Sofyan Amrabat | 2023/24 Performances

rcoobc

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Yes you need hard working players, but we can’t sign people based on that. The moment this team has players more comfortable on the ball than AWB and Amrabat, it changes everything.

If Amrabat was early 20s it would make sense, right now we need to build for two years time.
There's a reason Klopp trusted Henderson for so long at Liverpool. You need players that will do the hard work
 

SambaBoy

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Thought defensively he was very good. Not by making multiple big tackles, but largely by being in the right place defensively. This is something our midfield has lacked for ages, a disciplined holding mid. It's crucial vs City because they would exploit any space in that position. He also hassled reasonably well when needed, covered the spaces in the channels especially the last 20 minutes when City's game plan was for Doku to run at AWB every time, but mostly he was just in the right position to block or deter through balls through the centre.

On the ball, he was quite awkward. Somewhat like AWB, he's just clearly uncomfortable at this level, touch is a bit off, needs a bit of extra time and space otherwise he gets panicky.

I think we need a player of his profile to partner Mainoo. Ideally, just someone a bit better on the ball.
I think that's spot on really - said the same myself yesterday. His first touch is always stuck under his feet and he can't really do much first time.

He's had a few good performances this season - but I don't think it would be the right decision to extend his stay.
 

Ekeke

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There's a reason Klopp trusted Henderson for so long at Liverpool. You need players that will do the hard work
Henderson was key to how they were playing. He was the one playing long passes over the top that Salah would press the defender who had to come across and deal with it. Amrabat is playing the ball backwards after a couple of touches that take him in a circle towards his own goal
 

SoCross

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If he leaves then he needs replacing. Meanwhile, Casemiro looks like he's leaving and will need replacing. Signing two players for the same position in the same window is gonna be a tough ask and, with the market how it is for that role especially, a very expensive one.

£20m might not be nearly as much as people think it is in the grand scheme of things.
This is my line of thinking as well. We need a defensive midfielder and if Casemiro and Amrabat are both leaving, it's going to leave a significant gap in the squad. Don't see us buying two DMs/6's in the same window.
 

rcoobc

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Henderson was key to how they were playing. He was the one playing long passes over the top that Salah would press the defender who had to come across and deal with it. Amrabat is playing the ball backwards after a couple of touches that take him in a circle towards his own goal
Backwards passed is so funny. That was the cafs criticism of Carrick for years. Everyone hated him.

When he left everyone started realising what he actually did.
 

Unam333

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Either Casemiro or Amrabat stays. Casemiro isn't really a DM, he can play in that role, but he's too rash for my liking. He does give you goals, assists and occasionally pure magic. Amrabat is a pure DM, but he lacks awareness and doesn't give you goals and assists. He did hit the bar earlier in the season. I think right now I prefer Amrabat over Casemiro, but mainly because we need a player his profile.

Both slow as snails though.
 

moses

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I have no idea either, yet.
Backwards passed is so funny. That was the cafs criticism of Carrick for years. Everyone hated him.

When he left everyone started realising what he actually did.

The Carrick years on here made me post much less in the Football Forums.

Amrabat is not Carrick by any stretch though.
 

rcoobc

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The Carrick years on here made me post much less in the Football Forums.

Amrabat is not Carrick by any stretch though.
No he's not. But we need water carriers. Players that can score 0 goals and have 0 assists and have a great season. Amrabat showed he can do it yesterday.

If the club had got a Busquets regen lined up then great, but if not he needs to stay.

One of the reasons casemiro looks so poor this season is we don't have Fred
 

Marwood

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Backwards passed is so funny. That was the cafs criticism of Carrick for years. Everyone hated him.

When he left everyone started realising what he actually did.
Yeah but often Amrabat is passing back to the goalkeeper from panic. Likely because his first touch hasn't been right.

It sort of works against City, might even be a necessity. But you can't have that from a DM in the majority of games.

He's shown us the difference a disciplined performance(as opposed to Casemiro) can make but he's not good enough. Even as a squad player.
 

moses

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I have no idea either, yet.
No he's not. But we need water carriers. Players that can score 0 goals and have 0 assists and have a great season. Amrabat showed he can do it yesterday.

If the club had got a Busquets regen lined up then great, but if not he needs to stay.

One of the reasons casemiro looks so poor this season is we don't have Fred
If he doesn't stay we need a replacement, no doubt. By someone better ideally.
 

dinostar77

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No he's not. But we need water carriers. Players that can score 0 goals and have 0 assists and have a great season. Amrabat showed he can do it yesterday.

If the club had got a Busquets regen lined up then great, but if not he needs to stay.

