You’d think it’s one or the other with Kadioglu and Mazaroui
New season optimism
- Thread starter Pughnichi
- Start date
Ignoring the smash and grab 2-0 down at half time vs Liverpool, there are clear signs of what ETH wanted from the team. The high press, high intensity and chance creation were really good in that first half. Having Bruno, Martinez, Dalot, Shaw, Mainoo and Garnacho all back in the first team while playing like that will help massively.
Rashford looked very sharp until he came off which if he keeps his sharpness for the season, that will also be a massive boost.
Amad has looked very lively in pre season, he is definitely going to be given a big chance and is now ahead of Antony in the pecking order, which again is definitely a positive, and will be huge for chance creation and the attack in general.
The new coaching staff, especially RVN is going to be a benefit for the all of the forwards.
Keeping players fit is extremely important for a good season though.
I think a lot of people are ignoring the fact that nearly this entire team (minus Mainoo and Varane now being gone), managed to finish 3rd in the league. Last season has made everything think we have a dreadful squad when we clearly don't and injuries massively fecked the league performance.
Rashford looked very sharp until he came off which if he keeps his sharpness for the season, that will also be a massive boost.
Amad has looked very lively in pre season, he is definitely going to be given a big chance and is now ahead of Antony in the pecking order, which again is definitely a positive, and will be huge for chance creation and the attack in general.
The new coaching staff, especially RVN is going to be a benefit for the all of the forwards.
Keeping players fit is extremely important for a good season though.
I think a lot of people are ignoring the fact that nearly this entire team (minus Mainoo and Varane now being gone), managed to finish 3rd in the league. Last season has made everything think we have a dreadful squad when we clearly don't and injuries massively fecked the league performance.
I'm hoping Shaw starting with fitness concerns boots them into action. He simply cannot be relied on.
Re bolded part - I agre but also our single Defensive Midfielder has aged 5 years in one season and is no longer able to cut it at this level. I repeat SINGLE DM in the squad.
Other than that we're pretty good.
I'm about as optimistic as a rioter who got caught looting greggs at this point
My optimism at this point is entirely based on us getting less injuries and the likes of Rashford and Casemiro being closer to season before last than last season with a proper break and pre-season behind them. That along with the likes of Mainoo, Garnacho and Diallo developing and offering more.
With the latter there is at least something to look forward to. We have young players who are exciting to watch. The former is purely hope based.
In terms of optimism of the team being successful. We need to sign some kind of competent cover at left back in the next week, or my optimism is once again back to the Drederick Tatum suffering a congenial heart failure moments before stepping into the ring meme.
With the latter there is at least something to look forward to. We have young players who are exciting to watch. The former is purely hope based.
In terms of optimism of the team being successful. We need to sign some kind of competent cover at left back in the next week, or my optimism is once again back to the Drederick Tatum suffering a congenial heart failure moments before stepping into the ring meme.
I'm sorry, nobody told me you were God
That performance has helped tbf. Going to have to spend the next 6 days reminding myself it was a friendly against City's half second string now
We had loads missing too!
If we get a midfielder as well I'll be more optimistc than I've been for a long time. We have such amazing young talent at the club and with the new signings I feel like we finally have a long term plan. Building for the future and reinforcing positions of need. The thing I worry about is if we have enough goals in the team.
I'm very optimistic, not going to lie.
Feeling pretty positive after that game...
Rashford looked sharper
Casemiro looked better
Amad looking the real deal
Need more from Mount would be the main concern after today's game but the above plus the announcement on the 2 new signings, i think we're good to go!
Rashford looked sharper
Casemiro looked better
Amad looking the real deal
Need more from Mount would be the main concern after today's game but the above plus the announcement on the 2 new signings, i think we're good to go!
Whisper it quietly, but we've been played quite a bit of absolutely gorgeous football in the final third in the last three games or so. Crisp passing, clever movement, dummy runs, correct decisions... not always great final execution.
Does feel like it could get there.
Does feel like it could get there.
