Marcel Sabitzer - (Use the Player Performance thread to discuss his matchday performances)

Know it was when he was much younger but that's a thunderous header against Bayern at 2:40, also hope he gets an opportunity to add to his free kick goals 26, 27, & 31 (personal favourite)

 
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The United corner curse even managed to claim Eriksen who was one of the best corner takers in the world so I'm not hopeful that Sabitzer can avoid it. :(
The corner curse is there because they're shit scared of falling down the ski slope at OT!
 
Who is more like Kovacic? Kovacic us better than Fred, so if you're saying Sabitzer isn't as good as Fred but more like Kovacic, then that makes no sense.
I'm saying he's more like Kovacic in responding or countering the poster who is comparing him to Fred. I'm not sure why is that makes no sense.
 
It’s been announced by the club

Looks very much like United and Ten Hag considered him in the summer so they clearly believe he’s the right fit.

It does feel like we are getting our act together.
Indeed. It looks like we are signing players that the football people in the club want, rather than those that have been “recommended“ by agents and selling clubs.

Which of the football people in the club is actually making the decisions is, to a certain extent, irrelevant; as long as the manager doesn’t get players he really doesn’t want foisted upon him.
 
Indeed. It looks like we are signing players that the football people in the club want, rather than those that have been “recommended“ by agents and selling clubs.

Which of the football people in the club is actually making the decisions is, to a certain extent, irrelevant; as long as the manager doesn’t get players he really doesn’t want foisted upon him.

Excellent point and backed up by todays events from what’s been reported.

Allegedly United were offered a number of players from various different clubs but they knew they wanted Sabitzer and went straight to Bayern to get a deal done quickly.

In the past there wouldn’t have been a plan and we’d have simply taken what we could to try and make it work (see Arthur at Liverpool).

In this instance it seems we had Sabitzer already identified in the summer so it was a smooth process when the opportunity arose to get him.
 
Might be a bit over the top but this feels like the casemiro signing to me. I spent a decade thinking we'll never sign a DM and Casemiro just appears out of virtually no where, this time I was resigned to the thought that we're not signing anyone this window, yet low and behold we sign a quality midfielder out of nowhere.
 
@Adnan can you see this being a sign of things becoming more stable within our new recruitment set up perhaps?
Definitely. We still need new ownership but the structure on the football side of the club is looking promising. Mayorga and Wells are running the recruitment department now with a big group of scouts world wide reporting into them. And Dominic Jordan in a head of data science capacity is already making a difference according to reliable reports. We've also brought in a Japanese analyst to assist Erik ten Hag according to Andy Mitten and he's said to be really good.

And a football structure can only be effective in the mid to long-term if there's joined up thinking and collaboration between everyone on the football side of the club, which wasn't happening since Fergie retired. And Erik ten Hag will know that he can't survive in the job without aiding the development of the existing football structure. And by all accounts he's started the process of guiding the recruitment team to scout players for how he wants his team to play.



It was normal for Murtough to lean on Erik ten Hag whilst he was replacing the head scouts and bringing in a data science strategy led by Dominic Jordan who also came in at the back end of last season. So in that scenario it's best to lean on ten Hag and have the South American head scout Jose Mayorga as a fall back in case a deal doesn't come to fruition. And the Frenkie deal didn't come to fruition but Murtough made a good pivot and signed Casemiro.

We're going into the summer window with a football structure that will have had time to scout for the way Erik ten Hag wants go play. And if they get the backing from a prospective new owner, we should do very well.
 
Welcome Sabitzer!

This is good for us as we would have a replacement, however he is not the same type of player as Eriksen. But that doesn't make him an unwelcome signing(loan). Let's hope that ten Hag can make him play his style of football.
 
Definitely. We still need new ownership but the structure on the football side of the club is looking promising. Mayorga and Wells are running the recruitment department now with a big group of scouts world wide reporting into them. And Dominic Jordan in a head of data science capacity is already making a difference according to reliable reports. We've also brought in a Japanese analyst to assist Erik ten Hag according to Andy Mitten and he's said to be really good.

And a football structure can only be effective in the mid to long-term if there's joined up thinking and collaboration between everyone on the football side of the club, which wasn't happening since Fergie retired. And Erik ten Hag will know that he can't survive in the job without aiding the development of the existing football structure. And by all accounts he's started the process of guiding the recruitment team to scout players for how he wants his team to play.



It was normal for Murtough to lean on Erik ten Hag whilst he was replacing the head scouts and bringing in a data science strategy led by Dominic Jordan who also came in at the back end of last season. So in that scenario it's best to lean on ten Hag and have the South American head scout Jose Mayorga as a fall back in case a deal doesn't come to fruition. And the Frenkie deal didn't come to fruition but Murtough made a good pivot and signed Casemiro.

We're going into the summer window with a football structure that will have had time to scout for the way Erik ten Hag wants go play. And if they get the backing from a prospective new owner, we should do very well.


Sounds very positive.

Within this set up now how do you think that Weghorst and Sabitzer have been identified?

I’m hearing Sabitzer was discussed in the summer so I assume Ten Hag likes him. Weghorst is another.

Or do you see the new team having played a part? Or still to early?
 