One of the reasons casemiro looks so poor this season is we don't have Fred
It's another reason for ETH to go. We've had so many injuries at CB this season. Amrabat speciality is sitting in front of the CBs and mopping up. He should have started most games since he came to us to provide that cover. Yes he has short comings in his game, but you have to use the squad you have. Similar to how ETH hasn't really used Amad and he already looks a more productive player on the right than Antony when he seldom plays.
 

buckooo1978

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Yesterday was arguably his best game for us. In a limited, defensive role he showed good leadership, won the ball well, passed well

We should be playing like that 2/3 times a season though when we play the likes of a City/Liverpool or Arsenal

We will need players who are quicker and can cover the ground better than him or Cas.

great that he bows out with a trophy
 

Dan_F

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Backwards passed is so funny. That was the cafs criticism of Carrick for years. Everyone hated him.

When he left everyone started realising what he actually did.
Henderson was a mile better than Amrabat, it’s not even close. Also, people may have criticised Carrick for passing backwards coming straight off the back of the Keane era, he didn’t. Carrick used to fire the ball through the midfield constantly. Similar to how Martinez plays.

Joke of a comparison. Go find Carrick in the transfer market. Amrabat isn’t it.
 

Woziak

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Pretty sure those numbers aren't the ones that were reported. I think, somebody in here mentioned them earlier. Whole package was around 35 iirc.
Then it’s too much I thought it was £21m and we paid £9m already
 

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He's decent, but has obvious limitations. I think you can find cheaper and younger players to move forward with. We definitely need to replace his physicality in midfield, he uses his size very well.
 

NZT-One

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Either Casemiro or Amrabat stays. Casemiro isn't really a DM, he can play in that role, but he's too rash for my liking. He does give you goals, assists and occasionally pure magic. Amrabat is a pure DM, but he lacks awareness and doesn't give you goals and assists. He did hit the bar earlier in the season. I think right now I prefer Amrabat over Casemiro, but mainly because we need a player his profile.

Both slow as snails though.
After reading words like "outstanding", "immense", "MOTM" on here, this really take the cake. I can only hope, you still are barely functioning after celebrating hard last night because this is close to a level I'd recommend getting serious treatment for.
 

JJ12

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If he's cheap (negotiate the buy clause down) then I'd take him as a squad option. He's too limited to be a starter.

Played really well yesterday and has shown in recent weeks he should've played more during the season.
 

rcoobc

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Henderson was a mile better than Amrabat, it’s not even close. Also, people may have criticised Carrick for passing backwards coming straight off the back of the Keane era, he didn’t. Carrick used to fire the ball through the midfield constantly. Similar to how Martinez plays.

Joke of a comparison. Go find Carrick in the transfer market. Amrabat isn’t it.
I didn't compare Carrick to Amrabat, I just said that criticising Amrabat for backwards passing is so very, very funny to me.

Approaching 20 years later and the caf is still criticising our water carrier for doing his job.
 

rcoobc

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After reading words like "outstanding", "immense", "MOTM" on here, this really take the cake. I can only hope, you still are barely functioning after celebrating hard last night because this is close to a level I'd recommend getting serious treatment for.
Amrabat was a serious contender for MOTM yesterday.

Anyone who doesn't see that doesn't understand football IMO. Only YouTube complications.

Sorry not sorry!
 

rcoobc

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It's another reason for ETH to go. We've had so many injuries at CB this season. Amrabat speciality is sitting in front of the CBs and mopping up. He should have started most games since he came to us to provide that cover. Yes he has short comings in his game, but you have to use the squad you have. Similar to how ETH hasn't really used Amad and he already looks a more productive player on the right than Antony when he seldom plays.
All true.
 

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I think he’s been underused this season but outside of him being available for a free to 10m, it’s the perfect chance to get a younger version in who can offer what Amrabat has all season, and although it may be partly on the manager, has been very little.
 

Unam333

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After reading words like "outstanding", "immense", "MOTM" on here, this really take the cake. I can only hope, you still are barely functioning after celebrating hard last night because this is close to a level I'd recommend getting serious treatment for.
I'm sorry? What's wrong with my original post? It's my analysis and view on two footballers with different skillsets.
 
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Rojofiam

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He's perfect for these type of games ( also why he thrived for Morocco in the World Cup). Not sure if that's enough to warrant a permanent move though.
Basically, we only started playing the football that resembled last season's pragmatic approach since the Arsenal game. Is it a coincidence than Amrabat's best performances came in these last few weeks too? He also played well when the team actually dominated their opponents in the domestic cups such as the Palace (H) and Nottingham (A) games.
 

dinostar77

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I think he’s been underused this season but outside of him being available for a free to 10m, it’s the perfect chance to get a younger version in who can offer what Amrabat has all season, and although it may be partly on the manager, has been very little.
If tuchel becomes manager, I'd expect he may go as doesn't have the speed to play a intense pressing game.
 

fallengt

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finally a good game from him. Not sure about signing him though.
He probably plays well in a system where the team is the underdog but in Manchester United, we don't play like that.
5m-7m for a backup, maybe we'll think about it. Eriksen/Casemiro probably will leave.
 
