[Devil_forever]

I like that we’ve added fresh deadwood before we can even get rid of the current crap. Wait for him to stink up the place for 3 years and then for us to struggle to shift him for £10m due to his insane wages.

 

[Pronewbie]

So is Mount now the scapegoat after one game?

That's not what a scapegoat is. I have Antony as this season's scapegoat.

 

[GiveItToGi...nowait]

I was surprised that he played so far forward. I thought we would be using his ball carrying and the ability to recieve the ball on the half turn from deeper. Leaving Casemiro on his own to defend all that space is suicidal, I guess ETH was banking on us being able to pin Wolves back by retaining the ball in tight spaces. After 15 mins of watching Garnacho give it away over and ovetr put paid to that strategy early on. I hope when hojlund(sp?) starts that allows Rashford to operate on the left bring more composure to our front three.

 

[Matt851]

It's baffling but I actually believe this is what Ten Hag wants. Mount is basically playing as an attacking midfielder but not the one who makes impact on the ball, he is rather the one who makes runs and pulls defenders. This isn't anywhere as effective as ETH thought imo. This whole idea is baffling to be honest, I thought Sabitzer was just a mistake but apparently this is the plan - to push one more body forward.

Off the ball there's another issue, he's basically doing what Bruno used to do, just running around as one man pressing machine. It didn't seem to cause much trouble for Wolves.


Mount is proven in his intended position though. This is what Ten Hag wanted, I don't think there's any evidence the plan is to use him as actual midfielder like the Caf thinks collectively. I think it's ridiculous idea but that seems to be the case.

This. His main strengths seem totally ineffective in this United side.

In my opinion we will need to bite the bullet and convert him to more of a traditional number 8. The skills are not the problem, but he isn't used to play like that so it'll take time and might never work, but here we are. This is United thing lately.
I quite like him in that deeper role actually, I think he's better when involved more in the game, I completely don't get the setup with him as AM.

The worst thing we can do is to push Bruno deeper. It would be criminal move from ETH.

He might be vaguely in his preferred position but the fact its a different setup with only one midfielder behind him means he doesn't have the same platform. But totally agree moving bruno deeper is just creating additional problems for the team

 

[mav_9me]

He is a lot better than Fred at his best.

You know you'd think so on paper. But honestly Fred played so much better while playing similarly high so often last year. Despite his inconsistencies. Mount has shown nothing close to it.

 

[kouroux]

Gotta believe and hope he will be much better otherwise it could another waste of money

 

[izak]

Waste of investment, he will flop here and by next year we'll be looking to sell him for £10m, that's how shit he looked last night.

 

[Champ]

Waste of investment, he will flop here and by next year we'll be looking to sell him for £10m, that's how shit he looked last night.

Give over for feck sake.

That's a ridiculous statement and just shows the knee jerk ridiculousness that permeates on this forum.

Not his finest debut but worked incredibly hard, showed some good touches and was dangerous in between the lines.
History shows that he is a very good player, to claim he'll flop from one display in what was a mediocre team performance is hyperbolic nonsense.

 

[OrcaFat]

He worked very hard against Wolves.

I think he’s not quite 100% fit. Looks like he needs a few more matches to get his strength maxed.

Also he is still learning how to be at his most effective within this team and this system. His positioning needs to be right and, with his role, that is dynamic, always shifting depending what’s going on. Trickier than playing no6, for example. Him and Bruno haven’t got it worked out yet.

 

[Sarni]

We are basically trying to do what Arsenal are attempting by having two offensive midfielders next to one defensively minded player, except we are doing this with inferior and even worse suited personnel at each position. I don’t think this is going to work out for either team but it has the potential to be far more catastrophic at United as we also don’t have any plan B with current personnel, Arsenal at least can go back to Partey next to Rice.

It worked for Pep and City but their personnel is on another level and Pep himself is on a different planet to Ten Hag and Arteta so he’s able to make adjustments to the plan more efficiently.

 

[Trex]

You know you'd think so on paper. But honestly Fred played so much better while playing similarly high so often last year. Despite his inconsistencies. Mount has shown nothing close to it.

