It was hard not to
Premier League Gameweek 1
- Thread starter top1whoisman
- Start date
Yeah agreed. Whether that translates to goals or other productivity is another matter but if he can keep this up, you'd imagine that would come with the amount of opportunities he seems to get involved in. His issue and the team's issue is that he may be the only consistent goal threat so there's that also.
Newcastle will be the revelation for this season.
There was no skill he out paced and out muscled him
You scared me there for a second. Phew
Out on the wings as inverted wingers. Honestly I think a lot of teams have moved younger players to the wings and it created this problem of now teams are lacking a true out and out striker. Teams have also started to target strikers who can do it all which has made the pool to choose from even harder. So instead of training guys to be true 9's teams have shifted away from there not realizing they've created a new problem in the future.
Is Poch wearing a key ring in his wrist?
Pool should have signed a striker. Nunez is awful.
I think Konate was wary of him checking in, seem more interest in stopping him from doing so.
Is it really a revelation when a state-backed team does well?
I guess it depends on your definition of skill and I need to see it again but my first thought was that he did that run in a skillful way. It's not easy to get away and dribble with a strong centre back by your side leaning into you. It wasn't quite kick and run because his feet and close ball control had to be really good in that situation.
They were a revelation when it was revealed that they were being bought by Saudi Arabia, not later than that.
I think they need to do away with the 5 atb gimmick. It helps control a game but they don’t have nearly enough lethality up top to do it consistently. I assume Poch will go back to 4231 when Caicedo is there though.
Imo because tactically their responsability has changed fundamentally from scoring as their only job to have to do a shitload of different jobs now. So naturally the selection process answered to that change. We ended up with strikers who are average at everything. Imo Haaland is what could be considered the sign that we'd go back to the pure poacher days. As they say football evolves in cycles.
It's the same with the CB. Back then defending was their only job, they could be shit on the ball and nobody bat an eyelid. But now they have to be good on the ball as well. So we ended up mostly with CBs who are average at both.
Pep went so far in the evolution that he's back at a 4-4-2 big man / little man.
Daniel Sturridge is a cringe monster
Let’s not have Daniel Sturridge doing punditry again shall we.
Was about to say the same thing. He’s a bit like a CBeebies presenter at times.
Agree with most of this. You just can’t afford to have some passenger striker in the team anymore that can just bang in goals, if anything the first Ronaldo season back for us proved that. They now have to be very high work rate pressing machines, quite good technically, and also offer the pace/power attributes along with being able to score goals. It makes for a difficult job to find one that can do it all and also be a 20+ lethal goalscorer. And if you do find one they’ll cost 100mil minimum. But for all of the complaints about strikers, it’s not like football has become low scoring as a result. The goals just come from team passages of play and structure (both on and off ball) more often than just creating a single chance for a lethal striker to bang in.
So Sturridge is coming back ? That wasn't a one off because of Chelsea-Liverpool ? 
Good result for United. Most times when two of our rivals play, a draw is the best result.
We just need to win tomorrow now to make it count.
We just need to win tomorrow now to make it count.
This is something that I've thought about, too. I wonder if it's a generation of younger players/fans being obsessed with Ronaldo and Messi - players who have more of a free-roaming role and aren't in that category of 'striker'. It's a huge problem and it doesn't seem to just be indicative at our club, but actually across the league. Tempted to say it's more of a problem across Europe than we think it is?
I also agree with this and it's something that bugs me, too. We also seem to have a generation of players who have come through without a defining role. Kai Havertz is a prime example of this. Players that don't seem to do an awful lot and it's unclear how best to use them since they do quite a few things, but at a lower standard than the one job you need them to do. I have absolutely no problem with us getting a striker and telling them that their only just is to loiter around the box and finish the chances. To me, that seems like the obvious thing you'd want a striker to do...but the game has changed so much that a striker would probably be hammered for not having a high passing rate, or isn't coming deep enough. "Why weren't you tracking that runner all the way back to our corner flag?"
It's actually quite irritating. Sometimes we make the game more complicated than it needs to be...
Sturridge is Skys new signing
What? He was brilliant. I would be ecstatic if Hojlund played like today. He showed pace, power, strength, balance. His finishing may not be all that, at least not yet, but clearly he has the raw materials plus that willingness to make runs all day.
May have missed some bits, but he did lots of defensive work that may have gone unnoticed to some.
Just saw Spurs brought Romero off for concussion but didn’t use a concussion substitute.
Seems pretty unethical to me
Seems pretty unethical to me
Not sure. I was going to say style of play has changed, but then you have had Kane, Benzema, Lewandowski for the last few years. And now pep plays with Haaland, Arsenal have Jesus while we are investing in Hojlund...so it's not like the position is going extinct.
They messed up, didn't give the right form to indicate concussion sub. They basically lost a sub.
You’re right! I was watching Prem League years the other day and Spurs had Defoe, Keane and Berbatov all scoring then Newcastle had Viduka, Owen and Martins all scoring in one game. Barely any team has that sort of striking firepower nowadays and they were just mid-table teams at the time.
Kane, Benzema, Lewandowski and Haaland are all the absolute pinnacle in their positions. You're talking about the best strikers in the world right there in those four. They're also very expensive. Outside of those four, the well goes dry very, very quickly.
Keane absolutely hates Sturridge. 
He’s not alone thereKeane absolutely hates Sturridge.
Yeah but Romero doesn’t have to automatically sit out 7 days now and miss the next game..against us.
I'm not sure that's how it works. If they are concerned about concussion they will sit him out anyway no?
Enzo looks like he’ll turn into an absolute beast under Poch. Add Caicedo and Chelsea look a real threat for top 4.
Who’s scoring their goals? Who’s keeping them out? A good midfield pair doesn’t get you top four.