Is our squad average?

Bastian

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They're under the microscope now with no ETH to hide behind. I think we've got about half-way there in terms of squad building. We've completely ignored midfield, we don't have a left back, there is no competition up front and we've got more than enough room for serious quality in any area of the pitch. But about 7-8 players to properly build with, and maybe 2-3 more that can play a role in a squad sense.
 
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It's better than where it is on the table. As for its potential, that's very difficult to gauge but when you see squads like Newcastle and Villa finishing 4th recently, I wouldn't be surprised if under different circumstances, it can finish that high.
 
Brilliant defensive options in the squad. A 3 of Yoro, De Ligt & Martinez is something to be very excited about.

Average midfield options, but that I could imagine will do a decent job though in the right system.

The attack is a mess, Garnacho, Amad and Højlund seem at least 2 years off being able to rely on them as consistent top players. Rashford can’t find any form, Antony is in the wilderness and Zirkzee hasn’t got going.
 
We do have a LB and he is top drawer but he is injured at the moment but we have cover in that position and a highly rated teenager at the club.
We have not been good in the transfer market for a few years now but hopefully that will change now.
In Premier League terms our squad is average but our wage bill is well above average and that needs to be addressed.
 
I’d say so, we just don’t have the right profile of player in important positions of the pitch, Garnacho is great.. but he should be coming off the bench and running at tired legs, the fact that he’s first choice at this stage of his development speaks volumes.
Same with the striker situation, two players learning their craft in the premier league up front for Manchester United is madness.. but it would be fine if we also had someone experienced to get the numbers. When you then factor in that our experienced players either don’t seem to try very hard anymore, or are simply making brain dead decisions all the time, there’s nobody on the pitch you can really rely on, and other teams can smell it a mile off
 
Keeper: Average.

Backline: Get a left back and it could be quite decent.

Midfield: Poor.

Attack: Abysmal. Genuinely one of the worst in the league.
 
Shane88 said:
Keeper: Average.

Backline: Get a left back and it could be quite decent.

Midfield: Poor.

Attack: Abysmal. Genuinely one of the worst in the league.
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Oh flip off with that, Onana has been one of the best keepers in the league this year, he’s certainly not average.
 
We have, at best, the 4th best squad in the league. City have the best, then it's Arsenal and Liverpool in whatever order you prefer. I don't think anyone can argue with a straight face that we have a better squad than those three.

After that, I think it's difficult to seperate the rest of last season's top eight. All are probably good enough for 4th "on paper", while also being a step up from the likes of Brighton/Forest that find themselves in the mix early in the season.

Basically anywhere in the top eight could be a fair reflection of our squad.

Keeper is okay, defense is decent (although currently lacking a left-back), midfield is okay but lacks any depth, and our attack is essentially unrealised potential.

I honestly think the biggest difference maker between us and the others in the "chasing pack" is our attack. Chelsea have Palmer, Spurs have Son, Villa have Watkins, and Isak seems to have stepped up to the plate for Newcastle as a regular source of goals. We have no one coming close to offering that.
 
Alex99 said:
We have, at best, the 4th best squad in the league. City have the best, then it's Arsenal and Liverpool in whatever order you prefer. I don't think anyone can argue with a straight face that we have a better squad than those three.

After that, I think it's difficult to seperate the rest of last season's top eight. All are probably good enough for 4th "on paper", while also being a step up from the likes of Brighton/Forest that find themselves in the mix early in the season.

Basically anywhere in the top eight could be a fair reflection of our squad.

Keeper is okay, defense is decent (although currently lacking a left-back), midfield is okay but lacks any depth, and our attack is essentially unrealised potential.

I honestly think the biggest difference maker between us and the others in the "chasing pack" is our attack. Chelsea have Palmer, Spurs have Son, Villa have Watkins, and Isak seems to have stepped up to the plate for Newcastle as a regular source of goals. We have no one coming close to offering that.
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Nah, we’re not that good.
 