Can't be as bad as last year surely
Doesn’t Mazrouai play both LB and RB? So he’s cover for Shaw and Malacia when Dalot is fit I would imagine. We do look a bit light at wing back now though with 3 of our 4 players there being very injury prone (Shaw, Malacia and Mazrouai).
I’m more optimistic now tbh.
Been a good day.
Been a good day.
Just need Rashford and Sancho to get their heads out of their asses and I'll feel optimistic. Hope Zirkzee shows us he's a bauce.
Edit: Forgot about Antony but I don't know what to say about him.
Edit: Forgot about Antony but I don't know what to say about him.
Haven’t had particularly good results pre season but the performances have been pretty decent, injuries and being wasteful have undermined a promising prelude to the season. So, I’m feeling relatively optimistic that we can have a good season.
Way better after today, both signings and the performance (after the first 30 which was very concerning).
As a main group I think we'll see this:
Concern is in midfield. Mount can backup Bruno even though he doesn't need much rotation, maybe can step in for Mainoo when needed too. Casemiro is the one that I'm not confident he can keep up the level he showed today, especially without rotation.
Eriksen, McTominay, Sancho, Antony, Malacia, Maguire and Lindelof all have weird roles in that some might get games to start the season but once everyone is fit I'd imagine they start pushing for transfers due to no game time as they are deeper backups.
As a main group I think we'll see this:
Onana
Dalot De Ligt Martinez ???
Casemiro Mainoo
??? Bruno ???
???
The wings will be Amad, Garnacho and Rashford battling it out all season, always having one sub in for one of the other 2. Expecting big things from all of them. Up top, Hojlund and Zirkzee should rotate well. Left back obviously Shaw if fit, but Mazraoui will play his fair share there. Yoro will be eased in post injury now. Dalot De Ligt Martinez ???
Casemiro Mainoo
??? Bruno ???
???
Concern is in midfield. Mount can backup Bruno even though he doesn't need much rotation, maybe can step in for Mainoo when needed too. Casemiro is the one that I'm not confident he can keep up the level he showed today, especially without rotation.
Eriksen, McTominay, Sancho, Antony, Malacia, Maguire and Lindelof all have weird roles in that some might get games to start the season but once everyone is fit I'd imagine they start pushing for transfers due to no game time as they are deeper backups.
Mount played in a strange position tbf
I do think when Bruno is playing at #10, it will explode Case like last season. Bruno's pressing will leave a big hole at the back.. Mount can optimize and balance the middle three but lack of Bruno's creative..
Two consecutive matches vs City, which clearly have deeper squad than every team in Europe, and somehow we keep preventing them to even take the modest lead in open game, not to mention creating loads, despite this being clearly not finished project, just yet. Actually United are far from finishing business, this summer.
Potential for greatness, with few puzzle pieces to fit in time.
Potential for greatness, with few puzzle pieces to fit in time.
If we are gonna play this formation then surely Zirkzee plays instead of Mount right ? Still feel we will lack goals when it's all said and done
Yeah i know and im not jumping on him and writing him off (like much of the forum!)
Yeah so signing an injury prone fullback and selling a less injury prone fullback seems like a very daft idea to me given what happened last season and the fact both our left backs still aren't fit now.
I also think I'm being pretty kind with "very daft". F*cking stupid would be more apt.
We played quite well. I don’t have much hope, but more of that would be welcome.
Less than city tbf. That will more or less be our team next weekend. City probably only half of theirs will start, but it was still encouraging amd enough to change the mood going into the first game.
AWB is as injury prone as Mazraoui IMO. There were large parts of the 2 seasons gone by that he was missing due to injury.
So in that sense it’s like for like. I guess they’ll keep Amass around and hope to have some cover from our CBs if we suffer multiple injuries. It’s a good deal to do as long as we are doing this because we want to spend more money in midfield reinforcements (and the budget is tight).
Also on AWB - he goes on a free next summer so best to cash in now and get someone else in who fits the ‘game model’ even if injured. It can help build rhythms in the team and a more stable set up for youngsters to be bedded in. For eg, now Amad can expect a similar approach from both Dalot and Mazraoui as opposed to a different approach which suits that player.
