UNITED ACADEMY
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Defensively & midfield we are three steps behind (I’m being generous). Offensively we are one or two steps behind.
Scholes and Carrick alone make the 07/08 midfield better in my opinion, while prime Park, Hargreaves and Fletch would also be huge assets to the current team. I agree with the below point:You currently have a better midfield than in 2007/08 imo. Better goalkeeper too.
Defense and attack are miles away though.
that the odd average player popping up to fill in didn't somehow make us a ragbag bunch of chancers, the quality and mentality oozed throughout that team and that midfield. Pogba's a great player, I like Herrera and Matic but as a unit have they shown us anything like their 07/08 counterparts in red shirts? It's not even close for me.Quality, is the answer. We lack quality. People refuse to believe it so often (usually when we win a couple of games), citing Fergie having John O'shea, but we had more quality throughout.
It's difficult to find fixtures where our first team can take a rest, particularly because we can't expect our rivals to slip up.
Yep. The frontlines aren't even comparable.Saha, Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo and Nani were in my opinion better than anything we currently have. That's almost funny to think about it.
Agree on MF. Even when either 1 of Scholes or Carrick not performing, the other will move on. Unlike current squad everything depending on Pogba, with Matic and Herrera dare not running the ship.Scholes and Carrick alone make the 07/08 midfield better in my opinion, while prime Park, Hargreaves and Fletch would also be huge assets to the current team. I agree with the below point:
that the odd average player popping up to fill in didn't somehow make us a ragbag bunch of chancers, the quality and mentality oozed throughout that team and that midfield. Pogba's a great player, I like Herrera and Matic but as a unit have they shown us anything like their 07/08 counterparts in red shirts? It's not even close for me.
And I feel that it's a pretty good thing because today our strength is in scoring goals. I think that we should do what SAF did and strengthen our strengths instead of prioritizing our weaknesses. We need to improve the right side with a better forward than Lingard, who would become a very good fourth man, and we need to bring an attacking right fullback that is in his prime and will hopefully be a bridge for Dalot. Then we need to improve our midfield and make sure that we can totally control games and put our forwards in positions to do what they are good at which is scoring loads of goals.Yep. The frontlines aren't even comparable.
One world class quality CB and it can elevate the entire back line though up a level. Dalot might push on massively over the next 12 months if trusted and thrown in there. Especially on the back of the first sentence. I disagree and think we need to stop our midfield thinking about providing as much protection and a quality back line will improve us more than a world class RW. Lingard brings massive amounts to this team and people will find improving on him more difficult than it first appears.And I feel that it's a pretty good thing because today our strength is in scoring goals. I think that we should do what SAF did and strengthen our strengths instead of prioritizing our weaknesses. We need to improve the right side with a better forward than Lingard, who would become a very good fourth man, and we need to bring an attacking right fullback that is in his prime and will hopefully be a bridge for Dalot. Then we need to improve our midfield and make sure that we can totally control games and put our forwards in positions to do what they are good at which is scoring loads of goals.
I get why people are tempted to spend big on central defense, we don't have a player that would be recognized as one of the best and it's disconcerting. But in opinion it's best focus on our strength and when these strengths are close to the max then we can look at other areas.
I don't disagree there are several areas we could improve, and that priorities for such improvements are a matter of debate, but we can't avoid the fact our right side has been way underpar for years. The making-do-and-mending that has gone on at both RW and RB has been a disgrace in my opinion, and I would say both our midfield and our defence would feel the benefits of a functional right flank, let alone a great or WC one.One world class quality CB and it can elevate the entire back line though up a level. Dalot might push on massively over the next 12 months if trusted and thrown in there. Especially on the back of the first sentence. I disagree and think we need to stop our midfield thinking about providing as much protection and a quality back line will improve us more than a world class RW. Lingard brings massive amounts to this team and people will find improving on him more difficult than it first appears.
