Is our squad average?

[Banana Republic]

More important than whether we’re average or not, is the squad imbalance in individual players strengths and weaknesses.

Too many of our midfield and attacking players lack the necessary physicality and physical aggressiveness to be effective in this PL.
They can’t tackle, get bumped off the ball or robbed easily, lose nearly all the physical tussles, can’t press with any intent or conviction and a few of them appear to be allergic to initiating any physical contact.

The result see’s us regularly putting out a team that’s imbalanced with too many lightweight players.
It makes it easy for opponents to quickly move up the pitch, cutting through our lines with ease and brushing off most of the half assed attempts to stop them.
Rudd putting out two more capable CM’s in the last couple of games has improved matters in the centre, but one of those two is on the decline and needs replacing at the earliest opportunity.
Bruno, Eriksen and all the attackers/ front players are as weak as p*ss.


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[Oscar Bonavena]

Our GK is OK. Not world class but ok. His goalkeeping has been mostly good this season but his distribution hasn't been great (which is meant to be his strong point). Plus with his technique there are gonna be a few rickets before the season is over which I think we'll just have to live with.

Defensively we're not too bad, even allowing for not having any fit left backs. We can just about make do.

Our midfield is just OK but I don't think it's athletic or mobile enough, even with Ugarte. I'm interested to see what Amorim can do with it, or if he has use for a fit (if it's even possible) Mason Mount.

Our forward line is a disgrace, genuinely one of the worst in the league. I'd love to see 2 or 3 games in a row with Amad and Hojlund playing in the same team but it rarely ever happens.

 

[Martinez4midfield]

Above average for the Eredivisie I'd say.

EPL, depends, maybe with perfect health possibly above average with Shaw and if Mount can add something in the middle but the ceiling is always going to be pretty low until they can figure out how to score more goals.

 

[Insanity]

Are you serious? At the moment Chelsea, Arsenal and Villa are these. Not sure about Villa, but Arsenal and Chelsea have definitely lot better squads. Especially Chelsea, they have an absolutely talented and very young squad (well, age is kinda disadvantage for now as some of them need more experience), they have Madueke, Palmer and so on. Next year they will be title contenders for sure. But even Villa, they have lot better attackers, scored 17 goals already while we scored a shameful 9... But i think even Tottenham's squad is better. I think we're about 7-8th at the moment.

Mighty serious.

I would count Arsenal as one of the top 3. For me City, Liverpool and Arsenal have a better squad than us but the rest of them don't. Chelsea have a collection of expensively assembled individuals who haven't proven themselves. They came to our ground and didn't look very threatening at all. Infact, we were the better team despite not playing very well ourselves. Our defense and midfield is much more proven than them. Attack is a bit of a toss-up. They have a one outstanding player who is shinning at the moment in Palmer. The rest are hit and miss.

Spurs & Villa don't have better squads than us just better managers who have been able to implement a style of play that produces more consistent results.

So yeah, the squad is not a top notch tittle winning squad but it definitely is a squad that should contend for the top 4-6 position.

 

[stevoc]

For the most part yes, it's better than Ten Hag had it performing. It's good enough to be challenging for top 4/6. Defence decent, midfield ok attack poor. The travesty is adding £650m worth of talent to the 2022 squad really should have put us in the mix to probably not win the title but at least challenge to some extent. But by this stage we obvisouly shouldn't struggling to even get in the top 10. The Ten Hag experiemnt was left to fester for far too long and it's hard to tell right now how much damage that has done.

Sadly once again we let a Dutchman buy and sell whoever he wanted and he bought a load of dross. Just before he got sacked Solskjaer had just managed to shift the last of the deadwood Van Gaal signed. Let's hope it doesn't take 5 years this time.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Mighty serious.

I would count Arsenal as one of the top 3. For me City, Liverpool and Arsenal have a better squad than us but the rest of them don't. Chelsea have a collection of expensively assembled individuals who haven't proven themselves. They came to our ground and didn't look very threatening at all. Infact, we were the better team despite not playing very well ourselves. Our defense and midfield is much more proven than them. Attack is a bit of a toss-up. They have a one outstanding player who is shinning at the moment in Palmer. The rest are hit and miss.

