04 Nov 2024 12:09:02
I’m probably going to get hammered for this post but this is how I see it.
Our front 3 is no where near good enough. I’ll start with Garnacho. He is clearly a very talented lad. Any other top team would love to have a youngster like him pushing for a starting place, unfortunately for him, he is now considered a first team player and he’ll get game time whether he’s performing or not in our current set up. At a team like Real or City he would be striving to knock whoever is first choice off their perch. At United he has already ‘made it’.
Rashford is in a terrible spot of form. Whether he regains that form or not is yet to be seen. Maybe we’ve seen the best of him 2 seasons ago. Again he wouldn’t be starting for any top teams in my option. There’s not much more to be said about him really.
Hojlund has potential but for me will never be a 20 plus a season striker. I could be completely wrong and I feel for the lad because his work rate is good but the expectation on his shoulders to be our talisman is massive at such a young age.
A bit like Dalot and Herrera before he seems to love the club and wearing the badge but that’s not enough. We need top level elite players if we’re to challenge the top teams.
On the bench we’ve got Antony, Zirkzee and Amad.
Only Amad seems to have the potential to be a top player but even he is yet to really prove his worth. Hopefully Amorim can bring the best out of him.
Amad and Zirkzee are young and again the expectations on them are massive but playing for United should come with big pressure and expectation.
Antony needs to go for whatever fee we can get for him.
All in all, if I was Amorim, that would be the area of the pitch I’d be looking to improve over the next 2 transfer windows.
Against Chelsea we created enough chances to win the game but our front 3 cost us by being indecisive and laboured in the final 3rd.
04 Nov 2024 12:45:13
Can't argue any of that. Garnacho was awful.
04 Nov 2024 12:48:49
2toms, I've been banging on about getting Rashford out for months and I think he is a massive problem. If you were a player you'd be looking at him and thinking ''He doesn't have to graft, work hard and perform well yet is still getting the rewards of starting every week so I won't bother'' or ''He doesn't work hard, perform or graft yet still gets picked ahead of me so I don't stand a chance''!
I really think he needs removing from the squad for a period of time and ideally sold. I saw a side of Garnacho yesterday that I did not enjoy and that was a petulance every time something didn't work out (which was more often than not for him yesterday) I'm not blaming Rashford for this but 6 months ago when Garnacho lost possession he was head down and getting back to win it or at least help, didn't happen once yesterday.
Currently we are not playing great football so what we need to do is work a lot harder than the opposition but that isn't happening. Under SAF not only was the team the best footballers in the league they were the hardest working team in the league too. City have also done that this last 6/ 7 years as have Liverpool.
Zirkee bothers me a little bit as his demeanour reminds me a little bit of Martial. I'm not saying he is like him but he comes on the pitch and moves around like he's not that bothered and it doesn't look good. Hopefully I'm wrong on that with him.
04 Nov 2024 13:01:21
Nobody really comes out looking well at this club at the moment.
I see garnacho, zirkzee, Rashford talking pelters. But at this current point in time, we are a poor team and none of the players are coming off well.
04 Nov 2024 13:43:38
We were fairly solid at the back. Onana hardly had a save to make even if Chelsea had a period when they were on top. We created more good opportunities than they did. Garnacho was his usual wasteful self. They hit the post, Rashford hit the bar. Bruno has to be one of the worst free kick takers. One goal in the Carabao - thanks to a deflection - his first since 2020/ 1. But it's not just shooting, it's also the failure to make the killer pass.
So, yes, the inescapable conclusion is that our forwards are not good enough. Is it because they're young, too excitable in front of goal, a psychological burden to overcome, or simply deficient in talent, is yet to be established. That will be one of the puzzles the new manager will have to resolve, because, quite frankly, if we took more of our good chances, despite everything else going on, we would not be in 13th position today, we would be top 6. The reason Ten Hag is gone is that we don't score enough goals, and if that doesn't change then Amorim will not last either. The best teams take their chances, particularly at key moments in the game. We have no one right now who has the cojones needed to do that.
04 Nov 2024 16:13:59
We lead the league or the worst team in the league for taking our chances. Very frustrating to watch and how wasteful and brain dead stuff. Can't ask our defenders for more tbh. Chelsea hardly had a great chance.
Sporting are playing city tomm or wednesday and granted city is missing quite a few players but still have enough quality and should be a good watch.
04 Nov 2024 16:17:23
How come i am the only one who hasn't seen anything so special with Amad. He really doesn't deserve the hype. Just because Antony isn't doing anything dossnt automatically mean that Amad is good.
