16 Jul 2017 22:51:04
As a regular poster, most of you will acknowledge I'm a fairly positive poster. This post is not doom and gloom, but just where I am on our title chances next season.
Jose said in a presser this week he wants another two players in. From the information the Eds give us which is usually bang on, it is looking likely that Matic and Perisic will be the two. That would probably complete the summer transfers and if I'm honest I'd be be fairly dissapointed.
We were 20-25 points off the pace last season. We have signed Lukaku who I believe will be a decent signing. He wouldn't have been my first choice but I think he'll do ok. He replaces Zlatan. Is he better than Zlatan? Marginally. Is Perisic better than Mkhitarian or Martial? No for me. Is Matic a major upgrade for us? Not really. Lindelof I can't say as I haven't seen much of him, but I'm hopeful. So imo if then four finished off our transfer activity, I'm not convinced we're much stronger than last year.
I think LB should be a priority. Someone like Bertrand or Rose to push Shaw. CB I'd keep Bailly, Lindelof, Rojo and Tuanzebe and Blind. Sell Smalling and Jones. RB Tony did very well last season but can't go on forever. Semedo would of been great but we lost out there. I think with Matic, Pogba and Hererra in Midfield we're ok, but I'd rather sell Fellaini who isn't good enough, and bring in more quality. People argue fellaini gives something different, but that's not enough. Peter crouch gives something different. You need something different that offers quality. Fellaini will never be united quality for me. Then we get to the attack and I think even with Perisic and Lukaku we're very average up top. We're relying on Martial and Rashford, two inexperienced young lads. Mkhitarian has to step up this season. We lack that proper game changer, a Sanchez, a Hazard, a Coutinhio. Greizzman was supposed to be that player and we missed out there too.
What I'm trying to say is I don't think we're really making big upgrades to the first 11. We're adding, but not sure we're upgrading. If Chelsea sign Sandro, Bakayoko (done) and Aubamayang (reported interest) that's significant improvement to the first 11. If Liverpool sign VVD and Keita, significant upgrade of the first 11. City Walker (done) , Silva, Mendy (likely) significant upgrades.
I would have been happy with maybe Bertrand, Fabinho, Lukaku ( my choice would be Aubameyang, goal machine ) and go all out for Sanchez.
Ill be pretty underwhelmed with the four likely signings to be honest. And I think we'll be in a battle for top 4 again this year is that's all our activity comes too.
16 Jul 2017 23:17:49
It's about the team as a whole tho Stand. We could sign 5 superstars but if they don't gel as a team they are pointless. I'm trusting Jose to get the right team players.
16 Jul 2017 23:23:25
That's the minimum he wants. He wants another striker and has actively been looking at full backs. Our forward players woefully under preformed last year. If Martial, Myki, Matt, Lukaku, Rashford and Pogba all up their goal tallies then we beat the teams we drew against and we're in the title race. Majority of players underperformed last year. I expect better and with the new players, the squad is getting better!
16 Jul 2017 23:33:44
I'd love to see a defensive midfielder plus a box to box midfield also, someone like geretzka.
16 Jul 2017 23:45:44
That's fair enough mate just my take on things. I just don't think we're adding enough quality to overcome 25 points.
16 Jul 2017 23:48:04
I'll just add to that I personally think DDG will leave this summer. Probably our only current world class player.
17 Jul 2017 01:18:49
Stand your right there, I would like a Sanchez nainggolan and a left back plus ddg to stay and we would be in good shape then.
17 Jul 2017 07:37:36
More important that the players signed is the mindset and tactics deployed. If we approach games in a similar way to how we did last season then we will struggle again.
I appreciate we all hope and expect us to improve, but throughout the whole of last season I personally was constantly thinking "this will be the game where it all clicks" and it never really did, I didn't see much progress from August to May on the whole. Maybe in brief spells, but far too infrequently. Unless this changes (and only wishful thinking says it will) we will be in for a real fight to get top 6.
We can win the league with the players we have already, just depends if the manager ups his game or not. It's his job to get the best from his players and last year we didn't leave 3rd gear. He is a top class manager so he should have learnt from his failings and the players have a point to prove, but whether they do or not is completely up in the air. Especially with our rivals all getting stronger.
