And what of Sancho's incredible performances ?
I don’t think it is. It’s not about the apology per se but whether Sancho is committed enough to the project to take a hard look at himself and accept responsibility for the situation. If he won’t, he sure as hell won’t take responsibility on the pitch (which he basically confirms every time he plays).
Sancho was pretty good in pre-season tbf and never really got his chance to show he could deliver once the actual season began. I agree that his performances for the most part have been very poor though. Still, so have Antony's and many other players. It's good that Antony presses, but that alone doesn't justify starting repeatedly. You need to deliver end product too. You could get loads of cheap crap players who run if that was enough. Dan James would still be a starter with this mindset. Sancho did still outscore Antony last season while also producing more chances and assists in less minutes despite being poor himself.
There's absolutely no denying that Antony has gotten a longer leash and been allowed more poor performances than Sancho (and several others). That's why this situation is a bit more complex than it's being portrayed by some; in accusing ten Hag of favouritism, Sancho absolutely has a point.
Not saying Sancho hasn't been wrong in this also. Obviously he should be turning up for training on time (the rest of what he does in his spare time I don't care, plenty of Utd legends went out partying all the time, so I don't see why playing computer games is worse).
Sure, but at the same time... what can they actually do? They should support the player and help them through it of course while they're employed by you. As we did last season for whatever happened. But it doesn't mean you get a free pass at showing up late or playing like shit or training like shit. The bar for professionalism doesn't change if someone has mental health issues. They still need to keep up the same level as others if they want to play the same as others. How they are handled outside the pitch is a different matter.
I was just counting the PL because it's easier to track mins (and Antony played for Ajax last season which makes it harder to use fbref). In the PL, Sancho got 6 goals and 3 assists, with an expected goal involvement of 0.45 per 90, while Antony got 4 goals and 2 assists with an expected goal involvement of 0.40 per 90. I can see that for all competitions, even including Antony's Ajax games, Sancho still has a higher expected goal involvement per 90.
I'm a bit wary of this argument. Why wouldn't the manager have favourites? Hes going to rate some players more than others.
I still stand by what I said when ETH first made those comments in the press conference, don't say that shit in public. It doesn't help things and it caused this circus. Keep the criticism behind closed doors. It's not like we had a strong bench that game, it was clearly done to send a message. Sancho undoubtedly made his social media post in response to all the angry messages and abuse he was getting on social media following ETH's comments. Wrong thing to do, but in the moment, I get why he did it, especially when he feels like he isn't being treated the same way others are (whether that's reality or not).
We don't know how good these players' levels are in training. Maybe Antony's great in training. He also might not be. He certainly hasn't been good when he's played for the most part. ETH ultimately insisted on this signing being made, and it cost the club massive money. He has other motives to play Antony than just performances and effort. In many ways, it reflects badly on him to waste so much money on a player that then isn't good enough to play. Sancho in comparison wasn't signed by him, so isn't a reflection on ETH if he doesn't play.
Him having mental health issues wouldn’t mean he’s not in the wrong. You can have bad mental health and still be in the wrong about stuff.
Ya, work rate is still important for sure. Don't think either option has offered enough really to be a starter for Utd. I do think Antony's been given too much game time considering his performances though. If anything, I'd like to see Mount there instead of the cm role he was bought for. I could see him working much better on the right. Pellistri hasn't been given as many chances to prove himself as he should imo, and I'd say the same for Garnacho this season. So even if we ignore Sancho, these are other players that similarly haven't been given the same chances as Antony. I suspect it will be a similar situation with Diallo when he's back fit also.
Ten Hag - "Do better in training."
Let the guy who is paid more call the shots then. Player wins almost every time.
He hasn't done anything for the club, not one thing. If Sancho is classed as having done something for the club then our standards have dropped off a cliff. Scoring 6 goals last season isn't anything to rave about when you come with the reputation he has. His contribution to the club or lack of has been embarrassing.
He was bang average in pre season. The problem with people is Sancho does a couple nice touches in a game and start acting as if he's become Wayne Rooney in his prime. I can count Sancho's good games for us that he's started in on one hand.