Spurs & Villa don't have better squads than us just better managers who have been able to implement a style of play that produces more consistent results.

So yeah, the squad is not a top notch tittle winning squad but it definitely is a squad that should contend for the top 4-6 position.

I’d agree with this. We don’t have a top level squad and it’s mainly let down by a poor suite of attacking options, but there’s clearly some very talented players here that have underperformed for various reasons.

 

[sunama]

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.

Well, having a top-drawer LB who is nearly always injured is pointless.
And we should not be relying on a teenager. No top club does this.

We have not been good in the transfer market for a few years now but hopefully that will change now.

We haven't been good.
But there is no indication to suggest that we are now about to come good.
Given that we have been poor in the transfer market, the odds are that this will continue.
It would be foolish to believe otherwise.

In Premier League terms our squad is average but our wage bill is well above average and that needs to be addressed.

100% correct.
Unfortunately, I am not sure if we have the personnel who are competent enough to address this ridiculous issue.
We triggered a 1 year extension on ETH's contract, then fired him. This is going to cost the club a lot of money.
This poor usage of funds will likely continue.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

Well, having a top-drawer LB who is nearly always injured is pointless.
And we should not be relying on a teenager. No top club does this.


We haven't been good.
But there is no indication to suggest that we are now about to come good.
Given that we have been poor in the transfer market, the odds are that this will continue.
It would be foolish to believe otherwise.


100% correct.
Unfortunately, I am not sure if we have the personnel who are competent enough to address this ridiculous issue.
We triggered a 1 year extension on ETH's contract, then fired him. This is going to cost the club a lot of money.
This poor usage of funds will likely continue.

Shaw is probably the most overrated player in recent times. He had that great spell in 2021 between February and the Euro 2021 final. The best spell of his career.

And he was a solid 7/10 most games during ten Hag's 1st season.

But other than those two spells, he has underwhelmed. If you actually have the stomach to look back on some of our results vs Liverpool over the years, Shaw has put in some hall of shame performances. One of the reasons why Salah has feasted against us is because of Shaw's performances in those games.

"Shawberto Carlos" for a player who has scored 4 club goals is crazy.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Yes it’s pretty average. Apart from some high ceiling youngsters and some other more solid senior players it’s not high in quality these days.

Most notably our technical floor is embarrassing. Garnacho, Hojlund, Rashford, Casemiro, Ugarte, Bruno all are average or worse technically, and all of those players are essentially starters in every XI we put out. Combine that with a lack of execution and efficiency in the final third and you get a largely toothless team with a tendency for sloppy football.

 

[RedFanaticTattooist]

Chelsea have a collection of expensively assembled individuals who haven't proven themselves.

Still, they are fourth on the table while we are 13th, they scored 20 goals while we scored 9, their forward Nicolas Jackson has 6 goals and 3 assists while our best, Bruno has 1 goal and 2 assists. In fact, we have a poor squad, especially the attackers. Rashford is a joke, Zirkzee even worse, Amad is just not good enough for a top team, Antony is the biggest flop in PL history, Garnacho is unreliable, only Hojlund has real potential but without support he cannot do too much. One thing's for sure. In a squad worth (Transfermarkt) per real value comparison we are by a clear mile the worst team in the league. 850 million and we are worse than Fulham for example.

 

[Insanity]

Still, they are fourth on the table while we are 13th, they scored 20 goals while we scored 9, their forward Nicolas Jackson has 6 goals and 3 assists while our best, Bruno has 1 goal and 2 assists. In fact, we have a poor squad, especially the attackers. Rashford is a joke, Zirkzee even worse, Amad is just not good enough for a top team, Antony is the biggest flop in PL history, Garnacho is unreliable, only Hojlund has real potential but without support he cannot do too much. One thing's for sure. In a squad worth (Transfermarkt) per real value comparison we are by a clear mile the worst team in the league. 850 million and we are worse than Fulham for example.

Yes, and we had a manager who was failing badly for the last 18 months and they carried on some momentum from late last season and have a new manager at the helm. That is also a huge factor.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the squad is good enough and have been moaning about it for a while. However, if we see it in the context of the opponents for the top 4-6/7 spots, it is pretty comparable. We should be doing much better than our current position on the table.

