[kidbob]

Rubbish. He was pretty solid today. 79 out of 79 passes as well.Was

Was just going to say. Thought his passing looked more like the old him tonight. Made some mistakes with positioning but we can’t forget that the system will be a huge change for our centre backs and they’ll need time to adjust in terms of when to drop and when to be aggressive. It will take time.

 

[3KDré]

Rubbish. He was pretty solid today. 79 out of 79 passes as well.

Was just going to say. Thought his passing looked more like the old him tonight. Made some mistakes with positioning but we can’t forget that the system will be a huge change for our centre backs and they’ll need time to adjust in terms of when to drop and when to be aggressive. It will take time.

Really? I feel like he used to break the lines more often with his passing. Also used to dribble into space more often.

I will say though, it does feel like both he and De Ligt need someone in their ear with positioning.

 

[DON’T PANIC ™]

Rubbish. He was pretty solid today. 79 out of 79 passes as well.

Out of position for both their goals. Yes, Malacia was covering and inadequate but no need for Martinez to be where he was, particularly after the first one.

 

[Irwin99]

Some of his passes were a lot more like the Martinez of old. Still not quite 100% though but encouraging.

 

[JB08]

Has he ever even played in a back 3? Surely a fair expectation that it will take him (and others) some time to adapt.

 

[Oranges038]

Dreadful for their 2 goals.

But he was very good on the ball, those line breaking passes into feet are brilliant for getting forward. I think the ball needs to be moved quicker across the back line though, it was very slow at times.

 

[kidbob]

Really? I feel like he used to break the lines more often with his passing. Also used to dribble into space more often.

I will say though, it does feel like both he and De Ligt need someone in their ear with positioning.

Nah you’re right that he used to but to be fair this is a whole new system for him so he’ll need time to adjust to what he’s seeing in front of him. He did play a couple of lovely passes to show he still has it in his locker.
Ditto for the positioning on the goals too. He’ll need time to adjust to playing in a 3 as will MDL. Have to remember they were playing with a LB in the first half that hadn’t played in 18 months. Personally I think he’ll be fine long term as long as he can stay injury free.

 

[3KDré]

Nah you’re right that he used to but to be fair this is a whole new system for him so he’ll need time to adjust to what he’s seeing in front of him. He did play a couple of lovely passes to show he still has it in his locker.
Ditto for the positioning on the goals too. He’ll need time to adjust to playing in a 3 as will MDL. Have to remember they were playing with a LB in the first half that hadn’t played in 18 months. Personally I think he’ll be fine long term as long as he can stay injury free.

I hope you're right. Let's see. I've a feeling Amorim will prefer Shaw when both are fit. Long term, I see us replacing him with Branthwaite. Both because of their physicality.

 

[RedRocket9908]

He has regressed massively from where he was when we signed him and was poor on both the goals we conceeded, the injuries have really taken their toll on him.

 

[gajender]

Would be sold most likely in Summer .

 

[kidbob]

I hope you're right. Let's see. I've a feeling Amorim will prefer Shaw when both are fit. Long term, I see us replacing him with Branthwaite. Both because of their physicality.

You could be right of course and Shaw is an incredible player and would likely be the best LWB we have too but him being fit is an issue. Think we need to remember that Amorim himself said there would be short term pain to expect so he isn’t expecting the players to be perfect either right now.

 

[Cutch]

I feel more at ease with Shaw in that position. Have serious concerns about Martinez 1v1 in wide areas or defending high with his lack of pace particularly when it's an issue for De Ligt too

 

[Cassidy]

What happened to the butcher.. sad times

 

[GlazersHater]

Needs to improve were going to be playing with a really high line and he's currently poor on defending open spaces.

His build up is top class but he needs better positioning as he's not particularly fast.

At the moment our best CB seems to be Mazraoui as awkward as it sounds.

 

[eiknaldo]

I don't really think Martinez can be blamed for his positioning for their second goal, as Amorim wants his wide CB's to press that high. At least that's what I've taken from the comments he made about Evans after the Ipswich game.

 

[roonster09]

Rubbish. He was pretty solid today. 79 out of 79 passes as well.

