He's not particularly good on the ball with either foot, so its a bit rich to call him two footed.
Eliaquim Mangala
- Thread starter KM
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss Amad saving our blushes in a win against Southampton as well as our now annual loss at home to Brighton. They discuss Amorim's post-match comments, revisit how mid-table we may or may not be, and discuss some transfer news.
- Status
He's not particularly good on the ball with either foot, so its a bit rich to call him two footed.
I don't mind how he is on the ball, main thing is how good is he at defending? And when talking about left/right foot, I just mean which foot does he use to kick the ball? I just prefer to have left left and right right for balance, so in defensive situations they don't need to make a tackle with wrong leg or make clearance with dodgy leg
Who would he replace? In my opinion, he has the potential to be the best of that lot there and are you seriously asking if he is going to replace Keane? Really?
No I am asking who he would replace? Who would be sold to make room for him in the squad?
You are talking as if Keane has been in the first team for years and he is the best prospect to come out of the academy. No one needs to be sold. We have CB injury problems every year. Jones, Smalling, Evans and Mangala are our options with Keane being eased in through cup games.
Then the answer is left. His right foot isnt a swinger but he's clearly left footed
Yes but Keane is 21 now, only a year younger than Jones. It is time for Keane to leave the under 21s and either be promoted to first team squad or sold if not good enough for first team squad. If Keane stays in the under 21s another season with Lingard and other players who are too old for the under 21s then it has a negative effect on the under 21s. If the under 21s is affected negatively the future of the first team is affected negatively.
Didn't Cleverley make the first team when he was 22? He is going to be 25 this August. Its not the end of the world if you don't make the first team by the time you are 21. I think one more season aint going to hurt anyone. If the coaches decide he is ready he will part of the first team setup next season and we can see where he goes from there.
The very best players always break through into first team before they 21 and the standard we should be striving for is the very best. Cleverley is not at that standard.
Well then clearly Keane isn't good enough. Why do we still have him? Then this whole conversation was pointless because Mangala will be our fourth choice. End of story.
I haven't seen that much of Mangala, but I've heard a lot of 'ok' reviews on him and not much more.
As for who he'd replace, I think our defence is very average at most, so any of them really. Although I think Evans is a good defender, but will never be great. Jones has the best chance of being very good in my opinion
I find it interesting how many people both overrate and underrate Jones and Evans respectively. Wonder if they're respective styles play a part. Jones all action style has many people overlooking his positional flaws, while Evans not being the strongest or most aggressive traditional centre back around means people often doubt his defensive qualities. That, and the fact that people can't forget his early career mistake laden performances despite those being years ago.
@JefferiesTube Evans is both footed.
I don't think we should be getting a new centreback. Mangala doesn't look like a step up from who we have. I'd rather Smalling and Jones get games at centreback next season, to be honest. And if we're really looking for a defender, a right back would be more appropriate, although that being said, we do have Janko and Varela.
We need a left back, and at least one centre midfielder. Those should be the priorities.
I find it interesting how many people both overrate and underrate Jones and Evans respectively. Wonder if they're respective styles play a part. Jones all action style has many people overlooking his positional flaws, while Evans not being the strongest or most aggressive traditional centre back around means people often doubt his defensive qualities. That, and the fact that people can't forget his early career mistake laden performances despite those being years ago.
@JefferiesTube Evans is both footed.
I don't think we should be getting a new centreback. Mangala doesn't look like a step up from who we have. I'd rather Smalling and Jones get games at centreback next season, to be honest. And if we're really looking for a defender, a right back would be more appropriate, although that being said, we do have Janko and Varela.
We need a left back, and at least one centre midfielder. Those should be the priorities.
Evans > Jones
Right now, Evans is our best defender, and as I said, I think he is a good defender, that is all he will ever be.
We have had great defenders in the past from Rio, Vidic, Stam, Pallister and Steve Bruce. You cannot tell me Evans compares to any of them?
What I am getting at is, we should be aiming higher in terms of quality.
Jones and Smalling are more than likely going to be benched defenders in what is, one of Englands weakest defensive line ups, so that shows that right now, they are not good enough.
Jones I do think still has a lot of improving to do though
I would go with Evans LCB and Smalling RCB and play them all season together as long as they don't get injured. We can evaluate them after a whole season playing as a settled CB partnership. If at the end of season, one or both didn't perform to a high enough standard, then we can try Jones with one, or Jones with Keane or Jones with new signing for the following season. Jones and Keane are younger so they can be back up for now.
We need to first determine whether Evans and Smalling are good enough and the only way to be sure one way or the other, is play them in that settled CB partnership. No chopping and changing from one game to another, because cannot learn anything that way. Impossible to develop any sort of understanding.
We need to first determine whether Evans and Smalling are good enough and the only way to be sure one way or the other, is play them in that settled CB partnership. No chopping and changing from one game to another, because cannot learn anything that way. Impossible to develop any sort of understanding.
We can't go into next season with Evans, Smalling, Jones and Keane as our centrebacks. Regardless of who the manager is, we seem to always have an injury crisis in that position every season. I'd like to see them given a chance, but with their injury problems we can't take the risk IMO. Another CB is a must.
Agreed and we don't need another youngster. We need someone with experience, Benatia fits the bill perfectly. Evans at LCB, Benatia as RCB. With Smalling/Jones/Keane as backups.
Aye. Roma want a lot for him though and if he is to move I can only see it being to another club in the Champions League.
