I might have misread you, but your original point was "experience is overrated" and it won't win you any games. I read that as stating the team does not need Matic and Mata. Experience helps you win matches on and off the pitch. Players like Matic and Mata is valuable to the team even when they don't play, and their experience is something that helps the other players. How do you stop this and this player? What tricks does he use to get you angry? How do you rile him up? And so on and so forth. They also play important parts on the pitch when the first eleven is rested and players with little experience are playing, lik in the early stages of Europa and the Carbao.
James Robson: Man Utd have left Ole with a bloated & imbalanced squad wasting over £1m p/w in wages
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So you’re saying it’s a good deal for us to pay Matic and Mata about 300k a week while rarely playing them because they have experience? That’s some very expensive coaching. Hopefully both are moved on sooner or later
Yeah, I think it is. The coaching and advice they give is different and more informal than what the coaches give, and it is an important part of building and maintaining culture, which is paramount if you want to excel. The one calling the shots also seem to believe that. It is not like United are totally skint either. They can afford to pay them.
Matic and his agent held the cards really.
We probably needed a 1 year extension, which they would obviously reject. 3 years on £7m per year is a reasonable sum considering we get the bonus of experience in the dressing room and someone happy to play a bit part.
The total cost of the package would the similar to spending £10m on midfielder in the transfer window and putting them on £60k/pw 3 year contract. That's somewhere between the market value and salary of Andreas Pereira and Jonjo Shelvey.
I imagine we offered Ander Herrera a 1 year extension which his agent rejected, we tried to be stingy and call his bluff instead of offering a 3 year deal.
I can totally understand the value of having some older guiding players in the squad but surely they would have to be playing. Guiding off the pitch is for coaches. Beyond this season we still have maguire Bruno and hopefully Cavani and Pogba as the more experienced players who play in most games. That’s where the value sweet spot is for me.
Ole has done a hell of a job getting rid of some shit players but that job still isn't complete....
the likes of Grant, Matic, Mata, Jones, James, Martial....all of them need to go. Between the wages off the books and monies received, you could bring in Grealish or Sancho. It gives you the opportunity to include Amad in the squad as first team regular, possibly Shoretire as well.
You then spend whatever transfer budget you have to find a CF and CM.
If Ole can handle that sort of business in the summer than we could be a real challenger for the title next season from start to finish.
the likes of Grant, Matic, Mata, Jones, James, Martial....all of them need to go. Between the wages off the books and monies received, you could bring in Grealish or Sancho. It gives you the opportunity to include Amad in the squad as first team regular, possibly Shoretire as well.
You then spend whatever transfer budget you have to find a CF and CM.
If Ole can handle that sort of business in the summer than we could be a real challenger for the title next season from start to finish.
Grant is a third keeper who supposedly is great around the squad. He doesn't really need to go.
It's not like they aren't playing at all. They are valuable also as squad players. Especially in games where United field less experienced players. These are games against lesser opponents, but these games must also be won, which I believe they contribute to. Agree with you on the sweet spot, but those are very hard to find.
BTW Matic has 910 minutes this season, while Cavani has 1139. It is not that much between them.
Im also fairly sure any time we’ve started with Matic we lose or draw more than win
I mean, I'm sure a lot of us would be happy enough to see the back of Grant, Romero, Fosu-Mensah, Jones, Matic, Andreas, Lingard, and Cavani if it meant enough of the wage bill was cut to secure 2-3 top quality players who might even be part of the first XI.
How often does it really work like that though?
How often does it really work like that though?
I thought he had left already.
I know he wasn't signing a new contract, but wasn't sure if he left in January or was with us until the Summer still
This is such an oversimplification it’s hilarious. The reason you don’t see old old guys pack out teams is their body is starting to let them down. What you want is the peak where a player’s experience has enabled them to develop mentally and the body hasn’t yet given up on them
Which emphasises my point. Experience isn't as important as being in better physical shape. Some players are ready at 16/17/18 with little to no "experience".
Yes obviously it can help a player develop through their career, but on the long list of attributes I wouldn't put experience as that important.
Opportunity costs. If we dont pay them 300k a week then we can use that on something else
Thing is, the experienced players that don't contribute to anything (bar Jones) have already left. The wage bill is trimmed so that United can invest in new players. The team is YOUNG, they need some players with experience. Ideally they would all be like Cavani, but if you want both experience and prime physique you have to pay through your teeth, and you'll end up with at team full of players like Mata and Matic. You don't want that. Did that work out for Mourinho? How is Liverpool looking at the moment?
Apart from that bit the rest is right. If he can get shut of Jones and Pereira, (Lingard will be easy now} Romero out of contract, then hes only got 2 to shift next season .
Agreed with this. While I'm skeptical about keeping both Mata and Matic (from my armchair general perspective Matic is enough), they've been written about as great influences in the dressing room - respected voices in the team who keep everyone focused, listening and pulling together. Both of them know what it takes to win trophies. Ole has made a call that what they add to the football culture is valuable enough to make up for paying good (but not exorbitant) player salaries for bit-part players.
