It was a friendly game where most of our team were youngsters, I wouldn't read too much into it. We might still be very open this season, and I would honestly expect that because ETH is not suddenly going to change his tactics that he had stood by relentlessly for all of last season, but a pre-season friendly is not going to give us an answer as to whether this is actually going to happen or not.
Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24
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It was a friendly game where most of our team were youngsters, I wouldn't read too much into it. We might still be very open this season, and I would honestly expect that because ETH is not suddenly going to change his tactics that he had stood by relentlessly for all of last season, but a pre-season friendly is not going to give us an answer as to whether this is actually going to happen or not.
I can understand the context, but result/performance are kind of interchangeable for this.
Just seems like people are having a moan for the sake of it, because there was 20 shots, without having watched the game so they can come back later and say they saw after the first pre season game, nothings changed.
Very little to be gleamed from that game yesterday other than it was a bunch of kids playing against a team half way through their season and they got beat 1-0. That and Nypan looks like he could be a really good player.
I think he struggles this season, the only silver lining will be the increased quality in the overall squad which will help the team produce moments to get results.
It's an identical scenario with England performances lacking the foundation for the team to win convincingly.
It's an identical scenario with England performances lacking the foundation for the team to win convincingly.
He finished 8th with negative gd.
Didn't matter in the end because he won the cup and was given a contract extension, clearly indicating we were more than satisfied with his performance.
...given the nature of the possible replacements available.
Anyway, how long has the squad been in training again? Even if Ten Hag wanted to change things around enormously, I don't know how much of that would show within about a week after training restarted.
I mean, overall, Ten Hag seems to like that rather risky approach for his midfield, and to need players of very specific profiles in the relevant positions that follow his instructions very closely to pull it off. It's a bit of tightrope act and it's fair to criticize that; but unfair to expect it to work at the start of pre-season with what's really a fairly random team.
He honestly is mid to lower table manager at best. You don't hire him to win the Prem.
Southgate had a good 2020's euros, a very bad 2024 euros (even though England reached the finals) , and a bad WC.
Not sure how anyone considers his managerial career as something amazing
The talk about E10H needs to die down. I think he was horrendous, others are happy with the glory of the 2 cups. Have a feeling he will be properly backed this transfer window and if by Xmas he doesnt have us top 4 he probably gets the boot. I hope that is not the case and i'd like us to succeed, but i seriously doubt he will get another season if Crystal Palace and Brighton get 3 and 4 goals through us
Not sure how anyone considers his managerial career as something amazing
The talk about E10H needs to die down. I think he was horrendous, others are happy with the glory of the 2 cups. Have a feeling he will be properly backed this transfer window and if by Xmas he doesnt have us top 4 he probably gets the boot. I hope that is not the case and i'd like us to succeed, but i seriously doubt he will get another season if Crystal Palace and Brighton get 3 and 4 goals through us
Nah I was joking. I just think it's funny how people expect, or wish him to change something despite the fact he sticked to this shit system for entire season. Anyway, I give him 50/50 to last until christmas, I think Ineos will jump at first chance to replace him.
This Summer was almost unprecedented with the amount of good coaches available / out of job yet we deemed ETH to be the best of them. The list won’t grow larger next year or the year after, if anything it will actually shrink because you won’t have the likes of Tuchel / De Zerbi / Flick / Pochettino out of job. We clearly rate him very highly.
I agree nothing was every likely to be concluded from a pre season friendly against Rosenborg whilst playing our third string team.
Yeah, I'm also quite surprised they stuck with Ten Hag. But then we don't know what the conversations with the other possible candidates were like, or indeed the conversation with Ten Hag himself (as bad as the season was, he's not a novice or a dummy, and will have argued his case).
Anyway, let's see how it all pans out!
After Englands dismal performances in the Euros why would any club want Southgate? OK, we made it to the finals, again, but, again, we never looked remotely like winning. Southgate is all about caution and bland, boring sideways football and he has no idea how to get the best out of his players. Employing him as manager would be a disaster.
Sounds familiar
A great idea in theory — man up against a vastly superior side and learn from the massacre — but you don’t put youngsters in that situation. They need to learn how to play together before being able to cope with a side that’s in peak form.
you don't always learn from kicking people's ass but from getting your ass kicked
Please go back to what you were doing last season. This is painful
You do not need to protect young players in pre-season games. Quite the contrary, these are the games to throw them into. You are making it sound like Erik played them in a premier league game against City or Arsenal. He did not. It was a pre-season game against mid-table Norwegian team
I desperately hope that we do not persist with the 4-1-4-1 with two attacking mids and one holder, especially during the attacking phase. It wastes Kobbie's talents to be pushed right up as an AM and leaves us so vulnerable to counters.