 

[JE-365]

Our defense and keeper are good. I would say some or most of them could make it to top team.
Our midfield is ok and definitely above the average of PL midfielders.
But our attacks are below average because they are still raw and making poor decision.

 

[Yorkeontop]

Just came across a picture of Jordan Henderson lifting the CL trophy as captain. Hopefully Amorim is in the Klopp mode, where the whole equals more than the sum of its parts.

 

[ifightdragons]

Our defense and keeper are good. I would say some or most of them could make it to top team.
Our midfield is ok and definitely above the average of PL midfielders.
But our attacks are below average because they are still raw and making poor decision.

Pretty much spot on.

Our attack isn't just raw, though. Bruno and Rashford are senior players who simply aren't good enough.

 

[grahamo]

Bang average. Ten Hag has turned us into Ajax reserves. Nowhere near good enough

 

[Rooney25]

If Anthony can’t get into the current team, he really does need to leave

 

[RedFanaticTattooist]

Fulham, Brighton, Bournemouth, whatever. They are all ahead of us. It clearly shows how average our squad is.

 

[Adz_99]

The squad itself is fine. Slightly unbalanced but they're not bad players. What we're lacking is proper world class talent like Salah or Haaland. And a good manager obviously, but that should change soon fingers crossed.

A competent manager should be finishing top 4 with the players we have.

 

[ForFuchsSake]

The squad could be pretty competent under the right manager (hopefully Amorim is that!) and capable of of competing with Spurs, Villa, Newcastle, etc.

Our attacking options are either raw potential, wild inconsistency or completely mediocre and that certainly holds us back. We will simply always struggle to score goals, regardless of the midfield, with our current options. You see that on the second rate European stage as we generally flounder and struggle to put anyone to the sword.

 

[BorisManUtd]

So having this kind of thread after hundreds of millions spent. Still hope players like Mount, Onana, Hojlund, Ugarte will we proven as players that were worth the money. Antony was obviously expensive mistake and there's no hope there. Yoro is hopefully good buy when we look back in couple of years.

 

[jakemc2121]

The squad could be pretty competent under the right manager (hopefully Amorim is that!) and capable of of competing with Spurs, Villa, Newcastle, etc.

Our attacking options are either raw potential, wild inconsistency or completely mediocre and that certainly holds us back. We will simply always struggle to score goals, regardless of the midfield, with our current options. You see that on the second rate European stage as we generally flounder and struggle to put anyone to the sword.

I think the squad is below Spurs at the minute. Yes it is great having players still in the academy on the bench and I’m all for it. But we see tonight what Liverpool could bring off the bench and the quality of player.

Zirkzee and Højlund although they have an abundance of potential, we haven’t seen the best of them. Zirkzee needs time to adapt but I’d like to see more from Højlund.

Of course, he should never have been charged with the duty of leading the line for us, so I don’t think the blame can lie solely on him. A more experienced striker for him to deputise in his first season would have helped him massively in his development.

 

[Captmfla]

I think Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal have a slight better squad.

United will be around Spurs and Villa's level. Chelsea is also somewhere around this level.

These are the top 7 squads! But the quality of most clubs is very high these days! So clubs like Brighton can also win big games.

 

[Marcus]

No. Our squad is uncoordinated. Hopefully, Amorim fixes this and they can become greater than the sum of their parts.

 

[oz insomniac]

Didn’t Hojlund have a decent scoring record before finding himself in an ETH system which didn’t cater for an out and out 9. Let’s face it Haarland would be seen differently if he had the sort of support and service Man Utd set up.

A sulking Rashford and Anthony who both just look to come inside and shoot for goal, if Hojlund has regressed it’s not difficult to see why. The club definitely needs a change of system , and until the forwards are set up to provide chances and not what we have seen in the past 2 seasons, any 9 would struggle. Rashford does not help much in that regard and possibly is surplus to requirements , and Anthony is who he is.

 

[jakemc2121]

Didn’t Hojlund have a decent scoring record before finding himself in an ETH system which didn’t cater for an out and out 9. Let’s face it Haarland would be seen differently if he had the sort of support and service Man Utd set up.

