[Moomalade74]

I get your point, but Dortmund's system has changed quite a bit over the years under different managers so examples from a decade ago for instance don't really point to a pattern I don't think.

But more importantly, why is it that when it comes to United fans always expect players to perform outside of a "highly organised system"? Is there a single successful team in the past decade that wasn't a system team?

That's fair enough, I do think though regardless of the particular system, the fact there is one in place is the pertinent aspect, for example, City place a different system to Dortmund, but Gundogan made a successful move there.
I don't expect these players to play welll outside a highly organised system, on the contrary, I wish United would in fact play a well coached system of play that doesn't rely on worldie type assists from Bruno/Pogba or goals out of nothing by Greenwood. Wishing thinking currently.

 

[Brwned]

Just watched compilations of all his games so far for United. He definitely has room for improvement and plays worse than he can but I also still don't understand why you wanted him for so long at all costs. Solskjaer uses him totally differently to how he played in Dortmund. It is as if he just thought "young, English, played on both sides for Dortmund, great scorers, I want him" without paying attention to role and playing style. He is no touchline winger, especially not on the right but also not on the left, and nobody to win you isolated one on ones against the full back. He's best suited to a playing style with lots of short passes, possession and surrounded by movement. His area is the half space between the lines, not the wings. Currently not sure that he'll be a success under Solskjaer but still hoping he will eventually come good once he settles in. Thing is, you already have two world class players in Pogba and Bruno who love to operate in the same spaces as Sancho..

Don’t you think someone that can only excel under such limited conditions doesn’t deserve to be called world class? It’s not like we’re asking him to control the midfield, support the defence, carry the attack. Loosely speaking he’s given the responsibility to be a supporting creative force.

I agree with there’s certain ways of playing he’s optimised for, and that’s never been how we play. Maybe we will. But this idea that he’s exceptional, and yet he can only play well in specific circumstances? That doesn’t really apply to exceptional players in my experience.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Anyone else notice he plays better on the left like almost all right footed wingers? I feel like it's where he prefers to play too.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He is not quite what I expected.

 

[spiriticon]

So if everyone's fit then....

--------------------------------Ronaldo---------------------------------
Rashford-----------------Bruno-----------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB



Looking good!

 

[jem]

Early days and all that, but I think Diallo, who is also new to this league, has looked more impressive in the limited game time he’s received. It’s hard to ever moan about signing a player of Sancho’s potential, but I’m not sure it have been prioritized over signing a top-notch CDM.

 

[Ødegaard]

So if everyone's fit then....

--------------------------------Ronaldo---------------------------------
Rashford-----------------Bruno-----------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB



Looking good!

People would still blame AWB for not creating.

 

[Kaizane]

So if everyone's fit then....

--------------------------------Ronaldo---------------------------------
Rashford-----------------Bruno-----------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB



Looking good!

FFS, I wish this wasn't funny

 

[DWelbz19]

Just watched compilations of all his games so far for United. He definitely has room for improvement and plays worse than he can but I also still don't understand why you wanted him for so long at all costs. Solskjaer uses him totally differently to how he played in Dortmund. It is as if he just thought "young, English, played on both sides for Dortmund, great scorers, I want him" without paying attention to role and playing style. He is no touchline winger, especially not on the right but also not on the left, and nobody to win you isolated one on ones against the full back. He's best suited to a playing style with lots of short passes, possession and surrounded by movement. His area is the half space between the lines, not the wings. Currently not sure that he'll be a success under Solskjaer but still hoping he will eventually come good once he settles in. Thing is, you already have two world class players in Pogba and Bruno who love to operate in the same spaces as Sancho..

I expect him to be a lot better, and rate him very highly, but at this moment in time I can't see what he offers out wide that LW Pogba doesn't.

 

[DWelbz19]

Early days and all that, but I think Diallo, who is also new to this league, has looked more impressive in the limited game time he’s received. It’s hard to ever moan about signing a player of Sancho’s potential, but I’m not sure it have been prioritized over signing a top-notch CDM.

Amad is pure gold, though. Geezer will be an absolute menace when he actually gets first team senior football (wherever that may be). I'm so sad for him that he didn't get the loan move to Feyenoord in the end.

 

[jem]

Amad is pure gold, though. Geezer will be an absolute menace when he actually gets first team senior football (wherever that may be). I'm so sad for him that he didn't get the loan move to Feyenoord in the end.

I can't help but wonder if he shouldn't be getting more opportunities with the United first team (I know it won't happen because of the depth we have and the money invested in the likes of Sancho and Martial, but still!)

 

[sullydnl]

He might be better on the left but we need him more on the right.

