huge deal either. Though saying that his fitness needs to massively improve to be useful as a squad player.
His acceleration will not improve and I doubt he can improve his stamina much. He will never be as effective as Foden or Saka. He is best suited to a slower and less physical league.
Tbh that just reads like a summary of why we would consider his future as I suggested.
I think it’s clear ETH sees something in him.. you don’t give a player that much special treatment if there’s nothing there.
I think he will come good.. hard to judge from these games after being out for so long. He’s had two intense games against Leeds and a game against Barca at Camp Spotify.. give him a few more games to find his feet.
I think he will come good.. hard to judge from these games after being out for so long. He’s had two intense games against Leeds and a game against Barca at Camp Spotify.. give him a few more games to find his feet.
I think he’s had that, and has got it, hasn’t he?
I really rated him at Dortmund, but I’m not sure he’s got it in him to be good for United every week. He’s had two years now, and he’s not really shown anything. I think if he has not done much by the end of the season, United might be better cutting their losses and moving on (to Kvaratskelia (sp?)).
He should have spent a portion of his time off with a specialist sprint coach and trained really hard as that is how you build up stamina.
I get the impression with quotes by Erik like "he has to do it" or "it is up to him" that Sancho is not the greatest trainer and I could be wrong but it would answer a lot of questions if this were true.
Moving centrally is not a bad idea he's not got the profile that's required in a wide player to succeed in the league. It's not just physical attributes but also natural tendencies and intuition. A good comparison would be Olise who though he's not particularly rapid / explosive he knows how to position himself opening up the field when he comes in off the right. He also has good discernment and judgement of when to pass and penetrate space there's a balance in his footballing intelligence in that wide area. Sancho comes up unstuck in that position of the wide left but when he's central things appear to tick for him more naturally (also evidenced in pre-season).
I also think Hakimi was a big asset to his game. If there's one thing that the Bundesliga lacks more than Serie A, La Liga and the premier league it's intensity. It's always a massive risk for these young players when coming from German football. It's certainly not black and white because the likes of Son / KDB have had good success but I think it's more of a reflection of their qualities as they have been some of the best in their positions in the league.
I also think Hakimi was a big asset to his game. If there's one thing that the Bundesliga lacks more than Serie A, La Liga and the premier league it's intensity. It's always a massive risk for these young players when coming from German football. It's certainly not black and white because the likes of Son / KDB have had good success but I think it's more of a reflection of their qualities as they have been some of the best in their positions in the league.
Although a lot of the criticism is valid, I think some may be missing some huge potential context in that the final form (or even just the next year version) of the type of football ETH wants to play is exactly suited to Sancho's quality.
The idea at least should be that we dominate possession, rely less on box to box transitions, which particularly highlight Sancho's weaknesses and instead we are camped in the opposition half/outside their penalty box. This in turn will allow for more nuanced play making and the creation of opportunities via short passing, take-ons and movement on and off the ball.
That doesn't take away from the fact that he should still be trying to improve on his physical attributes like stamina and ball carrying ability in tight spaces without secondary support etc.
The idea at least should be that we dominate possession, rely less on box to box transitions, which particularly highlight Sancho's weaknesses and instead we are camped in the opposition half/outside their penalty box. This in turn will allow for more nuanced play making and the creation of opportunities via short passing, take-ons and movement on and off the ball.
That doesn't take away from the fact that he should still be trying to improve on his physical attributes like stamina and ball carrying ability in tight spaces without secondary support etc.
If Ten hag cant improve you thats a big negative in your CV
Let's give him some time. Rashford only kicked it into overdrive in like October/November, so let's give EtH some time with Sancho.
I think he's more of a Bernardo Silva than a Mahrez, if that makes sense. With Antony and Garnacho emerging on the wings, I could easily see Sancho in that 10 position, because he doesn't quite have the tools to play as a wide player right now. He's not an aggressive enough runner with the ball.
I think he's more of a Bernardo Silva than a Mahrez, if that makes sense. With Antony and Garnacho emerging on the wings, I could easily see Sancho in that 10 position, because he doesn't quite have the tools to play as a wide player right now. He's not an aggressive enough runner with the ball.
How would moving him centrally suddenly turn him into a good player? He can't affect the game on the wings where one is less involved in the game, but you want him in the middle where the game goes through him and the CMs? He'll be even more of a liability.
Bruno has decent pace but outstanding workrate and stamina. That would be sorely missed if we play Sancho as no 10. Bruno also has a better end product. We should sell Sancho if we get a good offer.
I'm not writing him off yet but i do wonder what kind of fee he would get or where he might end up. Obviously he was outstanding in the German league so he could try his luck abroad again but I'm not sure another English team would be all that interested.
what did he do really well? If this is playing well we are pretty much going to be relying on Rashford forever.
This was his match rating/summaries
Jadon Sancho — 5/10
Was mostly quiet and failed to do much with the ball at his feet. Wasted chances during both halves and couldn't find the back of the net.
Sancho - 5
Struggled to make an impact from the left wing due to Barcelona defenders doubling up on him throughout the first half.
Wasted a glorious chance early in the second half to put United into the lead after an error from Ronald Araujo. Subbed off after 82 minutes for Garnacho.
I think his future lies centrally rather than wide. I think he could become a top class number 10.
He will most likely stay and be a useful squad player on astronomical wages. Garnacho is already more of an impact sub but the mediocrity of Antony will ensure some playing time.
It's about being reasonable, the way some fans are posting, it's as if Sancho went to the hyperbolic timer chamber to come back ala Super Saiyan 2. His improvements won't be noticed that quickly and that evidently. Considering his fee, it's a frustrating situation for sure but it's the most reasonable thing to do (being patient).
Looks like he is getting there. ETH really knows how to get players in top form
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