Potential Ten Hag XI's

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My favourite two Dutch analysts/pundits (Suleyman Ozturk and Pieter Zwart of Voetbal International) agree with me that he's doomed to fail (sadly behind a paywall here: https://www.vi.nl/pro/waarom-de-overstap-van-ten-hag-naar-united-gedoemd-is-te-mislukken in a 37 minute video going through the United squad)

They say that United has too many specialists in particular positions and too little footballing ability throughout. That centrebacks are the one place United don't need to spend money, with Maguire and Varane both having qualities for a Ten Hag side and even Lindelöf having qualities that would look better in a Ten Hag side.

But that Ten Hag would basically need basically a clean slate for the team and a billion euros to spend and even then wouldn't be able to compete with the level City and Liverpool are at, and hence he's doomed to fail whatever he does.

Basically they need, according to this video, 3 new goalkeepers, completely new fullbacks, completely new centremids, and a completely new front-line except Sancho, as well as a new structure at the club

Then he should just not try because two dutch rag merchants told him he couldnt succeed.
 
He will not spend heavily on Rice. My guess is we will bring in;

- two cheap option in midfield (Kamara or Ruiz?)
- a physical (in terms of pace and agility) CB (Kounde?)
- a new full back (Timber or Raum?)
- a new attacker (no idea, but different type of players like Nkunku, Richarlison, Antony, Oshimen and Nunez could all be options)

Pace, agility and willingness to press will probably be key features in all position, but maybe less so in central midfield.

it depends on how much control he succeeds in getting, as ive said before Rice along with Bellingham are odds on to be the Glazer mobs targets.
 
My favourite two Dutch analysts/pundits (Suleyman Ozturk and Pieter Zwart of Voetbal International) agree with me that he's doomed to fail (sadly behind a paywall here: https://www.vi.nl/pro/waarom-de-overstap-van-ten-hag-naar-united-gedoemd-is-te-mislukken in a 37 minute video going through the United squad)

They say that United has too many specialists in particular positions and too little footballing ability throughout. That centrebacks are the one place United don't need to spend money, with Maguire and Varane both having qualities for a Ten Hag side and even Lindelöf having qualities that would look better in a Ten Hag side.

But that Ten Hag would basically need basically a clean slate for the team and a billion euros to spend and even then wouldn't be able to compete with the level City and Liverpool are at, and hence he's doomed to fail whatever he does.

Basically they need, according to this video, 3 new goalkeepers, completely new fullbacks, completely new centremids, and a completely new front-line except Sancho, as well as a new structure at the club
I’m not being funny, but Graham Potter has managed to create exciting, possession football from essentially Championship level players. If ETH can’t consistently produce stylish football with a squad worth over half a billion then he’s not the manger we need!
 
Vandervordt
Livaramento/Laird Varane Fofana Alvarez/Shaw

Kamara/Garner

Caqueret /Fernandes Hannibal/Fred

Sancho/Elanga Sulemana/Ganacho

Giouri/Greenwood

£230m odd - large portion of that would be on Fofana, personally as dont see enough Spanish/German football I cant really come up with other good young names as not seen enough of them. Be chepaer options than Sulemana too and more right sided ones but I just rate him so higly. Vanervordt only if Henderson leaves too. But those three are probably wrong, just players I like personally.....

However Livaramento, Kamara, Caqueret, Giouri would be great buys in my opinion, 4 of our 6 problem positions filled and all young with attributes we dont have that I think woul dsuit us, and probably only around £100m for all four....of coruse not linked with any but Kamara though
 
lineup.png


Think this is a realistic summer. We need to realise transfers and squad changing is going to take much longer than 1 summer regardless of who comes in, but especially if ETH comes in as expected.

New striker - Nunez/Jonathan David
Midfielder - Konrad Laimer
DM - No idea but not spunking over 100m on Rice
DC - Timber

RW - If there is any money combined with sales, maybe a new rw this summer or next
RB - Not sure if it will be this summer or next
LB - Not sure if it will be this summer or next

Yeah definitely need those 4 positions this summer but desperately need to improve right hand side too
 
I think there are a few positions nailed down from what we've got already, purely due to not being able to replace everything at once.

Varane - closest CB we've got that is used to playing in a side dominating most games.

