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2019-20 Performances


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6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
37
Goals
5
Assists
1
Yellow cards
4
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Not his best game. Too many misplaced passes and did not win too many duels as well. His preseason was very impressive so hopefully this is a blip rather than the norm.
 
There are very few teams in the league he is good enough to start for regularly because there are huge limitations in his game. He’d be a great option in the squad for certain games but that’s it and still don’t see him ever being more than that.

The extra time, space and lack of intensity made him look better than he actually is. Would love to be proved wrong as there is a lot to admire about him but talk of him being a future captain or next Carrick etc is nonsense.
 
Good at keeping things simple. Mostly. The moment he needs to pass the ball more than 5 yards though he fails.
 
thought he was great without the ball, and poor with it

our midfield set-up as it is depends too much on McT's passing ability, which is obviously not his strength

I'd like to try Fred next to him, with Fred being the one with more responsibility to move the ball quickly in possession - then we push Pogba up so we don't rely on Lingard or whoever to create
 
He is a good player, but needs to be a bit more adventurous. Wolves are a solid side, but against worse teams though he needs to do more. We will see if he can do that in the coming games.
 
Why are people still having the same debates. Mctomminy is a player who will stand out in a game against the big teams as he just has to make a nuisance of himself to stand out. Against smaller teams he goes missing as being a nuisance is just not good enough. We have had plenty of players like this in the past (Fletcher, Park, P Neville) but also had players who could do the magic so it wasn't magnified as much.
 
I thought he played well, did his job.
He was one of the main culprits for giving the ball away...

I thought when they started pressing him, he got rattled. He'll have to learn from it, but not a great overall game from him.
 
He was good enough when Pogba stayed deep to help control play, but struggled when Pogba became more adventurous, which I guess makes sense.

He and Pogba still provide the most balance if we are sticking to a double-pivot in midfield. They need more creativity ahead of them (stating the obvious here) so that Pogba can be more judicious with his ventures forward.
 
He was one of the main culprits for giving the ball away...

I thought when they started pressing him, he got rattled. He'll have to learn from it, but not a great overall game from him.
Yea maybe he got rattled a bit, but so did everyone in midfield, we just struggled to keep the ball all over the pitch. He was the main player to continually make himself available for everyone else though.
 
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Your posts are incredibly vague, you will disregard others opinion without giving a basis or concensus as to why your own findings and analysis are relevant.

Many of the passes Scott distributed tonight was misplaced or intercepted both arially / along the ground. Scott seldom transitions the play from a defensive position to the attack either. This indicates he is limited technically and lacks proficiency in the most important elements a midfielder needs at this club. While he's not poor off the ball he has next to no dynamics in possession.

If you need representation of what calibre of midfielder is needed at any top four club, look no further than Ndombele. He and Scott are exactly the same age, have the same influences positionally but the differences in quality is abundantly clear. Solskjaer also isn't accommodating the midfield well, Jose already tried the double pivot midfield with Pogba and Matic and it was awful. Ole is now building that same foundation with an even less experienced player and that's why there's no creativity stemming from the midfield.
You would be correct. Based on 2 games this season - he was much better towards the end of last season and during pre season.

Let's see how it goes the rest of the way. Young players tend to get better with experience and we have seen better from Scott.

His passing and retaining of possession has been poor through 2 games though.
 
He has massive support on here. Most think he’s a good player. Even a very good player. However, if you compare the feedback he gets to that of Andreas Pereira, another young central midfielder of similar age and United experience, Pereira’s name is very often followed on this forum by ‘he’s just not very good’, or ‘he’s a bit shit to be fair’. He’s clearly (clear to me anyway), of superior talent to Scott McTominay. He has better technical ability, is a better passer, dribbler and shooter. And is very two-footed. Most would not hear a suggestion that Scott ‘just isn’t that good’.

I’m unsure if this comes down to cliché stereotypes, given the contrasting profiles of both players. Pereira isn’t even a Brazilian midfielder with blonde highlights who can be accused of not ‘running around’. But in general, the difference in consensus is stark, and I can’t see why Scott McTominay is seen as a bigger talent. Both are quite average in my opinion, for the record.
 
Yea maybe he got rattled a bit, but so did everyone in midfield, we just struggled to keep the ball all over the pitch. He was the main player to continually make himself available for everyone else though.
Oh yeah, I'm not suggesting he's to blame, but he was sloppy considering he was the base/defensive part of the midfield. Can't fault his effort, but the execution wasn't there last night.
 