Apart from just the completion rate, he played some amazing passes too. Very surprising to see lot of negative posts on him. He was good.

 

[roonster09]

Out of position for both their goals. Yes, Malacia was covering and inadequate but no need for Martinez to be where he was, particularly after the first one.

He wasn't out of position. Check Amorim video where he was shouting at Evans to be aggressive and follow his man even till opponents third. That's what Licha did, that's why Malacia was covering that space.

 

[Roboc7]

Some really nice passes but defensively not very good, Amorim is asking the centre backs to press and cover a lot of ground and unfortunately with the exception of Yoro all of our centre backs are pretty slow.

I really don’t think him and De Ligt are suited to playing together because of the lack of pace irrespective whether it is a back 3 or 4.

 

[Real Name]

Would be sold most likely in Summer .

Dont go all kneejerk.

 

[Rojofiam]

I hope you're right. Let's see. I've a feeling Amorim will prefer Shaw when both are fit. Long term, I see us replacing him with Branthwaite. Both because of their physicality.

Would be sold most likely in Summer .

Same feelings here, sadly. He's no wing-back or wide CB, due to his physical profile. At CCB, we seem to have better options as well in De Ligt and Maguire. I hope not, but he could be one of the victims of the back 5 IMO.

I always envisioned that he would excel in the LCB/LB role under a new manager as part of a back 4 (Zinchenko/Calafiori/Aké/Gvardiol role), but we decided to go in another direction by appointing Amorim. Maybe he will be flexible and adapt a 4-man defense approach eventually as well, aside from the 3-4-3. That could be the saving grace for players like Martínez, Garnacho, and possibly Rashford.

 

[gajender]

Dont go all kneejerk.

Its not knee jerk at all he clearly has limitations which will get amplified in the System Amorim is implementing , he isn't on big wages so in theory should be easier to move I'll say sell him and bring in someone better suited .

 

[FrankDrebin]

Would move him on in the summer.

 

[Real Name]

Its not knee jerk at all he clearly has limitations which will get amplified in the System Amorim is implementing , he isn't on big wages so in theory should be easier to move I'll say sell him and bring in someone better suited .

Or he will. I dont know.. Adapt?

 

[FriedClams]

Not sure how anyone can seriously blame him for the second goal. He was literally carrying out his managers instructions, Bodo simply went for the world cup ball in behind to bypass it and it worked. He can't be in two places at once, and if they had taken the shorter pass option and Martinez hadn't bothered to press, he'd be getting shouted at by the manager

 

[bosnian_red]

Was brilliant on the ball yesterday

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Same feelings here, sadly. He's no wing-back or wide CB, due to his physical profile. At CCB, we seem to have better options as well in De Ligt and Maguire. I hope not, but he could be one of the victims of the back 5 IMO.

I always envisioned that he would excel in the LCB/LB role under a new manager as part of a back 4 (Zinchenko/Calafiori/Aké/Gvardiol role), but we decided to go in another direction by appointing Amorim. Maybe he will be flexible and adapt a 4-man defense approach eventually as well, aside from the 3-4-3. That could be the saving grace for players like Martínez, Garnacho, and possibly Rashford.

He will play nearly all the time. Why would he worry about De Ligt and Maguire when he’s better anyway. This thread is odd.

 

[Ekeke]

Out of position for both their goals. Yes, Malacia was covering and inadequate but no need for Martinez to be where he was, particularly after the first one.

Savage brought this up on commentary.

Seems more likely to me that the instruction was to push up the LCB and its Malacia's job, having more pace to cover in behind. Remember after the Ipswich game Amorim commented that Evans should be stepping up and pressuring more. Thats what Lisandro was doing.

Is it the right thing to do? If it works it makes sense.

Malacia must still have more pace than Lisandro and since it was the tactic with Evans to press, its going to be better with Lisandro who is more suited to pressing and winning the ball.

It didnt work because Malacia is probably not 100% fit and he made a poor decision not to foul his opponent and take a yellow card as soon as he was getting to the ball before him. Malacia wasnt booked last night so that would have been the simplest way to deal with things.

