Exactly. Anything higher is too much for any player you want to get with the intention of making a squad player
Jack Grealish / signs new 5 year contract
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Mata was never what we needed at right mid, he was just put there because we had no one else. I’m sick of us shoehorning players into positions, just buy the sort of player we need.
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He's been a victim of a poor side to be fair to him.
From RW Mata has 124 apps 28 goals 22 assists with 9056mins is a goal or assist every 181.12mins. Essentially a contribution every 2 games. Which isn't bad but isn't great either.
In general he has 249 apps 48 goals and 42 assists with 16,716mins or one contribution every 185.7 mins. He's good at what he does but out wide offers no threat to the byline.
It's not unusual for wide players to have a play making role in their sides. Sancho does this very well hence him being the preferred option.
A player like Grealish would be a nice additional option too.
Yeah we definitely should be looking at holding midfielders/DLP behind Bruno & Pogba.
Would like us to sign both Grealish & VDB because offer different things but no chance of that happening.
IMO JG is just not good enough for us, even in a poor Villa side, he still doesn't do enough and perhaps his attitude or mentality isn't right for the club.
We can do better for sure.
We can do better for sure.
Dont know about attitude or mentality but i really think he is a good and entertaining player who can win the games. At least a very good sub. And we need depth also.
I'd much rather go for a player like VDB, Grealish is a good player but if the aim is to win things like Champions Leagues I just don't see Grealish being a player to get to that level.
VDB, or a player that can win the ball and midfield and distribute the ball well that works well with Bruno / Pogba would be a much better move for the squad overall.
VDB, or a player that can win the ball and midfield and distribute the ball well that works well with Bruno / Pogba would be a much better move for the squad overall.
I think right now we need an actual DM to takeover from Matic. Stop limiting Pogba in a double pivot and get a DM to complement and allow Bruno and Pogba to focus on attack in a 4-3-3 as the two 8s
But what happens when one of Bruno and Pogba gets injured? This is where Grealish or VdB would have come into play but if It was between getting one of them or a DM, I'd go for a DM because we already have Fred who can play the 8 role. Before Bruno and during Pogba's injury, Fred was our primary playmaker this season with most key passes, 2nd most passes, highest passes into final 3rd and highest passing accuracy. Stats aside he's regarded as an energetic ball winner but his skills on the ball are quite underrated.
First video highlights Fred creating for us and the second is him creating for Shaktar
RW and DM should be priority. We can still do alright without a Grealish or VdB because Fred can play that 8 role as backup to Bruno or Pogba in a 4-3-3. what is lacking is a natural DM to replace Matic
If the intention is actually spending 40m on VdB or Grealish to be squad players I think it makes no sense especially when an ageing Matic is our only DM
But what happens when one of Bruno and Pogba gets injured? This is where Grealish or VdB would have come into play but if It was between getting one of them or a DM, I'd go for a DM because we already have Fred who can play the 8 role. Before Bruno and during Pogba's injury, Fred was our primary playmaker this season with most key passes, 2nd most passes, highest passes into final 3rd and highest passing accuracy. Stats aside he's regarded as an energetic ball winner but his skills on the ball are quite underrated.
First video highlights Fred creating for us and the second is him creating for Shaktar
RW and DM should be priority. We can still do alright without a Grealish or VdB because Fred can play that 8 role as backup to Bruno or Pogba in a 4-3-3. what is lacking is a natural DM to replace Matic
If the intention is actually spending 40m on VdB or Grealish to be squad players I think it makes no sense especially when an ageing Matic is our only DM
I would prefer a DM also and only go for the likes of Grealish if Pogba leaves or we manage (hope) to offload Lingard and Pereira.
A top class DM is a must as Matic is like you said, getting old and McT and Fred are not the answer for me.
Getting this position right and having Pogba and Bruno pulling the strings is potentially the difference with struggling for top four and challenging...obviously we would need to address our right side also, dream signing is of course Sancho but anyone bar James, Lingard etc and we will improve.
Get Him and sancho in, even if we lose pogba, the rotation / attacking options we would have would be as good as it’s been in a long while.
I could see GJ move to a more dlp / Cm position as his game matures.. he isn’t blessed with massive pace but has an excellent passing range and awareness.
I’d do without a DM for another year if we could somehow pull it off
I could see GJ move to a more dlp / Cm position as his game matures.. he isn’t blessed with massive pace but has an excellent passing range and awareness.
I’d do without a DM for another year if we could somehow pull it off
Still reckon Grealish is our top target despite VDB being the better fit, Bruno aside Ole does tend to favour the british option over the european one.
i have not seen enough of VDB to comment, but what we do know is that he is coming from a different league that’s a big step up in itself; it’s going to take him time as a minimum and frankly, there are no guarantees he will make it (unless he is a truly Special player? As I say, I really can’t comment).
