Pogba stays. Lukaku out. Bruno, Dybala and Maguire in. What would be our ceiling?

[georgieworst]

And WTF are people so willing to hand City and fecking Liverpool places above us? Ok, so City has won the league two years in a row. I get it. But Liverpool? Come on man, it's fecking Liverpool!!! Sorry, but I'm not ready to give up any position in the table to those wankers. One year behind them was bad enough, and now you lot are already conceding to them before the season even starts?? My god, what have we become???

I think people are forgetting that the previous year Liverpool finished miles off the pace and managed to be challenging the following year.
The notion of having to make up 20 odd points is a little wide of the mark because as far as I know all the teams start on the same points...Utd need to be that little bit better and stop dropping points to the lower reaches..if Utd can manage that then they might be a dark horse.

 

[Bearded One]

We still lack width in attack, but we'd challenge Spurs for 3rd. You can play good football with an athletic back 4, McTominay holding and Pogba and Bruno in midfield with Dybala, another forward (Martial or Rashford) and then I honestly think James might be the other starter since he works hard and would compliment those players better than the more talented options, even if he can't actually cross or shoot at the moment.

Rashford-Dybala-----------
------------Bruno-----James
-------Pogba----------------
------------McT-------------

would be my guess based on what we've seen this preseason.

Thats a 4-1-1-2-2 formation, brilliant!

 

[Hawks2008]

3rd or 4th, Liverpool and City are still more complete and have more depth.

 

[Raven96__]

Win the league.

 

[RC89]

Top 4, and a good cup run. If we can somehow win Europa and get top 4 I'd consider that an en excellent year.

Really think there's too many duds in the squad to put a title challenge in and we'd still lack a good striker.

 

[SpyLuke10]

We could possibly challenge for the title I reckon. But I feel like Maguire won't happen unfortunately if the reports about Leicester wanting 90M are true.

 

[Rake]

Even if we sign all of them, we still not be contenders for the title. Top 4 with strong aspirations for champions next year.

Bar Maquire, all of them will have to adjust to a new league, new manager and with no pre-season to bond with the other lads.

 

[kouroux]

I want the bloody league

 

[tenpoless]

10 days later

Pogba leaves
Lukaku leaves
Dybala stays
Maguire comes for 100m
Signing Danny Welbeck

 

[Steamboat Willy]

10 days later

Pogba leaves
Lukau leaves
Dybala stays
Maguire comes for 100m
Signing Danny Welbeck[/QUOTE

Not that far from the truth i guess...

 

[eltigreFalcao]

Realistically it could be anywhere between 2nd and 4th position.

Assuming rumours are true and Woodward pulled that double swoop, which we could be tempted to believe he is not, I dont think Ole have a clear picture of what changes it can bring to the side atm. It is, therefore, something which will be discovered once the season starts and the first pile of games come in. I do believe there's a chance of playing Ole's preseason style and have all of Pogba, Rashford, Martial, Dybala and Fernandes in the same XI, is not impossible and to be honest if that works out the ceiling for next season, assuming no departures, is CL high. Although you cannot have a winnig team without proper back up, but this could mean the rebuilding is fecking on

My way of getting all of them into the same XI, Ole's syle:

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka-(Smalling)-Lindelöf-Shaw
Mct-Pogba
Rashford-Fernandes-Martial
Dybala
​

You see, without the ball Ole is pressing with 4 players very highly (thats from what we've seen against different level of opposition), and sometimes those positions ar flexible. CF and CAM both press through the middle and to the side, and both RM and LM press highly on the wings. I can actually see all of them four pressing effectively in their respective positions. We've also seen a deeper Pogba who often plays the long pass, which now could have someone who really receive it well on the other end and be capable of light up the attack from there. Also mobility between Mct and Pogba is being great and one of them always finds himself in an attacking position, that is we could have a menace of 5 players able to score from different postions. When the ball is won back from pressing, anyone can easily find one of three players in a good position to score. When its being brought from the back you have Pogba linking up with the attackers. Also Dybala and Fernandes both tend to go either flank now and then giving time up front for Rashford and Martial to surprise and score. Finally having Shaw and Wan-Bissaka as full backs is very usefull as they are both confident on possesion and able to give the right pass.