Can this myth that running around is doing diligent defensive work fecking die? Alan Smith didnt make it as a DM despite running around.
When did I say that? What an odd comment. Pogba is not in the team for his defensive nous. I never suggested he’s supreme defensively, just that he’s not as lazy as some like to suggest. For what it’s worth, Pogba ain’t a DM.
 
It wasnt his best game. But there arent many terrible games hes had. Given the options we have in our squad for this season, he will be a starter mostly with Pogba.

Do agree we will see him being praised more for the bigger games.
 
When did I say that? What an odd comment. Pogba is not in the team for his defensive nous. I never suggested he’s supreme defensively, just that he’s not as lazy as some like to suggest. For what it’s worth, Pogba ain’t a DM.

Thats where he played. 2 DMs with McTominay. Thats why it doesnt work
 
He's ok and will only improve. Clearly there's upgrades out there but sometimes you have to invest in what you got otherwise like with Harry, you might have to pay a premium for someone that's been developed elsewhere.
 
He's ok and will only improve. Clearly there's upgrades out there but sometimes you have to invest in what you got otherwise like with Harry, you might have to pay a premium for someone that's been developed elsewhere.

I agree. But, unless I am wrong, there’s usually a certain level of ability/potential a young player usually has to show before a top club commits to such an investment. I’m all for investing in Greenwood or Gomes instead of buying, for example. Or making sure Rashford wasn’t blocked after his breakthrough. I think if we start extending that to young players (and we’re talking 22 here, not even an 18 year old prodigy) who haven’t shown exceptional talent, the we are running a huge risk.

For me, you need to be showing a lot more than McTominay at 22 at a club like this for them to be saying we won’t look for a replacement. We shouldn’t even be looking for a replacement for McTominay in the first place, how we’ve gotten ourselves in a position where he’s a fixture in the XI in the first place is an indictment in itself. I have nothing against him personally, but he should be understudying a proper player.
 
I agree. But, unless I am wrong, there’s usually a certain level of ability/potential a young player usually has to show before a top club commits to such an investment. I’m all for investing in Greenwood or Gomes instead of buying, for example. Or making sure Rashford wasn’t blocked after his breakthrough. I think if we start extending that to young players (and we’re talking 22 here, not even an 18 year old prodigy) who haven’t shown exceptional talent, the we are running a huge risk.

For me, you need to be showing a lot more than McTominay at 22 at a club like this for them to be saying we won’t look for a replacement. We shouldn’t even be looking for a replacement for McTominay in the first place, how we’ve gotten ourselves in a position where he’s a fixture in the XI in the first place is an indictment in itself. I have nothing against him personally, but he should be understudying a proper player.

I hear you and you might be right but the majority of players rarely are at 22. If you don't nurture your own players then be prepared to pay for players that have. Harry M was available for 15m, Leicester took the same chance as we could of. We let Pogba walk out the door for 1m and Chelsea let 2 of the best players in world football walk out the door too. Sometimes you just have to believe in the player and their potential even if it's not evident at 22....
 
He has massive support on here. Most think he’s a good player. Even a very good player. However, if you compare the feedback he gets to that of Andreas Pereira, another young central midfielder of similar age and United experience, Pereira’s name is very often followed on this forum by ‘he’s just not very good’, or ‘he’s a bit shit to be fair’. He’s clearly (clear to me anyway), of superior talent to Scott McTominay. He has better technical ability, is a better passer, dribbler and shooter. And is very two-footed. Most would not hear a suggestion that Scott ‘just isn’t that good’.

I’m unsure if this comes down to cliché stereotypes, given the contrasting profiles of both players. Pereira isn’t even a Brazilian midfielder with blonde highlights who can be accused of not ‘running around’. But in general, the difference in consensus is stark, and I can’t see why Scott McTominay is seen as a bigger talent. Both are quite average in my opinion, for the record.

The answer is that Scott is a better footballer.
 
I hear you and you might be right but the majority of players rarely are at 22. If you don't nurture your own players then be prepared to pay for players that have. Harry M was available for 15m, Leicester took the same chance as we could of. We let Pogba walk out the door for 1m and Chelsea let 2 of the best players in world football walk out the door too. Sometimes you just have to believe in the player and their potential even if it's not evident at 22....

I agree. There’s a balance I guess. The reality is, the majority of our team won’t be made up of youth talent. What we absolutely want is a setup where the exceptional ones get through (providing they apply themselves). I’m not even against Scott making it either, we need players like him in the squad.