I agree with this post. However, I do suspect that we will wait for Garner as a DM.
Not sure how wise that is. OGS have always appreciated a proper DM and under Carricks influence I cant see them ignore it. At the same time, it is so weird watching us play with McTominay and Fred as DMs.
It will be really interesting to see how we build from here. I hope we get in place a proper RW this season. After this, I too agree that a DM really should be top priority. The rest depends on what happens with Paul Pogba.
If we get to keep Pogba, and decide to «groom» Garner, I would like to see us get rid of a couple of central defenders and get in someone who could challenge Lindelof. It will be interesting to follow Dier the next month or so. Probably not a popular opinion, but I always thought he is an underrated defender. Boyhood Man Utd fan. One year left of his contract. Would be «cheap» (probably less than Smalling, Jones and Rojo combined). Can cover in midfield (DM). 26, but experienced.
The next year should be spent assessing if;
- Can Garner replace Matic?
- Is Henderson ready to replace DDG?
- Can Martial or Greenwood lead the line? Or is Greenwood better at RW?
- Can/should we keep Pogba?
- Is Shaw/Williams enough for LB?
If Martial improves, and makes the position his that would be even better. If not, I think it would be better for him and Man Utd that he leaves. Next question then, is where we play Greenwood. CF or RW? Anyway, if Martial leaves we will need a replacement.
Ideally, I do think it would be wise to sell Shaw and Dalot this summer, and get a good left back. Then we would have Williams, Laird, AWB and a new player. I really like Shaw and Dalot, but dont trust him to stay fit. And even injury free he is not very good often. In Dalots case, we have Williams, Laird and AWB who can play right back. We will struggle to give them all the minutes they need.
I think we are in a good position for a rebuild at the moment. We might have to spend a bit to get a proper RW, but with a bit of luck we should be able to raise most of the fund for investment through player sale.
- Jones, Smalling, Rojo and maybe even Bailly (if Mengi and Tuanzebe can be trusted) could finance a new central defender,
- Shaw and Dalot could give the club funds for a new LB (if needed),
- Martial and de Gea could provide funds for a new attacker,
- If we lose Pogba we should spend every penny on a replacement,
- Lingard and Pereira should be replaced by the likes of Mejbri etc (and also raise fund),
The Covid-situation has obviously hit us hard financially, but we should be able to spend on Sancho if there is a chance of getting him. We are in a healthy state in other positions, and have resources tied up in a few players that could help raise funds if needed.
Grealish could be an option if Pogba leaves, but I would probably prefer a proper midfielder as an replacement. All that being said, if Pogba, Martial, Lingard and Mata leaves within a year or so, Grealish could come in handy. But that sounds like a huge if.
Not sure why people are so fixated with a 433, when it's clear Ole prefers a 4231. Has played it for the majority of the season, and will continue to do so.
That being said, what you said in your post can still work, as in, instead of getting a creative player, we get a ball winner to compliment the other two midfielders. My worry is that, who comes in for Bruno if/when rotated?
Thats all well and good, but with Matic, another DM, Fred, Bruno, Pogba and another CM, where will McTominay fit in? He just got a new contract.
Agreed almost all our managers have preferred 4231 post Sir Alex's retirement, finally we may have a team capable of playing that at high level bring in Rw and Dm our team almost looks complete. Ideally we bring in Grealish because I think he is capable of keeping our first teamers honest and actually have the talent to challenge for first 11. We can still delay Cb and fb acquisition for another year.
I only suggested getting an RW and DM. I never said anything about a CM
Would be an excellent Lingard/Pereira replacement if we can get him on the cheap.
It doesn't have to be a 4-3-3 really, 4-2-3-1 works fine too
If Bruno gets injured, Pogba can play as the most advanced midfielder in front of the new DM and Fred. I think in a scenario where we need to rest Bruno then that would mean the opponent is a very easy one. Most top teams don't rest their best players unless it's a sure victory or an injury.
I'd also prefer a creative DM like Carrick instead of a ball winner like Ndidi. It adds more creativity to the team. A Carrick like DM also gives us that calmness and the ability to move the ball from defense to attack. We are also a team that most opponent's prefer to sit back against and give us the ball so we need players that can do special things with the ball
Ah I thought you were advocating for another creative mid, for when Bruno/Pogba get injured. Which still raises the question, if Pogba or Bruno are unable to play, the alternatives in Fred and Mctominay just dont provide the required creativity.
Still begs the question as to where McTominay would fit in.
Based on what you said it would be:
Attacking Midfielder
1st: Bruno
2nd: Pogba
Deeplying Playmaker
1st: Pogba
2nd: Fred
Defensive Midfielder
1st: New Signing
2nd: Matic?