04 Nov 2024 17:05:22
I was the first on here years ago to out Rashford and got dogs abuse
I don’t rate Garnacho either but he can learn as still only young but I don’t see it personally
Zirkzee i'm afraid is absolutely useless I went early on this one after the second game. I honestly think he is the worst striker I’ve seen at Old Trafford even worse than Birtles Brazil and Davenport.
04 Nov 2024 18:28:51
Just hope that whatever special sauce Amorim has been feeding Gyökeres can do the same for Hjoland. I feel they’re physically similar, and that rather than being a superstar the Swede is profiting from Sporting’s tactics coupled with playing a pretty poor league overall. I doubt he’d have anywhere near the same joy against many Prem backlines.
Gotta agree on Zirkzee, hugely underwhelming but noone is coating themselves in glory atm.
04 Nov 2024 18:30:23
I would like to judge all our players after the team as a whole has been properly coached. I think it will take time but once there has been proper coaching and a template of what the manager wants is drawn up and implemented then we will really be able to see who is good enough or needs to leave.
I think Garnacho will mature and be good enough.
Marcus definitely has the potential and shown what he is acapbale of but unless his personal issues can be cleared up it's unlikely we will see his best form. That said there has been a definite improvement from him recently (yes I know from a low level)
04 Nov 2024 19:14:22
I don't worry too much about our young players, yes they have lots of work to do to improve but that's what young players basically what young players are. Raw and unfinished.
The older players don't concern me as such because I think we are moving away from the model of overpaid underperformed types.
It's going to take 3 years for time and contracts to move all of these on.
I know that many people won't accept and think there will be a quick turnaround, I don't I think we are looking at 3 to 4 years to challenge and Berrada talked of mounting a challenge in 2028 for a reason. This year will just be a bedding in of a system and decision making on who will make it from the squad. Ee will then see players coming and going each year and youth who one assumes will be schooled in the new system to help them develop and transition and hopefully provide a number of the 2018 squad thereby meaning there is less outlay.
05 Nov 2024 05:09:43
Blackpool
Have to disagree and I rate all 3. Its not working at the moment and needs changing but as players lot's of talent there.
05 Nov 2024 09:16:51
Zirkzee is awful. He looks like someone that should be playing semi pro football. I’d imagine he will be shipped back out fairly quickly.
05 Nov 2024 10:27:33
Is Zirkzee another of George Whea's brothers?
Apparently ETH did not want him, it was Ashworth and Wilcox, as they thought he represented good value for money!
Under the new regime, looks like we are doing our shopping at Aldi and certainly not in Harrods.
I live quite close to an INEOS plant and know several people who work there and they all very critical of the penny pinching by SJR and the lower quality that the miserly approach to business leads to.
To me looks like Utd are going down the same road.
05 Nov 2024 13:27:14
Rashford has had two decent seasons 19/ 20 and 22/ 23. How his form or return warranted that latest contract is mind blowing. For the sake of his career he needs a change, he’s probably our most valuable asset and we need cash. I think it’s better for everyone if he moves on. His work rate without the ball is almost non existent.
Garnacho needs coaching, he’s clearly extremely talented. Hopefully Amorim can get the best out of him. The question is where he plays in Amorims system, if he play the wingback role he is going to have to work incredibly hard getting up and down the flank. A bit like Rashford he needs to shoot less.
Hojlund had the best shot conversion rate in the league last year I believe. He makes good runs, unfortunately, he gets no service. The 3 players behind him all tend to shoot from distance, one thing is for sure if Amorim uses his 3-4-3 system Hojlund will get way more chances to shoot, which from his conversion rate stats from last season would suggest he will score a lot of goals.
If you look at the shots per 90 stats, the three players behind the striker lead the stats by a considerable distance. The assist stats for those positions are criminally low. In 10 starts Bruno, Rashford and Garnacho have 4 assists between them. The two 10’s in Amorim’s system have 11 assists.
05 Nov 2024 20:02:12
For me, we have absolutely no creativity in our team, apart from Bruno. And when he's not on it, we struggle.
Our forwards are exactly that. Forwards. Rashford, Anthony and Garnacho's first instinct is to run, cut in and shoot. How many assists do any of them get?
You look at Salah and Diaz, or whoever plays wide on any given day for City, and they're always trying to get the ball to their striker. Rasmussen feeds on scraps. Usually a miscued shot from any of the above is his best chance of getting a go at goal.
At least Amad, for all I don't think he's capable of being a starter for us going forward, looks to create things.
05 Nov 2024 20:24:49
Yep, Impossible to tell how good hoijland is this line up. I personally really like him he has the build and attitude. Rash and Garnacho though were really poor against Chelsea. Can’t see either of them fitting into a front 3. Fernandez isn’t good enough either at 10. Can see all three being surplus to requirements if we can find buyers.