This. We should pay whatever it takes. Probably one of the best in the world and in 2/3 years he'll be the undisputed number 1 defender.
Samuel Umtiti
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
- Start date
How about Bailly - Toby - Umtiti as three in the back and play a Juve style 3-5-2 or 3-4-3
With DDG behind them, we would be almost impossible to score against
That would be scarily good.
Obviously it is also assuming we make other signings too, but even if we didn't.. if you have two outstanding CB's, even if your attack isn't functioning well.. if you can defend high up the pitch, keep clean sheets with relative ease, you're going to have a fair bit of the ball, and the attack can play with freedom knowing they don't have to come back and defend deep. IMO it would be the best defensive partnership in England and top 3 in Europe.. we'd be better placed to grind out results.
This summer, if we got a new LB, Umtiti and say Douglas Costa/Mahrez for the RW. Even if the football wasn't fluid etc, we'd be very very tough to beat.
They do defend in Barcelona. Just by keeping possession but they're pragmatic when they need to be as well. Barcelona have better defenders than us so we're not in a position to turn someone like Umtiti down. If he's good enough for THAT Barcelona team then he walks into ours no doubt.
I think our defenders are called on more than a few times in any game. Each to their own but I'd take a defender from West Brom who I know can defend even under those circumstances than one who's gonna cost 70m that I don't fully know if he can. Let's see if your few times called on defensive CB's are applicable tmw as for most games against the top teams were are defending hoping to hit them on the break.....
Yes, I strongly believe CBs win you the league and that you can't win the league without good CBs.
Forwards win you matches but your defense wins you the titles.
This reminds me if something really interesting I read. I'm pretty sure most of you guys would have read about this, but it really shocked me when I read this :
In 1994,AC Milan won Serie A by scoring 36 goals in 34 games conceding just 15
http://timeontheball.net/2017/02/08/capellos-masterpiece/
Oh yeah - this transfer ain't happening. I do think a top CB is a priority, not sure who's available mind.
There's a reason why DDG is constantly our best player - our defence give him the opportunity to be.
Not sure when I said Barca didn't defend or that he wasn't a good defender or he wouldn't walk into this team. My point is he will cost 70m+ if not more. For me I'd rather someone that's proven they can defend under the pressure of the PL than someone who plays in a league for a team that probably spends 20% of the time defending. He's not what we need imo as no way strong enough in the air and we are in dreamland anyway cause it's not gonna happen..
We will see come the summer.
If we don't sort our midfield we'll be in trouble next year for me though. Our defense is ok, our midfield is woeful
Don't think our defence makes him our best player, he just a world class player. Every save isn't always a defensive error.....
Would be making less saves if our defence was better, no?
Obviously he's world class but I'd prefer to see him a bit less.
^^Precisely^^
Exciting to be linked with Umtiti & Varane, but I don't think either one of them are likely to leave the La Liga for the Premier League.
Similarly, I don't see Spurs allowing Alderweireld to leave without a fight and an improved contract offer.
Koulibaly seems the most realistic target to land of the marquee CBs.
Could you imagine Liverpool/City in the scenario if we did something similar lol?
#NotMyChampions
That's when Serie A still only gave 2 points per victory. So the mentality was don't concede. A defeat and a draw only 1 point apart. AC Milan defended well, no question but the oppositions more often than not were too scared to lose to even try to attack.
I agree overall that defense (systems) is the foundation for a winning team, be it low block or ball recycling defensive methods. Attacking scoring goal however necessarily win games.
Actually this current Barca side, doesn't pass the team as well nor prioritises possession in the same way as previous reiterations. The Chelsea game was a misnomer in that respect, as they basically just sat back and let Barca have the ball, but in La Liga (pre signing of Coutinho), it wasn't as possession heavy.
No you see him more cause he saves them, less if he didn't. Nothing to do with defence as teams aren't shoting anymore at us than anyone else. In fact it probably less. Would Spurs be over reliant on Kane if he scored less goals....course not cause it's his ability to score them which makes them over reliant on him. The whole over reliant on DDG thing is a misnomer to a degree as the saves only define the match after it, not during it.
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Not sure about current but my point (less) remains the same. Pointless cause he isn't going no where and pointless cause in the scheme of things despite its shortcomings, we still have one of the best defensive records in PL and Europe. We have bigger fish to fry than 100m (cause Barca would argue he's better than VD at Liverpool) on a player than finding a player so we can have a proper world class midfield, a Rw and a LB.....
Of course, but opportunities like this come once in a generation.. a potential generational great (both him and Varane are that type of talent) and even if its in a position you don't necessarily need to strengthen, if you can get him at a bargain price + big wages, you've got to go hell for leather for it. Especially as when it comes to CB's, fitting in two great CB's is less problematic, to just signing a great attacker who has come on the market for the sake of it (even though chemistry wise or position wise, he isn't the right fit). FWIW with him being a lefty, and more silky than Bailly.. they'd have great chemistry IMO.
