Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

[Licha-Vidic]

If we get Hojlund and anymore players then he's practically matched Peps £500m spend in his first two years, which is often referred to on here. Pressure is on to deliver a title challenge this season and possibly a trophy or two.

Absolutely. The pressure will be high. But has the transfer fee to date + Hojlund around £500m? I don't think so. Around £400m is correct. Still a stunning amount.
Around £215m last summer, add around £160m ( with Hojlund included)

 

[Tarrou]

Just me or the standard of questions have improved? Genuinely things I'd like to know.

he's raising standards across the board

 

[Irwin99]

What do you see changing in that team in a year? A new RB maybe, but AWB has been performing very well. He's signed a CB, inherited Varane, signed a LB. Signed 2 CMs on top of Bruno, who previously was pushing KDB in terms of numbers. Then he signed Antony, maybe Hojlund and inherited Rashford. I don't see right now what he'd change since he's basically assembled this squad.

A new right back definitely!!! I think Dalot and AWB both did very well at various times last season but were nothing on Shaw's performances and consistency at left back. They just aren't at that elite level. Can Varane stay injury free and was missing out on Kim min-jae a mistake? Can either Antony or Sancho step up? (i'm optimistic Antony can), DM back up? Is there enough goals up front even with Hojlund? Again i don't feel i'm being negative, I just don't quite see it all coming together as quickly as this season.

This year is about getting closer and seeing how far we can get. I really don't expect a title challenge with this team just yet. Getting to 80 or so points, a decent champions league run and maybe a domestic cup would be great.

 

[horsechoker]

Is this new?

 

[Rapsel]

I'm not emotional...

 

[Kag]

This logic is simply absurd imo. Pep inherited one of the best squads in Europe. Also a well run club from top to bottom.

What did ETH get? A big fecking mess. A disaster. Do you remember how it was the season before?

Indeed. Ten Hag inherited a squad with three central midfielders: Fred, McTominay and Bruno. Count Van de Beek too, if you want.

His first team attacking options were Martial, Rashford, Sancho and Elanga. Literally, that was it.

It speaks volumes that only four of the existing 20+ players inherited at the club are likely to get a game in the first team in the coming season. Five if you count one of Dalot and Wan-Bissaka, who, let’s be honest, need upgrading in the near future.

The squad Ten Hag inherited was horrendous. Barely top ten level. So far we’ve added seven full-time players to the squad and we still need at least another three or four to address some of the holes that still exist (Rangnick was right about this ultimately). I haven’t even addressed the issues around standards or mentality yet either.

The Pep comparison is preposterous. Totally different contexts and challenges.

 

[nickm]

Indeed. Ten Hag inherited a squad with three central midfielders: Fred, McTominay and Bruno. Count Van de Beek too, if you want.

His first team attacking options were Martial, Rashford, Sancho and Elanga. Literally, that was it.

It speaks volumes that only four of the existing 20+ players inherited at the club are likely to get a game in the first team in the coming season. Five if you count one of Dalot and Wan-Bissaka, who, let’s be honest, need upgrading in the near future.

The squad Ten Hag inherited was horrendous. Barely top ten level. So far we’ve added seven full-time players to the squad and we still need at least another three or four to address some of the holes that still exist (Rangnick was right about this ultimately). I haven’t even addressed the issues around standards or mentality yet either.

The Pep comparison is preposterous. Totally different contexts and challenges.

Absolute bloody miracle we finished top 3 when you think about it. We were incredibly lucky our signings all worked so well, so quickly, quibbles about Antony aside.

 

[Kag]

Absolute bloody miracle we finished top 3 when you think about it. We were incredibly lucky our signings all worked so well, so quickly, quibbles about Antony aside.

It is. This squad was absolutely miles off. I actually forgot to mention Ronaldo in my analysis: a player who decided he no longer wanted to be here and actively sought to bring down the manager in the process of leaving.