Shaw - Telles has been alright, but nothing more and Shaw if he can get back to last seasons form is a much better player.

Fred - Really taken over from McT this season and will keep his place as a rotation option as a minimum. His on the ball ability might hamper his starts though.

Bruno - New deal just signed means he isn't going anywhere and he's now moved up nearer our higher earners.

Sancho - You'd expect him to benefit a lot from Ten Hag and progressive football being closer to what he shone at whilst at Dortmund.

The rest you'd have to say there are question marks over.

Dalot I can see getting a full season as a starter to see what he can produce, along with the clubs resistance to sell AWB meaning bringing another RB in is unlikely.

DDG or Henderson will be interesting to see given the reasons known to everyone about DDG inability with the ball.

Right wing is the position I'm most concerned about, besides Anthony we haven't really been linked with anyone and most journos have reported us to be looking more down the central spine than wide areas. Suppose a lot depends on what happens with MG, and what happens if the charges are dropped.
 
de Gea
Wan-Bissaka Maguire Lindelöf Shaw
Matic Mctominay Fred
Mata Martial Rashford
 
Highlight of the thread is the one line-up with Sancho CM and Bruno LW
 
My favourite two Dutch analysts/pundits (Suleyman Ozturk and Pieter Zwart of Voetbal International) agree with me that he's doomed to fail (sadly behind a paywall here: https://www.vi.nl/pro/waarom-de-overstap-van-ten-hag-naar-united-gedoemd-is-te-mislukken in a 37 minute video going through the United squad)

They say that United has too many specialists in particular positions and too little footballing ability throughout. That centrebacks are the one place United don't need to spend money, with Maguire and Varane both having qualities for a Ten Hag side and even Lindelöf having qualities that would look better in a Ten Hag side.

But that Ten Hag would basically need basically a clean slate for the team and a billion euros to spend and even then wouldn't be able to compete with the level City and Liverpool are at, and hence he's doomed to fail whatever he does.

Basically they need, according to this video, 3 new goalkeepers, completely new fullbacks, completely new centremids, and a completely new front-line except Sancho, as well as a new structure at the club

Spot on.
During the Everton game I found myself thinking- You know what we need?
3 goalkeepers
That'll stop them from scoring.
 
-------------------------------- Nunez ----------------------------

Sancho ----------------- Nkunku ----------------- Antony

--------------------- Fred ------------- Kamara -------------------

Shaw --------- Akanji -------- Varane ------- Timber

--------------------------------- De Gea -----------------------------

For next season
It's cute that you think the Glazers will let Murtough buy six players, really cute.
 
Can you suggest an XI you think might work?
Also yes I agree no loans, especially because most of the players have suffered on loan, but also I would want everyone to have a clean slate.
okay, I’ve struggled to settle on a formation but let say the following:-

De Gea
Dalot Lindelof Varane Williams
Garner
Mejbri Fred
Bruno
Ronaldo Martial

Its a midfield diamond 442. This is realistic as ETH likes a 442 and doesn’t regularly use wingplay. I think Martial will be back next season whether we like it or not, and with his skill set could work well as a second striker with Ronaldo.
Obviously if we sign somebody like Tchouameni he would go in instead of Garner, who may then be used as an 8. Another striker signing (I have no suggestions) would replace Martial.
Obvious problem is this leaves out Sancho, Rashford, McTominay etc…. But it’s a starting point. I like a 433 also but Ronnie on his own up top isn’t working. He can’t do it all by himself. Rashford May work as a 2nd striker, I’m not sure Sancho would.
 
Henderson is young and looks better with his feet than De Gea, but is there a team that needs a keeper and can afford to buy and pay De Gea?

I had mentioned VDB in a previous post as the 10, which obviously Ten Hag did well with in tearing apart Madrid at the Bernabeu in a CL tie which is basically the pinnacle of modern football. In that case he could use Bruno as the Tadic type, VDB as the 10 type role that Berghuis plays and then not buy a wide player but the sides maybe flipped, like this:

-------------------------------Cristiano(Haller)----------------------------
Sancho(Antony)--------------------------------Bruno(Tadic)-------------
-------------------------VDB(Berghuis)---------------------------
------------------------------------------------Fred(Gravenbach)-----------------
----------Shaw(Mazraoui)--DM(Alvarez)---------------------------------
------Shaw(Timber)--Varane(Martinez)-Lindelof(Blind)------

Not a lot of depth but we can promote youngsters I guess. And Blind is certainly more used to playing fullback (which he does some of the time) than Lindelof, but no faster or more athletic.