Lets just hope we dont have such a sh*tty back line as we've had for the past few years.

 

[sglowrider]

Realistically it could be anywhere between 2nd and 4th position.

Assuming rumours are true and Woodward pulled that double swoop, which we could be tempted to believe he is not, I dont think Ole have a clear picture of what changes it can bring to the side atm. It is, therefore, something which will be discovered once the season starts and the first pile of games come in. I do believe there's a chance of playing Ole's preseason style and have all of Pogba, Rashford, Martial, Dybala and Fernandes in the same XI, is not impossible and to be honest if that works out the ceiling for next season, assuming no departures, is CL high. Although you cannot have a winnig team without proper back up, but this could mean the rebuilding is fecking on

My way of getting all of them into the same XI, Ole's syle:

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka-(Smalling)-Lindelöf-Shaw
Mct-Pogba
Rashford-Fernandes-Martial
Dybala
​

You see, without the ball Ole is pressing with 4 players very highly (thats from what we've seen against different level of opposition), and sometimes those positions ar flexible. CF and CAM both press through the middle and to the side, and both RM and LM press highly on the wings. I can actually see all of them four pressing effectively in their respective positions. We've also seen a deeper Pogba who often plays the long pass, which now could have someone who really receive it well on the other end and be capable of light up the attack from there. Also mobility between Mct and Pogba is being great and one of them always finds himself in an attacking position, that is we could have a menace of 5 players able to score from different postions. When the ball is won back from pressing, anyone can easily find one of three players in a good position to score. When its being brought from the back you have Pogba linking up with the attackers. Also Dybala and Fernandes both tend to go either flank now and then giving time up front for Rashford and Martial to surprise and score. Finally having Shaw and Wan-Bissaka as full backs is very usefull as they are both confident on possesion and able to give the right pass.

Lets just hope we dont have such a sh*tty back line as we've had for the past few years.

What you just wrote is pornographic.

I suggest the Mods need to put some sort of rating to it ...other than the last line being a bit of a damper.

 

[eltigreFalcao]

What you just wrote is pornographic.

I suggest the Mods need to put some sort of rating to it ...other than the last line being a bit of a damper.

Cheers mate. That last line... you gotta be fair to the truth...

 

[OohAahMartial]

We might see Bruno on the right in the Mata/Lingard role, except a bit more Beckham like, and Dybala as SS/#10, Griezmann like. Weirdly, I can see our right flank being more attacking than our left this season.

 

[Suedesi]

I think it's obvious nothing is happening on that front. Feels like it's Sancho or bust next summer, but for that we'll need champions league.

Then we ain't catching City, Liverpool or Spurs, so we have to hope that BOTH Chelsea and Arsenal implode, and NEITHER Wolves or Everton don't compete.

 

[Andy_Cole]

3rd or 4th, Liverpool and City are still more complete and have more depth.

Liverpool have no depth.

 

[Pavl3n]

A lot of optimism, but I think Bruno is only coming if Pogba leaves.
I think Bruno and SMS are lined up to come as replacement for Pogba.

But if I am wrong (God I hope I am) we could be deadly.
Someone suggested we play 442 diamond and feels as we could easily fit all the new shiny additions in that formation
Martial.....Rashford
..................Dybala
..........Pogba......Fernandes
...............McTomminay

Or some sort of 4222.


If really injuries/squad depth and fitness was the real reason for struggling so bad at the end of last season and Ole gets the team going the way it was when he took over then we could easily be in the top 3 mix.
City and Liverpool are teams with great team chemistry and it took them a couple of season to gel. So I won't be surprised if we are in the top 3 mix and towards the end of the season drop behind the top 2 and fight off 3rd spot with Tottenham.

But overall top 3, FA Cup semis, League cup final, Europa semis. And bring at least one cup.

 

[Suedesi]

I think people are forgetting that the previous year Liverpool finished miles off the pace and managed to be challenging the following year.
The notion of having to make up 20 odd points is a little wide of the mark because as far as I know all the teams start on the same points...Utd need to be that little bit better and stop dropping points to the lower reaches..if Utd can manage that then they might be a dark horse.