I said this time last year that Ten Hag was a poor sod who didn’t stand a chance. Not because I didn’t rate him (I knew very little about him in truth), but because the squad was an absolute car crash and the executives appeared to be idiots. On the whole, I think we’ve done some decent business and brought in some good eggs. Ten Hag has then had to manage the Ronaldo situation, manage De Gea before firing him out of a cannon, and then subtly deal with Maguire, who has lots of good pals in the press.

Honestly, I think he’s bloody sensational.

 

[nickm]

It is. This squad was absolutely miles off. I actually forgot to mention Ronaldo in my analysis: a player who decided he no longer wanted to be here and actively sought to bring down the manager in the process of leaving.

I said this time last year that Ten Hag was a poor sod who didn’t stand a chance. Not because I didn’t rate him (I knew very little about him in truth), but because the squad was an absolute car crash and the executives appeared to be idiots. On the whole, I think we’ve done some decent business and brought in some good eggs. Ten Hag has then had to manage the Ronaldo situation, manage De Gea before firing him out of a cannon, and then subtly deal with Maguire, who has lots of good pals in the press.

Honestly, I think he’s bloody sensational.

Our fans all want superstar signings to push for the title, I think ETHs priority is consistency and reliability so we don't repeat last season again. Hence Mount.

 

[UpWithRivers]

The squad Ten Hag inherited was horrendous. Barely top ten level. So far we’ve added seven full-time players to the squad and we still need at least another three or four to address some of the holes that still exist (Rangnick was right about this ultimately). I haven’t even addressed the issues around standards or mentality yet either.

The Pep comparison is preposterous. Totally different contexts and challenges.

Oh come off it. This was a team that came second and added Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane. We had a write off year where everything went tits up but barely top 10 is nonsense. Attitude wise maybe but not quality wise. We had the worst season we ever had, the worst manager apparently, players downing tools etc we still came 6th

 

[Dolf]

I said this time last year that Ten Hag was a poor sod who didn’t stand a chance.

(I knew very little about him in truth),

Redcafe in a nutshell

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Oh come off it. This was a team that came second and added Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane. We had a write off year where everything went tits up but barely top 10 is nonsense. Attitude wise maybe but not quality wise. We had the worst season we ever had, the worst manager apparently, players downing tools etc we still came 6th

Horses for courses. If anything, the half a billion Solskjaer spent to affect very few changes to Mou's counter-attacking tactics only to get us, after 2 and a half years, to the sorry state Maureen had left us, looks a far worse investment in comparison. Even with the concessions ETH was forced to make in terms of style, we're still looking at a side that had to change 2/3 of its attacking line (with the new forward coming in), 2/3 of its midfield and 2/5 of its entire backline with a new right-back still being in the cards for the near future. This tells you all you need to know about what was going on at United in the six seasons before ETH's arrival. And some of them are lucky. Pep, with all the gravitas he possesses, would have probably asked for a new squad, not just a brand new first team. ETH, to his credit, is trying to salvage whatever he can. Klopp and Liverpool can claim that they've had a couple of seasons "where everything went tits up" because said seasons usually come after chasing (and sometimes winning) every major trophy that is available.

 

[Kag]

Redcafe in a nutshell

Are you this thick in real life?

 

[cyberman]

Oh come off it. This was a team that came second and added Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane. We had a write off year where everything went tits up but barely top 10 is nonsense. Attitude wise maybe but not quality wise. We had the worst season we ever had, the worst manager apparently, players downing tools etc we still came 6th

To be fair you might want to go back and look at the squad he actually had when he took over. We lost so many on frees alongside Greenwood that it was barely a squad at all.

 

[Kag]

Oh come off it. This was a team that came second and added Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane. We had a write off year where everything went tits up but barely top 10 is nonsense. Attitude wise maybe but not quality wise. We had the worst season we ever had, the worst manager apparently, players downing tools etc we still came 6th

De Gea, Henderson, Heaton

Dalot, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly, Shaw, Telles

McTominay, Fred, Van de Beek, Bruno

Sancho, Rashford, Elanga, Martial, Ronaldo

This is the first team squad that Ten Hag inherited. Without additions, I think it fluctuates between seventh and tenth.