17 Jul 2017 07:42:26
I hate to say it but I like what pep is quietly doing at city. He is building with a nucleus of young top quality players. They may dominate for years as they mature. We still miss a truly creative attacking midfield player a la Cantona. City have de bruyne and silva and toure.
17 Jul 2017 08:29:25
I have to disagree with pretty much all of what is said. We were much closer than the points point out and we lacked depth as a team and injuries killed the league for us. Chelsea were 30 something points behind Leicester so the points gap is not a valid argument. Only thing I do agree is we need a right back.
If we get Matic and Perisic we will fight it out with City, Chelsea, Arsenal. We need more goals and that was what was lacking last year as our defensive record was second in the league if I am not mistaken.
The addition of Perisic, lukaku, rash a year older and martial a year more mature and a bad season behind him with miki a year under his wings in the PL will make a big difference.
This idea of buying more and more and discarding players who actually contribute and do make a difference (fellaini) and the grass is greener on the other side is not what wins you the league or makes you better.
Last but not least having two cbs that can actually deal with the ball and distribute will make a huge difference in terms of how we go forward.
I for one am delighted with the direction of where we are going and the age of this squad. it will only get better and better.
17 Jul 2017 08:35:38
Nothing quiet about what pep is doing. He's just splurged £50m on an average right back and buying a new first XI for millions.
17 Jul 2017 09:23:34
X files. Where are the extra goals coming from? We have replaced a 30 goal striker with another, not added. And we have the second best defensive record because we played 6 at the back a lot.
17 Jul 2017 09:43:19
We are the richest and biggest club in the world, we should be aiming to win the league and cl.
We should be getting rid of 4 or 5 players from the squad.
Zlatan time to move on
Carrick a great player down through the years time to go.
Stalling. fellani. 1 or 2 more good luck and thanks.
Being in the best players out there.
Perisic not much of an upgrade in what we have already. Sanchez have a go at signing him first.
The squad isn't good enough for all the games we will play, a few injuries and players out of form and a few more excuses we are back to square one.
We should be aiming to win not compete.
17 Jul 2017 09:52:14
Stand it's not as simple as replacing a 30 goal a season striker with another. This is a team sport and there is far more to a player than simply putting the ball into the back of the net.
Zlatan was very good at scoring for us, but he missed far more than he scored. He also acted as a vacuum for most of our chances, I'm not sure if he demanded the ball from everyone or his mere presence made people feel the need to play him in. Maybe other younger players were in awe of him and maybe that made their game suffer.
But Lukaku is far better at creating chances for others. So hopefully that will contribute to everyone else scoring more goals then we will be a better team in attack.
17 Jul 2017 10:00:15
New squad every year. Bring in new players who are exactly what we need, start calling them crap, start calling for them to be sold, sell em and do it all over again.
Perisic is far more interesting in the context of a back three. Could easily be Jose's idea of a wing back.
17 Jul 2017 10:10:06
Fellaini, Smalling, jones, Shaw, all had 3 years plus now to make a difference and they're not the quality we need. There's no point pretending they are.
17 Jul 2017 10:53:22
Stand what is United quality? Judging by most on here in the 27 years Sir Alex managed us and took us to the top of the world's game he only ever had maybe 25 "United quality" players to do so. We won trophies with the likes of Bartez, Howard and Carroll in goal for us, none on here would consider them United quality.
In the last three years we have won the FA cup, League cup and Europa league with no more than 3 players who most on here would consider United quality.
Butt, Brown, O'Shea, Phil Neville, Fletcher ect were key players in some of our most glorious moments of modern times yet none were considered United quality.
So let's not kid ourselves that we need 25 players in our squad of this so called "United quality" to be competitive. Hell I can't remember once in my life time where our fans have considered we could field 11 players in one match who were all United quality.
It's a bullshit term thrown around when people don't want to support one of our players who sweats and bleeds for our club.
17 Jul 2017 11:31:36
United quality a midfield of Keane, scholes, Giggs, Beckham, doesn't get much better than that anywhere.
