5
I think one thing this shows that there really is something to defenders in their 30s. You kind of need a no fecks given approach .Redeemed himself after Everton horror.
The most resilient and hard working player in the squad and it's not even close.
He is not my favorite United player. Far from it, but it is impossible to deny how immensely important he has been for us this season, after most of us had written him off.
Love him or hate him, but gotta respect him. Grateful for this season. We needed and continue to need him a lot
I have read in many players threads how they have been important to us this season. Bruno has been very important and where would we be without him, Harry Maguire has been very important, Onana was our player of the season for the first half of the season, Ugarte and Maino had their ganes, Lisnadro Martinez was our most important player at some part of the season, and we know how good was Diallo.
Can anyone remind me why we are in 14th place with so many great performers this season?
Because being important doesn't necessarily equals being objectively good? Importance is relative to the level of the team. A standout player in your Sunday league team can be as important to it as Messi was to peak Barcelona.I have read in many players threads how they have been important to us this season. Bruno has been very important and where would we be without him, Harry Maguire has been very important, Onana was our player of the season for the first half of the season, Ugarte and Maino had their ganes, Lisnadro Martinez was our most important player at some part of the season, and we know how good was Diallo.
Can anyone remind me why we are in 14th place with so many great performers this season?
In my opinion Maguire(alongside Bruno, Licha, Amad and maybe Yoro and Maz) seem to be the few players in our team that are mentally strong enough to play for MU(I repeat mentally, as in they seem to not bow down to the pressure). But the issue with Maguire is, he's a decent PL level CB, but he's also an oaf, so he'll have matches like Everton and matches in general where he will make stupid mistakes that will cost us. Which is my biggest issue with him.
Because being important doesn't necessarily equals being objectively good? Importance is relative to the level of the team. A standout player in your Sunday league team can be as important to it as Messi was to peak Barcelona.
Because being important doesn't necessarily equals being objectively good? Importance is relative to the level of the team. A standout player in your Sunday league team can be as important to it as Messi was to peak Barcelona.
I’m talking about their importance on the pitch, as in how important are they to the team winning/drawing/losing a game. As when people say that Maguire is important they’re not talking about his marketing potential.No it can't, Messi actually won trophies for Barca, allowed them to keep existing as top team and get more spsponsors, coverage, etc. Standout player in your Sunday league team is not that important, how on earth do you make that comparision.
All of that would make sense if we are generally average team and we overperformed this season, but we are seriously underachieving with players that were supposed to be better than this, not worse. Maguire's performances from this season should be called under average, and not important, there's tons of players around the world who could play on the same level. Only way he is important is because he is actually available and fit more than others.
De Ligt is clearly a leader from our younger generation, both on and off the pitch, even though he’s still acclimatizing. It’s quite evident in games and his resume speaks for itself.Interesting, short interview on BBC with Maguire.
Was asked about leaders in the dressing room. Aside from him and Bruno, he named Evans, Heaton and Casemiro.
That’s one of the big problems we have right there. I love Evans, and so pleased for him last year, and he was probably our best defender - but 3/5ths of our leaders are completely past it, and one is the third choice keeper! Likely they will all be gone in the summer as well.
Need some players to step up.
De Ligt is clearly a leader from our younger generation, both on and off the pitch, even though he’s still acclimatizing. It’s quite evident in games and his resume speaks for itself.
Not sure about Martinez, he looks like one but he rarely gets mentioned by other players, so maybe it’s an illusion. Not that we can realistically rely on him at this point, although one can hope for his full recovery. Maybe, potentially, Ugarte? Although sometimes it’s easy to mistake combativeness for leadership…
It’s certainly an issue though.
Yeah, all of our "senior leaders" are problematic in one way or another:I don't like Bruno as a Captain, vice? yeah
Casemiro could have been, yet he needs to be stronger with Bruno and impose in certain ocasions. This leaving aside that he hasn't regain form since time, a pity becasue Case it's the type of player to actually have a solid midfield.
Harry would never mention Lisandro, dunno I just feel that Lisandro doesn't dig him as a player at all, never felt the instant connection he had with Varane for instance.
I’m talking about their importance on the pitch, as in how important are they to the team winning/drawing/losing a game. As when people say that Maguire is important they’re not talking about his marketing potential.
The second paragraph is missing my original point as, again, an average player (or even an averagely performing player) can be important. It’s not contradictory.
Because we’re not winning or drawing those rare games that we’re winning or drawing without their contribution. As was evident against Ipswich.Again, how exactly are they important to us winning games? Because we are hardly winning games?
You can say they are important to us to losing our games, because we have more posses than wins this season, and the argument would be valid. But I am sure no one praised these players with word "important" and talked about losing games.
Yeah, all of our "senior leaders" are problematic in one way or another:
I do think that the criticism of Bruno's lack of leadership is over the top but he has issues with self-control and, ideally, should be a supporting leading figure (everyone seems to adore him, he's by far the best communicator in the team, the glue that holds it together — socially — if we go by what those players say; heck, Varane, who spent here what, 3 seasons, said recently that Bruno is his best friend in the football world), not the central one.
Maguire — we've already seen it. When he's in the spotlight, he melts like a stick of butter. People commend him for the way that he got his shit together after all of that abuse but while it takes a serious mental strength to do that, it's also the same player whose self-confidence had completely disintegrated at one point, every new mistake set him back even further and that cycle went on for a couple of seasons.
Casemiro is simply not the player that you want your younger players to aspire to — not at this point of his career where he barely applies himself on the pitch and is perfectly happy just to sit on his ass collecting obscene amount of money. He just doesn't seem interested — as well as his body not being able to handle top level football anymore.
Evans and Heaton are fairly unproblematic but if you don't your leader to play you can ask Roy Keane to join the team in training.
Agree with everything you are saying. He wouldn't get in a top 4 team but given the near- relegation team we are, he has literally saved some games we would have lost without him. Including the latest one against Ipswich. Trying to be grateful for thatHas he been that important? The season is extremely shit. Maguire had good games, had some shocker games and had some average/decent games. I think that goes for most of our central defenders. Im fine with the contract extention because Maguire is hardly the main problem this season but i am looking forward to the day when Maguire isnt needed anymore.
Maguire might actually have been one of the better performing players (or atleast not underperfoming expectations) this season but that also is one of the reasons we are having such a shit season. Maguire has done well from recovering from worldwide meme status but obviously just isnt good enough for the level that Manchester United wants to be at.
Has he been that important?
