21 Aug 2026 14:33:22
Just watched highlights of the 2009 away leg Champions League at Arsenal.
In Rooney and Ronaldo we had two of the very very best strikers.
In defence also vv strong.
Evra Vidic Rio O'Shea.
Midfield though was on paper not as strong. Carrick Anderson Fletcher and Park. Those boys ran their socks off.
In the final against Barcelona our midfield hardly got a kick.
Forwards to today.
I would say on paper our midfield is better than 2009. Our attack not as good but perhaps 80% compared to 2009.
The big deficiency though is defensively. Not one of the current Utd defenders in the squad would get into the 2009 team.
All successful teams are built on a solid defence. That's the foundation to allow a team to attack.
We need at least one centre back and a left back this window.
21 Aug 2026 16:06:42
You think our attack is 80% of Rooney and Ronaldo? Lol.
21 Aug 2026 16:16:35
Well, for comparison
In the 2008/09 season we scored 68 league goals. We won the league.
In 25/26 we scored 69 league goals. We finished 3rd.
It's funny how we remember things lol.
21 Aug 2026 16:19:51
We did concede 24 goals in 08/9.
But conceded 50 last session, so Salford, our attack is more effective, not 20% less effective, and our defence was more than 100% worse off.
So, your argument that the defence is the issue is perfectly correct.
21 Aug 2026 17:39:57
Our attack, when all fit, is probably 70% of 2008/9. 2008, with Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez, was our most potent, quite possibly the best, although Best, Law and Charlton were superb. Ronaldo is one of the all time greats. Our issue then was midfield and tactics. Hargreaves defined the type of player needed, yet he had the knee issue.
Tactics cost us as well, because, especially in the CL final, we didn't set up midfield right.
Whilst Cunha, Sesko and Mbueno are good, they are nowhere near 2008 levels.
Right now, defence is a lot poorer. On that I agree, and it is the issue that needs resolving next, starting with an LB.
22 Aug 2026 01:27:11
Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo (42). They are 6th on the list for our attacking trios, they don't get close to Yorke, Cole and Ole (51) in 2000 and (48) in 99. Or Rooney, Rvn and Chicharito in 12/13 (49) for goals in the EPL.
There was one season Rvn scored 44 and Svholes got 20.
Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo were great in Europe that year, and I thought were great to watch, but in terms of goals as a trio Yorke, Cole and Ole were our most potent.
3 EPLs on the spin and a treble.
It's funny how we remember things.
I would not have thought that were the case myself, they didn't do as well in the EPL as a trio as I thought they had. Maybe it's their CL performances that stick in my mind. They were great to watch. But Yorke and Cole voted best pair in EPL history, their stats and trophies are incomparable to all others.
22 Aug 2026 07:00:16
That's why stats are misleading.
Rvn was probably our best cf, but was not as good as Rooney or Ronaldo.
Seen all of them live, yet the best trio I have seen were playing in 2008, Roo, Ron and Tevez.
22 Aug 2026 10:33:30
No Red Man,
I don't think the stats are misleading. You just have your opinion.
They are not the most potent trio we've had, but they are the ones you liked the best.
The stats are not misleading at all, Red Man, they are factual, but your preference and opinion is that they were the best.
They just were not the best at scoring league goals. They were very easy on the eye, though.