Have we been linked to him?
Mason Mount's Many Misfortunes
- Thread starter horsechoker
- Start date
Welcome to Manchester United, Mason Mount!
Nice one, Mase.
I still fond it utterly bizarre we prioritised this signing as our number one target. Id rather Amrabat than him if priority order, and what we did alloeed Chelsea to bolster their starting funds for the transfer window almost immediately. Could have at least left them sweating, and if he chose somewhere it wouldn't have been the end of the world. Maybe in time ill be proven wrong.
I agree.
Should Amrabat sign, I think for the big games, Ten Hag will play a double pivot with Amrabat and Casemiro. I think Amrabat offers far more defensively.
Im not sure why we prioritized Mount. I think though, had he worked under Pochettino, he could have been convinced to stay. 60mil is a huge amount with one year left, especially given he's on near 300k a week with bonuses.
Would much rather have seen us go for Kudus from Ajax. I think he will become a superstar at Brighton.
I bet people wouldn't complain if his name was Masiano Mountinho.
I really like that he is our no 7.
Feels like a new era.
Feels like a new era.
Casemiro - Amrabat
Bruno—————————————Mount
Just to show you the versatility of Mount & how he can play anywhere to change the style of the team.
Imagine trying to get through this.
I find the "it's just a shirt number" comments a bit reductionist.
Granted it is true, it is one of the things that is part of United's history, tradition and by that beauty.
When I started following United as a kid, I genuinely thought the #7 kit was something special to United and by that, to me.
These are the things that give every club their own identity and charm.
Granted, it's gone terribly wrong with the likes of Owen, Depay, Valencia etc. There is nothing wrong with desiring it to be worn by a player who gets us on the edge of our seats, is exciting and has that star quality.
Mason Mount just clearly isn't that player, and how good his signing may prove to be, he likely never will be that player.
Granted it is true, it is one of the things that is part of United's history, tradition and by that beauty.
When I started following United as a kid, I genuinely thought the #7 kit was something special to United and by that, to me.
These are the things that give every club their own identity and charm.
Granted, it's gone terribly wrong with the likes of Owen, Depay, Valencia etc. There is nothing wrong with desiring it to be worn by a player who gets us on the edge of our seats, is exciting and has that star quality.
Mason Mount just clearly isn't that player, and how good his signing may prove to be, he likely never will be that player.
442?
Agree though, his versatility is a plus. Just like Phil Neville or John O'Shea!
It wouldn't make any sense to prioritise Amrabat over Mount given the way we (and several other top sides) are now looking to set up.
We want to play in roughly this shape in most games:
Opting for Amrabat wouldn't have made sense in that shape. He wouldn't be able to play the advanced role Mount plays, he would be competing with Casemiro for that deeper midfield role and we would have been left starting Eriksen in that advanced midfield position with little depth behind him.
Alternatively, we don't play in that shape. But that means that even as Pep, Arteta and Klopp adapt to the shifts in top level tactics by moving towards that same double #8/#10s box midfield shape, ETH is unable to do the same. Hardly a mystery why that wouldn't appeal to him.
Ideally we will sign Amrabat too, giving us cover for Casemiro and the ability to change shape in certain games. But once you accept that this shape is the new meta for top level sides tactically, the reasoning behind targeting Mount (or a Mount type player) as the priority becomes pretty clear.
Even more so when you consider ETH's comments about wanting to be the best transition side, an area in which Mount excels.
When we lose the ball up the pitch and can't win it back within 5 seconds, EtH has been instructing them to fall into a 442 defensively, at least according to an article in The Athletic:442?
Agree though, his versatility is a plus. Just like Phil Neville or John O'Shea!
Things become more complicated when looking at United’s work on defensive transitions. The Athletic understands that players are coached to press and attempt to win the ball back within a five-second window after losing the ball. If their collective counter-pressing attempts are unsuccessful, then United players have to retreat into a 4-4-2 shape, compacting the space between the midfield and defensive lines and making the side difficult to pass through. The defensive triangle of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Casemiro was integral to this compact shape. United were noticeably weaker defending in games where one member of the trio was unavailable as opposition teams found it easier to play through United’s core.
https://theathletic.com/4733210/2023/08/07/manchester-united-best-transitional-team/
His passion, attitude, character, effort, application are what we need throughout the squad. If he can gel with this team and get to his best, there’s no reason he can’t be a very important signing for us. He’s a very likeable guy.
A good read. thanks
Why are we playing Casemiro and Amrabat as strikers?
Me too mate. I hope people give him time. Tough place to expect that though.
Yeah he needs that first goal badly especially after missing a sitter by his standards
It's not bizarre at all considering the system Ten Hag wants to employ.
Most attacking teams revert to the 442 when they've conceded possession and lost the counter press these days. Most effective way to cover the pitch and close down opposition passing lanes (in your half at least) whilst still retaining the ability to regain momentum. It's also the easistet formation to break from and re-form into an attacking formation when you've regained possession.
It was the reason it was the standard in the 80s/90s/early 00s. The popularisation of the flat back 5 that lesser teams started using to knick draws and the general improvements in defensive organisation lead to attacking teams needing to be more creative in attack. Which lead to teams using attacking formations and fluid positions when in possession in order to breach defences.
I can remeber the the whole 4-6-0 formation talk and the advent of the false 9. Neither were really a thing. It was just an outdated way of thinking about player positions during a time when attacking teams were evolving into something more fluid and effective.