From a safe distance off (I've hardly even watched you in the last couple of years), I thought your squad looked about upper mid-card or EL-level with some talent. And I'm not really sure about the talent.

Other teams around your league are generally built much more cohesively.
 
Plant0x84 said:
Nah, we’re not that good.
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If it clicks for Garnacho or Hojlund in front of goal, I think we'll look markedly better.

We are pretty much the worst team in the league at converting chances, and have scored around half the number of goals we should have.
 
I like our options in defence if Yoro turns out to be a good signing. Onana is probably above average if we can exploit what he is actually good at. Midfield continues to need an overhaul, we are still crying out for a player who can control the tempo in there. The forward situation is dire, no proven forward to be found.
 
The forward roles at United are currently far and away our biggest issue. I'm not convinced by any one of Zirkzee, Rashford, Hojlund, Amad and Garnacho longterm futures at the club.
Every one of them has two, three fundamental aspects in their games which are lacking for top flight football.
 
No team in the league fears playing United. That would suggest the squad is a bit average imo.

It lacks that genuine world class player.

But it does have a bunch of potential.
 
Our strikers and wingers are absolute crap. No consistent quality winger and a striker who’s best contribution was winning a penalty thanks to a stupid GK decision. And that after spending 250m on new strikers and wingers.
 
It's hard to picture many of our players being regulars for any of City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villa or Spurs. Big yikes.
 
It's exactly as strong as our table position. The most expensive mediocrity in world sport.
 
GK: Above Average
CB: Excellent
LB: None
RB: Excellent
DM: 1 player...
CM: Good (lacking physicality)
AM: 1 player (others hurt)
LW: T-rashford and a Wonderkid
ST: Mediocre Prospects
RW: Mediocre Prospects

In summary if we ever get a LB, depth in our midfield and some more attacking talent upfront we might be better

PS - Also mods really? Autocorrecting t-rashford to Rashford. Even if I get banned going to die on the hill of free speech. If he complains I'd politely ask him to play better and try running more and I'll gladly praise him. Love the kid for what he's done for us, but he shouldn't be surprised at the flak when he's not performing. Not a good look for him and huge part of our cultural problem of lack of accountability
 
The biggest problem at Manchester United cannot be fixed so easily. It is the problem of mentality. There is no culture of winning.

Until this is addressed, we shall continue to fail.
 
Crostien said:
The biggest problem at Manchester United cannot be fixed so easily. It is the problem of mentality. There is no culture of winning.

Until this is addressed, we shall continue to fail.
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Did you miss the 2 cup wins in the previous 2 seasons?

Our players are better than most, but not good enough for a tilt at the title. It’s that simple.
 
Footyislife said:
GK: Above Average
CB: Excellent
LB: None
RB: Excellent
DM: 1 player...
CM: Good (lacking physicality)
AM: 1 player (others hurt)
LW: T-rashford and a Wonderkid
ST: Mediocre Prospects
RW: Mediocre Prospects

In summary if we ever get a LB, depth in our midfield and some more attacking talent upfront we might be better

PS - Also mods really? Autocorrecting t-rashford to Rashford. Even if I get banned going to die on the hill of free speech. If he complains I'd politely ask him to play better and try running more and I'll gladly praise him. Love the kid for what he's done for us, but he shouldn't be surprised at the flak when he's not performing. Not a good look for him and huge part of our cultural problem of lack of accountability
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Childish name calling = accountability?
 
I don't think this squad is that bad. I feel it is something mental with this team and it starts with the captain. Why on earth Bruno is the captain? Bruno is such a frustrating player, he is careless with the ball. Secondly, he behaviour on the pitch is bad as he always. A captain should be someone who puts in 8/10 performance weekly and able to demands every player to give their best. Then we have Rashford, another inconsistent player who is on high wages starting almost every games. Lastly, who on earth decide that Hoijund or Zirkzee can lead our attack? Neither were established strikers or clinical.
I cannot understand why ETH and Ineos didn't address these 3 glaring weakness in the squad. We deserve to be in this position as we allow our manager to have full power of decide who to buy. Erik has set us back at least 3 years for misusing the funds. I think challenging for the title by 2028 is just a dream.
 
