Matheus Cunha | Official | signed the first day of the window

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simonhch said:
The thing is that players who can reliable beat a man are like gold dust, because in a system era they destabilise opposing systems. In our current team we have only one player who can do that, Amad. We have a few other very decent technical footballers, but none who can reliably dribble past anyone and create overloads and space in the way Amad can. Garnacho can theoretically do this but he has developed the game intelligence yet to apply it, he too often goes down blind alleys and is quite easily controlled. With Amad oppos can double up, and still keep the system intact. Cunha gives us that same ability on the other side, which suddenly makes defending against us much much harder. You can’t double up on both sides without seriously compromising your system.

What’s good about both players is that once they have created space by going past a player or two, they are not afraid to release the ball to better positioned team mates. I would expect these two to create lots of chances for each other, for the striker, and for a deep running midfielder like Bruno. Another key will be having a striker on the end of these chances who isn’t afraid to put them away.

I’m all for this signing. He’s a very exciting player. He’s also not afraid to hit one from distance, to great effect, which is hugely important against packed low blocks.
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Yeah would be buzzing if we get this done
 
Powderfinger said:
He's a bit of a throwback to the 90s or 00s, isn't he? A super talented but mercurial second striker who will create amazing moments out of nothing then stroll around the pitch for a while and fight with his manager after the match.

I say this largely in a good way. Football doesn't have enough of these kinds of players anymore.
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Agreed. I love players like that and there is nowhere near enough. Football for me a lot of the time these days is rather boring. The European games this season have been a lot better but I digress, that's for another thread :lol:
 
I think adding him to the team would be huge, not only because he's absolute quality, having another player in the team who can beat a man will also massively help Amad as he wouldn't be the only player who can run with the ball so teams wouldnt be able to try and stop him as much.
 
The versatility that he would bring would be a big advantage.
I have a funny feeling that the skill of both him and Zirkzee as well as their size could create a powerful 10 partnership.
 
Vault Dweller said:
Agreed. I love players like that and there is nowhere near enough. Football for me a lot of the time these days is rather boring. The European games this season have been a lot better but I digress, that's for another thread :lol:
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Pep and his tiki-taka (and all his clone wannabe managers) have ruined the premier league (and football in general), yep it is successful but it damn boring, hopefully he fecks off soon and football in the prem returns to what made it the brand of football everyone around the world envies, don't care if european football gets harder because the English teams aren't as technical, add to that the idiots in charge looking to hamstring English football by imposing financial restrictions and we will be lucky if in 10 years English clubs have lost any advantage they had over the majority of european teams.

Cunha excites me because he is a player that could have been great under Fergie, and we have so few of those these days
 
simonhch said:
The thing is that players who can reliable beat a man are like gold dust, because in a system era they destabilise opposing systems. In our current team we have only one player who can do that, Amad. We have a few other very decent technical footballers, but none who can reliably dribble past anyone and create overloads and space in the way Amad can. Garnacho can theoretically do this but he has developed the game intelligence yet to apply it, he too often goes down blind alleys and is quite easily controlled. With Amad oppos can double up, and still keep the system intact. Cunha gives us that same ability on the other side, which suddenly makes defending against us much much harder. You can’t double up on both sides without seriously compromising your system.

What’s good about both players is that once they have created space by going past a player or two, they are not afraid to release the ball to better positioned team mates. I would expect these two to create lots of chances for each other, for the striker, and for a deep running midfielder like Bruno. Another key will be having a striker on the end of these chances who isn’t afraid to put them away.

I’m all for this signing. He’s a very exciting player. He’s also not afraid to hit one from distance, to great effect, which is hugely important against packed low blocks.
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You’re my fav poster! Defo agree with this.
 
simonhch said:
The thing is that players who can reliable beat a man are like gold dust, because in a system era they destabilise opposing systems. In our current team we have only one player who can do that, Amad. We have a few other very decent technical footballers, but none who can reliably dribble past anyone and create overloads and space in the way Amad can. Garnacho can theoretically do this but he has developed the game intelligence yet to apply it, he too often goes down blind alleys and is quite easily controlled. With Amad oppos can double up, and still keep the system intact. Cunha gives us that same ability on the other side, which suddenly makes defending against us much much harder. You can’t double up on both sides without seriously compromising your system.

What’s good about both players is that once they have created space by going past a player or two, they are not afraid to release the ball to better positioned team mates. I would expect these two to create lots of chances for each other, for the striker, and for a deep running midfielder like Bruno. Another key will be having a striker on the end of these chances who isn’t afraid to put them away.

I’m all for this signing. He’s a very exciting player. He’s also not afraid to hit one from distance, to great effect, which is hugely important against packed low blocks.
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Excellent point. Before Amad's injury it really felt like opposition teams were starting to just crowd Amad with players as they knew our only attacking tactic was to give the ball to him and let him work his magic. And once Amad was nullified by sheer numbers, we had no one else good enough to exploit the space they left elsewhere.
 
ROFLUTION said:
I see your map, and I raise you with a touch heatmap

image89931d893f6fd03d.md.png
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He gets around!
 
macheda14 said:
Off the left as one of the inside 10s. Been playing that at Wolves.
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sullydnl said:
Left #10, the same position he's been playing for Wolves this season.