If we have both Sancho and Shaw on the left with AWB and someone like Greenwood on the right then all our ball progression would come down the left and we'd continue to be a very lopsided team in our build up. With Sancho on the right we're at least more balanced in that regard with one of Shaw and Sancho (two of our best players in that regard) on either flank.

 

[Water Melon]

Sancho looked a couple of levels above whilst playing for Dortmund. Is it that our style does not suit him or him still getting used to the pace of the prem? I hope it is the latter rather than the former.

 

[Dve]

Anyone else notice he plays better on the left like almost all right footed wingers? I feel like it's where he prefers to play too.

If you watch his goals and assists for Dortmund, he created most from the left, even if he started more games on the right, so yes, you definitely have a point.

 

[Dve]

Sancho looked a couple of levels above whilst playing for Dortmund. Is it that our style does not suit him or him still getting used to the pace of the prem? I hope it is the latter rather than the former.

Every season at Dortmund he had a slow start, and the same after the covid break where he came back not in his best shape. So I think it´s none of your suggestions; instead, he seems to be a player that needs a few games to get into form.

 

[kouroux]

So if everyone's fit then....

--------------------------------Ronaldo---------------------------------
Rashford-----------------Bruno-----------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB



Looking good!

You can even put Ronaldo slightly to the left too

 

[snk123]

Said it many times. The hype around Sancho from the fans and media was well over board. He is a good player and will get better with time. Sancho will be on the level of Rashford, nothing more. If people were thinking he was going to be a 100m super star, they better think again.

Said it so many times that we should have gone for Grealish but was ridiculed. It was so clear to some who the better player was but the stat padders continuously threw the Bundesliga stats in our faces. I really hope Sancho improves but at the moment, he seems no better than Kagawa - the playing style, the pace, physicality all seem similar.

Of course he's going to be much, much better for us but I don't think he solves a problem. The funds could have been better used for a CDM.

 

[2 man midfield]

 

[Borys]

He probably feels more comfortable on the left and that's why he's being played there, to regain some confidence. I think it's clear we need him on the right but surely he needs someone to combine with, not sure how that's going to work.

 

[AngeloHenriquez]

I think he's playing it safe right now to help him bed in, give him a couple more games and he will become more himself.

 

[Drainy]

In fairness, its a big step up for him and at 21 I wouldn't be surprised if there are some nerves or loss of confidence from going from being one of the top most skillful or talented attackers in a squad to being down the list.
Not even in a negative way, but we're stacked for skillful players in a way he's probably not used to and will need time to adjust.

 

[Zehner]

Don’t you think someone that can only excel under such limited conditions doesn’t deserve to be called world class? It’s not like we’re asking him to control the midfield, support the defence, carry the attack. Loosely speaking he’s given the responsibility to be a supporting creative force.

I agree with there’s certain ways of playing he’s optimised for, and that’s never been how we play. Maybe we will. But this idea that he’s exceptional, and yet he can only play well in specific circumstances? That doesn’t really apply to exceptional players in my experience.

Yes, that's what I meant when I said he can definitely play better than he does. Actually, he should.

 

[Demas]

Is that implying that he's now a woman? That's not very funny.

Edit: I was responding to 2 man midfield's post but can't embed the tweet because of the media

 

[DWelbz19]

Is that implying that he's now a woman? That's not very funny.

I think it's just the likeness. They are both light skinned with similar hairstyles.

It's a recurring gag on Football Twitter for players in bad patches of form. You post a photo of the player and then someone who sort of resembles them to make your gag. For instance, I've seen one of Kai Havertz compared to James Charles, Dan James compared to the little Welsh kid on Tracy Beaker etc. It's all very samey and reactionary to get interactions.

 

[Brwned]

Yes, that's what I meant when I said he can definitely play better than he does. Actually, he should.

Ok cool. So from what you know of him, you figure that once he gets into his groove he can still offer a lot even while we're still optimising our system and all that jazz?

 

[Dve]

So if everyone's fit then....

--------------------------------Ronaldo---------------------------------
Rashford-----------------Bruno-----------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB



Looking good!

That´s an insult to Greenwood. It really is.

 

[spiriticon]

That´s an insult to Greenwood. It really is.

Ronaldo------------------Greenwood---------------------------------
Rashford----------------------------------------------------
Martial-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sancho------------------------------------------------------------
Pogba-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaw-----------Varane--------------Maguire-----------------AWB


Amended and looking just as good

 

[Name Changed]

Sancho is a quality player. He needs time to adjust.

He does excel in playing in a slick attacking style, playing little triangles around the opposition.

Whether or not we can play like that is another thing.

 

[AneRu]

I can't help but wonder if he shouldn't be getting more opportunities with the United first team (I know it won't happen because of the depth we have and the money invested in the likes of Sancho and Martial, but still!)