A sulking Rashford and Anthony who both just look to come inside and shoot for goal, if Hojlund has regressed it’s not difficult to see why. The club definitely needs a change of system , and until the forwards are set up to provide chances and not what we have seen in the past 2 seasons, any 9 would struggle. Rashford does not help much in that regard and possibly is surplus to requirements , and Anthony is who he is.

Yep I agree with you, and I like Højlund, I think a lot of fans do for his efforts off the ball and his hold up play is quality.

I’m not one for judging off stats but found this interesting - Over the last year, Rasmus Højlund has averaged just 1.52 shots per game. That puts him in the bottom 2% of all strikers across Europe’s top five leagues for shots taken. He also ranks in the bottom 6% for passes received

Just goes the show the service isn’t there for him.

 

[RedinIndia]

Our squad is average. We pay huge transfer fees and CL level wages for some really average players.

Onana won't get into any of City,Liverpool ,Arsenal as their second choice keeper. Neither is he good enough to be a starting keeper for Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa. He's a keeper for a team who can be in the #7-#12 teams which is what we are.

MDL - His lack of pace is a major concern. Average. He won't get in to the other top teams.
Yoro - Big money transfer but he's currently injured. Remains to be seen if he proves worthy of the transfer fee.
Maguire - Similar to MDL. Older. Known entity
Martinez - Been bang average to the last 2 seasons. Has some decent ball playing ability but he's a liability quite a lot of times defensively. Plus, the tackles seem to be getting worse.
Shaw - Could have been a good wingback but he's very injury prone. So many injuries are sure to cut down his potential. Will struggle to make any of the top 6 sides as a starting wingback. Look at the options the other teams have.
Dalot - Probably a backup Wingback for any of the top 5 teams.
Mazroui - Same as Dalot. Backup at best for any of the top 5 teams who continue to play the attacking wingback role.

Discounting outliers like Evans and Lindelof who are on their way out of the side. There clearly isn't much quality in defense.

Coming to the midfield

Casemiro - Shouldn't have been bought. Lost pace 2 seasons ago and always liable to get booked with a needless challenge. Horrible buy who wouldn't make it to a squad of any of the top 10 teams. Is a suitable threat on the setpieces but we never needed to pay someone that transfer fee and that level of wages for him to become a setpiece specialist.
Eriksen - Past his prime. He wasn't good enough for Spurs when he left and he's only regressed since then. A Brentford side is his level.
Mount - Injury prone. He's probably a top 6 signing if fit. As Squad players.
Bruno - I don't see him being in the top 6. He's got talent sure. He puts in the effort. But he doesn't seem to have the positional discipline to play well in the premier league as such. Pity that the coaches before haven't really forced him to play for the team.
Mainoo - Don't see him in top 6. Sorry, Had to be said. He looked very good last year but there are worrying signs that he's stagnated a bit this year.
Ugarte - Might suit Amorim more but none of the other top 6 play with destroyers as DM's. He could probably be a substitute for the other teams though.

Coming to the wingers/ attack.

Rashford - Liability defensively. He's got some good goal scoring instincts but none of the other teams would encourage him. Average is probably giving him a compliment
Antony - Nuff said.
Garnacho - Probably would just about make the squads for Tottenham / Aston Villa. Not sure he'll be starting for them.
Hojlund - Starting striker for us, Probably someone who'd make the bench for City and Arsenal mostly because those two teams haven't had suitable backups)
Amad - Promising signs. But would he get into the substitute bench of the top 4 teams ? Nope.
Zirkzee - Not sure how he's cut out to play in this system. Very perplexing buy.

 

[Beachryan]

Think people are way too negative on the squad. Especially given the age profiles involved. I think we're comfortably a top 4/6 squad. The main issue is that it's not been built with any sensible system in mind, and that we have no left back.

Personally don't believe there is that much between top level pros, and that smart coaching can make an enormous difference. Every season some 'random' top half team has a real go at the top 4 not because it has incredible individuals, but because the coaching, vibes and squad just click for a while.

The real issue isn't that our squad is average, but that it isn't built to play in a certain way. What we have to hope is that Amorim is able to find a system that suits this squad - at leats for the rest of the year - because one thing these players have shown in abundance is an inability to adapt to tactical nous.