The previous year, Liverpool made the CL final and like Spurs this year completely eased off the PL. And with Alisson, VVD, Fabinho, Shaqiri etc they addressed a lot of their squad issues very intelligently as demonstrated by the fact that they won the CL and were a point off of the PL title.

Liverpool (and City) are miles ahead of United at the moment, make no mistake about it.

 

[Havak]

I really don't think this will happen, I can't see us fitting them all in the squad

If we hadn't re-signed Mata and signed James, and weren't looking to let at least Greenwood from our youngsters get a bit more involved, then maybe. But having Rashford, Martial, Sanchez, Lingard, Mata, James, Bruno, Dybala, Pogba, Greenwood and then depending what you think of Gomes and Chong at the moment... I'll just be astonished if that's how we go into next season. Although perhaps there is a buyer for Sanchez or something?

We'd have a great squad and a wide array of different attacking options though, while improving our defence quite a bit too (Wan-Bissaka and Maguire). I'd still be surprised if we managed to get 2nd and win a trophy for the first season, but if it all gelled together well, we should be challenging for everything soon after.

 

[Treble]

Liverpool have no depth.

No depth but won 97 pts last season and the CL to boot. Didn't they beat Barca 4:0 without several key players?

People are getting ahead of themselves. Many assumptions are involved: that Ole is a top top manager, that Martial and Rashford will be prolific, that Pogba will be up for it and more consistent, that the new signigns will hit the ground running, that the youngsters will be able to make a difference when called upon, that the team will learn Ole's new tactics and gell fairly quickly, etc. Truth is, any of these things is quite uncertain right now.

 

[GBBQ]

I think that would be the ideal window for us but would still see 3rd as the ceiling.

 

[Bestietom]

A lot of optimism, but I think Bruno is only coming if Pogba leaves.
I think Bruno and SMS are lined up to come as replacement for Pogba.

But if I am wrong (God I hope I am) we could be deadly.
Someone suggested we play 442 diamond and feels as we could easily fit all the new shiny additions in that formation
Martial.....Rashford
..................Dybala
..........Pogba......Fernandes
...............McTomminay

Or some sort of 4222.


If really injuries/squad depth and fitness was the real reason for struggling so bad at the end of last season and Ole gets the team going the way it was when he took over then we could easily be in the top 3 mix.
City and Liverpool are teams with great team chemistry and it took them a couple of season to gel. So I won't be surprised if we are in the top 3 mix and towards the end of the season drop behind the top 2 and fight off 3rd spot with Tottenham.

But overall top 3, FA Cup semis, League cup final, Europa semis. And bring at least one cup.

4-1-2-1-2 Is how he would probably use all 3, If they came here, but I can't see it. This system would only be used in some games, and where is the width. Teams with wingers would destroy us.

 

[PaulRich]

3rd or 4th, Liverpool and City are still more complete and have more depth.

I'd love to see how Liverpool deal with an injury or three. There isn't that much depth there.

 

[UpWithRivers]

I am trying to be positive but I am probably the only one on the CAF thats a little worried. Yeah it looks all nice having shiny attacking players but buying players just for the heck of it and squeezing them in random positions has been our problem for years. A team with Dybala, Fernandez, Pogba and McTominay will have at least 3 players not playing in their best positions and 3 of our attack not suited to the press - Pogba, Martial, Dybala. In answer to the OP if it clicks then we will be challenging. If not we will be inconsistent and out of balance. Win some games 5-0 then lose a few. 4/5 will be my guess.
Best team for balance would be:

De Gea​

Wan-Bissaka-Maguire-Lindelöf-Shaw

Matic-Pogba​

Dybala-Fernandes-Rashford

Martial​

 

[FootyGirl88]

I am trying to be positive but I am probably the only one on the CAF thats a little worried. Yeah it looks all nice having shiny attacking players but buying players just for the heck of it and squeezing them in random positions has been our problem for years. A team with Dybala, Fernandez, Pogba and McTominay will have at least 3 players not playing in their best positions and 3 of our attack not suited to the press - Pogba, Martial, Dybala. In answer to the OP if it clicks then we will be challenging. If not we will be inconsistent and out of balance. Win some games 5-0 then lose a few. 4/5 will be my guess.
Best team for balance would be:

De Gea​

Wan-Bissaka-Maguire-Lindelöf-Shaw

Matic-Pogba​

Dybala-Fernandes-Rashford

Martial​

Take out Matic please

 

[Bestietom]

I am really expecting a big improvement this season but only if we get in the players. 18 points more than last season, should definitely see us challenge for 3rd place.
CB, DM, and a forward still needed.

