15 Dec 2019 09:38:46
So today is the 4,000 consecutive game when we will have had a home grown player in the squad. Ole continues to split opinion but looking at his first team and the likely team today a year on, there are only 4 players featuring in both: DDG, Lindelof, Lingard, Rashford.
We have the youngest team in the EPL and have given massively more minutes to youth graduates than any other team (over 20% of total minutes) . That has led to some real inconsistency but I am loving the shift we are seeing. What we need now is consistent application and attitude; the Villa and Bournemouth games in particular were poor in terms of how we went about our business. If we can nail that then we will see continued progress. We are not ready to challenge Liverpool or City yet but I think everyone else is catchable, even Leicester.
We’ve had some big debates and arguments on here but a year on I am very happy with what I am seeing, patience is a virtue many of us lack but take a step back and see how the team and squad has changed. More running, more pressing, more direct attacking, less passes back, we’re not there yet but it’s progress.
The next big step for me is to offload Pogba. He doesn’t want to be here and he is a distraction. We need players committed to the cause who are hungry and committed, he isn’t.
15 Dec 2019 11:03:40
Jose was completely right when he said Pogba is a virus at the club. A few weeks without him and the effort has increased dramatically. When your big players with big characters are arrogant and lazy, it has major knock on effects. He should be nowhere near the squad until Jan, and then booted out the door like he should have been in the summer. Then get Martial to follow him.
15 Dec 2019 11:25:29
Agreed Danny, I know he can be creative but if he goes back in the team I think we lose far more than we gain. Lingard and Fred work massively harder, Scott makes more intercepts and tackles, I just don’t see how he improves us right now. I know may will disagree but the feel and culture of the team right now is much better, that shouldn’t be underestimated.
15 Dec 2019 11:51:41
I think he would offer us more creativity played further up the pitch. Something we're in dire need of. But to me, the negatives outweigh this.
15 Dec 2019 12:32:10
Think he’d be wasted at No10 to be Honest. Not the right type of player. When he’s good he’s unplayable - however regretfully he wants out so should be sold.
15 Dec 2019 12:32:15
The thing for me is that his creativity comes at the cost of shape and organisation. We’ve worked well in games where we have four fast players poised for the counter attack. Lingard’s passing isn’t up to scratch, but he has the pace needed to link the deep sitting players with the attackers. When Pogba is played as a number 10 he drifts left into Rashford’s space, and is looking for long balls rather than trying to run it forward with the attackers.
It’s frustrating because he could be the most complete midfielder on the planet but his arrogance, laziness, and refusal to play for the team make him the epitome of a luxury player.