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#MUFC
& โฝ๏ธ nut | European Enthusiast | Optimist | Putting my hopes in INEOS! | Against unfair treatment of players/managers | Very rarely
@_CricketForever
THREAD: A Personal PL Outlook 24/25
It's been a while since I've written anything, and I thought I might as well get this in before the PL's 20:00 deadline in true student fashion.
This isn't where I think teams will finish as much as how good I think each side looks. Enjoy!
DOF: John Murtough
Deputy: Andy O'Boyle
Manager: Erik Ten Hag
Assistant: Mitchell van der Gaag
Assistant: Steve McLaren
Technical Director: Darren Fletcher
Football Operations: Alan Dawson
That's a *proper* footballing structure, surely our best since the Fergie/Gill days
#MUFC
No. There's only one AWB, there are plenty of (better) Dalots. 177 appearances in which he's been highly consistent, including 34/38 starts in the szns we finished 3rd and 2nd under Ole, but half the fanbase claim he's got no talent and has been nothing but a liability. Baffling
๐บ BREAKING: Manchester City have lodged legal challenges against the Premier Leagueโs 115 charges for alleged rule breaches, disputing the involvement of the barrister who is in charge of the disciplinary process because he is an Arsenal fan
A Qatari takeover would cheapen everything we're trying to achieve, yet all I see are people praising the news to the heavens. You lot really want us to be just like City?
This, *this* is my problem with the media. Ole obviously didn't deserve the sack a year before he left, yes we started slowly last season but we were literally joint-top in January. This whole thing screams of an agenda against the guy, simply because SL didn't want to be wrong.
We haven't scored yet, but this is high level opposition we're up against and we've presented ourselves really, really well: on the front foot + full of energy, creativity & physicality. Genuinely delighted with what I've seen so far today, and that's on top of a fantastic Tour.
Just need Arnold to continue the way he's going (which has been v encouraging) and I think our problems behind the scenes might be resolved once and for all. Ofc there's still the huge issue of the Glazers, but that issue is minimised if the non-football people keep hands off ๐ค
My thoughts after that:
- Scott McTominay remains so underrated.
- We need a ST so, so badly.
- Marcus Rashford is a LW, not a ST.
- Anthony Elanga is much better cutting inside from LW than at RW.
- Jadon Sancho is much better linking up up Dalot on the right (like in pre-szn).
#ThankYouOle
our best manager since Sir Alex, will forever be grateful for what you did for us in the face of so many who wanted to see you fall a lot earlier than you did. Take a well-earned break from the toxicity of everything surrounding
#MUFC
and we will see you soon โฅ๏ธ
@AnnemarieDray
Agreed. Rio should acknowledge what Maguire's doing - keeping quiet, getting his head down and acting fully professionally - instead of looking to find/cause drama where there simply isn't any
Permanent deal!! There's a player in there, people who watched him before the PL will know that, and if Leipzig can again bring his best form out then they could do very well in the Bundesliga + Champions League ๐
Werner and Nkunku as a partnership? ๐ฅ
Leipzig are set to sign Timo Werner from Chelsea, here we go! Been told it will be a permanent deal and NOT loan. Werner will leave Chelsea. ๐จโช๏ธ๐ด
#CFC
First call
@Plettigoal
today, now final details being discussed - itโs done, personal terms are agreed since 1 month.
We'd be mad to sell him. I said what I said.
I've been saying it for years... play this man as a box-to-box mid with a DM behind, and he'll excel. He's such a unique profile, with top athleticism and ball-striking, and he's homegrown... how could you not love him??
Make that a 5th goal of the campaign for Scott McTominay! ๐
He LOVES scoring at Hampden and Scotland are now well and truly in control of this one ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ
#EURO2024
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#SCOGEO
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@ScotlandNT
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@ManUtd
Acc to Mitten,Utd legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has offers to be manager & pundit but turned them down to dedicate spending time with family,learn sailing,watch lots of football.
His former staff received warm Christmas gifts from him as token of appreciation which made them cryโค๏ธ
@bethTmufc
That AWB's never got a look in for England isn't a reflection of his levels over the last few yrs though, just Gareth being Gareth๐คทโโ๏ธ
My main point is where we could get good money for Dalot & replace him like for like, presumably upgrading in the process, there's no one like AWB
@Anna__Dray
He doesn't fit very well in our 4231; I think when signing him Ole expected us to have a new DM by now to play 433. If we could just bring someone in and play VDB as an 8 (rotated w/Scott next to BF), I think the problem would be solved and we'd have a fully functional midfield.