This conclusion is after one game.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

His corners were good. I don't think he was that much worse than Bruno, and we all know the level Bruno is as a player. Give him time.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

First game of the season so I’m not going to pile in on him, I’ll give him a fair crack like every new signing but I’ve always thought he wasn’t the right profile of midfielder that we needed. Early doors yet but the midfield just looks unbalanced with him, Bruno and Casemiro.

 

[the_cliff]

Mount is a weird one. He doesn't really give the ball away and presses well but we don't get the ball to him enough for him to be of use.

I think our midfield is desperate for a player that can receive of the keeper and turn defence into attack, we saw that many times yesterday when Onana was on the ball. When teams don't press Onana and instead stop our passing options to Varane and Martinez we have no option in midfield other than Casemiro who is also marked with a man behind. We need one of Bruno/Mount to drop deep in those situations and help build up play.

 

[JPB]

We needed a player of Scholes/Fabregas/FDJ caliber and United hierarchy buys Mount with 1 year contract for 55m+5m and gave number 7. Only explanation till now is trust the manager.

Exactly this.

 

[mav_9me]

This conclusion is after one game.

This is not a conclusion. An observation based off the preseason and 1st game. You know the football played so far.

 

[Sylar]

Have a feeling he will need to score 10+ goals for us this season.

He presses, but surely we want more and need more from him. Can't remember him getting too involved. Maybe after a few games we will see him being more involved

 

[zenith]

Needs to play further back, closer to Casemiro. We need his energy in the middle, not upfront, especially when you can clearly see Casemiro was gassed in the second half.

Exactly this. He needs to play further back. The only reason I can imagine he was so far up the pitch was because the manager told him so. Playing just ahead of Casemiro and finding one of our 4 attacking outlets (+advancing fullbacks) is his job and he can do that to a good extent provided he's not played as a 10.

There's a difference in playing on the front foot and playing stupidly. I still believe that if we play him as an 8, he'll be very useful to the structure of the team.

 

[AjaxCunian]

People worship managers on here, as if they are all-knowing and above mistakes.

It is just very clear that this setup is a completely stupid idea, with the personnel available and half of the posters could tell you that as soon as we were linked with Mount.

It will take EtH months to figure this out, probably due to his stubbornness.

 

[Okey]

I still can't see it, to be honest. The Mason Mount we knew at Chelsea never crossed our minds as a potential midfield acquisition for United. It's looking that way with each passing game. I earnestly pray he makes me look silly in short order!

 

[youngrell]

Went missing quite a bit and seemed to lose his balance/footing the few times he did get near the ball. That can be nerves. which is the only positive I can cling onto at the moment.

Him and Bruno need a bit of time to work things out, got in each others way a few times.

 

[Tibs]

Was shit, honestly.

 

[Champ]

People worship managers on here, as if they are all-knowing and above mistakes.

It is just very clear that this setup is a completely stupid idea, with the personnel available and half of the posters could tell you that as soon as we were linked with Mount.

It will take EtH months to figure this out, probably due to his stubbornness.

It's not a case of worship, it's more a case of the managers knowing a lot more than people on here.

Managers can make mistakes for sure, but there's a reason they are managers of elite football clubs and not just posting inane bollox on a forum.

 

[Trex]

This is not a conclusion. An observation based off the preseason and 1st game. You know the football played so far.

Isn't it hasty though? How was Casemiro after his first few games?

 

[mav_9me]

Isn't it hasty though? How was Casemiro after his first few games?

That's why it's not a conclusion. It's an observation at this point.

Also the difference with Casemiro is I expected more from Casemiro based off his record and his initial poor performances were surprising and he improved to his usual level.

As opposed to Mount, who I don't rate much, and so far has lived down to my poor expectations for him. Thus my fears are being realized.

 

[mu4c_20le]

It's not a case of worship, it's more a case of the managers knowing a lot more than people on here.

Managers can make mistakes for sure, but there's a reason they are managers of elite football clubs and not just posting inane bollox on a forum.