Also, I'm not sure Ten Hag will look to replicate the team he has this year, which is dominating but maybe more of a thing he'll look to build towards.

But yeah, add a DM and maybe replace Fred with a better player on the ball than and maybe a wide CB type like Kounde or Timber and it's not a million miles off.
 
okay, I’ve struggled to settle on a formation but let say the following:-

De Gea
Dalot Lindelof Varane Williams
Garner
Mejbri Fred
Bruno
Ronaldo Martial

Its a midfield diamond 442. This is realistic as ETH likes a 442 and doesn’t regularly use wingplay. I think Martial will be back next season whether we like it or not, and with his skill set could work well as a second striker with Ronaldo.
Obviously if we sign somebody like Tchouameni he would go in instead of Garner, who may then be used as an 8. Another striker signing (I have no suggestions) would replace Martial.
Obvious problem is this leaves out Sancho, Rashford, McTominay etc…. But it’s a starting point. I like a 433 also but Ronnie on his own up top isn’t working. He can’t do it all by himself. Rashford May work as a 2nd striker, I’m not sure Sancho would.
Two centre backs that both want to drop off and a goalkeeper who doesn't want to leave his line in any circumstances. I just don't see how that is a combination Ten Hag would ever pick and frankly it's a combination no manager should ever pick.
 
My favourite two Dutch analysts/pundits (Suleyman Ozturk and Pieter Zwart of Voetbal International) agree with me that he's doomed to fail (sadly behind a paywall here: https://www.vi.nl/pro/waarom-de-overstap-van-ten-hag-naar-united-gedoemd-is-te-mislukken in a 37 minute video going through the United squad)

They say that United has too many specialists in particular positions and too little footballing ability throughout. That centrebacks are the one place United don't need to spend money, with Maguire and Varane both having qualities for a Ten Hag side and even Lindelöf having qualities that would look better in a Ten Hag side.

But that Ten Hag would basically need basically a clean slate for the team and a billion euros to spend and even then wouldn't be able to compete with the level City and Liverpool are at, and hence he's doomed to fail whatever he does.

Basically they need, according to this video, 3 new goalkeepers, completely new fullbacks, completely new centremids, and a completely new front-line except Sancho, as well as a new structure at the club
We may as well not bother turning up at all next season if that's the case.
Deary me.
 
Telles has been average but he's definitely better than Buttner, enough with the hyberbolic statements. :rolleyes:
 
okay, I’ve struggled to settle on a formation but let say the following:-

De Gea
Dalot Lindelof Varane Williams
Garner
Mejbri Fred
Bruno
Ronaldo Martial

Its a midfield diamond 442. This is realistic as ETH likes a 442 and doesn’t regularly use wingplay. I think Martial will be back next season whether we like it or not, and with his skill set could work well as a second striker with Ronaldo.
Obviously if we sign somebody like Tchouameni he would go in instead of Garner, who may then be used as an 8. Another striker signing (I have no suggestions) would replace Martial.
Obvious problem is this leaves out Sancho, Rashford, McTominay etc…. But it’s a starting point. I like a 433 also but Ronnie on his own up top isn’t working. He can’t do it all by himself. Rashford May work as a 2nd striker, I’m not sure Sancho would.

We will make signings for the first XI so can take out a few of the squad names there
 
Sanchez

Dalot - Timber - Schlotterbeck (or N'Dicka) - Fernandez

VDB - Kamara - Ruiz

De Ketelaere - David - Sancho
About £200m but I'm happy to sell Martial, Maguire, Henderson, De Gea, AWB, Bailly, Williams, Tuanzebe, Chong, Pereira to bring it down to about £75m net. I don't think we will miss any of them.
 
Sanchez

Dalot - Timber - Schlotterbeck (or N'Dicka) - Fernandez

VDB - Kamara - Ruiz

De Ketelaere - David - Sancho
About £200m but I'm happy to sell Martial, Maguire, Henderson, De Gea, AWB, Bailly, Williams, Tuanzebe, Chong, Pereira to bring it down to about £75m net. I don't think we will miss any of them.