If we keep with the formation we had in the last few games of the season then I think we will find success, especially with better, more consistent CB pairings (hopefully)
The era of conceding 20 shots a game has to come to an end...
If we keep with the formation we had in the last few games of the season then I think we will find success, especially with better, more consistent CB pairings (hopefully)
The era of conceding 20 shots a game has to come to an end...
I see that the media have already grasped on to his latest comments as a sign of potential discord. There is a general desperation to portray United as dysfunctional, even in light of the recent sharp increase in transfer and operational competency. It’s good for clicks no doubt.
All that said, his recent comments following the loss to Rosenborg - a meaningless, fitness prep, friendly against a team half way into their season and featuring a second half of purely youth players - was unnecessarily combative. As was his reveal of “contentious talks” with the hierarchy over the future running of the club. He’s not very media savvy, and I am genuinely hoping that he just gets on with the job of delivering on the pitch, and keeps the public commentary to a minimum. We need everyone pulling in the same direction and for him to tactically evolve from the chaotic nonsense of last season’s approach.
All that said, his recent comments following the loss to Rosenborg - a meaningless, fitness prep, friendly against a team half way into their season and featuring a second half of purely youth players - was unnecessarily combative. As was his reveal of “contentious talks” with the hierarchy over the future running of the club. He’s not very media savvy, and I am genuinely hoping that he just gets on with the job of delivering on the pitch, and keeps the public commentary to a minimum. We need everyone pulling in the same direction and for him to tactically evolve from the chaotic nonsense of last season’s approach.
I highly doubt any of this is true considering the coaching staff they gave ETH and were about a month away from the start if the season.
This makes sense. The rest of you posters are on planet Zog
I hope the vibe between ETH and the new board is being worked on, ruffled feathers on both sides being smoothed, etc.
All in all, I'm actually glad that ETH stayed with United. We have changed many managers and had many good managers, but no one has been given quite enough time. One thing that worries me about ETH though is his buying of players:
- Onana: 50,2 m
- Malacia: 15 m
- Højlund: 73,9 m
- Martinez: 57,37 m
- Bayindir: 5 m
- Eriksen: free
- Sabitzer: loan
- Butland: loan
- Evans: free
- Dubravka: 2,3 m loan
- Reguilon: loan
- Mount: 64,2 m
- Weghorst: 2,96 m loan
- Amrabat: 9 m loan
- Casemiro: 70,65 m
- Antony: 95 m
- Zirkzee: 42,5 m
- Yoro: 62 m
How many of these players have been good for the team?
I can see Martinez as a good buy if he is injury free.
Højlund is also a fine talent and was our top scorer in all competitions last season, but he was expensive.
Evans has been better than expected and was free. But still not the level we are looking for.
Eriksen had a great first season until the donkey kicked him down.
Casemiro had a great first season but was very expensive.
I know we've got new people in charge of purchasing now. But it must have been ETH who appointed the players he wanted anyway.
- Onana: 50,2 m
- Malacia: 15 m
- Højlund: 73,9 m
- Martinez: 57,37 m
- Bayindir: 5 m
- Eriksen: free
- Sabitzer: loan
- Butland: loan
- Evans: free
- Dubravka: 2,3 m loan
- Reguilon: loan
- Mount: 64,2 m
- Weghorst: 2,96 m loan
- Amrabat: 9 m loan
- Casemiro: 70,65 m
- Antony: 95 m
- Zirkzee: 42,5 m
- Yoro: 62 m
How many of these players have been good for the team?
I can see Martinez as a good buy if he is injury free.
Højlund is also a fine talent and was our top scorer in all competitions last season, but he was expensive.
Evans has been better than expected and was free. But still not the level we are looking for.
Eriksen had a great first season until the donkey kicked him down.
Casemiro had a great first season but was very expensive.
I know we've got new people in charge of purchasing now. But it must have been ETH who appointed the players he wanted anyway.
From that list, Martinez has been the only genuine success.
I’m sure Hojlund and Onana will prove to be good signings and Yoro and Zirkzee hopefully. Mason Mount maybe.