ETH can credit much of his success to the Ajax hierarchy, namely Van der Sar and Overmars. They are the ones who built the team for him that enabled him to challenge for the CL. Letting him make his own decisions now, at a multi billion dollar corporation, seems reckless.

 

[Redderp]

Just another square peg in a round hole, just like Eriksen. We need a natural CM…

 

[Winrar]

Not sure what he's meant to be offering as a player.

I was a bit skeptical of this signing but I thought maybe he would've been able to keep the ball under pressure and help us progress forward on the pitch like what Eriksen did in his best showings last season. Instead he was a complete passenger and allowed Wolvfes to bully us and waltz through our midfield.

 

[AjaxCunian]

It's not a case of worship, it's more a case of the managers knowing a lot more than people on here.

Managers can make mistakes for sure, but there's a reason they are managers of elite football clubs and not just posting inane bollox on a forum.

This is the exact kind of rubbish I'm talking about, thanks.

 

[Red Royal]

When Bruno made his debut vs Wolves in a goaless draw there was so much optimism for him. Mount has a worse performance but we win and he is written off by so many already!

Not all transfers can hit the ground running, but I think MM will figure out how best to play alongside Bruno eventually. They need to interchange attacking and defensive dutoes according to opposition and game status.
Perhaps we had all underestimated Wolves and the formation was too attack minded. I expect against Spurs it will be corrected.

 

[zaafi]

This is the exact kind of rubbish I'm talking about, thanks.

How is it rubbish? Is it wrong? Do you genuinely believe fans know more than the manager? Look, everyone can say "why didn't we just buy Caicedo, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen and Frenkie de Jong, and we'd be so much better!". It doesn't mean the fans have any idea what they're talking about.

It actually makes me laugh when I see posts like "see, I told you he wasn't going to cut it!" as if that poster had any idea at all. It's Mount's first game, and while it wasn't a particularly good game by him, everyone struggled. Does that make Bruno a shit player? Or Shaw? Rashford? Apparently this is all on Mount. We were playing against Wolverhampton who had 3 absolute tanks in the midfield. They're not technically excellent, except maybe Matheus Nunes, but they're fecking strong, powerful and very difficult to play against, especially Casemiro struggled and looked like he was playing a veteran game, and when your most physical player is in that shape as a midfielder, it was always going to be tough.

 

[AjaxCunian]

How is it rubbish? Is it wrong? Do you genuinely believe fans know more than the manager? Look, everyone can say "why didn't we just buy Caicedo, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen and Frenkie de Jong, and we'd be so much better!". It doesn't mean the fans have any idea what they're talking about.

It actually makes me laugh when I see posts like "see, I told you he wasn't going to cut it!" as if that poster had any idea at all. It's Mount's first game, and while it wasn't a particularly good game by him, everyone struggled. Does that make Bruno a shit player? Or Shaw? Rashford? Apparently this is all on Mount. We were playing against Wolverhampton who had 3 absolute tanks in the midfield. They're not technically excellent, except maybe Matheus Nunes, but they're fecking strong, powerful and very difficult to play against, especially Casemiro struggled and looked like he was playing a veteran game, and when your most physical player is in that shape as a midfielder, it was always going to be tough.

I don't think any poster has ever argued or try to argue that they know more than PL managers, that's not the point. The point is that despite the fact that they know more, they can be criticised, challenged, questioned by people, entities that know less than they do.

They are not omniscient, they make mistakes, they have blind spots, obsessions, and the common man who follows the sport, may detect it at times or be able to converse about it.

This doesn't mean that if they were to be stood in their shoes, they'd do a better job or whatever strawmans people give on here.

Though it is the Mount thread, I am not trying to criticise him as a player. He's a good player, just not world-class, over expensive for a one-year contract and really not what we need in midfield. There is just no way that you see a midfield of Bruno and Casemiro for an entire season, and can think that Mount is going to be the one that brings balance to it. It is honestly baffling.

But hey, EtH is the manager and therefore all-knowing. Until he isn't.

