I've not completely written him off yet, but we would make our life much easier as a club if we stopped buying players without the basic level of technical ability required.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 46
- Clean sheets
- 18
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 9
- Status
Not many would agree with this but Shaw not only is better footballer than Wan-Bissaka but is also a better overall defender as well if He can overcome his injuries and if we are looking to upgrade on our fullbacks Wan-Bissaka should be replaced first then only Shaw.
He's not a better defender, but overall Shaw is the better player. I'm amazed at how poorly some people rate his ability on the ball just because his crossing isn't great, and even that has improved considerably in recent weeks.
I agree with this. Shaw's not as good of a tackler, but he's much stronger in the air and he's actually very good at defending the back post (a really valuable skill for a full back).
I think Shaw is better defender as well Wan-Bissaka's basics are all over the place his positioning and reading of the game is quite poor for somebody who is considered great defensively. Shaw despite his lack of assists contributes immensely towards our attack and if he can improve his final third contribution which I must admit both him and Wan-Bissaka has shown some sign of progress then Shaw won't look out of place in team challenging for top honours either.
He looks bolloxed. Both mentally and physically. Give him a rest against West Ham, play Timo Fosu Mensah.
TFM probably deserves a go and give this lad a rest. He's hit rock bottom confidence and form.
Pass. AWB put him out the team at Palace for a reason.
Neither are very good.
Hes been a bit shit since the restart tbh.
I differ from a lot of opinions on here and think he is a very good player but doesn’t have to develop more in an attacking sense. The nonsense posts to sell him are laughable. He has been overplayed and could have done with being rotated a few times however Ole doesn’t seem to trust Dalot.
I only mean for the last two games, I'm not saying TFM is the long term answer.
Has he played every game since the restart? He's definitely tired. I haven't forgotten the Caf praising him for imprivi his attacking play . I would blame his performances on fatigue
He looks like a bottom half of the table player at best on the ball. People need to wise up. He's just a good tackler and that's about it. Awful waste of £50m. If Laird continues to develop the way he has he will walk into this team soon. Absolute class act on the ball compared to this guy.
Fit as a Butcher's Dog, but so many people have said he's tired he's started believing it. Great first year at United for the kid, much more to come from him.
I don't think there is much between them to be fair. Shaw has better positioning, is better in the air and better at passing, AWB is an elite tackler and has a decent final pass.
Ultimately, I think that both have significant weaknesses, and I fail to see the club competing for the big trophies with such fullbacks. Both need to significantly improve their weaknesses.
Nah, it has more to do with the excitement of a new signing being over. He never was particularly great, just that at the beginning his shortcomings were more tolerated.
Like with Maguire, we got mugged. Paid twice as much as the worth of the player for decent, but not great players.
Think we have a problem here. I’m sure the consensus would be that it isn’t a priority, but my view on that is changing a lot. I know there is a school of thought that anyone who wants an offensive contribution from the full-backs is riding some sort of Liverpool hype train and that we should ‘play to our own strengths’ - but the area is of very high importance.
It isn’t about goals and assists, it is about simply building our play from back to front. We have better players infield, but the area is often congested, and we are pressed in there - and it turns out that the full-backs are the first playmakers in the team. The space is with them, and they see most of the ball. With Shaw, we are okay, as he can built up the play, pass and link well and get us out of a press and advancing. On the right it is a huge issue.
We made a huge investment on Wan-Bissaka, so there’s almost no chance we will be on the market - but until we address this, I feel it will be a hindrance in us being a very top team. I have huge hopes for Ethan Laird and hopefully we see him against LASK, because as good as Wan-Bissaka is at defending, we need far better in possession.
It isn’t about goals and assists, it is about simply building our play from back to front. We have better players infield, but the area is often congested, and we are pressed in there - and it turns out that the full-backs are the first playmakers in the team. The space is with them, and they see most of the ball. With Shaw, we are okay, as he can built up the play, pass and link well and get us out of a press and advancing. On the right it is a huge issue.
We made a huge investment on Wan-Bissaka, so there’s almost no chance we will be on the market - but until we address this, I feel it will be a hindrance in us being a very top team. I have huge hopes for Ethan Laird and hopefully we see him against LASK, because as good as Wan-Bissaka is at defending, we need far better in possession.
It's not some sort of Liverpool hype train, it's modern football. Dani Alves and Jordi Alba were hugely productive at Barcelona. Marcelo and Carvajal at Real Madrid. Alaba and Philip Lahm at Bayern Munich. Top class teams have top class fullbacks who can offer an attacking outlet from the sides. They need to have an engine and technical ability to manipulate a ball, cross and dribble.
Feel like AWB lacks the fundamentals to ever be a top class fullback. His ceiling is too low.
I agree, but that has been the response on here too often. ‘Just because Liverpool play like that’. Nobody is asking for 15 assists. A full back needs to be comfortable on the ball, they spend a lot of time on it, and link and build play. Against Palace, for large periods, the only player who got any time on the ball was Wan-Bissaka. But he can’t control it.
I have no idea why, given the offensive nature of the job, people are obsessed with the technical ability of centre halves and even goalkeepers more than they are with full backs. With full backs we get ‘they are defenders, we want them to be able to defend’.
He's an athlete, not a footballer
Completely disagree. Hes had a very good season and its not the case of new signing enthusiasm wearing off. Same with Maguire. He just looks tired though. He's excellent defensively but thats gone off the boil the past couple of weeks. It happens. Maguire is also a very good player, and why over the season we have a very decent defensive record.