Referencing the squad that came second is delusional. That squad also included the likes of Pogba, Greenwood, Matic and Cavani.

 

[RedOrange]

Horses for courses. If anything, the half a billion Solskjaer spent to affect very few changes to Mou's counter-attacking tactics only to get us, after 2 and a half years, to the sorry state Maureen had left us, looks a far worse investment in comparison. Even with the concessions ETH was forced to make in terms of style, we're still looking at a side that had to change 2/3 of its attacking line (with the new forward coming in), 2/3 of its midfield and 2/5 of its entire backline with a new right-back still being in the cards for the near future. This tells you all you need to know about what was going on at United in the six seasons before ETH's arrival. And some of them are lucky. Pep, with all the gravitas he possesses, would have probably asked for a new squad, not just a brand new first team. ETH, to his credit, is trying to salvage whatever he can. Klopp and Liverpool can claim that they've had a couple of seasons "where everything went tits up" because said seasons usually come after chasing (and sometimes winning) every major trophy that is available.

Worth noting that City also hired Txiki Begiristain as their director of football in 2012, so Guardiola had 4 years of groundwork laid out for him when he arrived at City. City also had some really staggering transfer dealings when Guardiola got there.

First Season:
CB John Stones €55.60m
RW Leroy Sané €52.00m
ST Gabriel Jesus €32.00m
AM Ilkay Gündogan €27.00m
GK Claudio Bravo €18.00m
LW Nolito €18.00m

Second Season
CB Aymeric Laporte €65.00m
LB Benjamin Mendy €57.50m
RB Kyle Walker €52.70m
AM Bernardo Silva €50.00m
GK Ederson €40.00m
CB Danilo €30.00m

Plus the squad already had Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Fernando, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero. The only real existing problem with the squad when Pep arrived was that their world class fullbacks were starting to get a bit old, despite still being very good.

It's also important to keep in mind that these transfers were all 6-7 years ago, before everything went even more crazy after PSG bought Neymar for 220 million euros. Guardiola got to do whatever he wanted with the squad, no questions asked. Bought a player who isn't good enough? We'll buy a replacement next year. Goalie doesn't fit your scheme? We'll feck him off immediately, wages and standing at the club be damned. Guardiola is operating on another plane of existence. His situation isn't comparable to that of ETH at all, and Klopp is still a huge stretch at best.

 

[UpWithRivers]

Horses for courses. If anything, the half a billion Solskjaer spent to affect very few changes to Mou's counter-attacking tactics only to get us, after 2 and a half years, to the sorry state Maureen had left us, looks a far worse investment in comparison. Even with the concessions ETH was forced to make in terms of style, we're still looking at a side that had to change 2/3 of its attacking line (with the new forward coming in), 2/3 of its midfield and 2/5 of its entire backline with a new right-back still being in the cards for the near future. This tells you all you need to know about what was going on at United in the six seasons before ETH's arrival. And some of them are lucky. Pep, with all the gravitas he possesses, would have probably asked for a new squad, not just a brand new first team. ETH, to his credit, is trying to salvage whatever he can. Klopp and Liverpool can claim that they've had a couple of seasons "where everything went tits up" because said seasons usually come after chasing (and sometimes winning) every major trophy that is available.

To be fair you might want to go back and look at the squad he actually had when he took over. We lost so many on frees alongside Greenwood that it was barely a squad at all.

De Gea, Henderson, Heaton

Dalot, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly, Shaw, Telles

McTominay, Fred, Van de Beek, Bruno

Sancho, Rashford, Elanga, Martial, Ronaldo

This is the first team squad that Ten Hag inherited. Without additions, I think it fluctuates between seventh and tenth.

Referencing the squad that came second is delusional. That squad also included the likes of Pogba, Greenwood, Matic and Cavani.