 

[Bon1803]

I think the squad is below Spurs at the minute. Yes it is great having players still in the academy on the bench and I’m all for it. But we see tonight what Liverpool could bring off the bench and the quality of player.

Zirkzee and Højlund although they have an abundance of potential, we haven’t seen the best of them. Zirkzee needs time to adapt but I’d like to see more from Højlund.

Of course, he should never have been charged with the duty of leading the line for us, so I don’t think the blame can lie solely on him. A more experienced striker for him to deputise in his first season would have helped him massively in his development.

To add to the point you made Hoijlund, the lack of a more experienced striker also added pressure to rush him back from injury so not only was he trying to adapt to a new team and league he will not have been 100% fit most of the time.

Still crazy how little options we have for the centre forward position. I think Zirkzee has some qualities but he looks more playmaker than finisher. I do believe we will bring another striker in but care needs to be taken that they bring the qualities that we need.

 

[diarm]

Average to maybe just slightly above average in the Premier League.

Would be firmly below average in the Champions League.

Which is almost impressive considering the amount of money we’ve spent.

 

[Bon1803]

I think this squad is good enough to do better and some small changes could see things improve quite quickly.
Firstly I dont think we are aggressive enough off the ball , when the likes of city loose the ball they sprint towards the carrier in numbers which shuts the options down very quickly and leads to quick turnovers. The players dont need to be great tacklers they just pick up the scraps by weight of numbers and limiting options.

We also need to move away from relying on the wingers to always cut inside and shoot. It doesnt render enough goals so instead of repeating what does not work lets try something else.

 

[greater wall]

I think this squad is good enough to do better and some small changes could see things improve quite quickly.
Firstly I dont think we are aggressive enough off the ball , when the likes of city loose the ball they sprint towards the carrier in numbers which shuts the options down very quickly and leads to quick turnovers. The players dont need to be great tacklers they just pick up the scraps by weight of numbers and limiting options.

We also need to move away from relying on the wingers to always cut inside and shoot. It doesnt render enough goals so instead of repeating what does not work lets try something else.

I think we need to get our fullbacks to the bye line more often and get crosses in. The angle of the crossing is too vertical currently. Everything gets passed back to Bruno, Erikson or Casemiro, who seem to have permission to cross the ball. They tend to be beyond the 18 yard line when they cross the ball. It takes a few extra seconds and allows the opposing defenders to adjust.

 

[jadajos]

Define average. It's a relative term, not an absolute one. Average compared to the best United teams ever? Certainly. Average compared to the EPL competition? No, despite the league position the team is definitely better than the current sum of its parts. You can tell just by looking at the number of current regulars for international top teams like Portugal, England and Argentina.

There's obviously parts in the squad that are better and worse and most people on these boards seem to agree on that. In defense, there's plenty of quality and I'd say it would probably be good enough for top 3-4. Absolutely well above average. City, Arsenal and Liverpool still edge it, although in part because their players have proven themselves at the top. Who knows how good Martinez, de Ligt and Yoro might look under Amorim. Although I would expect that at least one more player will be bought in the the wing back position and at CB each at some point.

Midfield is also above average. Fernandes, Mainoo, Ugarte are well above average. Although you look at teams like Chelsea (Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Enzo etc.) and you'd have to concede it doesn't look as clear cut top 4 as in defense, possibly on par with Newcastle (Bruno G., Tonali, Joelinton) and possibly slighly above teams like Spurs (Bentancur, Kulusevski, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Gray) and Villa who have much more depth and a better age group: Onana (23), Kamara (24), Ramsey (23), Rogers (22), Tielemans (27), McGinn (30). United have a lot less depth and only Ugarte and Mount in that middle age group. The thing is, perceptions might change with Amorims set up. If there's only a midfield two there's no need for insane amounts of depth. In the offensive midfield spots he might also consider playing current wingers or strikers. So midfield above average, in and around top 6. The duo Ugarte and Mainoo in the double pivot might delevop into top 4 quality under Amorim.