Our attack is very average. So many teams in the league have a more dynamic and intelligent front line.

Defensively we look better.
 
It’s very average. We’ve got the basis of a young team in transition, that can be great in the future but can’t be relied upon to be consistent game in, game out right now.

Hojlund, Garnacho, Mainoo, these players could go onto be mainstays but shouldn’t be playing 90 minutes each week. Unfortunately though due to our position, they’re thrust front and centre and expected to win us games every time they step on the pitch. In an ideal world they’d be bit part players, dipping in and out when the game’s already been won by our more prominent players who are in their peak.

Then you’ve got actually average players like Dalot or Onana, who have their moments but aren’t really good enough if we’re honest, mixed in with players on the decline like Rashford, Casemiro or Bruno.

It’s a squad in a state of flux. I don’t see much team spirit, the mentality is a weak one, there’s no confidence and they go to shit every time the opposition scores a goal or looks like scoring one.

The transfer business has been too scattergun the past few years, and too many top players have been let go and not replaced. Or if they have been, it’s been with a flop. Recruitment hasn’t been good enough, plain and simple. We’re 600m down, and in a worse state than when Ole was in charge.
 
Plant0x84 said:
Childish name calling = accountability?
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No, I'll take ownership of my childish name calling.

But I'd like him to take accountability for not working hard defensively and making runs for his teammates.
 
r0663664 said:
I don't think this squad is that bad. I feel it is something mental with this team and it starts with the captain. Why on earth Bruno is the captain? Bruno is such a frustrating player, he is careless with the ball. Secondly, he behaviour on the pitch is bad as he always. A captain should be someone who puts in 8/10 performance weekly and able to demands every player to give their best. Then we have Rashford, another inconsistent player who is on high wages starting almost every games. Lastly, who on earth decide that Hoijund or Zirkzee can lead our attack? Neither were established strikers or clinical.
I cannot understand why ETH and Ineos address these 3 glaring weakness in the squad. We deserve to be in this position as we allow our manager to have full power of decide who to buy. Erik has set us back at least 3 years for misusing the funds. I think challenging for the title by 2028 is just a dream.
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It's frustrating as a fan to see a glaring weakness in the team seemingly ignored, but this was the first INEOS window, they weren't even all in post for it, and the ones that were, hadn't been for very long.

We also have to balance the funds available to spend with the cost of bringing in the players interested in a move. We might have prioritised a proven striker, for example, but quickly discovered that there were essentially no deals to be made without paying an obscene amount.
 
It’s fecking awful

Barely a midfield cobbled together from the past it (Eriksen, Casemiro) the inexperienced (Mainoo) the average (Ugarte) and the seemingly non existent (Mount), painfully mediocre attackers and no experienced CF, no left back.

We’re strong at RB and CB but that’s it. Bruno is a top talent but has barely any discipline in our or out of possession. Onana is playing well but still not 100% on him.

The mentality across about half of the squad is beyond pathetic.

Ten Hag got sacked by refusing to accept what he was working with (either through delusion or arrogance) and trying to play proactive football without having the necessary players. This saw us shit the bed repeatedly and make our mentality even more fragile.

It will be interesting to see how Amorim approaches working with this squad. I’m hoping just by having greater numbers at the back and having a leaner attacking line it may naturally improve us.
 
It's not a Champions League level squad - that's surely pretty clear to even a casual observer at this point. There's no goals, no creativity aside from Bruno and very little quality in midfield. That being said, I think it is good enough for a top half finish in the Premier League, and we've fallen even below that standard for most of this calendar year.