 

[UpWithRivers]

Take out Matic please

Would love to. Hes as slow as a snail. But hes the only DM we have. Can we really trust Mc Tominay as DM in a team as attacking as this? I am thinking Matic wll just sit as the base of midfield and shield the defense. Basically link between defense and the attack. All he has to do is get ball from defense and give to Pogba, Fernandes or Dybala.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

I am trying to be positive but I am probably the only one on the CAF thats a little worried. Yeah it looks all nice having shiny attacking players but buying players just for the heck of it and squeezing them in random positions has been our problem for years. A team with Dybala, Fernandez, Pogba and McTominay will have at least 3 players not playing in their best positions and 3 of our attack not suited to the press - Pogba, Martial, Dybala. In answer to the OP if it clicks then we will be challenging. If not we will be inconsistent and out of balance. Win some games 5-0 then lose a few. 4/5 will be my guess.
Best team for balance would be:

De Gea​

Wan-Bissaka-Maguire-Lindelöf-Shaw

Matic-Pogba​

Dybala-Fernandes-Rashford

Martial​

Completely agree with your worries. 3rd at best if everything ticks.

Should spend that Bruno Fernandes and Maguire £££ on two controlling/balancing midfielders and a central defender like Ake.

 

[Craig Ward]

Fourth place, assuming Solskjaer can get the rest of the squad playing - we have after all lost 6 of our last 10 games with him in charge (no win in 5) and most of the first XI will remain the same.

So if we sign Dybala, Fernandes, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka and James you think your starting x11 will mostly remain the same?

I'd argue all would start, at least 4 of them. All 5 are a massive improvement to the team and squad as well.

Look at how the pre-season ahs gone, with the introduction of youth. There is a good vibe about the squad and we are looking in good shape.

If you add in the likes of Greenwood who may be pushing for a place the our team is transformed from last season.

Look at it from a positive viewpoint - top 4 should be the aim without the Dybala deal.

A starting X11 of:
De Gea
AWB Lindelöf Maguire Shaw
McTominey
Fernandes Pogba
James/Dybala Rashford Martial


I get the system may change and Dybala/Fernandes both look to play as a #10 but you got to have squad depth. Pogba will leave whether its this summer or next, he is going so we have to look at getting in as much quality as we can when its available.

If our window was to end with them 5 signings and promotion of some youth (notably Greenwood/Tuanzebe) and reduced game time for Lingard/Young/Jones and co then that's an absolutely best case window we could have had.

If we sold Jones, Sanchez, Darmian & Rojo it would be even better

 

[Bestietom]

Completely agree with your worries. 3rd at best if everything ticks.

Should spend that Bruno Fernandes and Maguire £££ on two controlling/balancing midfielders and a central defender like Ake.

Agree with you. Midfield is where we need to address.

 

[StrettyEnder07]

Realistically it could be anywhere between 2nd and 4th position.

Assuming rumours are true and Woodward pulled that double swoop, which we could be tempted to believe he is not, I dont think Ole have a clear picture of what changes it can bring to the side atm. It is, therefore, something which will be discovered once the season starts and the first pile of games come in. I do believe there's a chance of playing Ole's preseason style and have all of Pogba, Rashford, Martial, Dybala and Fernandes in the same XI, is not impossible and to be honest if that works out the ceiling for next season, assuming no departures, is CL high. Although you cannot have a winnig team without proper back up, but this could mean the rebuilding is fecking on

My way of getting all of them into the same XI, Ole's syle:

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka-(Smalling)-Lindelöf-Shaw
Mct-Pogba
Rashford-Fernandes-Martial
Dybala
​