Attack is the obvious weak spot. The less said about Antony the better, so Rashford is the only experienced quality attacking player in the squad. Garnacho, Diallo and Hojlund have potential, but at this point they are average EPL quality. There are reasons none of them are even in the top 40 of top scorers in EPL this season and while ten Hag was one of them he's not the only one. Let's see how Amorim sets up the team, though. Due to the wing backs in his system he plays something like a 10/support striker/inside forward hybrid behin the striker. Between Mount, Ferndandes, Zirkzee, Diallo and Eriksen he has plenty of options for that position. Garnacho I'd expect more in the wing back position, but who knows. So, in the current set up the attack looks below average, but as players develop and get used in and used to new roles over the next year or so, people might look at some of the attacking options differently. The perspective what's needed might also change significantly as a result. I think that might be part of the reason Liverpool let Slot work with the current squad first. They didn't sign a 6 and now Gravenberch has made that role his. If Mount can put his injuries behind him (big if, sure) him and Fernandes behind the striker might form a great duo. According to fbref Hojlund is in the 99th percentile for conversion rate at 0.32 goals per shot. That's double the quota of Haaland and Mbappé. If Amorims system can bring Hojlund at the end of chances like it does with Gyokeres he might surprise people. He's still only 21.

Edit: In fact, I wouldn't even write Antony off entirely. He's in the 99th percentile for tackles, interceptions and blocks and 92nd percentile for challenge success rate - he migh turn out to be a solid backup for the wing back position, if people can move on from his surreal transfer fee.

 

[Bon1803]

I think we need to get our fullbacks to the bye line more often and get crosses in. The angle of the crossing is too vertical currently. Everything gets passed back to Bruno, Erikson or Casemiro, who seem to have permission to cross the ball. They tend to be beyond the 18 yard line when they cross the ball. It takes a few extra seconds and allows the opposing defenders to adjust.

I would like to see this. Wicked low balls fired across the 6 yard box with numbers attacking them. Probably the hardest thing to defend. This would require some decent structure so runs and movements are co-ordinated which is something that has seemed to be lacking for some time now.

Im hoping under the new manager these players can prove themselves and find some confidence. It going to be interesting to say the least.

 

[jakemc2121]

I would like to see this. Wicked low balls fired across the 6 yard box with numbers attacking them. Probably the hardest thing to defend. This would require some decent structure so runs and movements are co-ordinated which is something that has seemed to be lacking for some time now.

Im hoping under the new manager these players can prove themselves and find some confidence. It going to be interesting to say the least.

I think Amad can contribute to this type of play, Amad is strongest with the defender in front of him, where he can beat him with his dribbling. Rashford and Garnacho are players that like to get in behind the defence.

I would like to see this also, but I always find with Højlund in particular, he is always 3/4 foot away from these balls that are fizzed across. He gets into good positions but it’s always a matter of ‘nearly there’. Which is frustrating

 

[RedFanaticTattooist]

Average, nothing else. While hard to define what "average" in this sense but i think teams which are just good enough to finish between 7-14th places are average.

1. Goalkeepers. Onana is good, but... Fantastic saves and silly mistakes. Unreliable. The rest, i don't know.
2. Defenders. Bang average. We've got de Ligt who failed in Turin, failed in Munich, his value and performance is in constant decline since the age of 20. He isn't aggressive enough, slow, nowhere near as good as the top defenders in the PL. Martinez could be good, but very injury prone. Mazraoui and Dalot are okay, but wouldn't be a starter in a top3 team in any of the top competitions in Europe. Maybe in France, but i never considered Ligue 1 as a top competition. Yoro, we'll see. Tells a lot about the strength of our defense that sometimes Evans is the best of them. And of course we've got the mighty Maguire. Awful. Shaw, Malacia, Lindelöf. I don't even want to mention them. Unnecessary.
3. Midfield. Casemiro is well over his prime, so is Eriksen. Ugarte is good in defensive play but has no idea about forward passes, no creativity. There's a reason why he couldn't get enough playtime in Paris. Bruno. I think he is the only player in the squad who could be a starter in almost all of the top teams. By far our best player, but seems tired of fighing in an average squad under clueless managers. Still, under Amorim he could be our talisman. Mainoo... Pains me to say but seems like the magic is over, after a bright start now he became an average midfielder, i hope Amorim will revive his career. Mount, hard to judge as he is way too injury prone. Average midfield.
4. Attackers. By far the worst part of our squad. Antony is the worst joke in PL history. Rashford is a spoilt brat, a mental wreck, unreliable, mediocre at best, should go. Garnacho... He has potential but i'm not sure if he is top team material. Maybe Newcastle, Aston Villa level. Zirkzee... One of the worst, totally pointless signings. That guy couldn't hit the ocean from a boat, slow, bad in one on one situations. Just bad. Diallo is our best at the moment but that tells a lot. He has his moments but definitely not top club material. A perfect backup winger for 20-25 minutes. Hojlund. He's got serious potential. Fast, strong, tall, and has skills too. Unfortunately he has zero support, literally. So our attackers are way below average, hance the ridiculous 9 goals we scored.