17 Jul 2017 11:38:07
Stand-united, i think jred will beg to differ on your opinion about fellani :)
17 Jul 2017 11:49:12
I fully agree with Stand and Leehy. It's a matter of buying better than you've got. Fergie used to say that all the time. I've said many times tgat we're lacking a game changer and Sanchez would be first on my list.
I don't think we have enough goals in us and I would have loved Belotti or Aubayemang or Moratta to be added to the attack.
I think Perisic will surprise a few people as he's a quality player. But we need more game changers and we don't seem to be targeting any.
We also badly need a quality left back and again we don't seem to be linked with any.
I agree that Pep is buying some very good players as Silva will prove the best signing of this summer. City have Silva and David Silva, De bruyne, Jesus, gundogan and SanÄ—. All of whom can create chances for Aguero to finish off. Who do we have on that level?
If we get Sanchez and naingollan and a left back then we can compete and possibly challenge.
I think mourinho is frustrated we've not bought Morata and hopefully that might still happen if ddg is sold.
17 Jul 2017 13:14:35
Fergie used to say it, but he then bought Bebe, Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, Bellion, Buttner, Anderson etc
Sanchez would be a game changer though - he'd be immense at United.
Again - I don't get what Pep is doing quietly? He's buying a whole new 11 for millions BD buying internationals for every position as well as splashing out almost £50m on two keepers.
17 Jul 2017 14:47:16
Stand
I am with Shappy 100 percent. This is not money ball where you think all we did is replaced Zlatan with lukaku. We were pedestrian with Zlatan and he missed loads which is a sign of declining striker i.e Rooney.
We are a far better team than you make it out to be and loaded and missing a few pieces. People like shaw have been injured so you can't argue the fact of united quality or not and nothing wrong with Fellaini but there seems to be obsession with some fans with this guy.
People have short memories because Phil neville/ butt/ park were never good enough to be compared to scholes or keane but they were great squad player.
Smalling and jones are not starting quality but the again you need a squad.
I think a lot of people will eat their words this year if we get players like perisic. We are on the verge of long dominant spell both in europe and the league.
17 Jul 2017 17:12:26
Good post. Even I felt that we should stretch a little in budget and should have bought a specialist LB, and RB as we have players to full fill that role but not being specialize it provides nothing in attack.
On the other hand Jose also has identified this and thus wanting to put 3 at the back so can deploy attacking players on offensive wing back roles.
So majorly it's up to tactics. I don't care he bought 4 or 40. We need titles. And that champ feeling back.
17 Jul 2017 17:15:41
Schmidfield, I don't think there is any such thing as a "game changer" per se. No one player can turn the tide of a game on their own. If that was the case then there would be players walking around with 100% win records. Even Messi and Ronaldo have lost games, and they have both lost games where they themselves have been unable to effect to game.
I do believe in match winners though, the guys who seem to pop up with a goal just when you need it. But even they fail to do so sometimes.
What we really need is players who can score. Last season we struggled because collectively as a team we failed to score. Personally I think a lot of that was due to how we set up and the personnel we had. 70% of our chances fell to Zlatan because we were set up that way. He missed a fair few and when he didn't put them away we struggled.
We have plenty of players more than capable of scoring crucial goals, Lukaku, Martial, Rashford, Mkhitaryan, Mata, Lingard and Pogba. We may well add another one or two yet. It's about finding a system and a team that allows these guys to play to the best of their ability.
Personally I think people are feeling a little deflated because Greizmann didn't sign, so they keep looking for someone of the same profile as him to replace that failed signing.
17 Jul 2017 18:01:05
Stand good post imo I posted something with the same sentiments last week .
I would just add I think the players that are currently in the squad are key, get them playing to there potential as well as the new signings and Jose will have a proper team.
17 Jul 2017 21:01:31
X files
You improve your starting 11. When you buy a player you should be buying a player who is better than what you currently have in his position, thus pushing said player to the bench. The player then pushed off the bench needs moving on. Improve first 11 and improve bench.
Shaw was injured ye yeh. How many opportunities do we give before we realise isn't not working? He's has 3, yes 3 seasons now.
Of the top teams in Europe and the PL, how many would take many of our players? Realistically? With the money we invest every year we should be competing in the CK to the latter stages. I don't think we'll make top 2 this season.