But yeah like you said, very unlikely to happen but one thing Jose has up his sleeve is the ability to make impossible signings.
But what opportunity? Hes not said he wants to leave? Barca haven't said he's for sale? He's not available to talk to about signing for anyone? He's not waiting outside OT and no ones there to let him in? I suspect in true Jose style, it will be a smokescreen for someone else. My money is on the lad from Spurs. I'd have great chemistry with Hale Berry but doesn't mean it's gonna happen plus like him I'm still married (to the club).....
Another example of a player we should be offering big wages too. At a minimum it will cost/hurt Barcelona which is still a decent result.
Well the opportunity is the low release clause. It is like you said, probably not a real opportunity as lets be honest.. why would you want to leave Barca and come to United!? but stranger things have happened. Agreed about Toby, much more realistic transfer.
Barca aren't our competition.....
If only wining the league was that easy. Also, dint like the idea of playing with 2 midget CBs.
I feel, Umtiti is so overrated here in cafe. He is having an excellent season, but his gets caught out at times. And at 60M, its not like we are getting him cheap. I will rather go for Koulibaly.
Agree but trigger doesn't mean you can automatically buy the player. All it does is set the price of the sale and nothing more. Like you say, he still needs to come and if the trend is now all about just offering 300k+ a week to get these players here, my fan days are over. I'm not naive to know money plays a big part of it, I just don't want it to be the only part at Utd. There still needs to be a need to want to be here other than that....
Tried to buy him on FM for £53m and he just renewed with Barcelona. Doubt it'd be any different in real life
I'm not sure how good he is and suppose when buying players from top teams, it's hard to know if it's them that's quality or who they are next to or the sum of all the parts. If you look at the city team, how many of them have been signed from top teams or were they the top players in good but not top teams and that was the point I was trying to make earlier. Better a good player in a team where you can see their quality than somewhere you can't.
Trust me Smalling in a Everton shirt would look even worse lol (I'm messing, he's not that bad)
It works both ways i guess. For example, if Jones was playing for Everton, some of the mistakes he made might go even unnoticed.
Also, a player like Umtiti who is already playing in top team and thriving means he can perform good under pressure, can come back if he make some mistake, can be dependent on big occasions, etc. EOD, it all depends on quality of the player.
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You must have missed the 2 european cup finals they stomped us in.
Umtiti or Alderweirled with Bailly, would be awesome. But I suspect neither will ever happen.
Thats that then. Close thread!
Do you have the power to do that, lad?
Awwwwwwww, sick son. (fistbump)
Get it done, bruv.
Insert rolling eyes emoji that I can't even be fooked to look for.
Melt.
Lol....and you are suggesting that's still relevant to making them have to pay a higher salary to him which was your point? Come on that's laughable
Aerial duel stat comparison
Laporte and van Dijk's stats include their Athletic and Southampton numbers. Umtiti seems fine, though in England he'd be facing taller players on the whole and more balls in the air.
Virgin van Dijk
Don't see him leaving any time soon, Barca will pay him well and up that buyout clause.. atleast I hope we've learned from the Neymar situation
Would be a huge blow if we did lose him, best CB in the world this season
Would be a huge blow if we did lose him, best CB in the world this season
Would love to see Smalling play for Barça
There are only a handful of teams in world football who can realistically sign/hold onto elite level talent, Barca are one of the teams shopping in the same end of the market as we are. Barca/Madrid have had a monopoly on the world class players for the past 10+ years because they had indepdent TV deals and a huge financial advantage. If we offer Umtiti 10m a year then we either get him for cheap at 60m which more than makes up any argument of overpaying on wages and worst case scenario Barca offer him the same money and now have 4/5 other players knocking at the door asking for a pay rise. The days of those two teams having their way is over when we can offer more money which is ultimately what players care about.
Well arent you a firecracker son
I'm not sure myself, but I'd imagine someone more commanding in the air. De Ligt at Ajax seems like a genuine world class talent, but it might be too soon. He looks like a calm head that could work alongside Bailly.
Is Umtiti not good in the air? I rarely watch Barca and in most games I do see of them they are so dominant that he doesn't have much to do. Mourinho is fearful of aerially threats, it's why he perseveres with Smalling, so in that case there might be some truth to the Skriniar rumours.
I can's say he is poor in the air, since I haven't watched him play every week and as you say they are very dominant and doesn't have much to do, also the spanish league is different to the PL. But he looks short for a CB, shorter than Bailly and that worries me in a potential partnership.
I agree about Smalling, he is our only dominant CB in the air. What Skriniar rumours?