I'd be worried if those are the main considerations being made for giving players a chance. We invested a lot in Martial and it hasn't turned out well so we kill another young talent because Martial cost us more? Doesn't sound logical to me.

As for Sancho I think he needs a few weeks to adjust and to be fair we are not really playing well or cohesively enough to bed in a young attacker. I think in one game it will click for him and he will go on from there.

 

[MattofManchester]

Why did it look on frequent occasions like he was shouting at his teammates during the match?

 

[Powderfinger]

He will come good with time. But I do think United fans need to temper expectations.

As many said before the signing, he's only really a good fit for the right wing for a team that plays a lot on the counter or in a lot of broken field situations. If opponents are sitting deeper, he is easily best on the left.

I think you also shouldn't underestimate how difficult it is for a player like Sancho, adjusting to a new team but also used to taking initiative as a leader of the attack, to play in a side in which two other massive players in Bruno and Ronaldo have been handed the freedom to do anything they want and go anywhere they want. You don't have that instinctive knowledge of where your teammates will be and how they'll move in any given moment, which leads to indecision on the ball. And off the ball you're not sure how much initiative you should take on the pitch to make certain runs, rather than holding your position, because you aren't fully certain of your role in the team yet and you don't know how your unpredictable star teammates are going to move. He will come to better understand his own role plus their movements and patterns eventually but its not going to happen overnight and that tiny bit of confusion/hesitation can make all the difference.

 

[Martial'sEmergingSmile]

Amad is pure gold, though. Geezer will be an absolute menace when he actually gets first team senior football.

Yep. He's a huge talent. It's hard to see where he gets regular games though over the next few years. Especially if we do make a play for Haaland, which means Greenwood (who's our biggest talent imo) staying on the right.

Amad also, albeit in a tiny sample size, looks magnitudes better than our other wide players in terms of his pressing and general effort out of possession.

He has 6 more pressures per 90 than Sancho and Rashford's numbers combined. More tackles and interceptions than both combined too.

Again, it's a miniscule sample size - but even watching his reserve games and a couple of the Olympics outings, he's instantly a noticeably great presser and very willing defender.

 

[SATA]

Maybe I’m looking a little too much into it but it doesn’t look like he’s enjoying his football here so far. Seems too afraid to make mistakes or to express himself about. Or maybe he needs his mate Marcus to get back on the pitch together

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Give him time. But I will die on the hill that he's not an upgrade on Greenwood on the right

 

[2 man midfield]

Is that implying that he's now a woman? That's not very funny.

Edit: I was responding to 2 man midfield's post but can't embed the tweet because of the media

Interesting take but no

 

[Thiagoal]

He seems to be really low on confidence to me- maybe the Euros debacle has really affected him? His performances so far have been timid whereas at Dortmund he was full of flair and ideas.
It’ll certainly take him a while to adapt but his quality is undeniable

 

[tjb]

We ve played 5 games in total. Sancho didn't play against Leeds and came on late against Southampton. Of the remaining 3 games, he played on the right against wolves, and played on the left against Newcastle for 60 mins and played on the right last night in a team that was down to ten men after 35 minutes.

I'll admit that he was poor last night even when we had 11. However I do think he was good on Saturday. He looks like he's lacking some fitness and is also a bit tentative at the moment, which is understandable since he's come into a new team. I get that people are expecting him to show himself as a worldbeater with these early games, but it's a bit ridiculous to suggest this is what he is based on such a tiny sample size. He's barely played on the right or at all in general, yet some are already concluding. It's almost as if us signing cr7 and and varane has made sancho seem ordinary and hence our fans aren't really supportive. VDB has been poor from minute one, yet gets every excuse. Yet Sancho who has actually had a decent game is already being scapegoated.

 

[el3mel]

If he's still playing like this when Rashford returns, there's no doubt it'll be an easy choice for me. Even when Rashford has poor games, he's always capable of pulling something out of thin air. Sancho will need to improve a lot to keep a starting position when Rashford returns to the squad.

 

[tjb]

He seems to be really low on confidence to me- maybe the Euros debacle has really affected him? His performances so far have been timid whereas at Dortmund he was full of flair and ideas.
It’ll certainly take him a while to adapt but his quality is undeniable

I don't think he's had enough time for us to even say that. It's literally mid September, he season started around August 20th or so, so three weeks with an international break in there as well where he was injured.

 

[bosnian_red]

He seems to be really low on confidence to me- maybe the Euros debacle has really affected him? His performances so far have been timid whereas at Dortmund he was full of flair and ideas.
It’ll certainly take him a while to adapt but his quality is undeniable

I'd be shocked if it didn't. He's a 21 year old who missed a costly penalty in Englands only Euro final ever. How could it not affect his confidence?