 

[AndySmith1990]

How is it rubbish? Is it wrong? Do you genuinely believe fans know more than the manager? Look, everyone can say "why didn't we just buy Caicedo, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen and Frenkie de Jong, and we'd be so much better!". It doesn't mean the fans have any idea what they're talking about.

It actually makes me laugh when I see posts like "see, I told you he wasn't going to cut it!" as if that poster had any idea at all. It's Mount's first game, and while it wasn't a particularly good game by him, everyone struggled. Does that make Bruno a shit player? Or Shaw? Rashford? Apparently this is all on Mount. We were playing against Wolverhampton who had 3 absolute tanks in the midfield. They're not technically excellent, except maybe Matheus Nunes, but they're fecking strong, powerful and very difficult to play against, especially Casemiro struggled and looked like he was playing a veteran game, and when your most physical player is in that shape as a midfielder, it was always going to be tough.

Do you have a job? Do you trust every decision your boss makes? Do you have a culture where its healthy to question decisions and raise concerns? Doing so doesn't mean you think the boss is shit or that you can do a better job than them. No person is perfect nor is anyone beyond criticism. There are a lot of football fans who really do need to learn this simple fact of life before getting so uptight and defensive whenever the performance or decision of a manager or player is challenged

 

[The United]

We are basically trying to do what Arsenal are attempting by having two offensive midfielders next to one defensively minded player, except we are doing this with inferior and even worse suited personnel at each position. I don’t think this is going to work out for either team but it has the potential to be far more catastrophic at United as we also don’t have any plan B with current personnel, Arsenal at least can go back to Partey next to Rice.

It worked for Pep and City but their personnel is on another level and Pep himself is on a different planet to Ten Hag and Arteta so he’s able to make adjustments to the plan more efficiently.

It remains to be seen how we play this season. But you are right that the way City plays requires certain types of players - not just quality players, which they spend a ton on until they get them. All these FBs tucking in in the midfield and CBs stepping into the midfield are fun tactics to try out in games. It will take time for us, and there is a high chance that it will not happen for us unless we spend tons of money.

Right now, it looks like ETH is trying to copy the way City plays with the players that Liverpool would do well with.

 

[Kramer]

Mount is clearly not in the best form and still regaining fitness.

I think he’ll surprise people and win over the fans by October.

 

[sglowrider]

This conclusion is after one game.

Dont you realise we have lots of Rinus Michels regens here? How dare you doubt their ability to judge?

 

[zaafi]

Do you have a job? Do you trust every decision your boss makes? Do you have a culture where its healthy to question decisions and raise concerns? Doing so doesn't mean you think the boss is shit or that you can do a better job than them. No person is perfect nor is anyone beyond criticism. There are a lot of football fans who really do need to learn this simple fact of life before getting so uptight and defensive whenever the performance or decision of a manager or player is challenged

I agree with all of that. I just find it funny how some fans think they know better by suggesting another player and thinking they're some kind of scout who discovered the player, and assuming that player would be much better than the ones we signed.

 

[Champ]

This is the exact kind of rubbish I'm talking about, thanks.

Ah, ok, so you know better than EtH,

how often do you watch the training sessions? Are you involved in the tactical meetings? Do you have regular meetings with the coaches to discuss tactics and opposition tactics?

You can have a viewpoint sure, but don't try and act like you know better than the manager when you only see a small part of what the coaches and manager sees.

 

[Champ]

ETH can credit much of his success to the Ajax hierarchy, namely Van der Sar and Overmars. They are the ones who built the team for him that enabled him to challenge for the CL. Letting him make his own decisions now, at a multi billion dollar corporation, seems reckless.

What about Go Ahead Eagles and Utrecht?

Was that the hierarchy too or maybe just EtH showing his tactical and managerial nous?

 

[AjaxCunian]

Ah, ok, so you know better than EtH,

how often do you watch the training sessions? Are you involved in the tactical meetings? Do you have regular meetings with the coaches to discuss tactics and opposition tactics?

You can have a viewpoint sure, but don't try and act like you know better than the manager when you only see a small part of what the coaches and manager sees.

You have a hard time reading. It's visible from your first sentence.