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El Jefe

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He was really good especially in the second half. We looked like we actually had a DM out there today.

In terms of keeping him, I'd still let him go. The tactics today played into his style as did City being lethargic. If we want to be a bit more expansive and spread out the pitch a bit more it will expose him. You could still see instances of his slow movement on the ball and today was a rare occasion where he got to the ball on time instead of fouling anyone in touching distance of him.
 

Ekeke

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Backwards passed is so funny. That was the cafs criticism of Carrick for years. Everyone hated him.

When he left everyone started realising what he actually did.
Well it didnt happen. Also neither did the criticism.

It was that he was sideways passing. Which, compared to Scholes, in his first season yes Carrick did a lot of that. As time went on he had great forward passing including plenty of long balls over the backline for players to run onto.

Nothing like Amrabat of course so ridiculous to bring up
 

Giggsy13

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With the likelihood that Eriksen and Casemiro are both being shipped out there are some valid arguments to keep Amrabat as a squad option, but he is what we thought he was: a great cup player. I suppose there’s some use in that but we need to aim higher given the 2 best teams in the country have Rodri and Rice in the same positions.
 

Cassidy

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With the likelihood that Eriksen and Casemiro are both being shipped out there are some valid arguments to keep Amrabat as a squad option, but he is what we thought he was: a great cup player. I suppose there’s some use in that but we need to aim higher given the 2 best teams in the country have Rodri and Rice in the same positions.
He likely just needed time to adjust to the league. Hes not a bad squad option as a 6 as long as we sign a starter. Having said that Im sure we can also find a decent squad option who has more legs for 25m euros
 

Giggsy13

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He was really good especially in the second half. We looked like we actually had a DM out there today.

In terms of keeping him, I'd still let him go. The tactics today played into his style as did City being lethargic. If we want to be a bit more expansive and spread out the pitch a bit more it will expose him. You could still see instances of his slow movement on the ball and today was a rare occasion where he got to the ball on time instead of fouling anyone in touching distance of him.
He’s not a very good press resistant player and he’s been exposed at times. I like his work ethic and attitude but he’s just not good enough to be starting every week.
 
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He’s not a very good press resistant player and he’s been exposed at times. I like his work ethic and attitude but he’s just not good enough to be starting every week.
Who says he is needed to start every week? Rather Players like him are needed to give the guy who starts every week a rest without our level falling off a cliff.
 
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Fortitude

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:lol:

He does actually have press resistant attributes, though! They were much more evident in Italy due to it being a weaker league, granted, but look at him under pressure at times. He has been guilty of being sloppy due to not being up to the speed of the league over here, sure, but he also had moments of keeping the ball under pressure with some nice la pelopina turns and general ball carrying. Not carrying up the pitch but, instead of hoofing it, he just turns and carries it away from the opposition.

It's very simple stuff but extremely vital to have in players if you want to play top football. It's just a shame that, again, he can be sloppy at times!

To be fair, the way the season was going, he did well to offer what he did! Assuming he's done here, it was a brilliant parting gift of a performance. He's etched himself into United's history regardless of what happens now. :D
:lol: Just funny to me because you’re quite literally the last person I would have down to praise him given he’s terrifying to watch when pressed.
 

sixdwarf

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His price is negligible and played in his proper position is class. And has shown it given the chance. If we lose him and Ten Hag I really will despair
 

Berbasbullet

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If Case goes and we can afford to keep him and sign an upgrade then I’d be keen!
 

Adamsk7

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Can’t believe how many people think he’s actually good! Warrior? Yes. Determined? Check? Good personality? Sure. Good footballer? You’re having a laugh. Guy has the turning circle of that ship in the Suez Canal and might actually be slower than Casemiro! He offers nothing in terms of press resistance or creativity, he can’t dictate a game, he’s not good in the air etc. his only use is being chucked in for games like this where the rest of the team is set up compact. We should be aiming MUCH higher than him, even as a backup.
 

Abraxas

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His price is negligible and played in his proper position is class. And has shown it given the chance. If we lose him and Ten Hag I really will despair
You'll despair because we lose a player that's made 28 appearances all year in all competitions?

At no point has he performed like a player that needed to be signed up until 90 minutes yesterday where he's probably playing for his future. Which is why he has 28 appearances and not 40.

I think you might be going a bit OTT. If he's not retained it's because he hasn't been good enough. That's on him not the club. Personally I am not too bothered, if they see him contributing in the squad and he's a cheap pick up okay but there will be no drama or tears shed if he goes based on performance.
 

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Assuming Casemiro leaves, which I suppose is no guarantee, we will need two DM's. A starter and a backup. Amrabat is definitely not a starter, but I'm torn on whether he can be the deputy. I'm more in the 'No' camp, but not fully there.
 

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He would be a good squad option so wouldn't mind if he stays also wouldn't cost loads, seems a really good fit with Kobbie too.