Which elite player do you want us to get for the midfield?
Sander Berge | Signs for Fulham
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Jamie (@Vault Dweller) are here to talk about United's dreadful home defeat at the hands of Big Ange's Tottenham Hotspur. Should this have been the end of Ten Hag? How long does he actually have left? And does Nik finally want ETH out?!
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Which elite player do you want us to get for the midfield?
I'd prefer him to Amrabat I think. Seems to have similar styles, just that Berge able to use his size a lot better.
This will be one of our worst signings ever. Not in terms of value because transfers like Antony and Maguire will never be beaten but he will be such an obvious failure here because he will look painfully out of place. This will end up like the Schneiderlin signing but at least he was really good for Soton, Berge has been average to poor in the PL since joining.
The positive (delusional) crowd will no doubt convince themselves he can add value but we all know how this will end, see Amrabat for example.
Better players have struggled to survive in EtH's midfield setup but somehow Championship player Berge will make a positive difference to us.
The positive (delusional) crowd will no doubt convince themselves he can add value but we all know how this will end, see Amrabat for example.
Better players have struggled to survive in EtH's midfield setup but somehow Championship player Berge will make a positive difference to us.
The squad clearly needed :
A pacy centre back who can defend the channels and counters while we regroup
Someone who can hold up the ball and create for the other forwards.
A physical destroyer who is happy to defend, has reconvey pace and who can also ball.
These players aren’t rotation players. They are being brought in to compete and hopefully quickly improve into solid starters. We need workers and athletes. It’s not fancy but we’ve done fancy over and over and ended up with a squad full of celebrities who also happen to play football. I think this is finally a sensible approach
This is what I'm saying. Based on the limited clips and stats I've seen of him, He's basically poundland Rodri. Quite frankly, i would take that over Casemiro and Amrabat. He's stylistically more suited to the single pivot DM role than Ugarte too. Also I love the fact that he's tall boy, especially with Martinez's shortass in defence.
Depends if you're looking at our prospective starting 11, or the 11 that played most last season due to injuries.
Off the top of my head I'd say our most common line up last season was something along the lines of...
Onana
AWB Maguire Evans Dalot
Mainoo Casemiro
Garnacho Fernandes Rashford
Hojlund
Even with just less injuries that starting 11 gets a lot stronger considering AWB, Maguire, Mainoo, Casemiro all missed large chunks of last season with Martinez, Shaw and Varane hardly playing at all.
The players that have come in aren’t at that level. Yoro is exciting but he’s 18 and replacing Varane which I’m 100% sure he’s not at Varane’s level at this moment in time
Zirkzee is a gamble. His record isn’t great, he’s arguably not even an out and out striker so it’s going to be interesting to see how he fits in whilst Bruno is starting games
And the DM spot is still open. Casemiro is finished at this level we need genuine quality in the starting 11 I feel at best Berge is a player that comes in alongside a top DM as a squad option and even then I don’t think he’s good enough
It’s great signing players for the future and exciting in a lot of ways but the reality is the squad is arguably worse than last season I don’t think a rotation level striker and somebody of Sander Berge’s ability is getting us anywhere
Really not sure about how good he is, but I do like the fact that he is very, very fast and very, very big. We have missed that in that area of the field!
Ever the optimist, I expect to see some late activity in the window. At this stage I’d be borderline ecstatic with something like this:
In:
Berge
Fofana / Rabiot (or my wildcard - B. Gilmour)
Ugarte (loan / Sancho swap)
Out:
McT
Casemiro
Eriksen
Do you actually believe what you’re writingWhat’s his long range passing like? I really like DM who can spread passes out wide or over the top for ST.
LB? He’s primarily a RB that can occasionally play on the left
Two things:
1. United cannot afford to target top class talents for midfield unless they make some more sales. Money doesn't grow on trees - we have a finite pot and are having to work within certain parameters to ensure compliance with the Premier League and UEFA's financial regulations.
2. Please, for the love of God, do not waste your time watching Mark Goldbridge. The man is a complete imbecile and offers nothing of value to anyone except those who enjoy shouty drivel.
We just aren’t good enough at selling players. McTominay should have gone years ago, we have tried to get rid of Maguire for 2 summers now but he will still start the season as a starting centre back so why leave?
‘Harry we’d like to move you on this summer’
‘No thanks I’m staying’
‘Yeah no worries’
Madness.
Football really is a game of opinions eh
IMO It's a low risk signing. As I've said previously our biggest issue is no matter which midfield we played it was missing something - usually defensive awareness and mobility. He covers those and we don't need him to be flashy, just make the simple passes consistently.