You keep moving the goalposts. You add people leaving but wont add incoming for example. You say we lost Pogba but many lauded that as a positive because of his attitude and erratic performances. Its a hard thing to judge so I think I'll suggest this - lets say Ten Haag took over a year earlier and we didn't have all the down tools, worst manager ever half way through the season etc and all the othe teams were the same as they were that year. Would the team have come sixth? I doubt it. I would say 4th at least. Thats the team he inherited. Everything after - players leaving, incoming etc is after. He inherited a good team. Maybe not suited to his style and definately miles off Liverpool, Man City etc but definately not a team thats 10th and on the same level or worse as Tottenham, West Ham etc,.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Horses for courses. If anything, the half a billion Solskjaer spent to affect very few changes to Mou's counter-attacking tactics only to get us, after 2 and a half years, to the sorry state Maureen had left us, looks a far worse investment in comparison. Even with the concessions ETH was forced to make in terms of style, we're still looking at a side that had to change 2/3 of its attacking line (with the new forward coming in), 2/3 of its midfield and 2/5 of its entire backline with a new right-back still being in the cards for the near future. This tells you all you need to know about what was going on at United in the six seasons before ETH's arrival. And some of them are lucky. Pep, with all the gravitas he possesses, would have probably asked for a new squad, not just a brand new first team. ETH, to his credit, is trying to salvage whatever he can. Klopp and Liverpool can claim that they've had a couple of seasons "where everything went tits up" because said seasons usually come after chasing (and sometimes winning) every major trophy that is available.

Yeah I think for clarity when people say Utd's squad was poor, that's not to say it shouldn't still be achieving or challenging top 4. It's to say it's poor and ill equipped to challenge for titles and long term goals.

In another timeline, a different manager could have possibly come in and set us up to achieve results through transitional play, counter attacking and defensive resilience (sort of like how we were last year) and extracted a lot from the squad but ultimately it was never going to stick. Style of play and long term sustainability go almost hand in hand with success, hence why it ended badly for Mourinho and Ole. The squad left behind had plenty of talent and potential but a lot of it was under utilised and under developed. ETH's biggest task is not achieving top 4, it's several levels above that by creating a dynasty. That's the difference.

 

[Kag]

You keep moving the goalposts. You add people leaving but wont add incoming for example. You say we lost Pogba but many lauded that as a positive because of his attitude and erratic performances. Its a hard thing to judge so I think I'll suggest this - lets say Ten Haag took over a year earlier and we didn't have all the down tools, worst manager ever half way through the season etc and all the othe teams were the same as they were that year. Would the team have come sixth? I doubt it. I would say 4th at least. Thats the team he inherited. Everything after - players leaving, incoming etc is after. He inherited a good team. Maybe not suited to his style and definately miles off Liverpool, Man City etc but definately not a team thats 10th and on the same level or worse as Tottenham, West Ham etc,.

Moving the goalposts my arse. To make everything more comprehensible then we’re better off working on the basis that you clearly don’t have a clue what ‘inherited’ means.

Ten Hag did not inherit the team in August 2022 that included the likes of Pogba.

He didn’t inherit a good team. He inherited an absolutely shite one; one that required at least ten players to bring it anywhere close to being competitive.

 

[Howl]

Oh come off it. This was a team that came second and added Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane. We had a write off year where everything went tits up but barely top 10 is nonsense. Attitude wise maybe but not quality wise. We had the worst season we ever had, the worst manager apparently, players downing tools etc we still came 6th

I'd leave this name off the list. Whilst he scored goals the negative impact on and off the pitch for the team means he was dreadful for us.

 

[mav_9me]

If we get Hojlund and anymore players then he's practically matched Peps £500m spend in his first two years, which is often referred to on here. Pressure is on to deliver a title challenge this season and possibly a trophy or two.

This is such a disingenuous argument that it makes me think you are actually not a United fan or for some reason have it in for ETH. Note I am not questioning your fandom for raising expectations for ETH. I am questioning it on the disingenuous basis of your argument.

