Dalot or AWB?

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AWB is excellent when on form and didn't really get to play that much last season. Don't understand the bad rep he has got, but even if we upgrade on him he is certainly the type of player you'd want in your squad as a tactical option. I'll rather get Wan Bissaka involved than Dalot if we need to change a game, secure a lead etc.
 
Dalot. He can play football and be trained to be better. AWB is superhuman at tacking but super poor at everything else. If we play prime Barcelona and we need a full back to get the ball of Messi then get Arron, for everything else, Dalot is 100 times better.
 
MikeKing said:
AWB is excellent when on form and didn't really get to play that much last season. Don't understand the bad rep he has got, but even if we upgrade on him he is certainly the type of player you'd want in your squad as a tactical option. I'll rather get Wan Bissaka involved than Dalot if we need to change a game, secure a lead etc.
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You mean to make it worse?

His one on one defending is his only asset, and I tried to defend him hoping he'd progress for 3 years now. He's weak in the air, loses his man on crosses from the opposite side, often out of position, plays attackers onside and cannot attack with any authority.
 
This is a do you want hung or shot thread!
Personally I would give Dalot a go as at least he can keep possesion and offer something going forward, like a (very) poor mans TAA.
If we are playing Liverpool or City and decide to park the bus then there is a case for AWB, otherwise try Dalot and see how he goes.
 
I find it astonishing that people are still giving Dalot shit after the killer performances on this tour. He looks like ETH is really getting to him, love to see how he gets on this season. AWB on the other hand is giving his position away without a fight.
 
arthurka said:
I find it astonishing that people are still giving Dalot shit after the killer performances on this tour. He looks like ETH is really getting to him, love to see how he gets on this season. AWB on the other hand is giving his position away without a fight.
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Pre-season means nothing. We have been here before. What matters is what happens when the actual season starts.
 
el3mel said:
Pre-season means nothing. We have been here before. What matters is what happens when the actual season starts.
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I would agree with you here but this is the first time I have seen clear changes and patterns to our play for a long time. I am willing to give this project the benefit of a doubt here.
 
arthurka said:
I would agree with you here but this is the first time I have seen clear changes and patterns to our play for a long time. I am willing to give this project the benefit of a doubt here.
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I'm only talking about players' performance here. I know Ten Hag has a definite play style he's working to implement in his mind, but I won't depend on friendlies to judge a player - who hasn't been that good for the majority of his time here - to stay or not. Ultimately, the performance that matters is what I see from him in official games. It's not the first time we jump the gun to give players chances depending on pre-season then got bit in the arse when the actual season starts.
 
Put it this way, I think ETH can make Dalot into a baller. I don't think it's possible to get AWB to do what ETH wants.

I think it's pretty obvious from the way AWB has been used in pre-season, ETH will happily let him leave if there is a buyer.
 
Solius said:
You mean to make it worse?

His one on one defending is his only asset, and I tried to defend him hoping he'd progress for 3 years now. He's weak in the air, loses his man on crosses from the opposite side, often out of position, plays attackers onside and cannot attack with any authority.
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In interests of fairness here, with the exception of weak in the air, all of those can also be used as criticisms of Dalot too.
 
JB7 said:
In interests of fairness here, with the exception of weak in the air, all of those can also be used as criticisms of Dalot too.
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I think he's better going forward. Not pulling up trees or anything but he can actually put a cross in and has penetrative running. Time will tell if he manages to actually garner some end product though.
 
el3mel said:
I'm only talking about players' performance here. I know Ten Hag has a definite play style he's working to implement in his mind, but I won't depend on friendlies to judge a player - who hasn't been that good for the majority of his time here - to stay or not. Ultimately, the performance that matters is what I see from him in official games. It's not the first time we jump the gun to give players chances depending on pre-season then got bit in the arse when the actual season starts.
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No I fully understand where you are coming from but I think I have seen enough change in Dalot to give him a chance. He looks a player in this system. But and there is a but I wouldn't and will not be surprised when it all goes tits up.
 
I dont rate either of them to be fair.

But it seems that at least Dalot have improved on his major weakness in 1v1. I remember he always pushed to hard and got on the wrong side of the oppositions winger, opening our right side completely. Now he seems a bit more in control when we are defending and his technique on the ball is by far better than AwB who has the technique of a league 2 player.

AwB has one major attribute and that is his 1v1 skill. He is crazy good at timing when to tackle the attacker. But his technique on the ball is horrible and he never seems like he is in control of the ball, in a way he remindes me of Mike Smalling. But his biggest problem is that he dont understand how to position himself for crosses, which makes it easy for the opponent to target him. He hasn't improved on his weaknesses, making me believe he have reached his ceiling which is far below the quality we should be aiming for.

If I had to choose I would go for Dalot under EtH as we will be aiming to keep posession which makes him the better option.

I would love to see Laird develop to become first choice for us and get rid of AwB with Dalot as backup. But I don't think that will happen so we probably have to buy a new RB next year.
 
Solius said:
I think he's better going forward. Not pulling up trees or anything but he can actually put a cross in and has penetrative running. Time will tell if he manages to actually garner some end product though.
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I'm not sure, he has looked better in pre-season I'll give him that but I felt last year his crossing was very poor.

I'm just playing devils advocate as it's clear to see why he's Ten Hag's preferred right back of the two given how he wants the full backs to play coming into central midfield regularly and creating triangles with the winger, but I'm nowhere near sold on him being anywhere near the required level going forward.
 
MikeKing said:
AWB is excellent when on form and didn't really get to play that much last season. Don't understand the bad rep he has got, but even if we upgrade on him he is certainly the type of player you'd want in your squad as a tactical option. I'll rather get Wan Bissaka involved than Dalot if we need to change a game, secure a lead etc.
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"Excellent" how? What areas of his game fall under that description?