Suspended there’s no option to but feck it we need bodies. Werghorst and this chap are welcome additions
 
It’s worth remembering that Donny is also out long term. Sabitzer gives us cover for Bruno as well as competing with Fred for that role alongside Casemiro.
 
Sounds very positive.

Within this set up now how do you think that Weghorst and Sabitzer have been identified?

I’m hearing Sabitzer was discussed in the summer so I assume Ten Hag likes him. Weghorst is another.

Or do you see the new team having played a part? Or still to early?
I think Weghorst and Sabitzer have been identified as the best short-term options for ten Hag. Both players provide a high energy playstyle off the ball and technically they're are also good.

I'm just a bit worried it might take Sabitzer time to settle into a new team/league. And fans are very unforgiving. Hopefully he hits the ground running.
 
I think Weghorst and Sabitzer have been identified as the best short-term options for ten Hag. Both players provide a high energy playstyle off the ball and technically they're are also good.

I'm just a bit worried it might take Sabitzer time to settle into a new team/league. And fans are very unforgiving. Hopefully he hits the ground running.

Yeah I can understand the concerns because took Casa time,however fingers crossed he can get going. Do you think he will start on Saturday or will be Fred and he comes off the bench.
 
Yeah I can understand the concerns because took Casa time,however fingers crossed he can get going. Do you think he will start on Saturday or will be Fred and he comes off the bench.
I honestly don't know mate. It wouldn't surprise me either way.
 
Good signing! Eriksen is undoubtedly a better player for the role that we need, but given he's out for most of the season, this is as good as we could have hoped for. I'm not necessarily sure he's all that much of a better fit than Fred, but I really like Fred (in terms of the peak level he can provide). But between Fred and Sabitzer now, I'm pretty comfortable with our #8 options to go with this season. Far from the best, but very solid and we will be a very hard team to play against with that extra pressing in midfield now.

I'm sure Fred will start the next few games as Sabitzer gets eased in and adapts to the system. But good to have the depth and competition.
 
Sabitzer won’t compete with Fred if we’re being serious. He’s not as good as Eriksen passing wise but more than makes up for it with his intensity. He will actually improve us as our midfield has been fading from the 70th minute in away games and he should solve that problem. Casemiro-Bruno- Sabitzer midfield will outwork any other midfield out there.
 
He's a good, versatile player. Hope he hits the ground running and I think he will. Good, professional singing considering we had just a couple of hours of transfer window left.

It really eases the blow of Eriksens injury. Couldn't have asked for more today.
 
Sabitzer won’t compete with Fred if we’re being serious. He’s not as good as Eriksen passing wise but more than makes up for it with his intensity. He will actually improve us as our midfield has been fading from the 70th minute in away games and he should solve that problem. Casemiro-Bruno- Sabitzer midfield will outwork any other midfield out there.

Would have been exceptionally difficult to find a passer who could match Eriksen's quality at such short notice, therefore Erik has opted for a change of midfield style for next few months.
 
Don't really remember him from the RBL games in 2020- they seemed to be playing an army of hyper-energetic multi-functional players - great at pressing and good at everything without being exceptionally skilled, so I assume he's like that too.

e - didn't he play on the right of a 4231?
 
Would have been exceptionally difficult to find a passer who could match Eriksen's quality at such short notice, therefore Erik has opted for a change of midfield style for next few months.

+1to Ten Hag for restoring our club to competence so we could attract a Sabitzer as an emergency deadline move
+1 to Ten Hah for picking Sabitzer over the other options which looked incredibly risky to me as loans to contribute immediately
-1 to Ten Hag for watching tons of United tape and being fooled by Mctominay’s size and mobility and thinking he could coach him up and not selling him day 1 and using the 20M from that to buy a solid DM
 
Don't really remember him from the RBL games in 2020- they seemed to be playing an army of hyper-energetic multi-functional players - great at pressing and good at everything without being exceptionally skilled, so I assume he's like that too.

e - didn't he play on the right of a 4231?

He was the one who was struggling to put his hairband or take off hairbans when coming on as s sub against us, isn't it. Maybe I'm wrong but that's what I remember.
 
Quite a contrast to last year. We lost Greenwood literally on the last day of the Jan window and didn't act quick enough to get a replacement. Instead, we opted to cancel the loan deal of an unhappy player and finally ended up not using him enough. Glad we got it sorted out this time.
 
Looks a constant goal threat, smart in and around the box, scores all types of goals, good with through balls (actually playing them in front of the player to keep chances alive) and the amount of assists he gets from cut backs and putting the ball in the right areas is a good sign (this seemingly basic skill eludes a lot of players who feck up heading or passing the ball back into the danger areas from an over-hit cross or partial clearance at an alarming rate).

He seems to score a lot of goals (relatively speaking) by sending the keeper the wrong way from long distance. Is this a skill he has when striking the ball? Or is it just Austrian ju-ju.
 
Don't really remember him from the RBL games in 2020- they seemed to be playing an army of hyper-energetic multi-functional players - great at pressing and good at everything without being exceptionally skilled, so I assume he's like that too.

e - didn't he play on the right of a 4231?

Some highlights of the two games and yes I know there aren't many stand out moments apart from the assist

 
I‘m really proud to see an austrian player at united .. makes me happy.

his first club villach is an hour away from me