"Maybe player by player they are the best team in the Premier League".

[Canagel]

Maybe this isn't 100% accurate but we've only seen glimpses of our quality. I hope today we saw why Sarri made this claim. As a team we have a lot of improvements to make but we have the players to hurt any team in the world. We should remember this.

 

[el3mel]

The players we know they're good show they're, like Pogba and Martial. The players who are poor are still showing they're poor, like Lukaku and Rashford. I don't see any surprises here.

We have good squad but there're some players to waste the efforts of the really good ones around them.

 

[steeeb]

Who? City?

 

[VeevaVee]

It's nowhere near accurate. We aren't playing as well as we could by any stretch, but player by player, most of the top 4's starting 11s would get in our team.

 

[wolvored]

We got one WC player De Gea. Sarri was doing the mind games that managers like to play. If he had to pick a premier 11 Only De Gea would be in it from Utd.

 

[duffer]

I knew Sarri liked to smoke. I didn't know what he was smoking but I know have my suspicions.

 

[charlie9882]

Not one United player would get in City's starting team and no, DDG wouldn't start in front of Ederson before someone says it.

 

[Josep Dowling]

It's nowhere near accurate. We aren't playing as well as we could, but player by player, most of the top 6's starting 11s would get in our team.

I don’t believe this, individually I think we have a good side there is just a lack of balance in the squad.

A pacey right winger and a CB that can play out from the back and I don’t think we are far away. Personally I would replace Lukaku as well, or play Martial in the middle with Sanchez on the left.

 

[el3mel]

I don’t believe this, individually I think we have a good side there is just a lack of balance in the squad.

A pacey right winger and a CB that can play out from the back and I don’t think we are far away. Personally I would replace Lukaku as well, or play Martial in the middle with Sanchez on the left.

By the time we'll get these we'll have the likes of Matic, Young and Sanchez already done and need 3 new signings and so on.

 

[Adisa]

We are not the best team in the league, individually but we're not some pub side either.
The team is playing nowhere near capacity.

 

[Adisa]

We are not the best team in the league, individually but we're not some pub side either.
The team is playing nowhere near capacity.

 

[DWelbz19]

We have a very good team, yes, that's correct.

 

[Canagel]

It's nowhere near accurate. We aren't playing as well as we could by any stretch, but player by player, most of the top 4's starting 11s would get in our team.

Because they play better as a team? He said City are the best team but individually we have strong players. Individually.

 

[Bobski]

Overstating it from Sarri, but then again all those who like to claim that Spurs/Chelsea/Liverpool, even bloody Arsenal have better squads than Utd, usually clearly better are hardly being truthful either.

Utd have plenty of talent, and a few key flaws.

 

[izec]

City have the better team and players.

The rest is up for debate

 

[VeevaVee]

Because they play better as a team? He said City are the best team actually but individually we have strong players. Individually.

Individually, would any of these not be able to start for us?

Chelsea
Alonso, Azpi, Kante, Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Giroud

Spurs
Tripper, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Moura, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane

Liverpool
Robertson, TAA, VVD, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Shaqiri (right side)

City
Mendy, Walker (RB?), Fernandinho, B Silva, D Silva, Sterling, Sane, Mahrez, KDB, Jesus, Aguero



Who of ours would start for these teams?

DDG. Pogba. Martial at Spurs, maybe Liverpool. Shaw at Spurs.

 

[Ed9]

Not one United player would get in City's starting team and no, DDG wouldn't start in front of Ederson before someone says it.

Ofcourse he would. He's the best in the world.

 

[Raven]

I think player for player we are one of the best sides in the country. The system is wrong, but the talent is there.

If you take Fred for example, city were in for him as well. Sanchez too (probably as a striker though). Outside of Hazard, I feel Martial is definitely up there with the best left sided players in the league. If anyone recalls, when we bought Mata, he was the best player in the league, he's not 35, successive unsuccessful managers haven't got the best from him. Let's be honest as well, Lukaku walks into that Chelsea side and I feel playing him as a target man is a serious hinderance.