Well Barcelona were linked with Benatia but it's gone quiet for a week or so now. We'll have to pay a lot of money for whoever we bring in, be that Hummels, Mangala or Benatia. I still think we have pulling power despite being out of Europe for a season. I'm sure we can persuade players that it's just a one season blip.
Michael keane should be going nowhere. He IMO is the one with the most potential from our batch of center backs. We're just making it way too difficult for our academy players to make it nowadays and wouldn't be suprised if he got frustrated and calls it time on his non career at united.
Quote from Roma's sporting director:
From the three I think Mangala is the only one that is obtainable. Hummels doesn't want to leave Dortmund and as it stands Roma have no incentive to sell Benatia (though if they do get offered £50m for him, they would probably sell).
The only quote I've read from Hummels was a dig at Gotze for joining Bayern. He would leave if he was to remain a key player and Hummels would be a first choice player for us. Hadn't seen that Roma quote before, when did he say that?
I think we are too quick to dismiss our defenders. Don't forget that our defense has been put under much more pressure past couple season because of having a weak midfield and weak tactics. They have managed to perform very well considering this vital fact. If our defenders were "rubbish" then we would have been conceding much more goals than we have been doing.
Think of how many waves of attacks we endured and how many times we cleared the ball away. Other top teams with strong midfields and tactics do not face that kind of intense pressure in the games they play. The other teams who come under the same amount of pressure as we do are teams in the bottom half of the table.
Think of how many waves of attacks we endured and how many times we cleared the ball away. Other top teams with strong midfields and tactics do not face that kind of intense pressure in the games they play. The other teams who come under the same amount of pressure as we do are teams in the bottom half of the table.
About a week ago: http://www1.skysports.com/football/...roma-have-no-plans-to-part-with-mehdi-benatia
Hummels would probably cost less to sign but I'd be surprised if he were to leave.
But if our defenders where good enough, surely they would be starters for what is considered one of the weaker English defensive lines.
I agree that the midfield behind us hasn't helped the situation, but you could also say that with Moyes being so defensive that we shouldn't concede many goals as it is. We always played with men behind the ball. Our midfield sat back constantly.
I think it would be silly to trust these next season. It could work, and great, it would be a huge positive, but this is one of the most important seasons we will have. If we miss out on the CL for a second season running, it becomes a big problem.
One season out and it will effect us slightly, but to miss out two times in a row would be potentially a massive blow on and off the pitch.
It's not worth that risk in my opinion
There is just as much chance that a new CB will not perform at a high enough standard. I think we should give our CBs a season first to see whether they need being replaced and take a gamble on new signing, because they are always gambles that may or may not work out. Better to first know for certain that the gamble does need to be taken.
I get what you are saying, but if we look at it that way, we could say the same thing about the rest of our squad.
Under Fergies tactics it won the league
Under Moyes tactics, we was appalling
Under LVG we may have the perfect players already
I wouldn't say perfect, but I have said before that we can win the Premier League and FA Cup double next season without buying a single player. I think many of our players are underrated, we have quality players throughout the entire squad in all positions.
Ferguson + Ferguson's coaching staff + the squad of players >>>>>>>>>>> Moyes + Moyes' coaching staff + the squad of players.
Q. van Gaal + van Gaal's coaching staff + the squad of players = ?
In my opinion, Ferguson >>> van Gaal and van Gaal's coaching staff >>> Ferguson's coaching staff
Ferguson = van Gaal + X and van Gaal's coaching staff = Ferguson's coaching staff + Y
So, which is greater, X or Y?
Moyes took us from 1st to 7th, Rodgers took Liverpool from 7th to 2nd (almost 1st). So why can van Gaal not take us from 7th to 1st?
What on earth makes you say that? Keane's most impressive feat to date was his successful loan at Leicester but it wasn't as good as Evans' at Sunderland even though Jonny was a year younger at the time. And - importantly - Jonny pushed on from his first loan, Keane has had a season of stagnation. And Jones, with over a hundred Premiership games and ten caps to his name, is only 11 months older. Smalling obviously had a bit of a strange start to his career, but by the time he was Keane's age he had already been bought by United for 10 million and received his first England call-up.
Keane is good on the ball and strong in the air, but he's slow and not as natural a defender as the other 3 were at his age. I think it was @Decotron who said that Thorpe might eventually turn out to be the better CB and, while that might sound weird to those who don't follow the youth and reserves, he might be on to something.
I'm not really sold on Mangala myself, from what I've seen of him he just looks like a glorified Sakho and the price tag seems way over the top. He is pretty solid though just not a player I'd spend > £30m on.
I have to agree. I watch a lot of reserve football, and Keane's lack of pace will hinder his development at the highest level. I must admit though, not overly impressed with Thrope either. Both lads with have good careers but not good enough for here. I do like Varela at right back though, never fails to impress me.....
He hasn't play in World Cup yet, so he hasn't prove people yet. He can't beat Sakho and Kosc for the place. 4th choice French centre back. That 30 million is just overpriced after all.
They mentioned him tonight during the French game and I was disappointed with how they pronounced his name.
The more i think about it, the more i don't really want this 35M defender. That's hell of a lot money on someone, without real top credentials. I mean we all saw Sakho at Liverpool, a good defender overall, but hardly a great one. And he is preferred to Mangala in the national team. He is only a year older as well. So it's not about experience.
If France rate a mutt like Sakho over him I'm a bit wary tbh.
I guess he got banned because of that post.
Its kind of a silly post, but is the content of it bannable?
Very likely he wasn't banned for that. I just laughed at the post and then saw that the poster got banned so made a joke for it.
- Status