 

[Rojofiam]

He will play nearly all the time. Why would he worry about De Ligt and Maguire when he’s better anyway. This thread is odd.

He will play nearly all the time until we buy a new left-footed CB. But Shaw might displace him if he stays fit before that.

 

[Oranges038]

Same feelings here, sadly. He's no wing-back or wide CB, due to his physical profile. At CCB, we seem to have better options as well in De Ligt and Maguire. I hope not, but he could be one of the victims of the back 5 IMO.

I always envisioned that he would excel in the LCB/LB role under a new manager as part of a back 4 (Zinchenko/Calafiori/Aké/Gvardiol role), but we decided to go in another direction by appointing Amorim. Maybe he will be flexible and adapt a 4-man defense approach eventually as well, aside from the 3-4-3. That could be the saving grace for players like Martínez, Garnacho, and possibly Rashford.

This has to stop. Maguire has to be done at Utd, he's not good enough or quick enough to play wide in a 3, he's slower than Evans and we saw how he struggled with it already. And he's too shite on ball to play in the centre.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

He will play nearly all the time until we buy a new left-footed CB. But Shaw might displace him if he stays fit before that.

We will do very very well to upgrade him. If it happens then great, but it’s very unlikely. At his best there’s not many better.

 

[Cassidy]

We will do very very well to upgrade him. If it happens then great, but it’s very unlikely. At his best there’s not many better.

The manager is asking his wide CBs to press high and then recover; athletism is going to be really important, I can see Martinez being replaced due to the demands.

 

[Rojofiam]

This has to stop. Maguire has to be done at Utd, he's not good enough or quick enough to play wide in a 3, he's slower than Evans and we saw how he struggled with it already. And he's too shite on ball to play in the centre.

The only truth in this is that he's too slow to be a wide CB, but I was talking about the CCB role. Also, Martínez's physical profile is also the reason he can't play wide in a back 3, just like it is for Maguire and de Ligt. As a CCB, he's very valuable when we have possession. Defensively, though, he's just not a great CB and Maguire and de Ligt are both way better.

The rest of your post about Maguire is just not true.

We will do very very well to upgrade him. If it happens then great, but it’s very unlikely. At his best there’s not many better.

He might be one of, if not the best passer CB around, but when we don't have the ball, his deficiencies are impossible to ignore if he's to be deployed as a wide CB. He cannot cover big spaces quickly.

Some players around him won't be able to, either: Maguire/DeLigt in the CCB + Ugarte as one of the CMs.

So it's important that the LCB meets the requirements in this regard. Shaw might very well be a better fit there due to him still being very fast and a bit taller than Martínez, and we won't lose out on much in possession either, as he's an excellent ball progressor, in some angles / situations he's even better at it, than Martínez, and we saw some of it yesterday. Shaw also reads the game very well as an LCB and I've been impressed by him there as he seems to be very aware as to what he needs to do and when he needs to do it.

Someone like Branthwaite is probably a much better option for the system we've just switched to under Amorim. He can control and cover the wide channels much better than Martínez, and that makes the CCB's work much easier too. It's how top teams who use a "slow CB" in the centre set up as well, with two fast space-eaters on both sides of them: Walker, Akanji, Aké and Gvardiol does it for Dias at City, for example.

Having Yoro and Branthwaite next to Maguire / De Ligt is an excellent back three. Having Martínez there will mean we are very vulnerable against transitions, especially against pacey attackers.

 

[Oranges038]

The only truth in this is that he's too slow to be a wide CB, but I was talking about the CCB role. Also, Martínez's physical profile is also the reason he can't play wide in a back 3, just like it is for Maguire and de Ligt. As a CCB, he's very valuable when we have possession. Defensively, though, he's just not a great CB and Maguire and de Ligt are both way better.

The rest of your post about Maguire is just not true.



He might be one of, if not the best passer CB around, but when we don't have the ball, his deficiencies are impossible to ignore if he's to be deployed as a wide CB. He cannot cover big spaces quickly.

Some players around him won't be able to, either: Maguire/DeLigt in the CCB + Ugarte as one of the CMs.