He will no longer have full say regarding transfers and that has to be a good thing. We have a decent squad, they just need to be coached properly and he needs to get his ideas across better.
That’s a good thing, all due respect. The previous ‘arrangement’ didn’t seem to work in his first couple of summer windows, gotta try a new approach with new hierarchy.
Thank feck for that
What curreny are these values in? The first 6 I checked are all above what was reported.
And if you read the full interview, you'll see that Ten Hag agrees completely. He says he doesn't want all that responsibility, and wants to be able to focus fully on his head coach job (or whatever the proper title might be).
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Finally a half sensible structure.
he needs to just focus on the training pitch and getting the players ready to perform not about recruitment and new players...that's what the scouting team is there to do, find the talent and put them in front of him
Sorry, I forgot to include 'agree' in my post (added now). According to the interview, what you write here is exactly what he wants as well.
- Onana: 50,2 m 7/10 - solid keeper, right profile, big improvement on DDG and not many others avilable of hia kind.
- Malacia: 15 m 6/10 - bought as pep for Shaw, hit ground running, pushed Shaw for a while to get him up a notch. Injury noone could foresee.
- Højlund: 73,9 m 7/10 - so far. Top scorer as 20 year old. Important first defender. Potential to grow, high resale value.
- Martinez: 57,37 m 8/10 - key player, new favourite player before Mainoo. Injury unforeseeable.
- Bayindir: 5 m 7/10 - Solid back up option almost for free.
- Eriksen: free 8/10 - One of our best players first season until the torpedo. Cost nothing, reasonable wage, team player.
- Sabitzer: loan 7/10 - gapfiller who filled his role almost from day 1, at next to no cost.
- Butland: loan - was he even 3rd keeper?
- Evans: free 8/10 coat nothing, exceeded expectations, much playing time at low cost. Solid enough.
- Dubravka: 2,3 m loan 5/10 Didn’t work out, but little loss
- Reguilon: loan 7/10 necessary and cheap.
- Mount: 64,2 m 7/10 yet to play really, but good player at good age for that price.
- Weghorst: 2,96 m loan 7/10 another bargain, played huge role despite low cost and low expectations, important role in getting CL.
- Amrabat: 9 m loan 5/10 - Not really worth the money, unless you factor in the value of an FA Cup win which he was very important in, given the bench options
- Casemiro: 70,65 m 6/10 Expensive, but second best player (?) first season, very important then. Shit previous season. Still some resale value due to name.
- Antony: 95 m 4/10 Some forget, but we actually needed him much of that first season with Sancho AWL, useful then, if highly overpaid. Last season was bad. Young Brazilian cap, so still some resale value
- Zirkzee: 42,5 m too early
- Yoro: 62 m too early
Many of these are very, very generous assessments.
Mount is a 7/10 signing? Really?
- injured all season
- £60m+ with only one year on his contract
- no obvious position/role in the first XI
- lacks leadership
- can’t get in his national team
Surely at this point he’s a 4/10 at best
Why are you making up bullshit criteria in order to try to boost your argument? Who cares about leadership or the national team? Sorry, but that's silly.
I don't think you can class Mount as a 7/10 signing just yet, but labelling him a 4/10 isn't valid either.
The injuries aren't the player's fault. He was also injured all season just in the first year of his 5-year contract.
He cost £55m, not "£60m+". ETH really wanted him, and there was no guarantee that he would join us on a free 1 year later. The fee is also arguably reasonable. I don't think there are many, if any examples of a player of Mount's quality and status within the game switching clubs with 1 year left on their contract for much less than 55 million.
"No obvious position/role in the first XI"...okay, first of all, you don't know that. Secondly, you have to think about this in terms of the whole squad. There are a lot of quality players both at City and Arsenal (whose levels we are currently aspiring to reach) who don't really have a set in stone role or place in the starting XI, and yet they are very important for their sides, and get a lot of play time as well, both as a starter and off the bench.
Considering everything, you can't judge the signing yet. He barely played, but whenever he did, he was alright. It's also pointless to judge any player based on a season like last one. Not many players can perform in a dysfunctional and struggling team like 23/24 United. Some of the best players in the world currently from other teams would've looked like Championship level players in last season's side. You can basically act as if that season never happened when assessing any particular player. It's an x/10 signing, and we'll find out later what that number is.
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