If Ineos want to get back to being at least quarter final regulars in the Champions League and challenging for Premier League titles, they're looking at a three-year rebuild and major expenditure - I'm not sure that either the cash or the patience is really there, but we'll see.
 
r0663664 said:
I don't think this squad is that bad. I feel it is something mental with this team and it starts with the captain. Why on earth Bruno is the captain? Bruno is such a frustrating player, he is careless with the ball. Secondly, he behaviour on the pitch is bad as he always. A captain should be someone who puts in 8/10 performance weekly and able to demands every player to give their best. Then we have Rashford, another inconsistent player who is on high wages starting almost every games. Lastly, who on earth decide that Hoijund or Zirkzee can lead our attack? Neither were established strikers or clinical.
I cannot understand why ETH and Ineos didn't address these 3 glaring weakness in the squad. We deserve to be in this position as we allow our manager to have full power of decide who to buy. Erik has set us back at least 3 years for misusing the funds. I think challenging for the title by 2028 is just a dream.
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I have mirrored these comments on Fernandes more than once. Not fit for purpose.
As to ETH, his biggest mistake was not figuring out he was no longer in the Netherlands. Thinking that a lessor league player who is decent in the Netherlands is going to be a star in the EPL was just wrong.
Now everything needs to change yet again with another Manager taking us back to square 1. Will want to bring a bunch of players in who he is familiar with and hope to compete in the hardest footie league in the world. I hate the saying but "Rinse and Repeat" is all I can think.
 
Keeper: better than average

Defense: slightly above average

Midfield: individually above average, as a unit very much below average

Attack: below average


That being said, I think it is very difficult to judge a squad without taking the system into account. Just remember that Dortmund team that played the CL final - most of the players that left never looked as good anywhere else - they played a system that made them look so much better. I think, right now the opposite applies to us. The system we attempted to play wasn't a good fit for some of the players and the execution was more than problematic so it made everybody look like fools very often.

I think, as fans some of our players are way overrated by our fans... Keep reading about Shaw and how good he is, can't help it but thats so wrong to me... Last really good game for us is ages ago. I think, most of our players are decent, definitely average. On an individual level there are quite a few of them who are safely above. But not as much as their fans might think.
 
Top 6 level.

Back 4 is excellent IMO. Especially once Shaw comes back, good enough to rival any in the league.

Midfield is meh. Ugarte too soon to judge, Mainoo star potential. Bruno a very good player. Casemiro and Eriksen can be useful but need minutes managed. Mount always injured.

Attack is woeful. Amad and Garnacho have excellent potential, Hojlund I'm much lower on now and is an average prem striker at best, Zirkzee is just a random squad player, Rashford is what he is at this point (but despite everything our only hope for a competent team if he improves).

Overall, needs a lot of coaching and we need to lean on Amad, Garnacho and Mainoo for the midfield/attack to develop them.
 
We've played 5 games against the current top 10 and we've gained 2 points. As it stands we're lucky if we get a top half finish.
 
Goalkeeper: Pretty good - at least based on this seasons performances.
Centerbacks: Very good, in my opinion. I'm mostly impressed with De Ligt, I still like Martinez, Yoro seems like a good prospect, and the back-up options are decent.
Fullbacks: Mixed bag. Dalot and Mazraoui are good when played on the right, but largely ineffective on the left. Shaw back would be massive, but who knows for how long it will last.
Central midfielders: Not good enough. Too many weaknesses in the individual players. Ugarte and Casemiro are sloppy passers, Eriksen has no physicality to him, and Mainoo is still raw in some ways.
Attacking midfield: This is mostly just Bruno, and he is above average, but not the game changer we need him to be. Too wasteful with the ball.
Forwards: Average at best. There is potential in Garnacho, Højlund, and Amad but they are simply not there yet. Rashford is still inconsistent and Antony is awful.

So summing up, I think you could call it an average squad in the context of the Premier League. Maybe slightly above average. Feels like we need to try and keep it tight at the back and grind out some narrow wins to really move up the table.
 
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