And I disagree because we absolutely need depth in our frontline and there is zero point to spend big money on a player that isn't going to improve the starting eleven, that's a mistake that we have made too many times in the last 6 years. For me we are in position where we need to add depth and quality and you do that by the top.One world class quality CB and it can elevate the entire back line though up a level. Dalot might push on massively over the next 12 months if trusted and thrown in there. Especially on the back of the first sentence. I disagree and think we need to stop our midfield thinking about providing as much protection and a quality back line will improve us more than a world class RW. Lingard brings massive amounts to this team and people will find improving on him more difficult than it first appears.
This is a major problem for me.We lack proper fullbacks.
Exactly this, Beckham was more world class than Giggs/Scholes was in 98. Not sure why he isn’t getting that recognition.Beckham was World Class in 99, as were the combination of Yorke and Cole together.
Scholes was World Class in 2008, so was Rooney.
Not much shame in that. 5 serious players at their best there.Saha, Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo and Nani were in my opinion better than anything we currently have. That's almost funny to think about it.
Did he leave out Berba, Rio, Vidic?Not much shame in that. 5 serious players at their best there.
Great post.Its not a matter of comparing individuals, the biggest issue is we lack is the ability to control games. In 99 we had a midfield of Scholes, Keane, Becks and Giggs along with Yorke as part of our front 6. All 5 of them could move the ball without having to carry it themselves. They could make the opposition come at them and break shape without having to do so themselves. Similarly in 08 we had Carrick, Scholes, Hargreaves, Rooney, Giggs or Park, whoever played, even Tevez to a certain extent who were all adept at keeping the ball. This was well supplemented by the likes of Ronaldo and Nani who carry the ball at pace. In our current team, our attacking approach is based on unsettling the opposition into making mistakes and carrying the ball forward at pace. Our players like Rashford, Martial, Pogba, Lingard excel at this and hence we have been getting very good results against PL level opposition and I guess we will continue to get good results against inferior sides because they will make mistakes.
But against top sides who won't break shape or be forced into mistakes, we will struggle because our front 6 can't penetrate without the ball at their feet, they try to run at the opposition which is always easier to defend against(at least for top defenders) compared to having to chase the ball and shut out spaces for 90 minutes. Pogba is world class at what he does, but he is not someone who can control games, we need that player, someone like Scholes or Carrick who can recycle possession all day long and force the opposition to break lines. At present when the likes of Herrera and Matic try to keep possession it is easy to defend against without breaking shape because they don't have the skill set to be able to play those penetrating balls, which forces the likes of Martial or Lingard to come deep and try to carry the ball with them or try one-twos which is for top sides is easier to defend against.
Good post for many reasons.Its not a matter of comparing individuals, the biggest issue is we lack is the ability to control games. In 99 we had a midfield of Scholes, Keane, Becks and Giggs along with Yorke as part of our front 6. All 5 of them could move the ball without having to carry it themselves. They could make the opposition come at them and break shape without having to do so themselves. Similarly in 08 we had Carrick, Scholes, Hargreaves, Rooney, Giggs or Park, whoever played, even Tevez to a certain extent who were all adept at keeping the ball. This was well supplemented by the likes of Ronaldo and Nani who carry the ball at pace. In our current team, our attacking approach is based on unsettling the opposition into making mistakes and carrying the ball forward at pace. Our players like Rashford, Martial, Pogba, Lingard excel at this and hence we have been getting very good results against PL level opposition and I guess we will continue to get good results against inferior sides because they will make mistakes.
But against top sides who won't break shape or be forced into mistakes, we will struggle because our front 6 can't penetrate without the ball at their feet, they try to run at the opposition which is always easier to defend against(at least for top defenders) compared to having to chase the ball and shut out spaces for 90 minutes. Pogba is world class at what he does, but he is not someone who can control games, we need that player, someone like Scholes or Carrick who can recycle possession all day long and force the opposition to break lines. At present when the likes of Herrera and Matic try to keep possession it is easy to defend against without breaking shape because they don't have the skill set to be able to play those penetrating balls, which forces the likes of Martial or Lingard to come deep and try to carry the ball with them or try one-twos which is for top sides is easier to defend against.
I'm simply pointed to the fact that these 5 players who are all attackers are better than what we currently have which points to an incredible depth. Shame never came into it.Not much shame in that. 5 serious players at their best there.