Which probably means it's more like to impact Bruno than Amad (i.e. see Bruno continue to play in CM more often).
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Oh right ok, thanks both. I haven't tracked him much other than the times he has played a blinder against us or highlights, but hope it doesn't cause too much disruption.
 
The more I see of him, the more clear his technique has been true for ages. He's been shooting cleanly from distance for over 4-years? Nothing he's doing in the PL is new to him - in terms of technique - it looks like.

Makes me more enthused for the signing, as it's not some purple patch - he just plays like that.
 
Fortitude said:
The more I see of him, the more clear his technique has been true for ages. He's been shooting cleanly from distance for over 4-years? Nothing he's doing in the PL is new to him - in terms of technique - it looks like.

Makes me more enthused for the signing, as it's not some purple patch - he just plays like that.
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This season he has five league goals from outside the box. Last year 0, before that 1, 0, 1, 2, 1.

As many this season as the rest of his professional career combined.
 
NotThatSoph said:
This season he has five league goals from outside the box. Last year 0, before that 1, 0, 1, 2, 1.

As many this season as the rest of his professional career combined.
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From what I'm watching, he's working the keepers from distance even in Germany - he's not just suddenly found out he can shoot well from distance.

Wasn't sure if that was the case before, but every time there's an opening, he has the threat of taking a dangerous shot as much as running with the ball or passing it. Multiple threats from distance. I'm more convinced by him in that regard than I was when thinking it might be a purple patch of shooting.
 
Fortitude said:
From what I'm watching, he's working the keepers from distance even in Germany - he's not just suddenly found out he can shoot well from distance.

Wasn't sure if that was the case before, but every time there's an opening, he has the threat of taking a dangerous shot as much as running with the ball or passing it. Multiple threats from distance. I'm more convinced by him in that regard than I was when thinking it might be a purple patch of shooting.
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Sure, but there's no contradiction between him being good at shooting and this season being an anomaly. For instance, you say he's been a good shooter for 5-7 years, yet he's never had a season close to this one, where his quality shots go in at twice the rate they normally do.
 
Fortitude said:
The more I see of him, the more clear his technique has been true for ages. He's been shooting cleanly from distance for over 4-years? Nothing he's doing in the PL is new to him - in terms of technique - it looks like.

Makes me more enthused for the signing, as it's not some purple patch - he just plays like that.
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I think his technique and threat from between the boxes has always been quite clear with his ball carrying/dribbling and one touch passing/pass and move. That's why he's an exciting signing because he's definitely an upgrade and a very good addition on paper. Depending on your expectation, it's his goal scoring that's the main 'issue' and whether he can recreate his production like the current season consistently. Personally, I'm not expecting more than 10 goals all comps; anything above is a plus and a quiet hope. I'll be more interested in his assists, expected assists and indirect threat as his game can open up the pitch for others. In that sense, for the money involved, it's an overpay but at this point considering our transfer history, it's still a relative 'win'.

Of course I'd prefer a Gyokeres instead but that may not be an either or situation depending on finances, his preference, our CL status etc.
 
I'm willing to give him a chance, but wouldn't be surprised if he ends up another expensive flop.
 
simonhch said:
The thing is that players who can reliable beat a man are like gold dust, because in a system era they destabilise opposing systems. In our current team we have only one player who can do that, Amad. We have a few other very decent technical footballers, but none who can reliably dribble past anyone and create overloads and space in the way Amad can. Garnacho can theoretically do this but he has developed the game intelligence yet to apply it, he too often goes down blind alleys and is quite easily controlled. With Amad oppos can double up, and still keep the system intact. Cunha gives us that same ability on the other side, which suddenly makes defending against us much much harder. You can’t double up on both sides without seriously compromising your system.

What’s good about both players is that once they have created space by going past a player or two, they are not afraid to release the ball to better positioned team mates. I would expect these two to create lots of chances for each other, for the striker, and for a deep running midfielder like Bruno. Another key will be having a striker on the end of these chances who isn’t afraid to put them away.

I’m all for this signing. He’s a very exciting player. He’s also not afraid to hit one from distance, to great effect, which is hugely important against packed low blocks.
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Promote this man. What a post.
 
Erics_Collar said:
Any insight as to why it didn't work out for him at Atletico? I'm wary.
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Honestly a bit hard to say, but a mix of not managing to become a Simeone fave (he kind of does that), so besides only being here for 18ish months, he was either behind Griezmann and Suarez for striker positions, while Felix, Griezmann, Lemar, Llorente and sometimes Correa got the nod ahead of him as SS or AM positions (at the time they were in between 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1 formations when not falling back on the old 4-4-2).

I do remember him being brought in as a CF as a sort of more technical Costa replacement (who ended his second tenure that summer). He did quite well from the get go, but couldn't get the numbers in. Then his second season he got even less games in and left that winter.