All of that isn't to mention the more obvious contenders in De Gea, Smalling (arguably), Shaw (this season) and Pogba. We need to get the best out of these players, whether that happens more regularly now that Mourinho is showing the balls to turn up to the Bridge with such an attacking lineup or under new management, I don't really care, but it has to happen.

I actually get a similar feeling to that Real team before they started winning everything. This is a very young team.

 

[noodlehair]

Individually, would any of these not be able to start for us?

Chelsea
Alonso, Azpi, Kante, Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Giroud

Spurs
Tripper, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Moura, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane

Liverpool
Robertson, TAA, VVD, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Shaqiri (better than anyone on our right side if he could play there)

City
Mendy, Walker (RB?), Fernandinho, B Silva, D Silva, Sterling, Sane, Mahrez, KDB, Jesus, Aguero



Who of ours would start for these teams?

DDG. Pogba. Martial at Spurs, maybe Liverpool. Shaw at Spurs.

City have better players than us and should have considering what they have spent. When it comes to United, Chelsea and Liverpool I think it's open for debate. Spurs and Arsenal have weaker players for me.

I don't understand why there is a need to pretend other teams have better players than us, when there is very little to actually back it up. Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea were all behind us last year and comfortably so. Spurs have signed no one. Liverpool have signed players who would not get in the United team, and who also for the most part can't seem to get into their own. Chelsea have made good signings but if you take Hazard out of the equation would you fancy them to be competitive with the other top four sides?

The issue is that we've performed well below our own level in too many games this season. Even today you only saw us play to our strengths for 35 minutes, ans we ended up 30 seconds away from a win (although it would have been harsh on Chelsea over the full 90 minutes)

The Liverpool list is particularly off mark. Robertson and Alexander-Arnold would not get in our team. The idea Shaqiri would is ridiculous. Lukaku scored more goals and had as many assists as Firminho last season...the idea for example that we would have done better last season by replacing our top scorer and second top assist provider, with Roberto Firminho, is at best highly debatable. Under scrutiny it seems to me more like the idea of a madman.

Son, Ali, Trippier, Pedro, Giroud...I mean, Giroud for feck sake. He can't get a consistent starting place ahead of Morata. Alonso cost his team a goal today by for no apparent reason pretending to be dead 2 metres form his own goal, while the ball was bouncing around there. This is something one of our players would be mullered for. Moura has had one good run of form. Mourinho wanted to sign Willian, and if he did and played him ahead of Martial loads of people would moan about it, including me. People make out some of these players are faultless when if they played for us we would spend considerable time being infuriated by them.

 

[IRELANDUNITED]

Not one United player would get in City's starting team and no, DDG wouldn't start in front of Ederson before someone says it.

Shaw would, so would Pogba and De Gea would.

 

[VeevaVee]

City have better players than us and should have considering what they have spent. When it comes to United, Chelsea and Liverpool I think it's open for debate. Spurs and Arsenal have weaker players for me.

I don't understand why there is a need to pretend other teams have better players than us, when there is very little to actually back it up. Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea were all behind us last year and comfortably so. Spurs have signed no one. Liverpool have signed players who would not get in the United team, and who also for the most part can't seem to get into their own. Chelsea have made good signings but if you take Hazard out of the equation would you fancy them to be competitive with the other top four sides?

The issue is that we've performed well below our own level in too many games this season. Even today you only saw us play to our strengths for 35 minutes, ans we ended up 30 seconds away from a win (although it would have been harsh on Chelsea over the full 90 minutes)

The Liverpool list is particularly off mark. Robertson and Alexander-Arnold would not get in our team. The idea Shaqiri would is ridiculous. Lukaku scored more goals and had as many assists as Firminho last season...the idea for example that we would have done better last season by replacing our top scorer and second top assist provider, with Roberto Firminho, is at best highly debatable. Under scrutiny it seems to me more like the idea of a madman.

