Doubt we are looking at him.
Sergi Roberto
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
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Doubt it too, to be honest.
Giggs and Scholes were quality players but they weren't flair players. They were excellent technically but they were proper "English style" footballers. That's what I mean. You wouldn't see Giggs do a rainbow flick, would you? They were very much "simple" footballers.
Roberto isn't exactly Ronaldinho or even close. But he has been trained to play the Barcelona way and we need players who play the Manchester United way. Give me someone like Dele Alli or Ross Barkley over him anyday. Those guys might not be better technically but I gaurantee they would be better for United.
Not at all. I'm just saying they weren't flair players. They kept it simple and were "tough guys" who worked hard and got stuck in. That's what we need more of. That's why I always said Matic is perfect for us.
I disagree. He's absolutely a "Barca style" player. He wouldn't fit in here. We need more British players or experienced Premier League players. Matic and Lukaku know the league and that's why they look so good off the mark. If we're signing a backup CM, I would rather buy Barkley or even Joe Allen who I always rated.
Can he cross though?
Giggs was absolutely a flair player, as was Cantona the man that the Fergie era was built on, so was Ronaldo and RvP, the main two players behind the latter titles, aren't you a Mata fan? I don't get your point here at all mate, he's as Spanish bread as they come, and Scholes played like Xavi and Pirlo, the epitome of a cultured European CM who is revered by those guys.
Barkley is brainless, as much difficulty as Martial has had with Mourinho Barkley would struggle even more, the way you are talking we'll never ever get close to the CL again, technical ability is much more important than size and power, those are Mourinho obsessions, not Manchester United values, don't get it twisted. Dele is better than Sergi Roberto but he'd also cost about 4 times as much..
He's one of my absolute favorite future stars. Saw it right away when he came on for them that he's something out of the ordinary. Very direct, can transport the ball over long distances, interesting moving pattern, great overall skills&play.
Don't understand how would anyone reject buying a Spanish player. I look at Asensio, Saul, Vasquez and wish we have them
For the money quoted he would be a fantastic signing.
You're comparing apples and oranges here while mixing them with some right facts.
Any Premier club would sigh Dele Alli or Barkley before Sergi Roberto because they're both younger than him and arguably better players, being proven would also be right, I'd rather sign Isco who is La Liga proven than Dele Alli, who knows how he would fare at Barcelona
But the problem is you're not getting either Dele Alli or Barkley for €40M, and neither Alli or Barkley can play in 7 spots in a football pitch (RB,LB,DM,CM,RW and LW). The Barcelona way thing doesn't make much sense too when the PL has a good share of players that were developed under that system from defenders like Bellerin, to Fabregas or even Bojan in his good months, but there's no best example than Pedro, he was a system player, everyone doubt he would make it outside of Barcelona and Spain (not only PL, anywhere else he was thought to crumble) and he's done pretty well at Chelsea.
If the debate was "Is Sergi Roberto worth 40M" or "Has Man Utd quality?" then that would different, but the things he does good, he could replicate in the PL playing at Stoke the same he does against Eibar in December, seems like a lot of people in England believe success comes automatically for Barcelona prospects. Before you get a spot with the first team you have to prove what you're made off in the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th division, and believe me, there's a bunch of animals and butchers that try to hunt guys like Sergi Roberto in those teams, yet they can survive. If you can make it below 0ºC at Soria vs a bunch of 30 y/o football journeymen just right after puberty, you probably can survive football in the isles, you might not like it as much, but can manage.
I don't think there's much use in such limited, prescriptive descriptions of players' natural roles. The reason Fabinho and Sergi Roberto have switched fairly seamlessly between right back and centre mid is the same reason Gerrard or Essien could play right back in a CL final, or Valencia could play centre mid for Ecuador and on the wing for United, or Daley Blind could play wingback at the WC after a season of playing centre mid for Ajax. The core skills of an attacking fullback and a box-to-box centre mid are basically the same. That's been true since the days of Duncan Edwards and co. and is still true now.
I think he'd be useful as a long-term Herrera replacement but not much more.
Not every Spanish player is good.
This is true, see Alberto Moreno.
He isn't. He is much more aggressive and direct than the stereotype you seem to be pinning him as. I'd peg Ander Herrera as more of a "Barca style" player than Sergi Roberto, the Ander is very much suited to both United and the Premier League. Barca in general are a lot more direct than they were under Pep, very much so, so I don't think it is applicable anyway.
Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes weren't flair players?
Mind boggling.
So they've done rainbow flicks and Rabona kicks on the regular? That's news to me.
I'm not sure those are the right parameters for defining flair players...
So Xavi and Iniesta do rainbow flicks? Oh wait, they are Barca players, Scholes and Giggs arent, even though they could have played for them on a technical level too. Your argumentation is weird.
A United player only needs to be good enough, rainbow flicks or not
Would you say Cantona was a flair player?
He had more flair than the simplistic Giggs and Scholes.
I didn't say they were flair players. But they're Barcelona players, not Man United players.
Scholes and Keane were a lot more aggressive and hard working than Xavi and Iniesta.
Simplistic? Jesus christ almighty....
Did you not see Giggs in the first half of his career? He was the very definition of flair.
Scholes I personally wouldn't say he was a flair player, but outside of tackling he excelled in every part of the footballing game.
He was simplistic compared to fecking Ronaldinho. You know what I mean.
No, I really don't. Your definition of a flair player is absurd. 'Rainbow flicks and rabonas on a regular basis'. My word.
Pass. He is very lucky to have been a starting player for Barca and them having players of his level only shows their decline. He is not particularly good as a RB or a CM.
Giggs relied mostly on his pace during his younger days. He wasn't a skiller by any stretch of the imagination. How anyone can say he wasn't a simple footballer is beyond me. Look at Ronaldinho, Okocha, Neymar, etc. And then look at how Giggs played. He did the simple things exceptionally well but he was never the type who would do a rainbow flick over a full back and whip in a rabona cross.
I've never seen Messi do that. Flair player?
What would you consider a flair player then? If you consider Xavi a flair player then by that logic Michael Carrick is also a flair player. Playing simple is not having flair in my book.
That's beside the point anyway. I want more players like Giggs, Scholes and Carrick and less of the foreign "dreamers" who have their eyes set on a big money move to Madrid or Barcelona. Those players get us nowhere in the long run. They don't care about the club.
Rainbow flicks and rabona are tricks. A flair player is not supposed to fecking excel at tricks only. What about Messi, Kaka, Zidane even.I don't think there's much in the rumours either. Wouldn't be ahead of Pogba, Matic, Herrera. And it looks like we're keeping Felaini and Pereira to provide cover along with Carrick.
Also as a general rule, I'm a bit wary of buying players who are products of La Masia. If they make it big at United and Barca come calling chances are you're left with an unsavoury situation in your hands. It's not a certainty by any means, but there's a high enough probability it could happen to keep in consideration.
Also as a general rule, I'm a bit wary of buying players who are products of La Masia. If they make it big at United and Barca come calling chances are you're left with an unsavoury situation in your hands. It's not a certainty by any means, but there's a high enough probability it could happen to keep in consideration.
Well, flair is defined (according to the first google result) as: 'a special or instinctive aptitude or ability for doing something well.' To me, that doesn't have to mean rainbow flicks, etc. Giggs was a phenomenal winger who could beat a man with ease, inside or out.
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In some cases you might be right, but Sergi is 25 now. It's also he himself who wants to leave rather than the other way around. I'd doubt Barca would be back for him.
I don't think we have space for him (unless we play him out of position, as he's much better at CM than full back IMO) but I'd also be a bit annoyed if he goes to Chelsea as I think he could do well there.
Not bothered about that really. Chelsea will sign someone or other anyway. I'd rather they get a Sergi Roberto or an Oxlade rather than a Nainggolan or Verrati anyway (I'm using as an analogy).
Fair point. I'd rather they got Oxlade. He'll be injured 4 months of the season by default. I think Sergi Roberto would be a good fit for them though. Not quite as much as an elite player, but he looks made for the Premier League to me.
I agree with you personally that Scholes was almost anti-flair - certainly more so than Xavi, who was pretty conservative himself - but Giggs adored often pointless flicks and tricks, right up until his retirement. And I still think his throw-in and corner kick moves were creative genius...
I remember summer of the 99 I think, United were interested in Rivaldo and by Spanish press they were offering 60M and Giggs. I was totally ok with that offer
A pretty ridiculous bar to set for flair players.
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