Not only has he not spent 500m£, 400m£ is the amount (including Højlund) which is just such a fundamentally disingenuous start.

To add to that the inflation in transfer fees, where a midfielders are now being bought for 100m£...but you ignore that

And then the starting point of the squads which has been pointed out by numerous people already.

I can't believe a United fan can draw that comparison in good faith

 

[Witchking]

This is such a disingenuous argument that it makes me think you are actually not a United fan or for some reason have it in for ETH. Note I am not questioning your fandom for raising expectations for ETH. I am questioning it on the disingenuous basis of your argument.

Not only has he not spent 500m£, 400m£ is the amount (including Højlund) which is just such a fundamentally disingenuous start.

To add to that the inflation in transfer fees, where a midfielders are now being bought for 100m£...but you ignore that

And then the starting point of the squads which has been pointed out by numerous people already.

I can't believe a United fan can draw that comparison in good faith

Agreed. The way the point was put across, he is just waiting for the transfers to fail before coming in here to say I told you so!

 

[dubplate warrior]

He didn't exactly start out with De Bruyne, Silva and Aguero though did he?

Add Kompany to that.

 

[dubplate warrior]

That's because you've got Dalot starting over Wan-Bissaka.

They're both remarkably average for a team that wants to win trophies.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Worth noting that City also hired Txiki Begiristain as their director of football in 2012, so Guardiola had 4 years of groundwork laid out for him when he arrived at City. City also had some really staggering transfer dealings when Guardiola got there.

First Season:
CB John Stones €55.60m
RW Leroy Sané €52.00m
ST Gabriel Jesus €32.00m
AM Ilkay Gündogan €27.00m
GK Claudio Bravo €18.00m
LW Nolito €18.00m

Second Season
CB Aymeric Laporte €65.00m
LB Benjamin Mendy €57.50m
RB Kyle Walker €52.70m
AM Bernardo Silva €50.00m
GK Ederson €40.00m
CB Danilo €30.00m

Plus the squad already had Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Fernando, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero. The only real existing problem with the squad when Pep arrived was that their world class fullbacks were starting to get a bit old, despite still being very good.

It's also important to keep in mind that these transfers were all 6-7 years ago, before everything went even more crazy after PSG bought Neymar for 220 million euros. Guardiola got to do whatever he wanted with the squad, no questions asked. Bought a player who isn't good enough? We'll buy a replacement next year. Goalie doesn't fit your scheme? We'll feck him off immediately, wages and standing at the club be damned. Guardiola is operating on another plane of existence. His situation isn't comparable to that of ETH at all, and Klopp is still a huge stretch at best.

That's a very nice summary and i agree with it. The value of Begiristain's work lies in City targeting players whose core profiles fit the demands of modern football. This way, Pep was allowed the freedom to work on the details of his plan and make the necessary tweaks for it to be successful in the English game from day one. City's unlimited funds eliminated any possibility of a bad judgement affecting them either in the short or the long term.

Klopp is an interesting case because, when Liverpool get going, he really has a Fergie-like ability to squeeze every ounce of quality from the players he has at his disposal. You look at their line-up in the 2018 CL final - the one with Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum in the midfield and Lovren, Karius at the back - and you rub your eyes. It can make a case for those who suggest that, if you spend the big bucks, you should deliver the goods sooner rather than later. The key here, and something that Klopp often mentions in his pressers, is that Liverpool set up the whole club in a way that the manager is allowed to focus on training and implementing tactics. Klopp set the frame and there are several pros who try, with Klopp at the helm, to create the final picture. It's in such an environment that the manager can say "i can use a player like Firmino who's a weird mix between a false #9 and a false #10 because he does most of the other things i want from an attacking player well, but i need goals from the wide areas", and the rest of the staff can pick Salah and Mane for about 70 million pounds combined. And let's not forget, they also got lucky twice in a position that has become quite important in the modern game. They got Robertson and TAA for basically nothing.