Son, Ali, Trippier, Pedro, Giroud...I mean, Giroud for feck sake. He can't get a consistent starting place ahead of Morata. Alonso cost his team a goal today by for no apparent reason pretending to be dead 2 metres form his own goal, while the ball was bouncing around there. This is something one of our players would be mullered for. Moura has had one good run of form. Mourinho wanted to sign Willian, and if he did and played him ahead of Martial loads of people would moan about it, including me. People make out some of these players are faultless when if they played for us we would spend considerable time being infuriated by them.

Little to back it up? We're 8th with -1 gd. The first half of last season we were alright. Second half struggled like feck but just about did enough.
Ok Jose is to blame for a lot of it, but all the mentioned are better than what we have. You can back it up with your eyes. Jose doesn't stop our players being good with a ball.

To try and compare Liverpools transfers in recent times to ours is silly, when they have the 3 up top that they do, and comfortably improved their defence/keeper, while we have the CBs we do and no right winger.
Robertson and TAA wouldn't get in our team ahead of Valencia/Young? Both have outputted more than Shaw too, as good a season as he's having.
We don't have a right sided player, so to suggest Shaqiri couldn't get into our team there is strange.
Firmino clearly a better player than Lukaku, same goals last season or not.

Giroud is a better player than Lukaku. I'll accept that's arguable.
Alonso, best LB in the league. His returns are insane, even if he's not that great in defence (which fullbacks are these days?). No one is going to be arsed about a mistake for very long if a players returns like he does.
Willian could play on the right side. Not saying Jose would do that, but he'd obviously walk in there.

Moura - if we want to ignore this season then that's everyone else getting into our LB spot too.
Tripper wouldn't walk into the team? How can you even question that?
Alli better than anyone on our right side, again. Son the same. Pedro the same.

 

[Sonny1972]

The players we know they're good show they're, like Pogba and Martial. The players who are poor are still showing they're poor, like Lukaku and Rashford. I don't see any surprises here.

We have good squad but there're some players to waste the efforts of the really good ones around them.

Pogba is showing how good he is ?? Pogba is the most overrated player on this planet .

 

[Boycott]

Individually, would any of these not be able to start for us?

Chelsea
Alonso, Azpi, Kante, Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Giroud

Spurs
Tripper, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Moura, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane

Liverpool
Robertson, TAA, VVD, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Shaqiri (right side)

City
Mendy, Walker (RB?), Fernandinho, B Silva, D Silva, Sterling, Sane, Mahrez, KDB, Jesus, Aguero



Who of ours would start for these teams?

DDG. Pogba. Martial at Spurs, maybe Liverpool. Shaw at Spurs.

Aside from the City lot many of those players were not highly thought of when they joined those clubs and to some extent still not so much. It's their performances and progress since that has elevated them whereas a lot of our signings came with high promise yet have not come on. So the question is not whether they are better than our lot but are we a worse off place for player development?

Trippier was available for £3.5m in 2015. We bought Darmian for £12m.
Moura was available in January. We chose Sanchez.
Alli was bought from League One for £5m in 2015. We bought Schneiderlin for £25m later that year.
Firmino was bought in 2015 for £30m. Son about £20m. We bought Depay for the same price.
Mane bought for £35m while we chose Mkhitaryan for a few million cheaper.
Salah was bought for £35m while we bought Lukaku for £75m
Robertson was bought in 2017 for £8m.

Maybe these players are just better, period. Maybe they always were going to improve to their current level but the point is how is it so many then slipped the net while we have spent almost £700m in that period. How is it we are reducing big money signings like blunt objects. If we look closer to home we have two CBs bought for £30m each but for large parts of last season still had Smalling and Jones.

 

[Leftback99]

Shaw would, so would Pogba and De Gea would.

Shaw instead of Mendy? No chance.

Pogba over Fernandinho maybe, but then who would defend because he wont.

Ederson suits the way City play compared to De Gea so that a doubt as well.

On paper we have some good individuals (which come out well in a player for player comparison) but the problem is they all suit different teams and styles of play, the likes of City and Liverpool have recruited specific players to fit how they play. We also have players that should be nowhere near our first team but are starting in key positions like Lindelof (Bailly/Rojo/Jones).

 

[Deleted member 101472]

The only player in our squad that is the best in their position in the whole league is De Gea. And that’s based on seasons gone by because this season he’s been below average.