I think we should get a creative DM like Carrick for example. Carrick is obviously retired but for arguements sake let's say if one of Pogba or Bruno gets injured we can easily play Pogba Fred and Carrick midfield or Bruno Fred and Carrick midfield without lacking enough creativity.
As a squad player. There's enough games for everyone with rotation and injuries.
Yes, but what category would you put him in?
Defensive midfielder. He's always played like that beside Fred or Pogba (two dlps) behind Bruno(attacking midfielder).
My last post of the day, I want us to get him, I don't care how much he'll cost, I don't want us to rely on Pereira & Lingard next season.
Itd be exciting to add a Grealish level player to the squad so we can use the likes you mention less.
But he's not going to leave his boyhood team to be a backup player. And i can't see him playing wide right.
Has he actually played well this season?
Yes
If Bruno and Pogba aren't in the team, we don't have an alternative.
I like Grealish because he's quality and very versatile, so as a backup he can cover more than one position.
I still think in future we need another creative CM, and if not him, someone else?
But definitely a Defensive Midfielder and Right Winger are critical.
I like Grealish because he's quality and very versatile, so as a backup he can cover more than one position.
I still think in future we need another creative CM, and if not him, someone else?
But definitely a Defensive Midfielder and Right Winger are critical.
Still feel he is our top target after Sancho and expect us to make a move for him over Van Der Beek if Villa go down as is looking very likely to happen right now. I like the swagger about him and yes the off field stuff isn't impressive but really think he has the hunger to play for this club.
For me, McTominay is only useful as DM. For box to box role, he don't get enough progressive pass to offer. I would rate him below Fred for this role...
For DM role, he has a nice aggressiveness to be a ball winner and this give him an edge over Fred. But both of them still don't have a positional awareness to hold the place. And McTominay lack of progressive pass mean that he will become a dead weight in counter attack.
So basically its like this if we don't sign new DM.
No 10
1. Bruno
2. Pogba
No 8
1. Pogba
2. Fred
No 6
1. Matic
2. McTominay
So where Grealish will fit and where is currently more critical for us???
Grealish will fit perfectly on the bench, or in the domestic cup competitions, or to rotate with Fred/Mctominay for a place on the bench against tougher opponents.
But I doubt we will spend big on someone for that role, nor will he be inspired to join us for that.
Think we should save up the dosh. He’s not better than what we have in the first team. We should really be spending money to improve the first team from now on. He’s also not coming to accept squad rotation here
Mctominay is an 8 or box to box. He's always done better playing like that. Fred and Pogba are also 8s and are better than him so would be third choice next to them. I don't know why some people think he can play Matic's role but he can't, he's a box to box. Playing Mctominay as the deepest midfielder is like playing James as RW
Grealish would fit in as a 10, as an 8 and as LW. But we are already sorted in all those positions. Even more so if we get Sancho
No 10/Most advanced midfielder in a 3 man midfield
1. Bruno
2. Pogba
3. Sancho
No 8
1. Pogba
2. Fred
3. Mctominay
LW
1. Rashford
2. James
3. Sancho
4. Martial
No 6
1. Matic
This is why we don't need Grealish or VdB. Every position they play in already has a solid starter and decent cover. RW DM and CB(to an extent) are the only positions in our squad that doesn't have this. The Grealish or VdB links only makes sense if Pogba is leaving in the future(not necessarily this season)
No 10/Most advanced midfielder in a 3 man midfield
1. Bruno
2. Grealish/VdB
3. Sancho
No 8
1. Grealish/VdB
2. Fred
3. Mctominay
LW
1. Rashford
2. Grealish
3. James
4. Sancho
5. Martial
No 6
1. Matic
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Do we know that?
He'd be a good squad option for us, just like he would for any other top team, that I think is probably his level right now, fight it out for a first team place, but not a guaranteed starter. Maybe he'll push on once he's with a bigger side, but that's something we can only speculate on.
I agree we shouldn’t be spending on someone without there being a position in the strongest eleven in mind, but there’s always the question of how long Pogba is going to be here for. Does anyone truly expect him to still be here in two year’s time?
That being said, I’m not sure even without Pogba a no.8 becomes more necessary than a right-sided attacker, holding midfielder or centre half.
I think every single Utd fan and the club know we need a RW above anything else. I'm baffled to see so many people all over the place being like "why are we after grealish??????? we need sancho!!!!" I just don't see how its one or the other? Clearly Sancho is priority number one.
Quite looking forward to this game.
Also interested to see Buendia for Norwich as I wonder if he could be a cheaper alternative to signing Grealish or Sancho- he has very good stats for a rubbish Norwich.
Also interested to see Buendia for Norwich as I wonder if he could be a cheaper alternative to signing Grealish or Sancho- he has very good stats for a rubbish Norwich.
He's playing well again
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