You simply can't compare this to the mess ETH walked into. Imagine being a manager who values building from the back, a high-line and aggressive man-to-man oriented pressing. You come to a club that spends close to 1.5 million p/w on wages for Ronaldo, Sancho, Maguire, De Gea and Martial. You have the Glazers as owners and, after the briefing with the United executives, you get on the plane for your first pre-season tour, referring to Fred as the player who will connect the lines and Martial as the player who can be trusted to lead the line. Everybody at United should thank their good fortunes he's a pragmatist. Otherwise, we were in for a very tough season.

You keep moving the goalposts. You add people leaving but wont add incoming for example. You say we lost Pogba but many lauded that as a positive because of his attitude and erratic performances. Its a hard thing to judge so I think I'll suggest this - lets say Ten Haag took over a year earlier and we didn't have all the down tools, worst manager ever half way through the season etc and all the othe teams were the same as they were that year. Would the team have come sixth? I doubt it. I would say 4th at least. Thats the team he inherited. Everything after - players leaving, incoming etc is after. He inherited a good team. Maybe not suited to his style and definately miles off Liverpool, Man City etc but definately not a team thats 10th and on the same level or worse as Tottenham, West Ham etc,.

It doesn't matter where the team had finished, if it wasn't fit for purpose. It could have finished 2nd in consecutive seasons and it still would not have made a difference. He would still need to do the changes he's doing now in order to implement his style. You can shrug your shoulders at his 3rd place + 2 Cup Finals, thinking that Mourinho's or Solskjaer's side produced the same results (or slightly better), but it's still a fresh beginning under a new approach. The hope is that, by the end of his (first) cycle, United will find themselves in the high 80s/ mid 90s in terms of points. Something that all the previous regimes failed to deliver. Especially the last two ones, which favoured a counter-attacking style and built the team accordingly. Thus, the change of direction.

 

[Remember the geese]

Add Kompany to that.

True enough. Incomparable squads, with the added disadvantage of inflation.

 

[Red in STL]

They're both remarkably average for a team that wants to win trophies.

We won a quarter of the trophies we could have won with them in the team and we were finalists in another

 

[dubplate warrior]

We won a quarter of the trophies we could have won with them in the team and we were finalists in another

It's been a long day for me so my brain isn't working great but you're agreeing with me right? The more good players you sign, the more the average one's tend to stick out.

I'd love to see a fast, attacking and technically proficient right back, preferably who can beat a man.

 

[Red in STL]

It's been a long day for me so my brain isn't working great but you're agreeing with me right? The more good players you sign, the more the average one's tend to stick out.

I'd love to see a fast, attacking and technically proficient right back, preferably who can beat a man.

No I'm not agreeing with you, we won 1 of the 4 available trophies and reached the final of another with these 2 players, or does the EFL cup not count as a trophy?

 

[dubplate warrior]

No I'm not agreeing with you, we won 1 of the 4 available trophies and reached the final of another with these 2 players, or does the EFL cup not count as a trophy?

So in the last few years we've been runners up several times and won a Carabao cup. Sounds like you don't watch other teams play football mate, they can be upgraded.

If you want to win a league and compete in Europe, you need better players.

 

[Red in STL]

So in the last few years we've been runners up several times and won a Carabao cup. Sounds like you don't watch other teams play football mate, they can be upgraded.

,
Every player in our team could be upgraded, doesn't mean we could or should though, RB is not a priority position to improve, we could have the best RB in the world but without a striker it won't ,make a blind bit of difference

 

[Revan]

Indeed. Ten Hag inherited a squad with three central midfielders: Fred, McTominay and Bruno. Count Van de Beek too, if you want.

His first team attacking options were Martial, Rashford, Sancho and Elanga. Literally, that was it.

It speaks volumes that only four of the existing 20+ players inherited at the club are likely to get a game in the first team in the coming season. Five if you count one of Dalot and Wan-Bissaka, who, let’s be honest, need upgrading in the near future.