The signs were promising and especially players like Casemiro being sharp is a huge bonus. If he can play as well as he did two seasons ago, we should be much higher up the table, apart from playing good football.
We looked very good tbh.
And this doesn't even include two of our biggest chances (McTominay and Amad/Mount).
And this doesn't even include two of our biggest chances (McTominay and Amad/Mount).
I’m hoping Bruno playing the #10 won’t affect Case. our pressing structure all pre-season has resembled 2 leading the line (striker and no10) narrow wingers just behind and then 2 midfielders. We seem really compact with the way our front six are pressing. Hopefully with 2 centre halves confident in pushing up in Martinez / De Ligt we should transition to that high pressing/ high turnover team Ten Hag is envisioning. If we can put the ball in the back of the net consistently (the biggest doubt for me currently) we’ll compete.
What was their xG in the FA Cup final?
Some fair points but I suspect we are just going to run into the same problems as last season at fullback and I don't think it will take long for that to happen. For example, it has already arguably cost us the game today albeit a semi friendly.
Strongly disagree with the idea of our crntrebscks filling in there. They would all be absolutely disastrous at it.
I would have preferred to see him in a 3 men midfield
Renewed optimism 
Keep going back and forth with this but after today and the signings coming in the next couple of days ………
Anyone knows what happened to Zirkzee today why he didn’t get any minutes?
Keep going back and forth with this but after today and the signings coming in the next couple of days ………
Anyone knows what happened to Zirkzee today why he didn’t get any minutes?
But there is always Antony . Our defensive winger.
Anyway, let’s see how it pans out. I would be very happy with this signing as long as we get someone in the defensive midfield position as well. I don’t there is another LB/RB in the market which we could have gotten for sub 20m.
Quietly optimistic.
Jury is out on some of our signings. I’m not expectant of Zirkzee being a huge hit, just not sure what place he has in this side; Yoro is obviously a massive talent but only 18 and is sidelined for a while, so may not have a huge instant impact; and Mazraoui is quite injury-prone though I do expect him to be an upgrade on AWB.
I am confident about De Ligt though. Think he’ll be a game changer in the centre of defence and I do think the money spent on him will represent great value for money.
With Amad, Garnacho and Mainoo we have heaps of talent and potential. The latter two obviously had good seasons last season so might kick-on further.
Add a dominant, combative and mobile defensive midfielder (Ugarte) and I think our starting eleven looks quite tidy when everyone’s fit (big question in itself). There were positives in the City game though I appreciate it is just a glorified friendly really.
Jury is out on some of our signings. I’m not expectant of Zirkzee being a huge hit, just not sure what place he has in this side; Yoro is obviously a massive talent but only 18 and is sidelined for a while, so may not have a huge instant impact; and Mazraoui is quite injury-prone though I do expect him to be an upgrade on AWB.
I am confident about De Ligt though. Think he’ll be a game changer in the centre of defence and I do think the money spent on him will represent great value for money.
With Amad, Garnacho and Mainoo we have heaps of talent and potential. The latter two obviously had good seasons last season so might kick-on further.
Add a dominant, combative and mobile defensive midfielder (Ugarte) and I think our starting eleven looks quite tidy when everyone’s fit (big question in itself). There were positives in the City game though I appreciate it is just a glorified friendly really.
The performance today and the De Ligt/Mazraoui signing nearly done has raised my optimism.
We absolutely have to get a DM in the next week though, preferably 2 midfielders. But I'm a bit baffled about our transfer strategy on that front.
Then I think about our injuries and the left back situation and my optimism starts to drain.
We absolutely have to get a DM in the next week though, preferably 2 midfielders. But I'm a bit baffled about our transfer strategy on that front.
Then I think about our injuries and the left back situation and my optimism starts to drain.
We had Shaw and Hojlund missing from our first choice lineup. We can't count our new teen defender as a starter.
City had Stones, Walker, Rodri, Grealish, Foden missing and KDB came on very late on.
I don't think it's much of a comparison!
However, we played well in certain patches.