So it's important that the LCB meets the requirements in this regard. Shaw might very well be a better fit there due to him still being very fast and a bit taller than Martínez, and we won't lose out on much in possession either, as he's an excellent ball progressor, in some angles / situations he's even better at it, than Martínez, and we saw some of it yesterday. Shaw also reads the game very well as an LCB and I've been impressed by him there as he seems to be very aware as to what he needs to do and when he needs to do it.

Someone like Branthwaite is probably a much better option for the system we've just switched to under Amorim. He can control and cover the wide channels much better than Martínez, and that makes the CCB's work much easier too. It's how top teams who use a "slow CB" in the centre set up as well, with two fast space-eaters on each side of them: Walker, Akanji, Aké and Gvardiol does it for Dias at City, for example.

Having Yoro and Branthwaite next to Maguire / De Ligt is an excellent back three. Having Martínez there will mean we are very vulnerable against transitions, especially against pacey attackers.

Yeah, it's not true. CCB, RCB, LCB it doesn't matter. He's just way too slow, not good enough on the ball, too slow on the ball and he regularly makes dreadful mistakes with regards to stepping up, positioning and decision making. He's not good enough at anything to have a future at Utd. He's been here long enough that we should all know this by now.

 

[Craig Ward]

Out of position for both their goals. Yes, Malacia was covering and inadequate but no need for Martinez to be where he was, particularly after the first one.

The 2nd goal was odd. Wasnt really a reason for him to be 40yards up the pitch - he had no hope of winning the ball and left Malacia in a position he shouldnt have been in.

Really odd.

His passing can be great, but was too slow and predictable on too many occasions again

 

[Aint gota Kalou]

He's better than De Ligt and Maguire at centre back for me so I hope he gets a try central if Shaw is brought in as LCB

 

[roonster09]

The only truth in this is that he's too slow to be a wide CB, but I was talking about the CCB role. Also, Martínez's physical profile is also the reason he can't play wide in a back 3, just like it is for Maguire and de Ligt. As a CCB, he's very valuable when we have possession. Defensively, though, he's just not a great CB and Maguire and de Ligt are both way better.

The rest of your post about Maguire is just not true.

Maybe you watched Maldini, Nesta videos after watching Maguire videos and somehow mixing up things.

Maguire is good CB but he is poor at dealing 1v1. He was meme for that reason alone. He is also not good passer, he is good ball carrier.

Defensively Martinez is much better than Maguire except for headers.

 

[roonster09]

The 2nd goal was odd. Wasnt really a reason for him to be 40yards up the pitch - he had no hope of winning the ball and left Malacia in a position he shouldnt have been in.

Really odd.

His passing can be great, but was too slow and predictable on too many occasions again

He should be where he was for second goal, CBs follow their man aggressively and thats what Amorim said Evans should have done when he was hesitant and not following the instructions.

We play 3 at the back, when Martinez stepped up we had 3 defenders to deal with the attack, it was easy to deal, just that Malacia messed it up

 

[Craig Ward]

He should be where he was for second goal, CBs follow their man aggressively and thats what Amorim said Evans should have done when he was hesitant and not following the instructions.

We play 3 at the back, when Martinez stepped up we had 3 defenders to deal with the attack, it was easy to deal, just that Malacia messed it up

He didnt follow his man, he charged needlessly up the pitch. He was never winning that ball, being that high and that slow to engage.

Yes, Malacia got done for pace, which can happen. Martinez was in no mans land though. Just found it a bit curious

 

[roonster09]

He didnt follow his man, he charged needlessly up the pitch. He was never winning that ball, being that high and that slow to engage.

Yes, Malacia got done for pace, which can happen. Martinez was in no mans land though. Just found it a bit curious

He followed his man, that's why he was near the touch line marking the player. The free player who Mount was tracking made the quick movement to receive the pass and played the pass for the goal.

 

[tomaldinho1]

He's better than De Ligt and Maguire at centre back for me so I hope he gets a try central if Shaw is brought in as LCB

I love how people still bring up Shaw like he’s a realistic option.

If Shaw is fit, he’s an LB and we need an LB desperately.