Now that we signed Varane do we have the best defense in the EPL?

Plant0x84 said:
I think it’s unfair to single out AWB for poor positioning when Luke Harry and Victor are all culpable for goals conceded from being out of position as well. I really don’t think RB is a massive weak spot which is what was claimed.
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I’m not saying he’s a weak spot as in needs to be replaced or he’s bad, I’m just not agreeing that he’s the best defensive RB in the league. His big issue is going forward and due to not having a RW has stood out like a sore thumb. Signing Sancho will make him look better in that regard.
While I agree with your point all our defenders have been caught out(no defender will be perfect) AWB definitely gets caught more than others
 
Fantastic as it is, the acquisition of Varane still doesn’t solve the problems we have in midfield. We urgently still require a quality replacement for the McTominay Fred combo which just doesn’t work against capable opposition, and a world class DM would solve this.
 
The goalkeeper, RB and holding midfielder are all weak points (although Wan Bissaka is a decent defender to be fair, he just can't pass the ball).
 
On paper we've always had great teams, all about bringing it together now. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to the PL, he should be in his pomp so am expecting great things.
 
Never thought about that, sounds interesting, i hope you are right.
 
Manchester United defense most expensive. Yes on paper it looked solid but best defense I can't agree with that at least not yet.

Have to see minimum ten games from start of next season.Fixtures looked easy on paper for man utd. How well the defense cope with that will give the real sample.
 
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Henderson is a question mark and De Gea is past it, but the back 4 itself is brilliant. Will need a balanced midfield in front like every team does. Madrid with Ramos and Varane at their peaks looked exposed with Modric and Kroos with no Casemiro, so you know if we try a 433 with Pogba and Bruno that we'll be fecked as they're even more attacking than Modric and Kroos.
 
City is brilliant defensively because teams can't get the ball from them or are too afraid to try.

Whenever a team really goes at city they are nothing special.
 
Anyone else think that signing Varane will motivate Lindelof the same way as signing Telles did Shaw?

No me neither!
 
RedDevilRoshi said:
Us:
AWB-Varane-Maguire-Shaw

City:
Walker-Dias-Stones-Cancelo

Chelsea:
James-Azpilicueta-Silva-Rudiger-Chilwell

Liverpool:
TAA-Konate-VVD-Robertson
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Thank you - very good comparison. Unfortunately it highlights that we do not have best defense but we are right there with best of them. I still think that Liverpool and City are a little bit better due to the fact that AWB is a weak link. Not that AWB is bad - it just he is not that great (except 1-1). Still extremely happy. What a summer it is. Go go MU.
 
charlenefan said:
I said this in another thread but do we really think Varane is going to make that big a difference/was Lindelof really stinking up the place that much?

Varane will absolutely no doubt improve things that much is a given but to go from where we were last season to being the best based on one signing? I dunno not something you'll see me typing

There's also more to defending that just names on the pitch, the coaches have got to do their job as well
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Varane will most likely help us avoid a number of set piece goals, he's very, very strong in the air. He's unlikely to contribute a lot to goalscoring, having a total of 8 goals in La Liga for Real Madrid in 10 years.

The key is that Varane at the back can let us play without the double pivot that protects Maguire and Lindelöf.

I don't think we lack offensive flair or ability in the team whatsoever now. I think its time to sell Pogba and invest that money into a CDM, get a world beater in that role and this squad is as strong as any team in world football

Pogba has a injury record spanning 2 seasons now with considerable missed gametime. He's not defending the wage increase he's going to command with his contribution over the past 2 seasons. I love Paul as a character, but if we can get good mony for him, I'm happy to take it and upgrade our biggest need.

Then throw the bank at Haaland next year. Stay away from Kane at all cost
 
I think if all our defenders are playing at their absolute best there’s a very strong case ours is. However, players like Maguire and in particular AWB have patches where they make bad errors which lets them down.
To be fair to Maguire part of this stemmed from the whole Greece ordeal as he was shocking at times beginning of the season. Just hope him and Shaw kick on from their fantastic Euros and also AWB demonstrates more defensive awareness.
 
Sign Trippier and I’d say yes to the OP.
 
SAFMUTD said:
Not going to lie, with Varane's signing I'm truly excited about our defense, I was talking with some friends and we were discussing if now we have the best defense in the league.