I want us to invest in the talent of Greenwood, Gomes, Garner etc, but they are a different bracket of talent to McTominay. He’s not the calibre of player you see in the youth team and think ‘we have to get this one up into the first team as he’ll save us a fortune’ and then have him starting his second full season as a fixture in the first XI. That’s where we have found ourselves. The likes of Gomes, Garner and Chong likely won’t get that kind of opportunity here. The road that has been cleared for Scott is about unusual, especially as he isn’t amongst our top bracket of academy talent.

If we can get Gomes, Axel, Greenwood and Garner into the first XI over the next few years, I think we can ultimately do that without compromising on quality with any other top club in their roles, providing they develop as hoped. With McTominay, that doesn’t apply, he’s quite likely to be a level below those guys.
 
The answer is that Scott is a better footballer.

How? You must be a relative. Scott is a better runner. He’s not a better technician, runner, dribbler, passer or shooter than Pereira. He just has a weird cult following on Redcafe.
 
How? You must be a relative. Scott is a better runner. He’s not a better technician, runner, dribbler, passer or shooter than Pereira. He just has a weird cult following on Redcafe.

It's not a weird cult following on RedCafe. Match going fans will tell you they rate Scott. His athleticism and mentality combine with his understanding on the pitch to create a good player. Tactically he is ahead of Andreas by a good margin.

Andreas having prettier technique does not make him a more effective footballer than Scott.
 
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It's not a weird cult following on RedCafe. Match going fans will tell you they rate Scott. His athleticism and mentality combine with his understanding on the pitch to create a good player. Tactically he is ahead of Andreas by a good margin.

His ‘mentality’ is only different to Andreas because he’s a Scott. Pereira shows similar qualities, puts himself about and is brave too. But it’s not synonymous with a great mentality from him. Not sure what understanding on the pitch you speak of either. You exaggerate it massively. As if he’s always ‘right place right time’ or never looks lost out there, which isn’t the case. Tactically, Andreas can play 6, 8, 10 and 7. And has had good games in all.

McTominay isn’t better than him at all. You just go from thread to thread on some back the underdog crusade, and you then take it to extremes. It’s a weird cult following on Redcafe because outside of this bubble, Scott McTominay is not referenced by football fans as a good player. ‘He’s alright’ is what most will say. Similar to Pereira tbh, I don’t think he’s all that, but it is noticeable how the caf are always far more forthcoming with his limitations. Even when he created a goal against Chelsea, everyone came to say how he wasn’t good. McTominay’s cult stood strong, as they have done after Wolves. I guess we see what we want. I hope McTominay turns out to be the player you think he is.

‘His athleticism and mentality combined with his understanding’. Do me a favour. All intangible buzzwords to hide behind, that are hard to explain. That’s a poor job of describing a central midfielder who is anything other than average.
 
He's ahead of Andreas because you know what Scott's strengths are; he's a decent tackler, combative and energetic, and has a better understanding of his role in the team (more specifically as an 8 in my opinion). I'm not convinced he's a first team starter yet but he'll get there or at least be a good squad player. Every time I see Andreas on the other hand, I fail to see what he actually excels at. He's just decent at most things but a master of nothing. The odd assist here, the odd goal there but i'm just not seeing a settled role for him.
 
How? You must be a relative. Scott is a better runner. He’s not a better technician, runner, dribbler, passer or shooter than Pereira. He just has a weird cult following on Redcafe.

I wouldn't say he was a better footballer, if by that its meant he's better technically, but I think he's a much more effective footballer. Maybe that is mostly down to his physicality, or mentality or intelligence on the pitch. To be honest I don't know but its as clear as day he contributes a lot more during a match than Perreira in their respective careers so far.

Maybe Perreira will kick on from here, but so far he hasn't impressed me like Scott.
 
His ‘mentality’ is only different to Andreas because he’s a Scott. Pereira shows similar qualities, puts himself about and is brave too. But it’s not synonymous with a great mentality from him. Not sure what understanding on the pitch you speak of either. You exaggerate it massively. As if he’s always ‘right place right time’ or never looks lost out there, which isn’t the case. Tactically, Andreas can play 6, 8, 10 and 7. And has had good games in all.