As far as I can see he's an okay defender, I wouldn't say great because as athletic and good as he is one v one, he has a habit of glaring positional mistakes, such as playing people onside. Or lacking concentration to follow runners.

On the ball he's absolutely atrocious for a Man Utd footballer so that can't be the part you're referring to, surely.
 
I still can't believe that we spent 55 millions on AWB, when we already had spent 20 millions on Dalot. I would get it if AWB was a generational talent or a 24 years old Maicon reincarnation. But he was an average youngster playing in a team parking the bus.

Ideally, we should sell both. Dalot may improve in the future but he lost almost 2 and half years here with minimum game time and zero coaching. Even if he was considered a big talent, I don't think now he can become a top player. Maybe under ETH he can actually fulfill his potential. However, there is the issue with the contract (I think it runs until next summer) which leave us in a bad place: if he performs really good, there is no guarantee he will renew, and if he performs just fine and we are not that keen to renew him, we risk losing his current value. It's so weird that after 4 years, we are still uncertain of his talent.
 
£55m……

Honestly he’s not even a footballer in my eyes. Extra ordinary at one thing and genuinely 2nd division level at everything else. It’s no coincidence that teams used to see him as a weakness to exploit.

Dalot, whilst not pulling up any trees, is at least good at the basics and can improve. He’s also been excellent in pre season.

No contest to me.
(We still need to improve on both though).
 
ideally neither, but if I had to pick one for how I feel we will play under ETH, I'd opt for Dalot.
 
I really think Dalot is our weakest player in the first team. He is awful defending, but okay offensively. All too often he is misplaced defensively and the opponent runs into the empty space behind him. It doesn't happen that often with AWB, so I feel more comfortable with him.
 
Adamsk7 said:
£55m……

Honestly he’s not even a footballer in my eyes. Extra ordinary at one thing and genuinely 2nd division level at everything else. It’s no coincidence that teams used to see him as a weakness to exploit.

Dalot, whilst not pulling up any trees, is at least good at the basics and can improve. He’s also been excellent in pre season.

No contest to me.
(We still need to improve on both though).
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It was £49.5m
 
I’ve been much more impressed with AWB at his best than Dalot at his best. At their worst, they are as bad as each other. I would persevere with AWB.
 
He's similar to Scott Mctominay, the pair of them are pure and utter scutter who shouldn't even be subs. They look petrified with the ball at there feet as there passing is limited. AWB in the champions league was always funny as you could see how far out of his depth he was. One or two passes around him took him out of the game. It was like a dog pissing on an electric fence. I sincerely hope we have to see no more of both players except in early stages of the cups if there not moved on this summer.
 
I think AWB has had to battle that massive transfer fee. If he'd come to United for 20m everyone would be saying he's young he's still got all the chances to improve. He's 24, great 1 on 1, why's everyone so harsh on the kid. Give him a season with ETH coatching and see where he is
 
el3mel said:
Pre-season means nothing. We have been here before. What matters is what happens when the actual season starts.
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Have we been here before with a good manager though? I don’t think we have.
 
AWB is decent defensively and still very young. He's ultimately not good enough going forward to be right back at big club but he'd be a great addition to a mid-table side looking to play in a more pragmatic way (with regards to pushing on the full backs).
It's a shame, the way he's talked about here is a bit over the top, and I did hope ETH could coach him into being a right sided centreback (although no doubt that'd be best in a back 3, at least at first). Reality is that we're already stacked with less than ideal options at RCB anyway, with AWB one of, if not the most saleable player we have from our glut of not ideal defenders.
 
The first time a inside forward properly bullies Dalot, I expect AWB will be back in.
 
Adamsk7 said:
£55m……

Honestly he’s not even a footballer in my eyes. Extra ordinary at one thing and genuinely 2nd division level at everything else. It’s no coincidence that teams used to see him as a weakness to exploit.

Dalot, whilst not pulling up any trees, is at least good at the basics and can improve. He’s also been excellent in pre season.

No contest to me.
(We still need to improve on both though).
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Comments like this made me wonder how you got promoted.

2nd division level players don't play over 131 PL level games.
 
This thing has run its course. It's Dalot. In fact AWB was probably getting frozen out regardless who the competition was. Possession managers don't touch AWB types with a 10 foot pole. Minimum criteria for this type of football is press resistance and soft control.
 
The way Malacia was playing as an inverted fullback makes me feel that Wan Bissaka is the only right sided version of that in our squad.

If he is good enough in such a position is a different question but I’d like to see it once because I have always felt things like his passing has been slightly better than things like his crossing.

Dalot is the overall better all rounded player so I expect him to be our number 1 RB.
 
Mickeza said:
Dalot looks like he’s really going to suit ETH ball. He’s very good at progressing from deep. Seems to have improved physically too. I finally see why he was highly rated as a kid. 5 years later…
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Who was that person who said that he was the biggest talent since... Deco?

Hope Dalot proves people wrong, cause i've noticed that he's always very central in the group on photos and clips from the club.
He seems to be friends with everyone and always smiling - these players and people are important, so hope he fits the system and has a good season.
 
WB played all the time under Ole, because he was the one who spunked all that money on him, so to save face he was undroppable. He simply should never have been signed and Palace must have thought they had won the lottery. Dalot is slightly better overall and pre season has gotten a bit better, with proper coaching. I would like Utd to get a better option though and hopefully this season Dalot and WB are 2nd and 3rd choice, or WB is sold, if we can coonvince someone to buy him.
 
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