You see, without the ball Ole is pressing with 4 players very highly (thats from what we've seen against different level of opposition), and sometimes those positions ar flexible. CF and CAM both press through the middle and to the side, and both RM and LM press highly on the wings. I can actually see all of them four pressing effectively in their respective positions. We've also seen a deeper Pogba who often plays the long pass, which now could have someone who really receive it well on the other end and be capable of light up the attack from there. Also mobility between Mct and Pogba is being great and one of them always finds himself in an attacking position, that is we could have a menace of 5 players able to score from different postions. When the ball is won back from pressing, anyone can easily find one of three players in a good position to score. When its being brought from the back you have Pogba linking up with the attackers. Also Dybala and Fernandes both tend to go either flank now and then giving time up front for Rashford and Martial to surprise and score. Finally having Shaw and Wan-Bissaka as full backs is very usefull as they are both confident on possesion and able to give the right pass.

Lets just hope we dont have such a sh*tty back line as we've had for the past few years.

Very good post, if the Dybala transfer does come out, he could in theory be lethal from that right hand side with that left foot of his, two players who can cut in and 3 fluid forward attackers who are comfortable interchanging as well.

Least it will be good fun watching! A lot needed from McTominay this season, massive season for him.

 

[Bestietom]

McTominay would need to have a fantastic season and step up to the line if we are to depend on him playing as our DM this season.
The way I see it we may be expecting too much from him to take on this responsibility, and we need a more experienced mobile DM brought in. McTominay could be the one playing alongside this new midfielder in a 3 man midfield, with Pogba further forward ( if he Stays).
Think our aim should be to get 18 points more than last season and see where that takes us. If we get better than 18 points more we will be challenging.
66 points last season.
+18 = 84 Points. this is good enough for top 3/4

 

[TRUERED89]

Liverpool have no depth.

None whatsoever! in any area of the pitch, maybe Wijnaldum in midfield and Origi at ST, that's it but both average.

 

[Ikon]

What's the best that we can hope for this season..?
Well its still totally dependent on the new signings that we can make before the window slams shut.
With the current squad, which is almost the exact same squad that we had last season, I don't see us making top 4, and I don't see the consolation of a cup either.

However, 2 or 3 new signings before the season starts could make a World of difference.
If our new look defense includes Wan-Bissaka and Maguire, I'd confidently expect last season's woeful 54 league goals conceded to have at least 20 goals shaved off.
That could be the difference between a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 win, so its difficult to quantify how many additional points that would gather, but it could potentially be 10 or more, and when you bear in mind that we were only 5 points off the CL places last season, you can see that just that CB signing could make a huge difference to the season.

People say that our attack was poor, but the reality is that we scored more than Chelsea and only 2 fewer than Spurs, so bringing in players such as Bruno & Dybala might also increase the goals scored column, even if by only 10, and again, just those few additional goals scored could gather another 6 points or more.

So, if we can get those signings in, I believe we are definitely looking at a CL finish, and hopefully a UEFA Cup...

 

[Footballmad2006]

It would be a dream to get Maguire, Bruno, Dybala signed up for next season, but Ole wanted all his signings done by July 1st so he could work with them in pre-season. If this goes down to deadline day, how long will it take them to integrate into the team?

 

[Jonno]

I think people questioning how we will fit them all in to 1 team forget the realities of a long season. All you need is for 1 of Rashford, Martial, Dybala, Bruno, Pogba to get injured and suddenly we're down to minimum choice anyway.

What a signing this would be. We're replacing a reliable and consistent poacher and replacing him with a bit of a magician who can make things happen from nowhere. Exactly what we need.

 

[mojo]

Imagine if no-one else were signed.....

 

[Edy2]

It would have to be a deep title challenge at the very least but I will be surprised if we sign more than 1-2 of those.

 

[djembatheking]

There will be a huge meltdown on here if we don`t start well , thankfully we have 2 nice easy games to start the season .

 

[sglowrider]

It would be a dream to get Maguire, Bruno, Dybala signed up for next season, but Ole wanted all his signings done by July 1st so he could work with them in pre-season. If this goes down to deadline day, how long will it take them to integrate into the team?

If we do get the speculated signings, with zero pre-season with Ole, I suspect it will take till after Christmas before they get somewhat integrated and for Ole & team to figure out the best way to play them -- especially when Ole wants them to play interchangeable frontlines.