McTominay isn’t better than him at all. You just go from thread to thread on some back the underdog crusade, and you then take it to extremes. It’s a weird cult following on Redcafe because outside of this bubble, Scott McTominay is not referenced by football fans as a good player. ‘He’s alright’ is what most will say. Similar to Pereira tbh, I don’t think he’s all that, but it is noticeable how the caf are always far more forthcoming with his limitations. Even when he created a goal against Chelsea, everyone came to say how he wasn’t good. McTominay’s cult stood strong, as they have done after Wolves. I guess we see what we want. I hope McTominay turns out to be the player you think he is.

‘His athleticism and mentality combined with his understanding’. Do me a favour. All intangible buzzwords to hide behind, that are hard to explain. That’s a poor job of describing a central midfielder who is anything other than average.

Nothing to do with him being Scottish. He has a bigger presence than Andreas in every way. A lot of what Andreas does is empty, Scott's presence can actually be felt in games and he has played in numerous big games and never looked out of place. Andreas plays in every position and will never hold one because he is bang average in all of them.

Scott clearly is athletic and has a very good mentality so no, it has nothing to do with buzz words or hiding.

I wouldn't say he was a better footballer, if by that its meant he's better technically, but I think he's a much more effective footballer. Maybe that is mostly down to his physicality, or mentality or intelligence on the pitch. To be honest I don't know but its as clear as day he contributes a lot more during a match than Perreira in their respective careers so far.

Maybe Perreira will kick on from here, but so far he hasn't impressed me like Scott.

Being a more effective footballer, makes you a better footballer, simple as that. Otherwise we can go find a futsal player with the prettiest technique and tell him to do it as a pro footballer on an actual pitch. He would drown.
 
I wouldn't say he was a better footballer, if by that its meant he's better technically, but I think he's a much more effective footballer. Maybe that is mostly down to his physicality, or mentality or intelligence on the pitch. To be honest I don't know but its as clear as day he contributes a lot more during a match than Perreira in their respective careers so far.

Maybe Perreira will kick on from here, but so far he hasn't impressed me like Scott.

It’s not really clear as day. Footy fans have short memories. 12 months ago they were saying the same about Pereira, and were furious with Jose when he took him out of the side.

I think the distinction is largely due to their roles. Otherwise you could argue, by your logic, that McTominay is also a better footballer than Mata. But then we’d just really be getting carried away, although I’m sure there’s a group on here that would think that tbh.
 
Nothing to do with him being Scottish. He has a bigger presence than Andreas in every way. A lot of what Andreas does is empty, Scott's presence can actually be felt in games and he has played in numerous big games and never looked out of place. Andreas plays in every position and will never hold one because he is bang average in all of them.

Scott clearly is athletic and has a very good mentality so no, it has nothing to do with buzz words or hiding.

Both are bang average players. Scott is athletic. He is tall, which I believe has carried him a long way at United. Andreas will never hold a position in United’s XI because he isn’t top class. Neither is Scott fecking McTominay. He’s just Scott McTominay. I’m not sure what it is you see.

Mentality and athleticism can be found 10 a penny. He’s an average football player. Those qualities are not useless I agree, but they are what makes him average, not what makes him good. Without them, he’d be terrible, as he is a nothing player on the ball. He’s a central midfielder at Manchester United and you keep listing all these qualities that don’t involve a football. ‘He’s good at mentality and athleticism’. That’s all fluff. This is Britain, the land of mentality and athleticism.
 
It’s not really clear as day. Footy fans have short memories. 12 months ago they were saying the same about Pereira, and were furious with Jose when he took him out of the side.

I think the distinction is largely due to their roles. Otherwise you could argue, by your logic, that McTominay is also a better footballer than Mata. But then we’d just really be getting carried away, although I’m sure there’s a group on here that would think that tbh.

Well I didn't say Scott was a better footballer, I said he was more effective. There are a lot of technical footballers who aren't very effective. I'd much rather Scott starting games than Mata, that is for sure.

I agree the distinction is due to their roles in so far as Scott performs his role better than Perreira does his. There is no doubt Perreira has better technique.
 
Both are bang average players. Scott is athletic. He is tall, which I believe has carried him a long way at United. Andreas will never hold a position in United’s XI because he isn’t top class. Neither is Scott fecking McTominay. He’s just Scott McTominay. I’m not sure what it is you see.

Mentality and athleticism can be found 10 a penny. He’s an average football player. Those qualities are not useless I agree, but they are what makes him average, not what makes him good. Without them, he’d be terrible, as he is a nothing player on the ball. He’s a central midfielder at Manchester United and you keep listing all these qualities that don’t involve a football. ‘He’s good at mentality and athleticism’. That’s all fluff. This is Britain, the land of mentality and athleticism.

