25 Aug 2024 14:05:03
Rashford is a massive problem and I'm not sure how u fix it. Awful last year but after a summer off and a full pre season I kinda hoped he'd have the bit between his teeth and be eager to go. Unfortunately it's the same old routine. Giving him a new deal looks like another one of our awful decisions, he's now got 4 years left on 300k + so there's no way we can sell him. As of now I'd drop him for garnacho as he doesn't warrant a first 11 place. Problem is how he'll take being dropped and the fallout that follows. Tough situation with no clear resolution unless by some miracle he hits another purple patch.
25 Aug 2024 15:44:35
Problem is Norn is that he has far too much influence in the dressing room. He has a questionable judge of character which is why his form has fallen off so badly.
25 Aug 2024 16:08:31
Well norn there are several options on how it fix it?
Currently the manager is giving him starts in the hope he can play his way into firm and gain some positive momentum.
Another option is to drop him and play garnacho.
The manager makes these decisions only he knows why he makes the choices he does.
I'm left scratching my head on the subs yesterday.
Why change the back 4? He moaned about having to do last season now he's doing it voluntarily.
I'm not sure what the reasoning of mctom for Bruno was?
Anyways its onwards to next week.
Bit odd for most of us going into the game not knowing who will play what shape we will play.
We just need a bit more luck and we'll be fine.
25 Aug 2024 16:09:26
I'm stunned he's still starting. I hoped that a summer off and a clean slate would have transformed him or there'd be at least glimpses but surely Garnacho has to come in now.
Little concerned out our winger options, I remember going back a few seasons we had something like 6-7, too many and they've trimmed it down but it's bare bones esp if Sancho leaves as predicted. It won't be who's in form to start this as much as who is there to start. Sneaky late loan deal maybe?
25 Aug 2024 16:54:45
I realise I sound like a fully paid up member of the tin hat brigade here. But there have been so many instances of peculiar selection of rashford, that I seriously wonder whether it is not in eth's hands that he plays when fit. If he has got a clause dictating a starting spot in the team, it must surely be one if the worst contracts in football history!
We didn't lose yesterday because of rashford, but he shouldn't have been starting ahead of garnacho. I have no time for sancho, but the contrast between how rashford and sancho have been treated is crazy.
We have put a lot of pressure on ourselves ahead of a massive liverpool game at OT. Knives will be getting a good sharpening this week waiting for a heavy loss. We now need a result against a Liverpool team that is far better than us.
25 Aug 2024 17:45:13
I’d agree with that Tumbleweed, the subs yesterday were baffling again, particularly De Ligt and McTominay.
I’m struggling to stay positive about ETH. His game management is poor.
We’ve now got a squad of predominantly his players and we’re not performing as a team.
I keep reading that Ugarte is our great white hope but I think we’re going to need more than a battling midfielder to sort this team out.
25 Aug 2024 18:12:55
Is the whole thing suddenly going to click into place just because we sign Ugarte as expected? Seems unlikely.
25 Aug 2024 19:17:16
On the pitches I think he's still struggling from the same issue as last year. He hasn't got Shaw behind him.
Without a top class LB behind him who can cover defensively and overlap to make space for him he struggles to consistently effect the game. While the defensive weakness due to not having a natural LB further exposes Rashford's poor defensive work.
People see teams getting at our LB and blame Rashford for a lack of support. Yet the opposition have always got at our LB when Rashford plays. It's just that when that LB is Shaw he deals with it and it's not a problem. Add to the fact that when the opposition know we will have a makeshift LB playing they will obviously plan to try and exploit that, meaning they focus more attacks down our left.
Rashford's form has always come in peaks and troughs, the peaks when Shaw is fully fit and playing well, the troughs when Shaw is injured or out of form.
25 Aug 2024 20:31:38
Shappy your comments made me think of this that i read the other day
I came from the era where Luis Nani was regarded as mid and people expect me to accept Marcus Rashford and Antony?
Luis Nani was a very useful player with a great work rate and he used to be the MOST criticised player back then because fans thought he was inconsistent (sometimes he actually was) .
Nobody gave really cared if Nani had confidence issues or not, or if he needed an overlapping full back to perform, or if he was more comfortable as an “inside forward” and not as a winger.
He used to be the most criticised player despite of having decent numbers as a midfielder.
In the 2010/ 11 Premier League season, Luis Nani dropped 28 G/ A (from 33 appearances) and he was criticized for being the most inconsistent player in the squad.
Now, fans find like a million excuses for even more inconsistent players. The standards have dropped so much it’s actually sad.
25 Aug 2024 21:15:36
Bang on w16.
25 Aug 2024 22:41:25
W16wes, I think there are two types of footballers.
Those that play better with better players around them, and those that make players around them look better.
The problem is that 95% or more of players are in that first category.