@ZachBest_
Spot on with this, was a huge mistake to let him go. Over the years we've really been privileged in the goalscoring department in particular, not just people like RVN, Cole, Yorke, Solskjaer, Rooney but the likes of Chicharito, Saha, RVP, Ibra, even Forlan for a while... ๐โฝ๏ธ
He was partially at fault for the Southampton goal, but Brandon Williams has been and continues to be Norwich's standout defender this season... highly encouraging performances from him week on week. Hopefully he'll be in our squad next season, even as backup, he deserves that ๐
@EverydayMUFC22
Makes *all* the sense:
Costa replacing DDG = passing out the back = more + better attacks = more shots & goals = more possession = fewer + worse attacks against = fewer shots & goals conceded = *All-Round Improvement*
Also means a higher line + we can actually defend crosses
Wout Weghorst eh? Gotta say, I like it a lot if it happens. As good a player as Felix is, we need an aerial presence and an out-and-out goalscorer: Weghorst fits the bill.
My prediction if it happens? Bruno Fernandes will have a field day - running it back to when we had Edi ๐ค
@Zonal_Marking
Come on Michael. He did well enough to earn the full-time gig, and the club were clearly and steadily progressing up to Gdansk. Even at the start of this season it appeared things were fully coming together, it wasn't to be but to say there was no real plan is demonstrably untrue
@UtdDanMUFC
Thing is we'll eventually lose on the road and then we'll have to put up with: "See, told you so!" even though it's been 29 games and a PL record ๐๐ญ
Think a lot of people are missing the fact that we literally didn't have a DOF until last year... that alone was a big step. Add to that a whole new management team with Erik's arrival, a seemingly competent CEO in Arnold, and now the appointment of O'Boyle... we're going places.
AWB's played at least a half in 19 games this season, and the only one we've lost was against Arsenal in the 90th min, and you could put that partly down to him losing his wing support in Antony on 70 mins. Underrated in the extreme.
Our aggregate score with him playing? 36-11.
100% this. Defending first, on-the-ball stuff second for CBs, though it's always nice to get someone who's got both...
Branthwaite's the man. LCB, RCB - it doesn't matter. I don't think I've seen a better PL defender at 21. You look at him and you think: that's a Man Utd player.
When it comes to a CB I want a defender who defends first. Someone in the Konate, Vidic, Varane mould. Thatโs Jarrad Branthwaite
- Long Limbs, huge stride, desirable gait. Huge capacity to cover ground in rapid time
- aerially wonderful, always gets first contact. Strong jump,
THIS. V good player but he's just not best itw quality. I'm not saying it'd be right to judge him solely on Croatia 2018 but if it was Maguire that had lost Mandzukic (or, indeed, handed the Nations League semi to the Netherlands) I suspect the narrative would've been different.
The way John Stones reacts to how situations develop in the penalty box hasnโt changed much since the Croatia game in the 2018 World Cup. He is still a level below the elite CBs in the sport.
I think "McTominay hides from the ball" has to be one of the most inaccurate myths on this platform. Look at him here, and in our recent games - this is a player who *loves* getting on the ball!
"McTominay and Bruno can't work together in a midfield": how would you go about proving that given that a: Scott isn't currently being played in midfield and b: the 20/21 season happened?
I mean, the arguments are so hollow too... we "bottled" the CL group stage, but of course that was all on Ole... why not ignore Fred getting sent off for a good challenge which killed the game vs PSG, and the players crumbling hopelessly in Leipzig. Not journalism, but an agenda.
If we're selling Dean Henderson, the money needs to go immediately into a modern keeper; my first choice target would be Maignan. That said, apart from the many reasons why I prefer Dean to David, the fact we wouldn't get ยฃ40m for DDG but would for Dean shows he's highly rated...
It's a crying shame you didn't lift a trophy for us as the manager, and that the players downed tools at the last, but these things won't detract from how highly true fans will always think of you: one of us, and a club legend now and always.
#2OLEGEND
#ThankYouOle
Remember Rooney, Evans and a few others turn up smashed to training around Christmas in like 2011? Pretty sure they were fined, dropped for a game and then everyone *moved on*
He'll be absolutely fine, I promise. He practically *is* fine already: just needs some more end product, which he's basically guaranteed to get now he's actually gonna be in his proper position going forwards.