Hoping he starts well. He could do with getting the usual fickle crowd of his back.
Scoring or setting up winner at Spurs,that would feel very sweet as an ex Chelsea player
What I find more bizarre is this constant failure to understand where and how he fits in and why the manager wanted him as a priority. And to top it all off pushing the agenda of a completely different type of player which would necessitate a change in playing style from the manager’s preferred system. That seems the most bizarre take of all.
Yo get a marquee player like Mount, from a rival, early in the window, when he’s the manager’s number one target, is to be celebrated not derided.
All the mud slingers on here will be quick to wheel out their “I told you so’s” as soon as Mount has a bad game (which all players do) but stay conspicuously quiet when he plays well. It’s the most predictable thing in the world at this point. Talk enough negative shit and you’ll be right eventually. However briefly.
The match day forum will be full of toxic Nostradamus clones again this year, and be one to avoid for the foreseeable future. That part of the site is pretty much ground zero for stupidity these days.
Maybe he won't but unlike several of the last #7's, who have been paid huge wages, it seems like he actually wants to be here as first choice. I hope he succeeds for that alone.
Contrary to popular belief 442 is not obsolete. Most of the top teams use 442 to defend since it provide numbers and width. Even City defend in 442 formation more often than not. The "obsolete" 442 is the one where we hoof them to the wing and inshaallah cross. 442 as a formation is very solid defensively442?
Agree though, his versatility is a plus. Just like Phil Neville or John O'Shea!
He is also being paid huge wages, not Sanchez level ofcourse. But our past #7's also wanted to be here apart from Alexis I'd say.
Well fecking said.
This isn't really "bizarre" considering how poor we've looked in this shape so far and how little impact Mount is having on our game. This might as well change as soon as we play competitive games, but hardly a surprise that people see mostly negatives after this pre-season. There are huge question marks over this approach with two advanced #8s and that has more to do with the team in general rather than Mount individual quality.
That’s a different concern to the oneI answered but equally bizarre for people to be taking a grand total of around 75 pre season minutes, when we’ve actually played the formation you’ve described, as any sort of an indicator of its success. It’s knee jerkism to support a wider anti Mount agenda.
I’ll clue you in, as it seems you don’t understand this yet, but it takes a sustained period of time for an approach to be (a) competently mastered by the players and (b) to truly assess its viability. A handful of pre season minutes is worthless as a barometer of anything. Success or failure.
Going to be a massive player for us, I can see him as a future captain too. His work rate and ability to chip in with goals will be invaluable.
My only concern with the new look midfield is our ability to control possession without Eriksen who nits it together very well, but lacks the physicality of Mount. Good to have both options!
My only concern with the new look midfield is our ability to control possession without Eriksen who nits it together very well, but lacks the physicality of Mount. Good to have both options!
I like the cut of your jib. I agree, Mount is going to be the linchpin of the team. His off the ball work was impressive, and when he starts contributing goals and assists, I think people will rate him highly.
The match day thread is a barometer of our collective id, whereas our superego come out in the other threads. The latter is excited for the season and the former still has PTSD due to recurrent failure
People's main problem with Mount is everyone has already seen him play week in week out. They would have much preferred someone from another European league so they could pretend, despite not mentioning it before, they would spend their weekends doing nothing else but watching every Toulouse game or dedicated their spare time to following Hoffenheim or was a massive, hard-core, 'top red-level' fan of all things about the Austrian leagues.
They could have Googled the player, went on his Wiki page, watched a few 240p YouTube clips and pretend to have been a right expert on him, giving chapter and verse on every element of his game.
With a Mount? We've all watched him every week at Chelsea. That's no fun. And that's why the reaction to the transfer from many has been so sulky and petulant. The signing doesn't give them the opportunity to pretend they're actually the Caf's foremost expert on a potential new recruit that they themselves had never seen kick a ball before the Tier 2 and 3 Tweets started to appear in the Transfer form.
He might be a bad signing. Who knows. But the reasons why some already think he is, are hilarious.
They could have Googled the player, went on his Wiki page, watched a few 240p YouTube clips and pretend to have been a right expert on him, giving chapter and verse on every element of his game.
With a Mount? We've all watched him every week at Chelsea. That's no fun. And that's why the reaction to the transfer from many has been so sulky and petulant. The signing doesn't give them the opportunity to pretend they're actually the Caf's foremost expert on a potential new recruit that they themselves had never seen kick a ball before the Tier 2 and 3 Tweets started to appear in the Transfer form.
He might be a bad signing. Who knows. But the reasons why some already think he is, are hilarious.
What's with this ridiculous generalization and backwards thinking ? There are people who do follow other leagues than the PL and can develop a genuine appreciation for a foreign player based on his ability upon hours of watching just as Mount can be rated just as decent after having followed most of his career at Chelsea.
If a player is rated or not, it's because of what he can produce on a pitch
Such a ridiculous take that was. How does one come up with stuff like that?
No, people's main problem is they have already seen him play week in week out and know there is nothing special there. A good player who will work hard but little else.
A foreign player may or not be better. With Mount we know what we are getting and it's not exactly thrilling.
Let's all pretend like Mason Mount wasn't the most criticised England player at both the Euros and the World cup on this forum.
He may help but he is not the solution on his own.
We all knew at that point that he'd join United at one point and not be a flashy signing, that's why we criticised him.. or something..
He does have qualities though, and every United fan should wish he works perfectly in the system and succeeds here.