Of course the obvious candidates are City, Liverpool, Chelsea and us. Going name by name I think besides the keeper we are not behind in any department. Shaw is top of the league, Maguire and Varane are up there at top with anyone behind maybe VVD who we don't know how is going to come back after that injury and Dias.

Attacking wise I think Liverpool's defense is still the most exciting but defending wise I don't think I would swap for any other team not just in the premier league but in the world.

What are your thoughts?
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On paper I’d say it’s up there in the top 2. Obviously, we need to see how they perform together. But Shaw being back to his best along with Maguire, if Varane can fit in seamlessly and AWB keeps improving it’s sure up there.

I’d have to say Liverpool could have a pretty formidable back line this season and arguably the best. We already know how good their full backs are. In VVD gets back to his best and forms a partnership with Konate, that could be a beast defence.
 
Dante said:
We let in a shit ton of goal at set pieces and a shit ton of goals off the back of AWB being out of position. Only the first has been fixed.
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With either Varane or Maguire alongside AWB, I think his positioning will improve a lot. Both of the cb’s are very good when it comes to positioning so for AWB to have that alongside him as opposed to Lindelof will be huge.
 
So untimely to make a call like that. Once everyone is settled, acclimatised and used to one another, on paper, maybe possibly.

Our centre back pairing is very likely going to be a lot more complimentary, our tactical flexibility is instantly improved.

On paper I'd still say Liverpool have the best defense (not exclusively with view to defending, but in all around terms), Chelsea have better depth to their defense, and City have three very good central defenders to choose from though the left back spot has been a slight problem position for them. All of those teams though press high and have a defensive midfielder shielding the defense.

I just hope Maguire builds on last season, Shaw retains this newfound level of performances and AWB irons out his positioning (even more important than his final third contributions).
 
I remember when we signed Lindelof and being excited about him and Bailly forming a partnership :annoyed:
 
charlenefan said:
I said this in another thread but do we really think Varane is going to make that big a difference/was Lindelof really stinking up the place that much?

Varane will absolutely no doubt improve things that much is a given but to go from where we were last season to being the best based on one signing? I dunno not something you'll see me typing

There's also more to defending that just names on the pitch, the coaches have got to do their job as well
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It's not just Lindelof stinking up the place. It's the balance and complimentary attributes he'll be able to provide to Maguire that is the difference maker for me.
 
Money wise yes. Coaching wise and working together I still think we are a bit behind. Awb is positiojally awful and limited going forward and is clearly the weak link
 
Tom Cato said:
Varane will most likely help us avoid a number of set piece goals, he's very, very strong in the air. He's unlikely to contribute a lot to goalscoring, having a total of 8 goals in La Liga for Real Madrid in 10 years.

The key is that Varane at the back can let us play without the double pivot that protects Maguire and Lindelöf.

I don't think we lack offensive flair or ability in the team whatsoever now. I think its time to sell Pogba and invest that money into a CDM, get a world beater in that role and this squad is as strong as any team in world football

Pogba has a injury record spanning 2 seasons now with considerable missed gametime. He's not defending the wage increase he's going to command with his contribution over the past 2 seasons. I love Paul as a character, but if we can get good mony for him, I'm happy to take it and upgrade our biggest need.

Then throw the bank at Haaland next year. Stay away from Kane at all cost
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I don't think people truly understand what playing Lindelof was and how it affected us. In games where we dominated, one long ball on his side could easily lead to an opposition chance being created. More than set pieced, his lack of ability on duels cost us most of the chances we conceded in the seemingly easier games. I always felt that both AWB and Maguire suffered playing with him as they consistently had to cover for him, both in and out of possession. We were the best defensive team in the league in 2018, Lindelofs arrival brought the worst defensive record we have ever had in the league. It's not a coincidence. Him playing long enough and not taking responsibility in games, both on and off the ball has resulted in him being hidden and hence avoiding the criticism he should consistently be getting. United fans are more likely to accept a player doing nothing and having no responsibilities ( Mata, Herrera, Fellani) than they are of players who make things happen with the one off mistake ( Maguire, Nani, even Bruno( in the sense that people act like he's not world class despite being consistently productive due to his risk taking). 1 player coming in can lead to significantly more goals for the team, it's the same for the defence too.
 
For all rightfully saying about AWB positionally, I've got 2 thoughts.

Firstly, I don't think it's lose on Ole and the coaches so it is something you'd think we are working on.