The squad Ten Hag inherited was horrendous. Barely top ten level. So far we’ve added seven full-time players to the squad and we still need at least another three or four to address some of the holes that still exist (Rangnick was right about this ultimately). I haven’t even addressed the issues around standards or mentality yet either.

The Pep comparison is preposterous. Totally different contexts and challenges.

Some good points in this post, but also a load of exaggeration.

‘Barely top 10 squad’ - checks the table in 2021-2022 season when we were managed by Ole and Rangnick, we finished in the sixth position. And we finished 2nd the season after that.

 

[Kag]

Some good points in this post, but also a load of exaggeration.

‘Barely top 10 squad’ - checks the table in 2021-2022 season when we were managed by Ole and Rangnick, we finished in the sixth position. And we finished 2nd the season after that.

See above. I outline the inherited squad and make the case for that existing set of players finishing between seventh and tenth. I stand by that.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

If we get Hojlund and anymore players then he's practically matched Peps £500m spend in his first two years, which is often referred to on here. Pressure is on to deliver a title challenge this season and possibly a trophy or two.

Incomparable.

Pep got handed the best squad woth the biggest budget on a silver platter.

Erik got handed a shit sandwich.

 

[JPRouve]

Incomparable.

Pep got handed the best squad woth the biggest budget on a silver platter.

Erik got handed a shit sandwich.

Pep wasn't ended the best squad. He was ended a squad that had cooked Hart, Sagna and Clichy as undisputed starters. But he was at the head of a club willing to spend and cheat like nobody's business.

 

[dubplate warrior]

,
Every player in our team could be upgraded, doesn't mean we could or should though, RB is not a priority position to improve, we could have the best RB in the world but without a striker it won't ,make a blind bit of difference

For the record, didn't pretty reliable sources link us with Frimpong from Leverkusen? He fits exactly the profile I mentioned earlier about a pacy, skillful and attacking winger who can stretch teams.

We don't have the money to upgrade what is a weak link in our team. It is still an issue.

 

[Red in STL]

For the record, didn't pretty reliable sources link us with Frimpong from Leverkusen? He fits exactly the profile I mentioned earlier about a pacy, skillful and attacking winger who can stretch teams.

We don't have the money to upgrade what is a weak link in our team. It is still an issue.

I thought AWB and Dalot were RB's, as for sources, I take those with a pinch of salt, even with so called reliable ones United would have serious links to about 500 players according to them

 

[Revan]

See above. I outline the inherited squad and make the case for that existing set of players finishing between seventh and tenth. I stand by that.

But that inherited set of players had just finished sixth managed by two dogshit managers. So the case for them finishing between seventh and tenth is a bit unfounded.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

Pep wasn't ended the best squad. He was ended a squad that cooked Hart, Sagna and Clichy as undisputed starters. But he was at the head of a club willing to spend and cheat like nobody's business.

Totally agree he had unlimited dodgy funds to use.

That squad had won the league 2 years before Pep joined. He inherited De Bruyne, Kompany, Aguero, Yaya Toure, Sterling, Gundogan, David Silva... which squad was better at the time?

 

[ForlansHair]

See above. I outline the inherited squad and make the case for that existing set of players finishing between seventh and tenth. I stand by that.

Yeh, not sure why some people are even debating this. We were easily beaten by teams that eventually finished 6th and 9th in the first two games of last season too, the squad was a mess.

De Gea will struggle to find a club, Henderson and Elanga are wanted by the team that finished 16th, Heaton by a newly promoted team. Ronaldo and Telles have gone to Saudi, Bailly will probably follow. Fred is wanted by the team that finished 10th while we will struggle to give Van de Beek, Martial and Sancho away let alone sell them. That was the level of our team, it was shocking and ETH performed a miracle last year. Still has some way to go and it will take at least a season more to completely reshape the squad given the contracts some of our players are on but a brilliant first 12 and a bit months.