And the worst thing is, our squad worth -on paper- is around 850 million. The real value could be less than half of this i guess.

 

[Bon1803]

I think Amad can contribute to this type of play, Amad is strongest with the defender in front of him, where he can beat him with his dribbling. Rashford and Garnacho are players that like to get in behind the defence.

I would like to see this also, but I always find with Højlund in particular, he is always 3/4 foot away from these balls that are fizzed across. He gets into good positions but it’s always a matter of ‘nearly there’. Which is frustrating

Agree with you regarding Amad, he is very comfortable on the ball in tight spaces and could become an important player for sure. Its frustrating how under utilised he is, if he gets more time his contribution will grow too.

As for Hoijlund if the team start playing to created these kind of opportunities he will have more confidence to get himself in there as currently the forwards simply cut in and ahoot.

 

[Rooney25]

The squad is average, as individuals we have a few talented players but as a collective squad we are finishing 6th - 8th this season

 

[ForFuchsSake]

I think the squad is below Spurs at the minute. Yes it is great having players still in the academy on the bench and I’m all for it. But we see tonight what Liverpool could bring off the bench and the quality of player.

Zirkzee and Højlund although they have an abundance of potential, we haven’t seen the best of them. Zirkzee needs time to adapt but I’d like to see more from Højlund.

Of course, he should never have been charged with the duty of leading the line for us, so I don’t think the blame can lie solely on him. A more experienced striker for him to deputise in his first season would have helped him massively in his development.

I really don’t see much between our squad and theirs. They’ve added a plethora of attacking players but all of similar ability which is definitely a tier or two below top quality. I think a lot comes down to the coaching. Swap our attacking players with Spurs’ under Ange and I anticipate similarish output.

Son’s their one top quality forward and he’ll be on a downward trajectory from here on out. Johnson is in an amazing vein of form but will he maintain that? See it more of a purple patch. Then you’ve got Solanke who is semi-decent but they’ve overpaid for and this is a big step up from Bournemouth. Kulusevski and Maddison are very good players.

We’ve just got wildly inconsistent forward but undoubtably talented with most having youth on their side. No guarantee they’ll fulfil it but the likes of Garnacho and Amad are of a similar level to Spurs’ wide forwards IMO.

Midfield and defence is similar in terms of individual quality. I actually don’t think Spurs maximise the talent they have because of Ange’s one-dimensional (often suicidal) tactics. Under a more defensively astute manager that could actually be quite a formidable and resolute side. They don’t get the balance right at all and whilst that continues their results will always be all over the place.

I genuinely think a lot of it comes down to fine margins. Spurs are coached well in an attacking sense and their forwards can flourish but they sacrifice their defence for that and we don’t see the absolute best from the likes of Van De Ven or Romero who would probably be outstanding under a Slot or Arteta type manager.

 

[Raoul]

I’d agree with this. We don’t have a top level squad and it’s mainly let down by a poor suite of attacking options, but there’s clearly some very talented players here that have underperformed for various reasons.

Agreed. Also, squads punch well above their collective weights through effective coaching and tactics. Otherwise we would never see the likes of Porto 04, Monaco 04, Inter 09, Dortmund 12 & 23, Leicester 15, Leverkusen 23 and so on.

 

[Shark]

No. Still have a few players that need offloading asap, but by and large we've a squad that should be comfortably 4th.