Football really is a game of opinions eh
IMO It's a low risk signing. As I've said previously our biggest issue is no matter which midfield we played it was missing something - usually defensive awareness and mobility. He covers those and we don't need him to be flashy, just make the simple passes consistently.
Yes, not a bad option. I'd prefer Ederson or Zubimendi, but they'd likely cost more than double. If we're looking seriously at Berge, we should also consider Anton Stach at Hoffenheim, who is a similar profile (Matic type) - tall, rangy, decent in the air and likes carrying the ball forward.
Football really is a game of opinions eh
IMO It's a low risk signing.
There's no such thing as a low risk signing. It's just another bit of nonsense fans tell themselves to pacify the realisation that we're wasting more time and money on someone we already know isn't good enough. Let's say we negotiate to £20m for Berge (unlikely) and £20m on his 4+1 contract = £40m outlay. That we then wont have to spend on someone who could actually make us better.
Most of the summer has been wasted trying to get rid of deadwood, most of the last 3 seasons have been wasted trying to get rid of deadwood. A lot of deadwood was once a 'low risk signing'.
He is none of those things except tall..
For me, when you sign a player it should be to replace someone in the starting 11 and create competition.
Berge doesn't start ahead of any of our midfielders.
Berge doesn't start ahead of any of our midfielders.
Honestly I would be surprised if we can even rustle up enough cash to buy him.
What are they looking for , 20 million ?
Hmm.
What are they looking for , 20 million ?
Hmm.
He starts ahead of Casemiro. Berge is not the quality we should be targeting but we do need a short term fix. Casemiro is finished.
Of course he does. He’d be miles ahead of McTominay and the current Casemiro.
This is basically a right footed Matic. Bring him in!
Jesus, we reallly are broke
If everyones fit McTominay isn't a starter.
I don't think he's better than Casemiro. Casemiro was horribly exposed in our midfield set up, anyone would be. I don't think Berge walks into our set up and is an improvement on him.
Based on some of the form Casemiro has shown, I'd be reluctant to definitively state that any alternative DM in the squad definitely won't overtake him at some point during the season. He was already dropped for the Cup final for a reason.
Which isn't a comment on the merits of signing Berge, who I have no opinion on.
Have you watched pre-season? Casemiro is finished.
Not sure you've seen Casemiro play for the last 18 months.
It's a very low bar whether Berge is the answer or not.
Maguire started 18 games for us last season, Varane 16, Evans 15 and Lindelöf 14. Rather low numbers on all, but Varane were out second most used CD.
Under the new regime I’m just going to “trust the process” with this one and see how it turns out.
Casemiro can't carry the ball as well as Berge, treats the ball like a ticking bomb, and Berge is also better at receiving with his back to play. He can also spray vertical passes and is good at recycling possession.
Casemiro is either in a big physical decline or has been deliberately trying to sack ETH for the last 12 months. He may be better again if we abandon the suicidal setup we played last season, but you shouldn't expect him to be back to his 22/23 levels, because it just isn't very likely.
Which shouldn't surprise you, SJR has already said that's not how we will do business anymore.
We aren't "broke." We have a bloated squad on ridiculous wages, with little space to balance it all out. There's a big difference to that and being "broke." INEOS have taken over an absolute mess. Its going to take more than a summer to sort that shit out. We could end up with a summer where we bring in Berge, Zirkzee, Yoro, De Ligt and Mazraoui. That isnt the work of a broke club.
He does it all so well his team conceded 78 goals and got relegated.
Villa, Spurs, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, West Ham all need/needed a player in this position and seemingly have zero interest in Berge.
Guido Rodriguez, Onana, Wieffer, Gray are players in his position that have moved and Liverpool’s main target is Zubimendi. Why aren’t these teams going for the 6’4 fast DM that wins the ball and doesn’t give it away?
Some of you really have zero standards for the club.
Guido Rodriguez, Onana, Wieffer, Gray are players in his position that have moved and Liverpool’s main target is Zubimendi. Why aren’t these teams going for the 6’4 fast DM that wins the ball and doesn’t give it away?
Some of you really have zero standards for the club.
Do you realize how stupid what you are saying is? There's no other way to put it. It's brainless.
Saudi won't even touch Casemiro! We are where we are.
No don't let me stop you. This guy is like a young Matic, with superb talent. When Matic was 26 he was winning the league with Chelsea but we'll gloss over that.
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