Secondly, and more importantly for me, he'll have a leader next to him now. Someone who's been there and done it, someone who'll hold him accountable. That's priceless.
 
RedDevilRoshi said:
Us:

AWB-Varane-Maguire-Shaw

City:

Walker-Dias-Stones-Cancelo

Chelsea:

James-Azpilicueta-Silva-Rudiger-Chilwell

Liverpool:

TAA-Konate-VVD-Robertson
Click to expand...
Forgot the goalkeepers.

Chelsea is probably the best team defensively, but their setup is different so hard to compare. I’d probably not switch with City and Liverpool. I rate our back 5 slightly ahead of City, and although I think Liverpools back 5 is better than our on paper it’s likely that VVD’s injury is recurring and that he’ll struggle a lot with that for the rest of his career.
 
SAFMUTD said:
There are not many players that could had a bigger impact than Varane, I think it could be a Virgil kind of impact. Combined with the newly appointed coach who will strenght set pieces I think we should see an instant improvement.
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From what I've heard, Varanes performances often varied based on whether Ramos was next to him. I'm not sure if he's quite as good as everyone thought he might become when he first came through as a teenager though I hope I'm wrong.
 
Samid said:
It's up there but RB is a gigantic weakness.
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RB is arguably our strongest side. Nothing gets past AWB in top games man for man. Of course his only weakness is incoming crosses in the air but Varane should help with that now.
 
tjb said:
I don't think people truly understand what playing Lindelof was and how it affected us. In games where we dominated, one long ball on his side could easily lead to an opposition chance being created. More than set pieced, his lack of ability on duels cost us most of the chances we conceded in the seemingly easier games. I always felt that both AWB and Maguire suffered playing with him as they consistently had to cover for him, both in and out of possession. We were the best defensive team in the league in 2018, Lindelofs arrival brought the worst defensive record we have ever had in the league. It's not a coincidence. Him playing long enough and not taking responsibility in games, both on and off the ball has resulted in him being hidden and hence avoiding the criticism he should consistently be getting. United fans are more likely to accept a player doing nothing and having no responsibilities ( Mata, Herrera, Fellani) than they are of players who make things happen with the one off mistake ( Maguire, Nani, even Bruno( in the sense that people act like he's not world class despite being consistently productive due to his risk taking). 1 player coming in can lead to significantly more goals for the team, it's the same for the defence too.
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Just quoted so more people can see the truth.

A lot of us have been saying this for years but I still so many 'he's a good defender, gets underserved criticism and would be a very good player in another league' bs.

Lindelof should fear for his place because if Bailly/Axel get a run of games and find their 'place' in the squad, I can see him down the pecking order if he continues playing so passively. I know it's ridiculous based on the historical form and injury of those two but you're only as good as your last game.
 
charlenefan said:
I said this in another thread but do we really think Varane is going to make that big a difference/was Lindelof really stinking up the place that much?

Varane will absolutely no doubt improve things that much is a given but to go from where we were last season to being the best based on one signing? I dunno not something you'll see me typing

There's also more to defending that just names on the pitch, the coaches have got to do their job as well
Click to expand...

I do believe we'll see a positive difference when/if Varane hits the ground running. In terms of quality Varane is thrice the player Lindelof is.
 
I wouldn't say best but hardly much difference between the top 4 defense. All around same level.
 
Maybe. But partly because we've seen how well Maguire did at the Euros with a good CB next to him.

What I will say is that Varane has the perfect partner next to him to help him do well in England. Maguire ticks all the boxes you'd want next to him especially if he faces the ball in the air more often. So if he comes in and doesnt help us have the best defence in the league, then its on him.

I already rated our fullbacks as the best, Maguire showed how good he can be at the euros. So yeah. Goalkeeper... And Varane settling in
 
Let's see how they play together when the season actually starts. Great defences are as much built on organisation and coordination as pure ability. On paper we do look great now though.
 
432JuanMata said:
I’m not saying he’s a weak spot as in needs to be replaced or he’s bad, I’m just not agreeing that he’s the best defensive RB in the league. His big issue is going forward and due to not having a RW has stood out like a sore thumb. Signing Sancho will make him look better in that regard.
While I agree with your point all our defenders have been caught out(no defender will be perfect) AWB definitely gets caught more than others
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Who is the best RB in the league then? None of the popular ones are better positioning than him. Usually they are a bit better going forward instead whilst being a worse defender
 
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