He did look like a grower, but an in form Felix, Lemar, Llorente and Griezmann were showing higher levels, while Correa had a bigger super sub status. So it's a mix of not getting enough chances to show himself and grow into the team, or even show his skills at all, but also just being outshone by other great talents in his positions. And if you know Simeone, you know he won't take out his Suarez or Villa or Griezmann no matter how below par they are playing. They won him games and trophies at the right times and had a top position in his hierarchy system.

So Cunha (and various other talents) not slotting in there, isn't always down to their levels. He wasn't bad, but he didn't show super star material either, but he also didn't get the chance to at the time.

Now with more experience at being a leading figure in a pretty strong league, I think he's got a good chance to shine, but (especially at Utd) it's not a surefire shot.
 
simonhch said:
The thing is that players who can reliable beat a man are like gold dust, because in a system era they destabilise opposing systems. In our current team we have only one player who can do that, Amad. We have a few other very decent technical footballers, but none who can reliably dribble past anyone and create overloads and space in the way Amad can. Garnacho can theoretically do this but he has developed the game intelligence yet to apply it, he too often goes down blind alleys and is quite easily controlled. With Amad oppos can double up, and still keep the system intact. Cunha gives us that same ability on the other side, which suddenly makes defending against us much much harder. You can’t double up on both sides without seriously compromising your system.

What’s good about both players is that once they have created space by going past a player or two, they are not afraid to release the ball to better positioned team mates. I would expect these two to create lots of chances for each other, for the striker, and for a deep running midfielder like Bruno. Another key will be having a striker on the end of these chances who isn’t afraid to put them away.

I’m all for this signing. He’s a very exciting player. He’s also not afraid to hit one from distance, to great effect, which is hugely important against packed low blocks.
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Very good points. I think players like Amad (and possibly Eze) have a bigger control over their game, but I think Cunha adds more directness and a type of fight the other two possibly wouldn't - to my knowledge at least.

But in general, the reliance on a few players, in this case Amad up front did show too much.

And his personal directness and (arguable) attribution to goal scoring (and even more so assisting perhaps) will help both Hojlund and/or Zirkzee as well. They haven't shown it, but they both have attributes that could add to the destabilization of opposing systems as well. Hojlund in an almost headless power chicken which adds chaos to defenders if someone just runs and has some strength to him, while Zirkzee is a bit more obviously an unorthodox striker option. If Cunha slots in well, Amad gets more consistent, both Hojlund and Zirkzee would need less of a return to form than they showed this season, as a solid support to your striker will make many strikers perform better, while Zirkzee has a bit more room to be his own type of player again if you add a threat like Cunha to your setup - again, if he slots in well.

But I've seen promise (and unconfirmed) transfers before, so being here as one of the ETH and Zirkzee supporters, I also know to keep my expectations lower now.

But just wanted to add that even without a new striker I think someone like Cunha (and hopefully just one more option to rotate/replace with) next to Amad behind Hojlund or Zirkzee will make plenty people forget how done they were with those two, too.

But you do need it. That's how even over the top stars have often won games for teams, as they just seem to work and act a bit different from the rest. They won't magically give you a working system, but, like you said, they do offer you an edge.

I didn't like Suarez at Atleti, nor did I Villa before him. But oh my, they did show what Simeone meant with that magical touch. They were bad (and lazy) many many games, but that insane CL goal Villa made for us to help beat Barcelona? After that it was hard to believe my earlier judgment anymore. Suarez was less convincing at that moment in his career, but he did score 2 or 3 goals at perfect times to make my arguments against him crumble just enough that it made sense Correa or Cunha (yes that one) didn't get the run of games to show how they could improve the side if they got more than just one start in a row.

Hopefully Cunha gets that shot here and takes it.
 
Will he actually sign if we don't win the europa. He must be concerned by how bad we are and the prospect of amorim not lasting long
 
Matt851 said:
Will he actually sign if we don't win the europa. He must be concerned by how bad we are and the prospect of amorim not lasting long
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A very good reminder how important beating Spurs is. It’s pretty obvious but it bears repeating. If we lost Spurs we are effed as a club for a long time. And with all due respect to Spurs, United need to return to the CL.
 
I have some reservation about him, but without a doubt he is better than most of our players and would add goals to our goalless team, that we really really need. Hope we wrap this deal as soon as possible.
 
I hope anyone turning their nose up at Cunha realise this is the best it’s going to get if we lose on Wednesday night. We’ll be lucky if he even still wants to join us.
 
Amazing how many half decent players are happy to torpedo their career into the gutter for a chance to play at United. I guess the hope is they will become the ‘star player’ like Bruno has amongst a sea of mediocrity.
 
DRJosh said:
Amazing how many half decent players are happy to torpedo their career into the gutter for a chance to play at United. I guess the hope is they will become the ‘star player’ like Bruno has amongst a sea of mediocrity.
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He must be having second thoughts now
 
The thing i like about cunha is that he has the ability to perform when his team is underwhelming
 
I keep my eye out for Cunha in football data charts that people put out. He usually doesn't show up but wanted to inject some positivity with

 
Matt851 said:
Will he actually sign if we don't win the europa. He must be concerned by how bad we are and the prospect of amorim not lasting long
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According to reports (which to be fair mean sod all :lol: ), he wants to join no matter what.
 
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