Get rid, TFM is better than him on the ball. He's holding a whole side of the pitch back with his ineptitude when he has the ball. Some of the stuff he's gotten up to this season with the ball would make Wes Brown weep. Mess of a footballer. He's elite at 1 on 1's is no reason to keep someone at a club our size. No reason at all.
He's been brilliant this season, he is most likely just exhausted.
Fair enough, we can completely disagree about this.
I never saw this AWB is excellent defensively. He clearly is not. He is an elite tackler (maybe the best in the world), but he has poor positioning, is quite weak, and everyone beats him in the air. We laugh at Lindelof, but Lindelof is a Van Dijk in the air compared to AWB.
And not even starting with his passing and the buildup, which makes him IMO clearly a not very good player. He is excellent at tackling, decent at the final pass, and mediocre/poor at everything else. An okay player, but not more than that. Maguire is a bit better, but never very good.
I was one of the first to call him out for being a poor player. This was before Christmas and you can check back in this thread.
He's a good tackler and that's about it. This is not a £50m fullback. He looks like a championship player when he gets the ball. He's a bad signing.
Ethan Laird needs to come into the fold next season and I'm confident he can take this guys place. You can't be a fullback for a team aspiring to be champions again and not be able to play. He's just not good enough on the ball and his spider tackles don't make up for it I'm afraid.
Doherty or Pereira would have been a much better signing.
He's a good tackler and that's about it. This is not a £50m fullback. He looks like a championship player when he gets the ball. He's a bad signing.
Ethan Laird needs to come into the fold next season and I'm confident he can take this guys place. You can't be a fullback for a team aspiring to be champions again and not be able to play. He's just not good enough on the ball and his spider tackles don't make up for it I'm afraid.
Doherty or Pereira would have been a much better signing.
Completely agree with everything you've said here. The fact that AWB has awesome athletic recovery skills has elevated his status as a defensive RB (even though this ignores his recent positional mishaps). However for the sheer amount we will be in possession attacking and trying to fight a press, technical on-ball competence has to be at a very good level at a minimum. He'll be given time to develop this, but I don't see it getting to the required standard tbh.
There was a period when he showed signs of improvement in ball retention and even crossing. I don't know if it's fatigue or what, but he's regressed to being a liability on the ball.
In the first half Chelsea chose to target him and relentlessly press as soon as he got on the ball and it paid dividends for them. They probably analysed footage and saw what we all know, that his first touch and ball control are major weaknesses and if pressed possession will likely be turned over. And so it was.
He's got a lot of work to do to get up to the standard expected. He's an extremely capable 1v1 defender but needs to add much more to his play.
In the first half Chelsea chose to target him and relentlessly press as soon as he got on the ball and it paid dividends for them. They probably analysed footage and saw what we all know, that his first touch and ball control are major weaknesses and if pressed possession will likely be turned over. And so it was.
He's got a lot of work to do to get up to the standard expected. He's an extremely capable 1v1 defender but needs to add much more to his play.
He needs to work on how to carry the ball forward with quick passing and move as well as improve his passing to keep possession when under pressure. Everytime Lindelof or midfield passed the ball to him, he went backward and if he's being pressed, he will lose it.
The state of some posts in here 
You just need to check dictionary of coaching & improvement. Players can make improvement from coaching, there are aspect he needs to work on. He was working on his crossing and we saw improvement. Now, he needs to work on his ability on the ball especially when we are in possession.
Brilliant is a stretch. It has been a good first season with good improvement in some areas overall but he'll need to improve more next season.
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The fact that he got as far as a PL academy/reserve winger is hope enough for anyone. I’d dread to watch him playing RW week in week out.
Of course but for his first season at united, I don't think anyone could really ask for more. The guy is still only 22 years old.
Edited that for you. He has been poor on the ball all season long.
If you want to challenge for top honours in the modern game you need progressive full backs. We won't win a title with him starting. Drag me through the mud for saying it, but that's my opinion. He's bambi on ice with the ball at his feet.
I'm starting to have my doubts as his flaws become more obvious the more of the ball we have. He's a target for the opposition press and the amount of space Palace gave him was damning.
I've been critical of Shaw for a long time but you can see at least see a decent enough partnership forming with Rashford. There's nothing similar happening on the right side.
He has his strengths but he at least needs some competition next season. Hopefully Laird can be it because Dalot definitely isn't.
I've been critical of Shaw for a long time but you can see at least see a decent enough partnership forming with Rashford. There's nothing similar happening on the right side.
He has his strengths but he at least needs some competition next season. Hopefully Laird can be it because Dalot definitely isn't.
How the sweet baby jesus was he ever a winger? He gets a nosebleed when he gets the ball.
The patience from the fan boys on here will wash off soon enough. I had seen enough after 4 months. He's often a superb 1 on 1 defender (not been last 4 weeks) but he's just not the answer for us. You need better ability on the ball than this to challenge the top 2. He's not got it.
Really hope Laird can make the step up as he looks a terrific footballer. A lot more composed on the ball than this guy is.
Fullbacks in the modern game are probably more important than they have ever been in the game. Weve got 2 just okay at best ones in Shaw n AWB. They are not good enough to win PL titles.
Spot on. He's just not good enough. End of story.
Given the investment I can’t see us looking for a right back anytime soon. Unless it is Laird, as he is from within. But it’s either Laird or Wan-Bissaka over the next few years I think.
Let's hope so. fecking Scousers got lucky with TAA, if Laird becomes half as good as TAA, then AWB is gonna get glued to the bench.
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