@Chelsearory
He didn't "get the Man United job". He got the interim job and is going into a consultancy role in the summer, which is what we brought him in for. Please understand this.
To simplify my thoughts into 4 points:
- Nation-states and financial might of their proportions shouldn't be in football.
- We don't "need" Qatari money, just an owner who will allow us to spend what we generate.
- Sportswashing is an absolute no-go.
- We're not City.
*JUST SAYING* (and I've been so restrained on this topic for ages): if this was Ole there would be plenty slaughtering him for this. Glad no one's going for Erik anyway - he gets the United way, attacking with pace and power, and has done so well with the limitations of our squad
More Bespoke Data:
Under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United rank 1st in the Premier League this season in both fast attacks (FA) and counterattacks (CA).
FA = possessions that move quickly from one's own half to the opposition's, ending in a box entry or shot
CA = known
Heartbreak. Gareth once again managed the big game poorly, I'm sorry to say: no Rashford 'til '85 and taking Saka off were both baffling decisions, and tactics showed fear throughout like with Italy last year and Croatia in 2018. We'll be well in the mix for Euro 2024, at least.
@Oliveresuana
Those first 30 mins ๐ shame it had to go downhill from there, I'm glad away goals are now gone at least: as good as PSG away was, I'd definitely have traded it for beating Bayern that year as we could very well have gone and won it, such was the season Rooney had!
@Zonal_Marking
And as for your claim re the media: he was ridiculed pretty much since day 1, even with the 30 game away run it was just waved off as lucky. Very few defended him even when we came second to an excellent City side... dont think I've ever seen a manager disrespected as much as Ole
This is not the right way to look at it from. If the Glazers retaining a stake for their own future gain is the only way we can get them out, then it's best for the club that it happens. Obviously the ideal scenario is they sell entirely, which is why Sir Jim has put 2 bids in ๐
Itโs currently a game of chess and nobody knows what is going to happen. One thing is certain though the protest yesterday was not about any bidder or preferred bidder.
IT WAS ABOUT REMOVING GLAZER FROM OUR CLUB.
NOTHING ELSE.
FULL SALE MEANS FULL SALE OF GLAZER 69%
@EthanTaIks
@DataMB_
His consistency has been ridiculous: you can genuinely count the amount of bad games he's had this season on one hand. Even crazier when you consider he's played *every single game* pretty much... an absolute machine thay always produces, and our player of the season imo.
@Scholeseh
@LFODVILLA
@TotalElBicho
This. For both of these chances (and the Leeds goal on Sat) as well as many other goals that he has scored so far, Greenwood finds the net with what is literally the *optimal* finish; no better place for the ball to end up from an attacker's POV than where MG sends it. My starboy
Harry Maguire has and will always have my full respect. Erik, who values him as it is (Ornstein's info, not mine), has thrown him down a gauntlet, and instead of taking an easier way out he wants to rise to the challenge.
If you have an issue with that, I have an issue with you.
If you support Mason Greenwood, who has shown himself to be a disgusting person, then you are also a disgusting person, albeit having not actually done what he did - but instead condoning it.
People celebrating his seemingly imminent return need to seriously look at themselves.
Did Garnacho have a poor game yesterday? Yeah.
Can we be a little frustrated about that? Sure.
However:
Was he the only one? No.
Does he/any other player deserve abuse for that? Definitely not.
Is Garnacho on the way to becoming a world-beater? Absolutely.
Get off his back.
Unai Emery will have the Ramsey brothers, Cameron Archer *and* Ollie Watkins at his disposal next season, and that's before they enter the transfer market...
Gross overstatement. Just cos AWB is such a standout 1-on-1 defender and not the greatest attacking FB doesn't mean he's one-dimensional - for one thing, he's much better at playing out of pressure than 95% of people give him credit for
AWB is another David DeGea in waiting.
Both having standout traits[Reflexive saves/1v1 defending] that led to them being overrated[severely in DDG's case] but being average/poor in other aspects of the game.
Casual fans have now just seen DDG's true worth and have harshly
Just putting that into perspective:
We played 90 minutes on Thursday, not even in England, and we equalled a very good Brighton team who had a week's rest. Yeah we let them have the ball and pumped it long every time, but those were necessary + judicious sacrifices from Erik.