Just the 7 signings for the first XI though
 
Just the 7 signings for the first XI though

I would prefer more but I ran out of money

In all seriousness I think lots of our players are going to struggle to play the EtH way and will have to go over the next 2 to 3 years. I think we should admit it and get it done asap. The Sevilla side that beat us in the 2020 Europa League semi brought in at least 10 players that summer and went on to win it and finish 4th in the league. It is possible to do it and be successful.
 
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Everyone putting Fred in their lineups instead of McTominay + the new DM is in for a huge surprise. :lol: As soon as we get a new DM Fred will be phased out (as he should be) whilst McTominay will probably be crucial to us under any new manager.
 
Everyone putting Fred in their lineups instead of McTominay + the new DM is in for a huge surprise. :lol: As soon as we get a new DM Fred will be phased out (as he should be) whilst McTominay will probably be crucial to us under any new manager.

They both should be squad players, we need to sign a mobile DM and ball playing CM
 
They both should be squad players, we need to sign a mobile DM and ball playing CM

I think he's a great player and I know that would be a very unpopular thought here but even if he was as bad as people make him out to be, who can we sign for the CM position that is legitimately suited to play for a team challenging for PL / CL titles? Also McT is one of the few players that offer that physicality that most of the squad is lacking like Rangnick said.

I feel like in a functional team most of the players that are getting the most shit from the fans at the moment (Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, etc.) will become very good players.
 
I think he's a great player and I know that would be a very unpopular thought here but even if he was as bad as people make him out to be, who can we sign for the CM position that is legitimately suited to play for a team challenging for PL / CL titles? Also McT is one of the few players that offer that physicality that most of the squad is lacking like Rangnick said.

I feel like in a functional team most of the players that are getting the most shit from the fans at the moment (Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, etc.) will become very good players.

There are CM's on the continent who won't cost a fortune and can give us more quality
 
I don't think so. I'd take Telles over Shaw any day at this point. Shaw sure feels like part of the problem. Maybe a new manager can change that but I hope we move on.
He’s at some point sulked/had a questionable attitude under 4 managers now yet the club persists though we know who/what he is. He’s as much a symptom of what’s been wrong at the club for so long as anyone.
 
De Gea

New RB... Varane... New CB... Shaw

Fred... Milinković-Savić... Fernandes

Anthony... Nunez... Sancho

More realistic 11

De Gea

New RB... Varane... Maguire... Shaw

Fred... New DM... Fernandes

New RW... Ronaldo... Sancho
 
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De Gea

Lamptey - Varane - Timber - Hicks

Vitinha - Rice

Sancho - Bruno - Rashford

Isak

6 new recruits, brilliant. It will be 300-350m for these 6. I assume you think we can get 50m for Martial, 30m for Jones, 30m for Bailly, 30m for AWB and of course, 70m for Maguire.

As much as you hate the existing squad, we can at most spend 150m on new players, and re-coup 50m from sale, whoever that may be.

Cut loss on some and retire a few is definitely the right thing to do, but getting 3-4 decent players is all we can afford. Striker, MF, CB, 1 each.
 
He has his work cut out for him if he actually takes the job.
 
My favourite two Dutch analysts/pundits (Suleyman Ozturk and Pieter Zwart of Voetbal International) agree with me that he's doomed to fail (sadly behind a paywall here: https://www.vi.nl/pro/waarom-de-overstap-van-ten-hag-naar-united-gedoemd-is-te-mislukken in a 37 minute video going through the United squad)

They say that United has too many specialists in particular positions and too little footballing ability throughout. That centrebacks are the one place United don't need to spend money, with Maguire and Varane both having qualities for a Ten Hag side and even Lindelöf having qualities that would look better in a Ten Hag side.

But that Ten Hag would basically need basically a clean slate for the team and a billion euros to spend and even then wouldn't be able to compete with the level City and Liverpool are at, and hence he's doomed to fail whatever he does.

Basically they need, according to this video, 3 new goalkeepers, completely new fullbacks, completely new centremids, and a completely new front-line except Sancho, as well as a new structure at the club

You're making it sound as if the 420m rebuilt spearheaded by Ole, Murtough, Phelan and co had been an utter mess
 
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