GK- De Gea

RB-walker, trippier both better than what we have

CB- let’s not go there

LB- would swap Robertson and mendy for Shaw no problem, maybe even alonso

DM- Fernandinho and Jorginho are better than matic

CM- De Bruyne and Silva are much better than pogba

LW- hazard so much better than anyone else in the league

RW we don’t have one

ST I’d take almost all of the other top teams strikers before lukaku except Chelsea


So no, Sarri.... we aren’t.

 

[el3mel]

Pogba is showing how good he is ?? Pogba is the most overrated player on this planet .

I have loads of preservation on him but second half today he was very good as well as the second half vs Newcastle. When he actually steps up and decides to play, he makes everyone around him ticks. We need him to step up more often though.

 

[Sonny1972]

I have loads of preservation on him but second half today he was very good as well as the second half vs Newcastle. When he actually steps up and decides to play, he makes everyone around him ticks. We need him to step up more often though.

The 1-0 was his fault to .

 

[Bobski]

Never going to get any truth here because so much of the rating of our players is tied up in agendas towards Mou. If you are pro Mou the squad is shit, anti it is good enough to get more out of than he has.

I also think people overlook the obvious flaws in other players when comparing them to what Utd have. Take the Chelsea few mentioned, going to pick out Alonso, Pedro, Willian and Giroud. Alonso is a mediocre defender at best and a clear weakness in a back 4, as good as he is going forward. Pedro is years past his best, has the odd good game but tons of anonymous ones. Willain is incredibly inconsistent and rather one dimensional and Giroud was close to a laughing stock by late in his time at Arsenal. Even guys like Kovcic and Jorginho have a lot to prove in the PL, did not look exceptional when Utd finally pressed them. Strangely though Chelsea had been picked out as a true challenger for City, but they have a long way to go to get there.

 

[JK-27]

Surprised at the Lukaku hate. Our top scorer last season and joint top scorer this season, despite apparently being crap.

 

[el3mel]

The 1-0 was his fault to .

I said that. It was his fault but that goal aside he was pretty good.

 

[James Peril]

Surprised at the Lukaku hate. Our top scorer last season and joint top scorer this season, despite apparently being crap.

He is our focal point and only striker, he should always be our top scorer. He has been utterly crap this season - and he was also pretty awful for large parts of last season. He scores tap-ins and headers against the bottom teams, he literally never scores against the good ones. Yet another game passes where he does absolutely nothing against a good defensive team, just like against Tottenham. What is it now.. 1 in 12 against City, Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea? His returns in the Premier League last season was way too low for a team of our stature.

 

[Ekeke]

Certainly seems like very strange comments from Sarri

If we are to assume that he isnt just making excuses and lying through his teeth, with those comments he must rate our CBs if we have the best team man for man

 

[James Peril]

He can say whatever he wants, it doesn’t make it true. Shaw, Smalling, Lindelof and Young are utterly average, we’ve kept one clean sheet this season. Matic and Pogba are on par with other units, our striker is barely top 10-material. Player for player we are the 4th best team, severely lacking a game-changer like Kane or Hazard in the final third. We are forgetting the fact that a great striker or attacker up top would do everything easier for Pogba and the ones behind them. Lukaku is like playing with ten men from start.

 

[RedRicardo]

He was totally right I argue this all the time at work Player for player we have the best side in the league but as a team city are solid

Apart from Aguero united can match or better every single player in their starting 11

We need to click and we need more than 50% of the players on form at the same time

 

[robinrooney]

We have very good players everyone agrees. Problem is the tactics. We were trying not to lose today. When we went behind we had to change tact. We attack teams from minute 1 and play with that intensity from the 2nd half today and we are a very good team.

Let the horses run free FFS

 

[tentan]

Their team is probably better than ours player by player.

 

[flipit]

I don't know Sarri so he might not mean it in a bad way but if he's not lying then he's just dissing Mourinho, no? Or it was simply to lower Chelsea fans' expectation? Or just stating what he thinks? Anyway his words probably gave United players some confidence boosts before the game.