It's about how you use your athleticism effectively. You don't seem to understand that.
 
Well I didn't say Scott was a better footballer, I said he was more effective. There are a lot of technical footballers who aren't very effective. I'd much rather Scott starting games than Mata, that is for sure.

I agree the distinction is due to their roles in so far as Scott performs his role better than Perreira does his. There is no doubt Perreira has better technique.

That’s true, I agree with that. That said, I do think the minimum requirement for Scott’s role is a lot lower than Andreas, or Mata. If you play in central/defensive midfield and you can tackle a bit, then you are can certainly be seen to have done your job to a decent extent. I think I’m the forward positions, it’s all or nothing. Typically, if you go through the list of the likes of Nevillex2, Butt, Fletch, O’Shea etc - we had these players in defensive roles. They could follow basic instructions and give their all. Further forward, better players didn’t make the grade as if you can’t affect the score line regularly, you’re out. Gary Neville’s equivalent would have never lasted a decade at United if he were a right winger instead of a right back.
 
It's about how you use your athleticism effectively. You don't seem to understand that.

I do. So what though? I’m proposing that he has some athleticism (it is not the best either, he’s tall, but not the strongest and doesn’t go around knocking everyone over or anything) - but as I’ve maintained, this is what makes him average. Average, as I’ve said many times regarding Scott, is a lot better than terrible. I’ve not claimed he’s terrible. He’s average. He has some qualities, but he’s not in any sort of upper bracket of player. You could list his qualities and limitations. He’s average. He has athleticism. Wow. And is brave. Not that good on the ball. But again, he has athleticism. Okay cool, he’s alright. He’s absolutely not what you seem to think he is though.
 
I do. So what though? I’m proposing that he has some athleticism (it is not the best either, he’s tall, but not the strongest and doesn’t go around knocking everyone over or anything) - but as I’ve maintained, this is what makes him average. Average, as I’ve said many times regarding Scott, is a lot better than terrible. I’ve not claimed he’s terrible. He’s average. He has some qualities, but he’s not in any sort of upper bracket of player. You could list his qualities and limitations. He’s average. He has athleticism. Wow. And is brave. Not that good on the ball. But again, he has athleticism. Okay cool, he’s alright. He’s absolutely not what you seem to think he is though.

You don't know what I think he is. I never said he was in an upper bracket player but he is better than you give him credit for. Certainly he is better than Andreas anyway. Andreas is average, Scott is better than that.

He is strong btw. I'd back him to win battles against most midfielders anywhere in the world.
 
That’s true, I agree with that. That said, I do think the minimum requirement for Scott’s role is a lot lower than Andreas, or Mata. If you play in central/defensive midfield and you can tackle a bit, then you are can certainly be seen to have done your job to a decent extent. I think I’m the forward positions, it’s all or nothing. Typically, if you go through the list of the likes of Nevillex2, Butt, Fletch, O’Shea etc - we had these players in defensive roles. They could follow basic instructions and give their all. Further forward, better players didn’t make the grade as if you can’t affect the score line regularly, you’re out. Gary Neville’s equivalent would have never lasted a decade at United if he were a right winger instead of a right back.

That is definitely true but I think you are doing him a disservice is you believe all he offers is he 'can tackle a bit'. It's very very difficult to play in midfield in the PL at a young age.

Yesterday he played in a two with Pogba against Wolves three man midfield, generally regarded as one of he best midfields outside the top four, and we came away with 66% possession. It wasn't his best game but he still played his part and contributed to us dominating the game.

He might end up being 'only' a Gary Neville type for us, but that would actually be really really good.
 
You don't know what I think he is. I never said he was in an upper bracket player but he is better than you give him credit for. Certainly he is better than Andreas anyway.

He is strong btw. I'd back him to win battles against most midfielders anywhere in the world.

Well I know what your posts imply he is. That may or may not differ from what you actually think of him. Perhaps you just enjoy debating. I say he’s an average player, you are arguing that with me and have referred to him as a good one. You also said once that he has ‘obvious talent’. He and Andreas are much of a muchness. Can very easily be compared to each other as both fall into the average player bracket. Beyond that, it’s splitting hairs.

As for his strength, he is literally always on the floor after any duel. Your mate Pogba’s really strong though. I’d back him to win fuels against most players in the world.
 
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